The House in the Cerulean Sea
Ratings1,117
Average rating4.3
3,5⭐️ rounded up.
Sweet story, nice characters and universe. A bit light on the plot.
“I shouldn't have waited so long to read this.”
That was my thought after finishing T.J. Klune's THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, which I polished off in a day. Thank you to my friend Diana for sending this
I loved this book so much!!! So sweet and charming and wonderful. Definitely a new favorite
A dystopian novel about the the struggles of surviving in a society that distrusts you is exactly the wrong description for this book. A better description would be: a warm, sun-kissed hug of a book. For those put off by the “magical kids” label, note that it wears its fantasy roots lightly, being more an examination of people and society than exploring the limits of imagination. If you're looking for the perfect antidote (maybe not the best choice of word at the minute) to doom and gloom, you would be hard-pressed to find a better one than this.
The House In The Cerulean Sea is a lovely book incorporating unique world-building and Characters. It is a cross between Mrs. Peregrins Home for Peculiar Children, 1984, and a bit of Umbrella Academy. It is a captivating read and has been making the rounds amongst readers this past year with solidly five-star reviews, and it is wholly deserved of its praise; this is a gorgeous book.
“Humanity is so weird. If we're not laughing, we're crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us. And they don't even have to be real monsters. They could be the ones we make up in our heads. Don't you think that's weird?”
The story's main protagonist is Linus Baker, a gentle soul living a life of quiet desperation. He is a caseworker for a department that is in charge of Magical Youth. While Linus is calm and obedient in most aspects of his life, he is a champion of children and will defend those who can not protect themselves. This sentiment may sound a bit twee, but it comes off as a very authentic aspect of Linus's personality. Linus loves kids and as a caseworker who audits orphanages and makes sure that the children are receiving adequate care.
“Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.”
Because of the organization Linus works in, it is essential that Linus reports and observes the orphanages with objectivity. He needs to remain impartial and not get attached to the children. Linus generally does this well, as he is a more effective advocate for children when he is an impartial witness. But, even with all that he does for children, Linus is a lonely, unfulfilled person. He leaves the office every night, comes home, argues with his busybody neighbor, and goes to sleep. The only passions he allows himself are a love of music and a grumpy cat that he shares his life with.
On a rather ordinary day, Linus's life changes. Extremely Upper Management summons him. I love how the author creates this level of bureaucracy. Instead of just upper management, we are talking Extremely Upper Management—the people who aren't typically seen but who pull all the levers. They want him to evaluate Marsyas Island Orphanage, home to six special kids who aren't human. In this world, Linus is very familiar with the non-human population and has worked with them many times. Even so, this is a strange project to be given.
“Sometimes our prejudices color our thoughts when we least expect them to. If we can recognize that, and learn from it, we can become better people.”
Linus arrives at the orphanage, and this is where the magic happens in the story. The interactions between the six children: A wyvern, a gnome, a weredog, a green blob, a sprite, and the child of the devil and Linus are charming. It is also an exercise in acceptance. While Linus is unnerved and sometimes terrified by these children, especially in Baby Lucy, he sees their innocence and wants to protect them. He wants to teach them as an elder about courage and kindness, even in the face of townsfolk who don't want their kind around here. Linus has a month on this island, and while he tries to keep his typical objectivity, it isn't easy in the face of the beautiful interactions with the kids.
Additionally, Linus needs to interact with the headmaster of the school. A Mr. Arthur Parnassus, whom Linus is intrigued by, but again tries to remain impartial as he is there to evaluate Arthur as well. The relationship between Arthur and Linus is written as if they are dim lights circling each other, but they get brighter as they get closer to each other. It is a beautiful thing to read.
The entire story is uplifting. I know that many who read fantasy like it dark; I mostly look for morally gray characters and dark fantasy myself. The House in the Cerulean Sea seemed quaint and not something I would typically read when I originally read the blurb. But, there is something about TJ Klunes writing that is wonderful. It isn't quaint or cutesy, but something far more elegant and lovely. The relationships that Linus has, first with the children and then with Arthur, have a healing quality that extends past the character and affects the reader. Marsyas Island Orphanage was healing for Linus's soul after years of stagnation and repression, and it feels healing for readers like me after this long year of suckage. This story is like a warm mug of hot cocoa with a shot of whiskey in front of a fire. This story's message is powerful, and it goes to the top reads of 2020 for me.
Even people who love the darkest and meanest fantasy will get something out of the story, and it is well worth the journey to read it.
Cute and feel good. Whimsical and heart warming. Did not give 5 stars because it didn't grip me.
“Hate is loud, but I think you'll learn it's because it's only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you're not alone, you will overcome.”
Oh man my heart right now. What an absolutely amazing, well-written and beautiful story. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started this (as I got it mainly for the cute cover
To be quite honest with you, I didn't even think I was going to like this. This is marketed as such a cozy story, and usually I find that those types of stories try too hard and it tends to be overly cheesy and fake and it just makes me roll my eyes.
HOWEVER. Even if The House in the Cerulean Sea has its fair share of cheesy moments, I loved the hell out of it. I loved these characters and I loved the growth between them all very much. The way it was written was also extremely enjoyable to read, and I never wanted to gloss over longer descriptions. I really wanted to take it all in.
Favorite of this year so far? Yes, yes. Very much so.
Okay, okay, I liked it. I'm on record as not being a big fan of this author. His humor is too broad and his overwrought melodrama doesn't work for me either. And when I started this book I immediately thought, well this is totally predictable: the buttoned-down, by-the-book orphanage inspector will learn to loosen up and realize the true meaning of life. And yep, that's exactly what happened. But what I didn't predict was how charming the journey would be. I fell in love with the kids (which never happens to me, the only kids I like are my own), most especially Chauncey the aspiring bellhop and Sal the traumatized shifter (I was lukewarm on Lucy, TBH, no pun intended).
And yes, I rolled my eyes numerous times at the hokey platitudes intoned (primarily by Arthur) about dreams, accepting differences and other naive concepts like that, but in the dumpster fire of 2020 it's nice to think that someone is trying to keep a little flame of idealism alive. And you would have to be made of stone not to be affected by the dramatic conclusion and the rosy epilogue, and although I'm a hardened cynic I'm not granite yet.
I don't know if Klune had a stronger editor for his mainstream debut, or if he just agreed to tone it down, but this book was very well done and one that I might even - gasp! - read again someday. I'm not ready to add Klune to my list of auto-buy authors but I have to admit, he hit it out of the park with this book.
This book didn't have any surprises. It was obvious where it was going. There were very few action scenes. The characters were a bit simplified. This book has a definite obvious message and it doesn't mind preaching. This is not unusual in children's literature.
However, the best part of this book is the kids' dialogue. It feels so real and it is so hilarious. I gave this book 4 stars for the dialogue alone.
Some have pointed out the toxic work culture and the fat-phobic moments. I can see that, but I didn't feel like the book was celebrating it. I can see that it could bother some people. So it is good to know that it is there.
What a beautiful book! This book is magical, full of meaning and it really touched me. You all need to read it!!!
This was one of the most heartwarming books I've read in a long time. It was a super quick (for me) read because I just couldn't put it down. I know it is a standalone, but I would love to see more stories from Linus, Arthur, and the children. This is definitely going on my Best Of 2020 list.
I knew I would love this book almost as soon as I picked it up. Linus Baker is a
This book really didn't work for me. The first quarter dragged on. The middle was definitely the best and the ending felt flat. Honestly at times I felt like I was reading a Middle Grade book (which, is it??? Am I missing something here????) - every conversation between Linus and the Magical Youth constantly was hard driving “lessons” into my brain about how to treat others different from us. It was beyond repetitive, and so much so that with every conflict you knew exactly how it would be resolved, nothing was surprising and it left me with distaste.
second read in 2024
this was just as amazing, spectacular, stunning, phenomenal as the first time
first read in 2020
Literal happiness and perfection in book form.
I AM GOING TO SCREAM AND SCREAM AND NEVER STOP SCREAMING ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!!!!! It is SO beautifully written!!!! The setting, characters, and dialog are GORGEOUS!!!! I also gotta say, it's really really REALLY nice to read a book with queer characters who aren't teens!!! Don't get me wrong, there's Many queer YA books that I ADORE, but it's also nice to have older queer characters be the mcs too. Especially written in such a BEAUTIFUL way!!!! The character arc that happens in this book so so extraordinarily well written!!!! I think this has turned me into a T.J. Klune fan from now on!!!! This book is DEFINITELY one of my all times favorites!!!!
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What a sweet book! If anyone's looking for an escape from the hellfire that is today's world, this book is a great place to disappear into. Sure, there are reminders that the world isn't great in here, but the characters move past it, and talk about how to fix the problems that come up. It's nice to see as the story unfolds.
At points the language and writing are a little juvenile, but it's such an enjoyable tale that it's easy to get past that. I truly loved the children in the book, and wish it had been longer just so we got to meet more of them.
The LGBT rep is a little subtle at first but them it blossoms quite nicely, though never into anything graphic.
This was such a fun book. It reminds me of ...miss peregrine's home for peculiar children... but way better and for a more mature audience. I listened to it on audiobook from my library and loved the narrator. It has a male-male romance.
During such a time of uncertainty I am so thankful to have read this book.
It hits so many key things that I enjoy: fantasy (lite), queer characters, and a sense of whimsy.
In many ways it gave me the same sense of wonder that Nevermoor did when I first read it. What makes this book so special is how it quietly it handles being misunderstood for just being yourself. As someone who hardly ever cries I was teary-eyed by the end by how hopeful the story ended.
Also! We were really left hanging on the long awaited kiss. It was well worth it when it did happen.
Thank you McMillian-Tor/Forge & Netgalley for an arc!