Book Review | The House in the Cerulean Sea

Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard.

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Location: Fictional
Pages: 394
Publication year: 2020
Average Goodreads Ratings: 4.47
My Goodreads Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Trigger Warnings: Child abuse
Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

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A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours. 

My Thoughts

Okay, um. Wow. This book was beautiful. This is going to be a poorly written review. I apologize in advance. I don’t have the words to express my feelings. It took me awhile to get into the book. I felt like the beginning was very slow and boring. After I got into it; however, I was hooked.

The characters are fabulous. The children just want to be loved and feel loved. I think TJ Klune did a great job at executing this. This book just oozes magic, love, humor, and accepting people for who they are. It deals with such heavy topics but the book is also still heartwarming and hopeful.

I think the children in the story really sell the book. They’re so innocent and act just like kids. The stuff they would say made me giggle and smile. Chauncey, one of the kids, was probably one of my favorite characters. He was just so pure.

My biggest issue with the book was how slow the beginning was and how anticlimactic the conflict was. The conflict didn’t feel like a conflict at all.

Overall, the book was magically. I felt like I was actually there on the island with all the kiddos going on their adventures. I really recommend this if you want a book with heavy topic told in the most wholesome and heartwarming way. ❤