This is a charming book that I enjoyed very much with magical creatures galore. I was convinced that this was a book for young readers and kept trying to place the intended audience age group. As a love story developed (though very tame) I kept revising my guess. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this isn't considered YA at all. I still loved it and would highly recommend, but would warn that some adult readers may be turned off by the tone.

MMy Thoughts and Review:

A Found Family is Like A Beautiful Collection of Buttons

The House in the Cerulean Sea was so enchanting that I became a young girl once more, for a little while at least. I devoured Klune’s words like someone dying of thirst, completely unaware of how close to death I was until these characters fell out of the pages quenching my thirst as they did.

This would have been my first read by Klune, but I wanted to get a taste of their work, so I listened to “Purgatory” a few days ago. I highly recommend it, but only for the more mature crowd. The House in the Cerulean Sea, however, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys magical beings, friends who are closer than some families, caretakers who love and protect the way parents are supposed to, precocious children who actually have the power and might to do scary and terrifying things but don’t because they are raised in love and respect, and lots of antics from adults and children to have one giggling, smiling, laughing, and gasping… from giggling, smiling, and laughing. You will cheer for the children like they were in the room with you, but be warned your heart will break in the same manner.

One mustn’t forget the caretakers either. The feelings of joy, elation, and heartbreak extend to the adults in this wonderful heart-melting story as well.

The secluded island the children and their caretaker(s) live on belongs to a part-time guardian of sorts. Because one of the children is like the female guardian, she helps with her lessons from time to time. She also plays chauffeur on occasion and brings an agent to the island, who is to report back to Extremely Upper Management on whether the children’s home should remain open or not, as it houses some of the most terrifying of magical children.

There are so many wonder-filled things about this book, I could never do it justice with a simple review. You can tell Klune poured love, humor, elation, aa dash of present-day relevance, and a part of his soul into the world he created and when you reach the end, you get to take all of that into yourself to keep forever. It’s the most beautiful thing.

Even though this was an ARC, I plan to buy my own copies, both ebook and audio on release day. TTS is a need for my disability, so I know I will love this book even more with the audiobook’s release. I can hardly wait!

5.00+ found-family-forever-stars

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

ARC provided by NetGalley.

I went into this book not really knowing anything other than the synopsis and that it’s queer.

I never knew that it will blow me away with such a beautiful, breathtaking, wholesome story. Because that’s what this book is: a beautiful, breathtaking, wholesome story from start to finish.

(Sorry, my mind went blank somewhere around here. I was trying to think of other things to describe this book, but I don’t think they’ll ever be enough! *cries*)

For starters, The House in the Cerulean Sea is wonderfully-written. It was able to capture the emotions and thoughts of the characters and project it to the readers. It was also funny, yet poignant and deep. I couldn’t simply stop reading, and if I did, the story stayed on my mind.

This book is character-driven, and the characters are just amazing. I loved Linus’s character arc. He starts as this obedient and loyal employee who feels small and unseen. At the end of the book he’s not any of those things anymore, and I loved that! He discovers and realizes many things, and he grows and he learns. My favorites would have to be the kids though, specifically Chauncey (the unidentifiable green blob) and Lucy (the Antichrist (yep, you read that right indeed)). They’re just so pure! I loved Arthur and Zoe as well. They completed the story and I loved that Arthur got some character development, too!

The plot, though simple, is incredibly profound. Linus is a case worker and the fate of this rundown orphanage and the dangerous, yet extraordinary kids lie in his decision and recommendation. The story follows Linus and his one month stay at Marsyas Island Orphanage. It’s slow going, but Linus gets to know the kids and the caretakers. He gets to know the island and the prejudice against the orphanage. He realizes the unfairness of many things. He realizes where he belongs. He finally finds his own home. Along the way, there are secrets, riots, self-realizations, love, and healing. It’s wholesome, pure, and absolutely perfect.

Above all, this is a story that teaches us to be kind, that the world is not merely black and white, and that it’s okay to feel small once in a while. I’m completely blown away by it. I fell in love with this story and I’ll forever cherish it in my heart.

In conclusion, The House in the Cerulean Sea is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2020. Five stars!

This was one of the top books I wanted to read before University starts! Seriously, I wish I could read it again and again.
'The House in the Cerulean Sea' is the kind of book that you need to read to be in peace with yourself.
The characters, the plot, the setting, everything in this book is perfect and I'm already hoping for a sequel, but I know that it's perfect as a standalone. Yes, I take it back but I'm saying that because 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' is the type of book that makes you feel lonely and lovely at the same time, a book that you never want to let go.
Honestly, I can't remember the last time I read a book that I loved so much.
I also really enjoyed how the book takes the trope "found family" and worked on it so slowly that you didn't notice until the end.
If you have to pick up a TJ's book, I highly recommend 'The House in the Cerulean Sea'.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I am a huge fan of this author. I found his writing through his Green Creek series & haven't looked back. This book is a perfect example of why!

It's a beautifully sweet read packed with heartbreak, wonder and moments that were just sooo sad. BUT. And it's a big BUT. It's not a sad book. It's more a story that makes you FEEL a lot. It's got a beautiful message contained in the narrative and the characters had me hooked. I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite and as usual I paused a lot while reading to just appreciate TJ's dialogue and imagery he gives me.

It's a story of hope and love and being better. I truly loved it!

House in the Cerulean Sea is a story full of interesting characters, fun and witty dialogue, and sweet moments. I often found myself not only laughing aloud but also crying tears of joy and tears of sadness. Many of the characters, including Linus, felt like misfits and outliers. I connected with them because I know exactly how that feels. I requested this book because I love stories about magic, however, it’s so much more than that!

Linus Baker always does things by the books, specifically by the Rules and Regulations outlined by Extremely Upper Management. In his day to day life, Linus is an investigator for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) As an investigator for DICOMY he visits various orphanages that house children of various ages avid various magic capabilities, and writes reports where he details on the wellbeing of the children and the overall nature of the facilities. He takes great pride in doing his job because he understands just how much weight his opinion carries.
However, after he’s investigated and written his report he doesn’t think twice about how his recommendations affect the children or the orphanages. And that is not because he doesn’t care, it’s because he has faith that the system works and that DICOMY has the children’s’ best interest at heart. To say that he is very naive would be an understatement.
Outside of work, his life consists of working, missing the bus, getting rained on, going home, and repeat. Part of the reason Linus takes such great care at his job is because he feels like he has nothing else. In his world, he feels like just another number and very, very ordinary.
“Oh, there was no specific event that brought along this line of thinking. It was just that he felt . . . dimmer than others. Like he was faded in a crystal-clear world. He wasn’t meant to be seen.”
However, after his newest assignment given to him directly by Extremely Upper Management, his opinions not only about himself but his employer waiver and his life changes forever.

Somewhere in the heart of a dreary city, a fading poster clings to the side of a telephone pole: "See something, say something!" It is just one of the many identical signs that Linus Baker sees on his daily trek to work at the Department In Charge Of Magical Youth, a company somewhat akin to the Ministry of Magic, if you can imagine the Dursleys running it. Linus is simply another cog in the Department's wheel. On case after case, Linus inspects orphanages that keep magical children separate from the rest of society. But one day, he receives orders to travel to the sea, where he is expected to assess the standards of an orphanage quite unlike any other. There he encounters children who have been deemed particularly threatening, but it will be up to Linus to decide whether he shares the Department's fears.

In this story, readers will find many charming characters, chief among them Theodore, a treasure-hoarding wyvern, and Chauncey, a child of unknown origin who wants nothing more than to become a bellhop. However, for all the endearing quirks of its characters, the story leans too far towards the irreverent and, ultimately, becomes so heavy-handed that it takes away from the story itself.

A lovely, heartwarming story about magical children, found family, and how change starts with a single person.

Content warnings include: past child abuse, orphaned children, threat against children, internalized fatphobia and dieting (challenged repeatedly), bleak workplace.

I’m not the first to say this, but for a Klune book, The House in the Cerulean Sea is rather mild. His typical style is still very much present so that fans of his will get their fix, but it’s also probably one of the easier accessible books for anyone new to this author.

Despite this, I must say that I wasn’t quite engaged for a good two thirds of the book. I wanted to know more and what would happen next, but it is a quite slow book with a gradual pace that doesn’t see a lot of action.
I think part of the issue was that I could see where things where headed, and I was impatient to see them come to pass. Ultimtately that just meant I read the book slower than I thought I would.

That said, the atmosphere is definitely one of the strong points of the book. Linus getting to know the children and Arthur and slowly becoming part of the family is an incredibly slow process, so slow that he himself doesn’t notice until it’s almost too late. Had the book’s pace been any faster, it wouldn’t have worked out as well as it did.

Another facet of this was that The House in the Cerulean Sea is very much a character driven story. Linus was a wonderful protagonist, and I loved that he was a fat man in his fourties. He’s had the same bleak job for almost two decades, a horrible neighbour and tiny house, and pretty much no friends. When asked, he’d say he’s content with his life, and it was wonderful to see him challenge not only his own happiness, but also the rest of what he always assumed as right in his life. Linus is also white and gay.

He struggles quite a lot with his weight and repeatedly remarks on it, both in dialogue and his own internal voice to himself. Other characters do repeatedly challenge those views whenever he voices them, but fatphobia, particularly internalized, is still very much present.

Despite Linus being a great protagonist, the true highlight of the book were the children. There are six of them, and I adored every single one of them. They are different magical beings with different magical abilities, and, naturally, they cause a lot of not-always-magical trouble. The children and particularly their dialogue was were Klune’s style shines especially and was a delight to read, often making me grin along.

The adults were also a lovely surprise. I didn’t expect much from them, or as many as there ended up being important, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

The romantic subplot was… very minor. It’s definitely present, but not by any means one of the main plotlines, and despite knowing it was coming somehow I was still surpised by when The Kiss happened. I do however think it was a good choice to keep it in the background, as to not distract from the children.

Ultimately, The House in the Cerulean Sea is a lovely book that deserves all the praise it gets. It has wonderful themes that, while magical, are still very much relevant in today’s world. It’s a delight to read and I’m not ashamed to admit I got a bit teary-eyed at that epilogue, and even before that, because these children will definitely steal your heart. And they will do it on purpose, delighting in turning your insides to your outside.

You can buy the book here.

If Diana Wynne Jones and Douglas Adams had team written a sweet tale that was part Harry Potter, part Good Omens, and two parts Professor Xavier and the early X-Men, it would be something like this — contemporary fantasy that drops you into an Orwellian bureaucracy and then dismantles it with quirky charm and kindness. ⁣
⁣
Linus Baker is our everyman protagonist, a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. DICOMY is a miserable office to work in but he's very good at what he does. As a caseworker, Linus evaluates orphanages for magical youth to ensure they're safe and safely contained. Above all, caseworkers must remain impartial, uphold the RULES AND REGULATIONS, file very thorough reports, and not concern themselves with things that aren't in their purview. ⁣
⁣
He's so good at this that Linus is chosen by DICOMY's Extremely Upper Management to evaluate a highly classified orphanage with an unusual group of magical children who are under the care of the mysterious Arthur Parnassus. Linus's small, dreary life is suddenly bursting with color, but he can't decided whether to be more frightened, annoyed, or enchanted. There are a few things he's certain about, however — Extremely Upper Management provided extremely inadequate files and the inhabitants of the orphanage are not at all what he expected.⁣
⁣
The House in the Cerulean Sea was, perhaps, a bit overlong and a bit sentimental and didactic, but I was honestly too enamored to care. It is wholesome, inclusive, hilarious, diverse, and has themes of nature vs, nurture, found family, beauty in brokenness, magic in the ordinary, kindness as strength, the power of love, self-discovery, and so much more.⁣
⁣
"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." ⁣
⁣
Content notes: body image issues that were addressed but perhaps not quite as overtly as necessary, off-screen child abuse and trauma, bigotry and oppression, mob mentality

My heart is filled with so much love for this beautiful book. TJ Klune never fails to amaze me, Every single book I've read from him fills me with so much emotion. This book is full of love and healing, every page made me feel nostalgic for something I've never had. At first I was a bit thrown off by the writing style, its very different from his other books and reads almost like classic novels. Once I got used to the style though, I was completely enthralled. The world building and characters brought to life in this book are spectacular. I cannot recommend this enough!

I got an ARC of this book.

I have read a few other books by Klune, but they were all in the same universe. They were very distinctly Klune. This was a new adventure, a new publisher, but still distinctly Klune. 

This book is a much more tame Klune. The opening was very slow and was the exact sort of slow that I enjoy. It built up the MC as someone who is very set in his routine, that is a bit dull, and just the underdog in a very gentle way. By the time all the magical elements were introduced into the story, I already had a strong sense of Linus and how he would react to things. It made me appreciate things much more and gave Linus a path to evolving as a character. Linus has such a great development arch. 

Wyverns, sprites, gnomes, and more. The book delivers and then some. The magical elements are fantastic. Were-Pomeranian? Yes please. A green blob that wants to be a bellhop more than anything in the world? Why yes, I will tear up at that plot line. The Antichrist? Did you mean a six year old? Linus has to learn that there is more to a someone than one detail. He learns to see himself that way too. He learns so much and he is such a great protagonist. The slow ending really builds up his character and makes him someone I root for and someone I that I am amused by the idea of tormenting, which thankfully the children do. My favorite romantic plot happened off the page and I AM SO UPSET. I want to see the courtship between these two characters. Can there just be a sequel book about this romance? KLUNE, ARE YOU LISTENING?

As a romance, this is very bland. The romance is such a slow burn that it is easy to miss and easy to just do without. As a novel about finding a home and finding who you truly are, it is fantastic. The romance was there for sure, but it was so secondary to the found family plot that I could take it or leave it. I didn't really feel connected to the romance, but that was partially because the story focused on the kids so much that there was little time for adults. The kids really are the stars of this book. 

I want to gush about this with iam, but they have not gotten nearly as far as I have yet. (iam, stop reading this until you finish the book). Now that I have clearly warned iam, the ending! The ending is a bit slow, just like the opening. It was done in this way that really just highlighted how much better things were outside of Linus's bubble. It really highlighted that theme of found family. It was done so well. I know a slow and easy path is not the highlight for a lot of people, but trust me there really is a reason for the way it is written. The epilogue was this perfect ending. Chauncey clearly had the best ending, he isn't even my favorite character, but I can appreciate it the most for some reason. I don't want to give too much away, but if you don't leave this novel with a better appreciation for buttons (and your own friends), then I will be shocked.

I love TJ Klune's writing, the way he draws out the characters in a way that truly makes the reader feel as though they know them. I loved Linus and Arthur and Chauncey and Lucy so much! This is such a surprisingly sweet story as well, especially when you consider the Antichrist plays a prominent role, but Klune pulls it off, both the sweetness and the humor well, and massively well done at that.

I absolutely loved this. I loved this so much I stayed up until midnight to finish, which is a really, really late night for me. I loved this so much it's now on my "5 stars for real" and my "favorites" shelves because this is so damn good and I really didn't want it to ever end.

TJ Klune's stories are fantastic and I don't know how he just keeps making them better, but the craziest thought is I really think the best is still to come and I'll be in the first lines every time.

RECOMMENDED!

[Actual Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review!

Wow! T. J. Klune continues to impress me with his seamless mastery of the written word and storytelling. The House In The Cerulean Sea exceeded expectations and turned out to be a really great read.

The House In The Cerulean Sea was an auto-read for me because I LOVED Klune's 'Tales From Verania' and 'Green Creek' series - both paranormal romances. I just had to read more by Klune. I was apprehensive at first because this book's genre was far different the aforementioned series (they are the only books of his I've read).

The beginning was slow for me and hard to get into. You quickly learn the kind of person Linus Baker is: meek, a rule follower, compassionate, and highly observant. His job as a casework mirrors that of a social worker but, in this case, for magical youth. At first, he seems like a dull person for a main character. But you (and Linus) gradually see that there is more to him than what's on the surface. The more his character developed the more I grew to love Linus as a character and person. This man is sassy when he wants to be. He was such a badass by the end of the story.

I highlighted so many well-crafted quotes about life, humanity, home, family, personal character, and self-worth. As much as I loved the philosophical exchanges of dialogue, it came off a bit preachy or too much (not in a bad way). The first half of the story was like this. I was reminded post-read that this is Klune's style - long sections of exchanges for whatever reason - which I had forgotten. The House In The Cerulean Sea was more engaging in the second half.

I adore all of the children of Marsyas Island: Lucy, Talia, Chauncey, Theodore, Phee, and Sal. A wonderful mix of personalities. They're such good kids despite all the prejudice, abuse and trauma they've been through. It's wonderful that they have a place and people, Arthur and Zoe, to help them heal.

I love that the name of Linus' department is called the Department In Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY, for short), which is overseen by the big bosses, Extremely Upper Management. I don't know what it is about these names. They're just amazing that only someone like Klune would come up with.

And that slow burn romance! So good and I totally ship it.

The House In The Cerulean Sea aptly defines what family and home really mean. I'm so happy I got approved for this title. I ended up loving it a lot! The House In The Cerulean Sea is a must-read for your 2020 reading list.

Review will post on 3/18/2020

Favorite Quote:
“Hope?” Linus said stupidly.
“Hope,” Mr. Parnassus repeated. “Because that is what we must give him, what we must give all of them. Hope and guidance and a place to call their own, a home where they can be who they are without fear of repercussion.”

I’ve seen TJ Klune talking about his new book with his new publisher on Twitter for awhile now. As soon as I read the blurb I knew I had to add it to my TBR list and beg Tor for an early copy if I had to. The House in the Cerulean Sea is labeled as LGBT Humorous Contemporary Fantasy Fiction, so I dove into it with relish. Ready for anything and everything… And ended up reading it in one sitting. It was that good.

This book was just so much. So much heart, so much charm and humor, so much emotion, so much everything I didn’t know I needed until I sat down to read. It starts out by introducing Linus Baker, a case worker with the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). Linus lives a colorless, drab life where each day consists of exactly the same thing. He lives alone with only his cat Calliope for company and is very good at following the rules. In fact he has two copies of the employee handbook, Rules and Regulations. Then one day he is called into a meeting with Extremely Upper Management and told he is being given a new case to investigate. He must travel to an orphanage full of magically special children located on Marsyas Island and discover if there are any problems. His report will help them decide whether to keep the orphanage open or close it and move the children elsewhere.

I don’t think me or Linus knew what we were in for when he finally arrived at the house in the cerulean sea. The very best part of this book are the young people who live at the orphanage and how beautifully they are written. They simply light up the pages and you can’t help but fall in love with each of them. While their backstories are absolutely heartbreaking, they still manage to have this tentative hope that tugs at your heartstrings again and again. Oh, and they made me laugh so many times.

There is a soft, rather sweet romance between Linus and the master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus. The story ends with a simply lovely HEA for them and their charges.

Honestly? While I believe this novel is geared more towards adults, I do think anyone of almost any age would enjoy reading. There are so many important themes woven into the narrative, the main ones being nature vs. nurture, judging others based on preconceived notions and learning how to be an agent for positive change.

This is a feel good, fun, character driven fantasy full of hope and important messages. I enjoyed every single moment I spent with this found family and look forward to more adventures from this author.

Final grade- A

Linus does things by the book. He feels comfortable in the rules, in the way things are supposed to adhere to rigidity. That’s why he’s so good at his job! He is an inspector for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He travels around the country to make sure that the orphanages are running correctly, that the children are safe. Linus is able to detach himself from any of the feelings or emotional baggage that a lesser case worker may get caught up on.

Until he is called to a meeting with Extreme Upper Management. He’s worried and scared. What has he done wrong? His job is the only thing he has! But to his and his boss’s surprise, he is given a special assignment. He will travel to a classified location. A secret orphanage that houses the most unique cases. Even the people in the local village are paid hush money to keep the Marsyas Island Orphanage under wraps. Six children reside in the old house: a female gnome, a powerful sprite, a wyvern, a boy/ Pomeranian changeling, a blob whose dream is to be a bellhop, and the antichrist. Their lessons are headed up by Arthur Parnassus, a enigmatic man who Linus is drawn to. His long-held rules start to bend, and there may be some feeling about to be felt…

Klune’s pacing is impeccable. He doles out just enough of the background of the island in the form of reports sent with Linus from Upper Management. And these characters are certainly unforgettable. As readers we’ve been given plenty of stories about secret magical schools, but I’ll tell you that this one is different. Linus is different, and his development is magical itself.

I read through this one in just a couple days. It served as the greatest salve in a stressful week. The House is a hopeful narrative that breaks through the fear of the ‘other.’ I will happily recommend it to my students and all readers who love fantasy. It’s a special one!

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an utterly beautiful story, that was everything I could have wanted and more.

"It’s time to step from the shadows and into the light."

Words cannot describe how much I love Linus Baker, I just want to wrap him in a blanket and keep him safe – actually I want to do that to all of them to be honest, they deserve the world. But I do have a soft spot in my heart for Linus because it was so wonderful to see him grow and break through the bubble he was living in. But it’s not just Linus – Arthur, Lucy, Sal, Chauncey, Theodore, Talia and Phee will crawl into your heart and make themselves at home. I would die for this family.

No one manages to destroy my emotions quite like TJ Klune. All the books I’ve read of his so far have managed to emotionally wreck me in some way and The House in the Cerulean Sea is no different. From around about the 65% mark the tears came and just kept coming for the rest of the book – happy tears, sad tears, a mix of both – either way they didn’t stop. Honesty my emotions where a mess – this is not on, sir.

The House in the Cerulean Sea isn’t an epic in the sense of action but it’s epic in its own way. It’s about family and the homes we make and having the courage to step outside what you know to embrace something new and wonderful. If you want to be swept away and enchanted I can’t recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea enough. It is truly something beautiful.

"Sometimes, he thought to himself in a house in a cerulean sea, you were able to choose the life you wanted.
And if you were of the lucky sort, sometimes that life chose you back."

*I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

This book!!
This book was many things: an urban fantasy, a Big-Brotheriesque tale, a love story.
But what shone through those tropes was what the book was about: tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion.
Tolerance of others, in all their forms, despite their otherness.
Inclusion because to have someone in your life often leads to...
Acceptance...because tolerating and inclusion of what's right doesn't mean much without accepting that different is OK, that different is not scary, that different is what makes our world beautiful.

It seemed a book of our times. One in which we find our government actively decrying foreignness as undesirable. A time where not adhering to the master plan from on high may mean the wrath of those in power. A time where speaking up may have you ostracized and discredited.

This is the world that Klune paints for us in vivid color--yet the world he depicts is not dark. He shows us the multifaceted gleam that being "other" adds to our world in the way of some very unique children in a very special home.

These kids include the antichrist who works to resist damning the world, a gelatinous unknown creature who dreams of being a bellhop, a spirited bearded garden gnome who defends her brothers and sisters with a shovel, and others. Into this home comes an investigator to watch and record. Our investigator is not handsome, is not fit, is not the brightest man, nor the wittiest. He is one of many investigators of government orphanages for special children. One man who holds himself at a distances from those he works with. One who lives in the grey and the wet and the drab. He is one who slowly allows the color from the house and the children to paint his views and his life full of love and shine.

Klune's book certainly brought color and reflection into my world.

Who can read this book? Anyone.
Who should read this book? Everyone.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard a lot of good things about TJ Klune. As a gay man, I am constantly looking for gay writers to support, especially gay men writers. Most of the authors who write MM romance are females, often straight females, so I try to support "my peeps" when I can. TJ Klune has been on my radar for a year or so now, but I hadn't had a chance to pick up one of his books. I saw this one and thought it would be a perfect request for me on Netgalley. I'm so glad I got approved.

I'm also glad that I pushed through. My reading mood has been kinda blah lately, and the world-and-character building of the first 35-40% or so moved slow for me. By the end, I felt like that was more my mood and less the book, because the book overall was beautiful. All of a sudden, at certain points, I found myself loving the kids in this book. I cried at one big part, and then I realized... hey this wasn't blah or slow, it was my mood, and this book was helping me overcome that slump.

This book is about love - not just love between two adults blossoming, but about the love of family. It's about how family isn't always blood. It's about how family can mean something you build on your own. It's about how different isn't bad. It's about sometimes the way things are isn't the way things should be, even when the way things should be is so much simpler and so much less painful for everyone. It's about how we need to push out of our bubbles and build a better world -- for ourselves and those who will come after us.

Mostly, I loved this book because, like Linus, I grew to care for these supernatural children. They're well-developed and quirky and adorable and deep.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to netgalley and Tor/Macmillan publishing for proving me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.


The House in the Cerulean Sea is a contemporary fantasy that features a by the book caseworker who soon breaks all his rules for six WONDERFUL children. Oh, and let’s not forget their father, that he definitely DOES NOT! Have a crush on.

“A home isn’t always a home we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.”

I’m not lying when I say that, reading this book was one of the best experiences of my life. It delighted me in every way and made me so happy. From the characters to the storyline - I was HOOKED.

Linus has earned a spot on my favourite characters list. Watching him grow throughout the novel had me cheering like a proud mother.
I loved how Linus also had his own brand of sassy that just about all of TJ Kune’s characters have. I was laughing out loud in PuBliC. People saw!!!

The children - Talia, Theodore, Chauncey, Lucy, Phee and Sal- were the BEST PART OF THE WHOLE BOOK. As someone who tends to avoid books about children at all costs, it really surprised me how much I melted when reading about these kids. Like Linus, from the moment we’re introduced to each one, I was a goner. Each of them were adorable and not to pick favourites ( I really love them all) but Chauncey, Talia and Lucy stood out.

“I like being round,” Talia announced. “It means there’s more of me to love.”

The romance that developed between Linus and Arthur is slow and so so sweet. I like that we have this book that features two older gentlemen falling in love and building a family like no other.

“- Arthur’s smile. That quiet, beautiful smile that felt like seeing the ocean for the first time.”

The House in the Cerulean Sea is book you don’t want to miss. It’s hilarious, sweet, and a little heartbreaking. It takes you on an adventure you won’t forget. On March 17th, Join Linus Baker as six extraordinary children show him the meaning of family, acceptance, and love.

“It pulled at him, and he thought of how his world had been cold and wet and gray until he’d come here. It felt like he was seeing in color for the first time.”

I want to wrap this story up in a blanket and snuggle it.
On the surface, this book is the sweet story of a fantastical found family of different magical beings, but given a deeper look this is a story of acceptance and I feel that so many different marginalized people could relate to; LGBT, undocumented persons, apraxia or otherwise nonverbal, people struggling with anxiety and mental health, etc. It's beautiful.

Some people might find this story slow and/or boring. It's not action-packed, but it is sweet, charming, and whimsical. It gave me similar fanciful feelings/vibes to the ones I got from the first Harry Potter book, a Series of Unfortunate Events (minus all the doom and gloom), etc.

The only real qualm I had was that the bit of romance (just a hint of romance, really. this book is entirely clean and spice-free lol) didn't feel believable. There didn't seem nearly enough interaction between the two characters to have as strongly developed feelings as they had at the end, but regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this.