T.J. Klune

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place – and realizing that family could be yours. ‘I loved it. It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket. Simply perfect’ – V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue He expected nothing. But they gave him everything . . . Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages. Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days. But their guardian, charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. As Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose between duty and his dreams. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is an uplifting, heart-warming fantasy tale that’s become a New York Times, USA Today and Washington Post bestseller. ‘Likely to cause heart-swelling’ – Washington Post ‘A modern fairy tale . . . It’s a beautiful book’ – Charlaine Harris, number one New York Times bestselling author ‘Touching, tender and truly delightful’ – Gail Carriger, author of Soulless

The House in the Cerulean Sea

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.

Taryn

“If you’re loud you can’t hear the flowers talking” - gnome 

I’m sure there’s much you don’t know about existing - Ms. Chapelwhite 

‘I have other things to worry about. Like tomorrow’

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER! A 2021 Alex Award winner! The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner! An Indie Next Pick! One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2020" One of Book Riot’s “20 Must-Read Feel-Good Fantasies” Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune’s bestselling, breakout contemporary fantasy that's "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger) Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours. "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." —Gail Carriger, New York Times bestselling author of Soulless At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genuinely am moving so slow through this book because I keep having to put it down to giggle and kick my feet. 

Catherine

“It’s not about need, Linus.That's not what gift giving is for. It's about the joy that someone is thinking of you." 

Linus felt his skin warm. “You were…thinking about me?” 

Linus…you big softie. Just let it happen. 

He wondered if it would be too much to get Chauncey a coat to complete his costume. Perhaps he could see if there was something in the village–

There was green. Bright and beautiful greens of waving grass, and what appeared to be flowers in pinks and purples and golds. They disappeared into white sand. And beyond the white was cerulean.

Aimee :)

You are a fire, and they need to know how you burn. Not only because of who you are, but because of what they have made you into.

Linus thought it was too late, to shield his heart.

Hate is loud, but i think you’ll learn that it’s because only a few people are shouting. Desperate to be heard. 

Home isn’t always the place we live in. It can be the people we surround ourself with.

Change comes when people want it, Mr Baker. And i do. 

I listened to the earth. It sings. Most people don't realize that. You have to listen for it with all your might. Some people will never hear it, no matter how hard they try. But I can hear it as well as I can hear you. It sang to me, and I promised it in return that I would care for it if it should give me what I asked for.

They fear what they don't understand. And that fear turns to hate for reasons I'm sure even they can't begin to comprehend. And since they don't understand the children, since they fear them, they hate them. This can't be the first time you've heard of this. it happens everywhere.

Theodore, of course, thought the sun rose and set because of Linus, something that shouldn't have tugged at his heartstrings as much as it did.

Sometimes, things get chipped and broken, but there's still good in them.

When something is broken, you can put it back together. It may not fit quite the same, or work like it did once before, but that doesn't mean it's no longer useful.

Laurence denis

And Linus Baker allowed himself to be selfish. Just this once. He took Arthur's hand and stood slowly as Nat told him to smile even though his heart was breaking.

Mr Parnassus stared at him for a moment before he burst out laughing. Linus was startled by how warm and crackly the sound was, like waves crashing over smooth rocks. 

Emiley Jones

When something is broken, you can put it back together. It may not fit quite the same, or work like it did once before, but that doesn’t mean it’s no longer useful.

Much more cheerful then my typical choices but a nice change of pace and very sweet.

Billie Fogarty

The house in the Cerulean Sea

Eva Ströberg

The House in the Cerulean Sea - T J Klune
.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
I guess I’m a bit late with the hype. This book is such a heartwarming read. I found it hard to start with but found the pace and halfway through. It’s such a feel-good book without feeling like it’s dumbed down for pleasure reading, and not so much YA vibe as well although it’s probably meant for that segment
.
Linus Barker is a caseworker for the Department of Magical Youth. He investigates orphanages and writes report whether they should continue in operation or closed down. Apart from his job, he doesn’t really have a life. That changes until one day he got an assignment to investigate Marsyas Orphanage with its inhabitants.
.
Great book to read
.
#tjklune #thehouseintheceruleansea #yabooks #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #currentlyreading #2024readingchallenge #2024reads

Linus Baker is sent to assess a magical orphanage, filled with dangerous children. They could bring about the end of everything - or be the family he'd always wanted.

It's never too late to follow the dream

Anna 

** spoiler alert **
           ja vlastne poradne nevim, jak tohle zacit. 
no cekala jsem proste sweet a fluffy fantastiku, ktera mi pomuze se rozecist a ktera mi privodi hezky letni vibe. jediny, co z mych ocekavani splnila, byl ten letni vibe. 
ja se omlouvam, ale tohle bylo napsany tak strasne corny zpusobem, ze se z toho budu vzpamatovavat fakt jeste dlouho. asi zacnu od zacatku, ze.

linus baker 
je nasi hlavni postavou. je to pracovnik dicomy (department in charge of magical youth), ktery se stara o sirotcince s magickymi detmi a dohlizi na to, ze v nich (tech sirotcincich i tech detech haha) funguje vse tak, jak ma. je to klasicky middle aged muz (kterej je silnejsi a budeme to omilat v ty knize az do posledni kapitoly abyste na to nezapomneli ok? ma pneumatiku na brisku) unaveny zivotem, svou praci dela jen kvuli tomu, ze nic jineho nezna, mluvi se svou kockou a jedina jeho personality trait je to, ze posloucha stare desky (a zapomina na destnik, i kdyz v jeho meste prsi vic nez neprsi). jednoho krasneho destiveho dne je povolan nejvyssim managementem dicomy a je poslan na „nebezpecne“ vysetrovani „nebezpecnych“ magickych deti. na mesic. linus prijme (=nema jinou moznost) a zacina velike dobrodruzstvi, kdy mu 21 denni pobyt na slunci zmeni zivot. 
proc jsem ho nemela rada?? let´s just say ze ta jeho jedna jedina personality trait se actually rozroste jeste o jednu, a tou je ta, ze se strasne boji jednoho z hlavnich deti – lucyho, syna dabla. chapu, ze kdyz uslysis, ze mas bydlet mesic s antikristem, je ti z toho mdlo, ale kdyz nam byl lucy predstaven, odzacatku je uplne obvious, ze je ve svy podstate vlastne harmless, jen rad dela vtipy o tom, jak vsechny zabije a usmazi. ale je to napsany tim stylem, ze je na prvni pohled ocividny, ze to fakt JE vtip (neco ve smyslu „oh, hello, mr. baker, are you ready to be dammned for eternity?“). to ale nechape linus, ktery se ho boji snad 250 stran ze 400. pokazdy, kdyz lucy neco rekne, linus pomalu vytahuje kriz a svecenou vodu. jako pardon, zezacatku to bylo mozna bearable, ale po 30 exact same scenach „lucy neco rekne, linus si po*ira kalhoty“, uz nad tim clovek jen krouti ocima. 
linus je mozna jedina z postav, ktera ma nejakej character development (k tomu se jeste dostanu), ale je to cely tak strasne cringe, ze mi to je vlastne fuk, nebo ja nevim. typek, co ma na starost sledovat sirotcince s magickymi detmi si uvedomi, ze magicke deti jsou vic nez jen cisla v jeho zaznamech. mam ti tleskat, chces cherry zmrzlinu???? nedotklo se me to, nebylo to zadny huge prozreni, bylo to proste takovy to „aha, nesud knihu podle obalu, kde uz jsem to slysela? ajo, vsude.“ type of prozreni.
takze asi tak k linusovi.

arthur parnassus
arthur byla moje fav postava, (pokud se to tak da nazyvat) takze ten jeho slander asi nebude tak bad, ale porad to byl takovy one-side character ktery tam proste… byl?? ale hlavne jako pomucka pro linuse, aby prozrel. ja vim, ze to je proste fluffy cozy fantasy, od ktery se uplne neda cekat nejak moc veliky rozbor postav a sveta, ale man, chtela jsem o nem slyset vic nez jen ze ucil lucyho a ze mel sve sverence rad. myslim, ze mohl byt rozebrany vic. 
a to jeho velky odhaleni ke konci??? dobre rano, to jsme asi vedeli od zacatku vsichni, ne? ja jsem hned vedela, ze dude asi nebude obycejny clovek, a kdyz nam bylo odhaleno, ze teda opravdu neni, trvalo mi approximately 15 radku tipnout si, jakou magickou bytosti teda je. cele to velike odhaleni bylo hlavne pro shock factor a kdyby se v pribehu vypustilo, zustal by stejnym a zadnou hodnotu by to tomu neubralo. ok, jsi fenix (ale vlastne nejsi ptak ale spis fire andel idk didnt make sense), byl jsi abused a ted chces udelat z mista kde jsi byl neglected hezke misto pro ostatni magicke deti… dost opakovany motiv, pomerne ohrany, pomerne corny (yet again). neudelalo to na me zadny velky dojem.
co ale dojem udelalo, byl fakt, ze se do sebe panove zamilovali behem par dni (a to nemluvim o celem tom 21 dennim pobytu, to uz byli zamilovani po usi, im talking like 5 days). ja chapu, ze se linus zamiloval do arthura – charming man kterej tak trochu nevi jak se zehli obleceni, ma neustale rozcuchany vlasky ale vlastne fakt miluje svou praci a deti, se kteryma bydli na kouzelnym ostrove – ja bych se do nej zamilovala as well. ale arthur ma romantically rad linuse proc?? linus byl proti jeho detem (hlavne lucymu, prekvapive) docela dost dlouhou dobu. udrzovat si odstup je vec jedna, ale stitit se tech deti a rikat jim „to“ je vec trochu jina. porad se mezi sebou dohadovali, jestli by teda magicky bytosti mely mit a maji stejny prava jako ostatni, nebo ne (??!?) a linus si castokrat i protirecil (mi prislo), treba kdyz rekl, ze vsechny deti by mely byt treated with respect and love ale pak dodrzoval ty rules a bral je jak opicky v zoo o ktery se musi starat a sledovat jejich dny… proste ta chemie mezi nima tam absolutne nebyla, ale mozna byli oba dva tak touch starved that they simply fell in love at first sight and called it a day. 
taky me dost nastval ten konec, kdy linus musel odjet, protoze jeho investigation skoncila. arthur se na nej z nejakyho duvodu strasne nastval??? jako ano pane, je to uz druhy dicomy zamestnanec, do kteryho ses behem 10 dni zamiloval a kterej pak musel odjet zpet dom, protoze to porad byla jen prace, ale to lowkey zni jako you problem. proc by mu vubec vycital fakt, ze se musi vratit domu a ze ma i jiny povinnosti nez sedet s nim pri zapadu slunce na ostrove? why would he make linus feel bad about it? to slo dost mimo me a nepochopila jsem to. jako jo, mas pravo byt smutny, protoze odjizdi clovek, se kterym ses spratelil a ktery se after all k tem detem zacal chovat hezky, ale od prvni chvile jsi vedel, ze tam bude jen na 20 dni. nutit linuse zustat a vycitat mu jeho povinnosti mi vubec neprislo fer.
a to je k arthurovi uz taky vse.

ostatni postavy
s ostatnimi jsem asi ani problem nemela, ale ze bych vam o nich dokazala rict po tech 400 stranach vic nez jednu vetu (u lucyho dve, protoze byl zarucene hlavni detskou postavou, i kdyz si myslim, ze autor chtel vsem dat stejnej screen time)? to nedokazu. phee je skritek, kterej dokaze vyrust stromy a kytky (rozhodne ne jako florence ze sirotcince slecny peregrinove, nebo jak se jmenovala). talia ma rada kytky a je sarkasticka (ty se btw taky linus moc bal protoze vyhruzky typu „zabiju te a zahrabu svou lopatkou“ jsou ocividne od maleho detskeho trpaslika hruzu nahanejici). chaucney je nejaky zele z monstra versus vetrelci a chce byt bellhopem. zaroven je strasne sweet a innocent (which was kinda napsany in a weird way idk). sal je STRASNE VELIKEJ CHLAPEC NA SVUJ VEK JE TO TAM RECENO ASI 1000KRAT TAK DOUFAM ZE JSTE SI TOHO VSIMLI ALE DOKAZE SE PROMENIT V NEJMENSI PLEMENO PEJSKA CHAPETE HAHA MA TO BYT Z NEJAKYHO DUVODU ASI VTIPNY. theodhore je… drak? had? ja to vlastne uplne nepochopila. a sbira knofliky. a lucy je uplne normalni sestilety dite, ktery ma drasticky smysl pro humor a rad posloucha desky (omg, stejne jako linus, jeste ze maji spolecnou aspon jednu vec they can bond over!!!!). zoe tam proste tak nejak je, je to mother figure ktera je hot a mysterious (doslova).
to je vse.

vypravec/slohovy styl
pane. boze. Jak ja mela flashbacky na addie larue, kdyz jsem tuhle vec cetla (a ne v dobrem slova smyslu). tahle kniha byla plna prazdnych, naoko strasne poetickych frazi, ktery me proste bily do oci. 
at uz mluvime o neustalym vysvetlovani myslenkovych pochodu postav, ktery byly z toho textu ocividny a mne diky tomu prislo, ze ctu knihu pro deti, ktery jeste nechapou narazky a pocity postav a tak je vypravec musi vest za ruku a vse jim detailne vysvetlovat („linus rekl sve kocce, ze ji necha pres noc venku, pokud hned neprijde k nemu. linus to tak nemyslel. nikdy by svou kocku venku nenechal. ale to ona nemusela vedet. je dobre cas od casu trochu pohrozit.“) („lucy rekl, ze vsechny brzy necha shoret zaziva. linus zacinal mit pocit, ze lucy to tak ve skutecnosti nemysli.“ (*screams cries*)), nebo o kratkych, strasne „umeleckych“ a „hearwrenching“ vetach (str. 344 – „the wind had piked up, and it was cold and miserable. he was three blocks from home. he expected to feel relief. he did not. not really.“ a jeste mnohem horsi pripady, ale jsem lazy je hledat (i kdyz uz docela funguje ta veta s kockou)) az k neustalymu opakovani ruznych frazi typu („oh, he very much wanted to“ (insert something here), „oh, how he wished“ (insert literally anything), „i am but a paper“, „how i adore you“,…) atd. proste ne, ne, ne. nesnaz se byt strasne poetic, kdyz ti to nejde. bud svuj. netlac esteticnost tam, kde nemusi byt. 
takze tak. trpela jsem u toho.

shrnuti
jsem vlastne dost hodna, ze tomu davam 2 hvezdy. to prostredi bylo fakt cozy a ja si vlastne to cteni uzivala hlavne kvuli ty atmosfere ostrova. deti mi prisly fajn, i kdyz jsem o nich bohuzel nevedela skoro nic (autor o phee taky nevedel skoro nic a tak kdyz psal srdcervouci vypoved linuse o detech straight up tam flakl nejaky trauma o kterym se nikdy predtim nezminil jen aby ctenare jeste vic rozesmutnel???) a celkove to ten potencial asi melo. nebudeme se ale tvarit, ze to je nejaky originalni dilo, protoze napriklad ehm sirotcinec peregrinove existuje a tohle je jen takova vic vanilla verze s ne tak promyslenym svetem a akci. prislo mi to jako ceap hallmark movie typu „the holidays“ ale pro fanousky dr. seusse. so not ask me to elaborate.
overall nechapu, odkud se ten hype bere, nebo jestli je ten problem ve mne, ale jsem z toho zklamana. vic nez zklamana me stve, jakym stylem to bylo napsany. jak corny to bylo. a ze to bylo v kratkych vetach. presne jako tohle. a to asi vsechny zacne brzy bit do oci. kdyz je tech 400 stran napsano. jako nejaka moderni poezie.

Kiran Aftab

got a few chapters in when i saw that the author based the book on “the Sixties Scoop, which refers to the Canadian government's practice of removing indigenous children from their homes with the intent of adopting them out to white, middle-class families.” so you know what? hard pass

Kellie Davis

Chef’s kiss. Perfection. I loved every bit of this book! I fell in love with all of the characters right away. The children were all adorable and warmed my mama heart. This book was able to be a warm feel good novel yet still put through a powerful message. If you are thinking about reading this do it.

I need more of this world and these characters! A second novel, Tv series, any and all of it I would take!

Gelaine Trinidad

So precious. So wholesome. So lovely. I love all the main characters and I think I'm 100% feeling attached to them right now. Linus reminded me of Aziraphale from Good Omens and it was just too much to handle at times T_T <3. I demand a sequel!! 

There is a lot of heart in this book. It's about not being afraid of those that are different from you. It's about popping that bubble to find a much more colourful world outside. It's about finding the true purpose of life and protecting those who are not accepted for who they are. A book like this remains hopeful despite its cheesiness. I loved reading about this family and their Saturday adventures. There is always music, food, and laughter. I adored the quirks and nuances of each character. It's escapism—a book that brings one's mood up and lightens one's spirit. It's a book filled with lessons on how to be a better human being.

ploral

This was such a great read. I love each and every character, especially Arthur and Chauncey. It's a wholesome book. I'd recommend it to everyone.

Kaitlin Simpson

Starts off slow, but gets better with each chapter. Lovely meaning and overall theme. Great book for everyone to read.

Daphne

Bria

I wanted more magic and tension, conflict--something!

kelsey

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. 

found family!!!!! this book means everything to me. didn’t expect to also cheer on 40 somethings getting together but i did.

and they’re petitioning to adopt the kids i literally just .... my heart is so warm after reading this

A. D. Knapp

Wonderful book and a bit of a reverse Mary Poppins.

frdose

Hanna Rybchynska

This was so beautiful and perfect book! 
The plot and the characters were amazing. So happy that I could finally read this one :)

Chloé

This is a happy, wonderful, wholesome and sweet book that made me weep with laughter, joy and sadness (only with Lucy's Spider bit - my heart) I'd suggest to anyone to read this book. I can see me revisiting this book when I'm low or when I don't know what to read. This is defo a new favourite and comfort read.

A heartwarming found family story that will makes your heart melt, I love everybit of it especially the kids with different identities and entities. 

Lili Airen

Megan

If anyone needs me I’ll be crying for the next several business days

Sarah Sammis

The book takes a while to find its pace. It might be a little slow for some. The children, Lucy, especially, also tend to prattle on a bit. But the contained chaos of Arthur's home, is set against the drab, controlled, homogenous world that Linus represents.


http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...

Maria

this book made me feel the way ghibli movies (aside from grave of the fireflies) make me feel. this was the sweet & heart-warming read i’ve been looking for this entire lockdown. i love it to pieces 😭❤️

aleksandra

3.5/5

Tj Klune has recently become one of my favorite authors after I read, or rather devoured, his Green Creek series. A series that I recommend with my whole heart, as the books from it become one of my most beloved stories ever. So after finishing it, I decided to read other works by this author to see if his other stories would have the same effect on me. So far, I'm still looking for his next title that will make me feel the same way as this series, but it’s not going very well. The House in the Cerurelan Sea is his most popular and probably highest rated book, so I thought it would end up on my "favorite books" shelf, but as you can probably see, that didn't happen, because instead of loving it, I just liked it. 


The story was original and from the very beginning Klune's writing style drew me into the story as I love how easy yet magical his writing is. As I said, I was hooked from the beginning and really liked the first fifty percent, but halfway through the book I got a little bored, it was okay, but the story was focused on things that I didn't care about that much and I had to take a short break from it. Fortunately, the last few chapters caught my attention again and I couldn't stop reading until the very end. A very satisfying and happy end.


  
    "Love is not confined to blood relations. It can be found in the most unexpected places."

"Sometimes the most important lesson in life is learning to see the beauty in the ordinary."
  


Maybe it's me, a huge romance fan, but I wanted more moments with Linus and Arthur. This book is not advertised as a romance, but they were so cute that almost every dialogue they had - especially the ones at the end - made me blush. And yes, I know they were grown, almost fifty years old men, but they were extremely cute and adorable, okay. I loved how slowly their relationship developed and how healthy it was. I know they were adults and it should be like that, but after reading some books in my life where grown people behaved worse than some teenagers these days, it was a positive surprise for me. 

While I liked the part of the book that focused on Linus's personal and love life, I skipped a few scenes with Linus and the kids because I found them boring at times and I just didn't care for them. I know that the children played a big role in this story, even the main one, but while I liked Linus' interactions with them at the beginning, they lost their appeal to me later. Don't get me wrong, they were sweet, I laughed a few times and even almost shed a tear, but unfortunately I didn't like them as much as I thought I would when I started the book. Probably because I'm not a fan of children myself. The furry ones yes, the human ones not necessarily. The book was about magical creatures that were the mentioned children, but as it turns out, a child is a child to me.


Overall, this was quite an enjoyable story, and I think it's popular for good reason. Some books are well-known for reasons unknown to me because they are definitely not worth reading, but I can see this one becoming something even greater in the future. It has many wise messages and, despite being pretty predictable, it’s definitely worth reading.

Nisindi

I laughed. I cried. 
The very essence of what a book should be.
Thank you T. J. Klune

V.E. Schwab was right—this book is exactly like being wrapped up in a big, gay blanket.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

This story is magical. These characters are magical. I was just in awe the entire time of how immersive and expressive I found Klune’s writing style to be. He leaves no stone unturned. 

The main character, Linus—a 40 year old caseworker for DICOMY, the Department in Charge of Magical Youth—was incredibly personal to me. Lonely and lost in equal measure (while trying to pretend he is neither), a surprising assignment to a DICOMY run orphanage on a distant island has the potential to destroy his world as he knows it. 

Between children who defy imagination, the 

 six-year-old antichrist who dreams dreams of bloodshed and terror, and the master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, Linus is so far out of his depth. And for once, his beloved 

Not when Arthur won’t stop looking at him in a way that is wholly unfamiliar to him. 

This story was breathtaking. This story was healing. I recommend it for everyone who has ever been told that being 

And this book will remind you of that whenever you need it. 

I’ll admit, I put off reading this book for a very, VERY long time due to some things I had heard online about the inspiration behind this book. Which is The Sixties Scoop, where indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed into schools to be adopted out to white families.

I had heard that this story was in poor taste. That it took a truly horrific historical occurrence and used it as a plot device. Now that I’ve finally read it for myself, I can say I disagree. Wholeheartedly. 

The ENTIRE point of this novel was for Linus to come to understand the terrible and abusive system he was helping to uphold and gaining the courage to stand up for what was right. 

Linus was someone who thought the rules and regulations set forth by the government in regards to magical individuals was done with good reason. That it MUST have been for the benefit of the children. But when he finally learns the truth, he risks everything he has ever known to try and start making amends. Which, is sometimes all that is left to do.

Not once in this book was I led to believe that the schools and orphanages these children were sent to were a good thing. That they were anything less than something to be ashamed of. Something that never should have happened. 

I felt like there were so many incredible lessons to be found in this story. And not for shock value or as a plot device; true, heartfelt lessons. 

I think what I loved the most about this novel is the idea it reinforces that we are never to old to grow and change. Sometimes for the better. 

Additionally, a vast majority of books are written with historical atrocities as a reference point or inspiration. I’m confused on why so much vitriol was spared for 

V.E. Schwab was right—this book is exactly like being wrapped up in a big, gay blanket.

This book would speak best to fans of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and A Series of Unfortunate Events. 

This story is magical. These characters are magical. I was just in awe the entire time of how immersive and expressive I found Klune’s writing style to be. He leaves no stone unturned. 

The main character, Linus—a 40 year old caseworker for DICOMY, the Department in Charge of Magical Youth—was incredibly personal to me. Lonely and lost in equal measure (while trying to pretend he is neither), a surprising assignment to a DICOMY run orphanage on a distant island has the potential to destroy his world as he knows it. 

Between children who defy imagination, the literal six-year-old antichrist who dreams dreams of bloodshed and terror, and the master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, Linus is so far out of his depth. And for once, his beloved RULES AND REGULATIONS aren’t offering any solace. 

Not when Arthur won’t stop looking at him in a way that is wholly unfamiliar to him. 

This story was breathtaking. This story was healing. I recommend it for everyone who has ever been told that being different somehow makes you less. Because it isn’t true. It never was.

And this book will remind you of that whenever you need it. 

An Addendum: 

I’ll admit, I put off reading this book for a very, VERY long time due to some things I had heard online about the inspiration behind this book. Which is The Sixties Scoop, where indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed into schools to be adopted out to white families.

I had heard that this story was in poor taste. That it took a truly horrific historical occurrence and used it as a plot device. Now that I’ve finally read it for myself, I can say I disagree. Wholeheartedly. 

The ENTIRE point of this novel was for Linus to come to understand the terrible and abusive system he was helping to uphold and gaining the courage to stand up for what was right. 

Linus was someone who thought the rules and regulations set forth by the government in regards to magical individuals was done with good reason. That it MUST have been for the benefit of the children. But when he finally learns the truth, he risks everything he has ever known to try and start making amends. Which, is sometimes all that is left to do.

Not once in this book was I led to believe that the schools and orphanages these children were sent to were a good thing. That they were anything less than something to be ashamed of. Something that never should have happened. 

I felt like there were so many incredible lessons to be found in this story. And not for shock value or as a plot device; true, heartfelt lessons. 

I think what I loved the most about this novel is the idea it reinforces that we are never to old to grow and change. Sometimes for the better. 

Additionally, a vast majority of books are written with historical atrocities as a reference point or inspiration. I’m confused on why so much vitriol was spared for this book in particular. 

Thank you for attending my TedTalk. 



The House in the Cerulean Sea

Reviews

Highlights