Description
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) 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.
Jordan –
I absolutely adored this book!, The first and most important thing about this book are the characters. I genuinely loved and cared about each and every one of these characters (and I sort of feel so protective of them that I swear I would die for any one of them). Linus Baker, our protagonist, is living a quiet life working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) as a Case Worker. He seems to mostly enjoy his job, but it’s clear to readers that despite whatever Linus chooses to tell himself about his life, he isn’t really living and to say he’s ‘happy’ seems a stretch. Linus is one of those characters that you sort of just want to hug (although you probably wouldn’t because he doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy hugs from random people) and watching him embark on an experience unlike any he’s ever been on, where he learns new things about himself and the world around him, was remarkable. I was so drawn to Linus’ character and found that so many of the things he struggled with were applicable to my own–such as realizing that sometimes ‘good enough’ isn’t really enough–and I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful character to follow. He isn’t the most enthusiastic sort of person, but he has this fantastic dry wit for his sense of humor that I couldn’t get enough of., In addition to Linus is the rest of our phenomenal cast of characters: there’s Arthur Parnassus, the man in charge of the orphanage Linus visits; the magical youth living at the orphanage: Chauncey, Lucy, Sal, Talia, Phee, and Theodore; the resident island sprite, Zoe; and, of course, we can’t forget Linus’ cat, Calliope. I fell so hard for all of these characters and sincerely loved all of them. Each one was so carefully crafted with such distinct and wide-ranging personalities–it’s rare to see such amazing characterization that holds strong and true for each and every character, but I can tell that characters must be Klune’s strong point because they were all so well-written. I would try to pinpoint one of my favorites, but honestly, I think they are all my favorites. Linus’ cat, Calliope, truly steals every scene she’s in, though. Altogether, each and every one of these extremely varied and rather odd characters makes up the most perfect mismatched family and I have never want to be a part of a family as much as I wanted to be a part of this one!, Klune also appears to be a master at writing dialogue, and the banter among all of the youth easily became of the most enjoyable parts of this book. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book and I felt so fulfilled and happy every time I picked it up and put it down. The way that he captures what it’s like for an adult like Linus to be interacting with such a wild and unpredictable group of magical youth was a true delight. Additionally, the more serious dialogue that occurred for more serious and difficult topics was also carefully done and felt both authentic and full of impact. Klune is really good at maneuvering within a huge variety of topics in such a deft way that never makes it feel difficult to get through or understand., I don’t want to spoil anything specific about the plot, but I can tell you that one of the reasons that I think I liked this so much is because of it’s sort of ‘slice-of-life’ feel, where there aren’t really intense action-packed scenes or anything, but rather it is following Linus as he observes and tries to understand how things at Mr. Parnassus’ orphanage work and about the youth that live there. The pacing was perfect for me and was what I would call very steady–not too slow, but not too fast, either, just very continuously moving forward while still taking the time to focus on certain topics and scenes whenever necessary. There is also a tiny bit of romance in this book and it is so beautiful and innocent and truly made my cold black heart just melt. It doesn’t take over the story, but it fits in like the perfect final piece of a puzzle–small, but vital to the completion of the entire puzzle., This story handles some extremely heavy but very important topics and I think Klune weaved all of those elements into the story so smoothly so that they never felt overwhelming, but they were very clear and easily understood. Honestly, this book is just beautiful. I laughed and teared up (for both happy and sad reasons) and I also found myself subconsciously reading this book so slooowly because I don’t think I ever wanted to finish. It was hard for me to move on from this book and get my headspace ready for another book after because it just made me feel so good to read this book. It spoke to me not only from a personally relevant standpoint, but because it’s such a wonderful story of love, acceptance, and what it means to be a family., This is easily going to be a book that I re-read and re-read over and and over, especially when I’m struggling a lot with depression or anxiety because it made me feel so at home and content and happy. I really can’t recommend this story enough–it’s bittersweet at times, but also hilarious, relevant, and full of life and love and family.
Cecelia –
This reading adventure began, as many do, with recommendations. The startling thing is that I followed through and read the book at all. In my life as an English teacher, I’ve learned that books are many, time is short, and during the school year I will get no reading done (unless forced). TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea started popping up all over the place on Instagram first – and not just around its release date, but a swell of love and support over many months. That was fine, and I noticed it, but it didn’t prompt me to take action. Then I showed up to my book club’s Zoom meeting a couple of months ago and it was personally recommended by long-time reading friends. Their arguments were persuasive – I purchased the book then and there! And only 2ish months later, I read it all in one day. The House in the Cerulean Sea delivered on its promised cozy vibes, and reading it was a nice way to slide into summer mode., The House in the Cerulean Sea is the story of Linus Baker, a government worker in a fictional (and nominally magical) world who is desperately lonely, but keeps himself too busy fulfilling his job according to the draconian Rules and Regulations to think very deeply about his dissatisfaction with his life. The only bits of happiness he has are the sunflowers in his garden, his cat Calliope, and his record collection. Linus’ internal monologue is immediately hilarious, but his life overall is sad and dreary. This metaphor is extended even further in tragicomic fashion: Linus constantly misses the bus (or it is late), forgets his umbrella on rainy days, and engages in light self-hatred (about his weight), along with holding a seeming life-long goal of blending in with the wall paint. Luckily, the business of the book is to make him happy. Author Klune accomplishes this by delving into the fantasy portion of the novel, when Linus must make an unusual casework visit to a whimsical island and observe the family who live there. Over the course of his visit, Linus (or Mr. Baker, as he goes by at the orphanage he is “investigating”) slowly develops his capacity for happiness, and by the end of the book all’s well that ends well., What I knew going into reading the book: magical house/school, cozy vibes, quiet read, LGBTQ+ characters. What I got in the first several chapters: an absolutely miserable main character in an awful desk job that gave me flashbacks to some of my own worst working experiences. Let’s just say there was some whiplash between expectations and reality. I almost put the book down about 5 times in the first 5 chapters. I kept going because of the promised payoff from the recommendations of others. So, with that off my chest, I can say… this book IS lovely in many ways, as is Linus, but they both require a bit of patience from the reader to uncover their strengths and treasures., Author Klune’s task in this novel is a complex and delicate one: to start with a character that the reader can immediately identify as unhappy, unambitious, and with low self-esteem, and expose them to a combination of plot and character elements that will thoroughly change their outlook on life, actions, and future, all without seeming “out of character.” It is a masterful character study, but it doesn’t feel contrived – it instead is a story suffused with homey, magical details, and I think that is why it is so beloved., So, that’s the book. I think it was successful on its own merits, and a feat of engineering! And obviously, cozy vibes and quiet reads are nothing to shake a stick at. BUT DID I ENJOY IT??? That is a tough question, and one I’ve been asking myself over and over again in the last 12 hours or so since I finished the book. And I think the answer is, to use one of my favorite words, complex. On one hand: yes. I can appreciate the underpinnings that make this book art, and I appreciate the aura of it all, and of course I love magical stories. But one thing about being in the head of a character with such low self-esteem, and such a dreary outlook on life, is that is hard not to get trapped in the emotional transference. Other people in the book kept telling Linus he was worthy and delightful, and yet… on his side, he couldn’t see it. And thus, in a way, the reader (or at least THIS reader) couldn’t see it. As I said, complex. I feel satisfied that I didn’t waste my time reading the book, but it’s not a favorite, or even a “keep it on my shelf” book. It’ll go live instead in my classroom library at school!, I do appreciate LGBTQ+ characters getting to live everyday lives, and being the centers of cozy books. I also appreciated that, while the book is marketed to adults, it will be very popular with younger readers and those who read YA and crossover titles. Because of the novel’s focus on children’s lives and children’s well-being through Linus’ line of work, the feel is quite innocent and light, even when it deals with heavier themes like prejudice and child abuse., In all, a perfectly satisfactory summer read, and one for when you need a dash of whimsy and warmth in your life., Recommended for: fans of Katherine Addison’s books (especially The Angel of the Crows, which I read and also enjoyed in a complex way last summer), those who enjoy quiet fantasy with hints of Diana Wynne Jones and/or Robin McKinley, and anyone who wants to see more LGBTQ+ representation in science fiction and fantasy!
Amazon Customer –
This particular book came to me at a time when I believe I needed it most. It’s funny isn’t it, how different books come into our lives like that? I’ll admit I saw this book months, possibly even a year ago while on a Target run and passed by it. At the time, I thought it was yet another knock off of multiple other series based on the synopsis given. I couldn’t have been further from the truth., This book follows the character of Linus Baker, a middle-aged man in charge of surveying and evaluating the “orphanages” where wayward magical youth are placed. When we meet Linus, he appears to be content with his humdrum life and the proverbial 9 to 5 job. It isn’t until a chance is taken with Linus by his superiors, that Linus’ life takes a rather drastic turn. He is sent on assignment to an “orphanage” on a remote island to evaluate the potentially dangerous charges under the care of one Arthur Parnassus while sending reports back to his superiors. Instead of finding danger, however, Linus instead finds something much more perilous, a change of heart., TJ Klune weaves a tale unlike any other that I’ve read before, full of heartfelt emotion and a deep life lesson. The characters he creates burst from the page and into your mind’s eye and create a home within your very soul. My only critique is that I wish there were more pages within this book, or even better a sequel.