A charming, sweet story that imparts a terrific and important message while still remaining a light, fun read.

This lovely book about acceptance and finding your place in the world delivers a lesson for all via a lovable group of misfits at an orphanage for magical children, their orphanage master and protector Arthur, and protagonist Linus Baker, a naive but big-hearted caseworker assigned to evaluate the unique and allegedly problematic orphanage and its residents by the humorously named “Extremely Upper Management” of his branch of the government. It’s a winning if not exactly original premise.

Reminiscent of the Miss Peregrine books (though lighter in tone and plot), The House in the Cerulean Sea is home to a trove of lovable oddball children, ranging from one who turns into a Pomeranian when nervous to a gelatinous blob who is also an aspiring bellhop to a golden oldies loving antichrist.

Neither the bones of the plot nor the message are anything new, but that doesn’t make this fun, feel good book any less worth reading for audiences young, old, and in between.

The feel good book we all need right now, along with some excellent escapism. The prose is expertly balanced between exquisite imagery and in depth character development. I haven't enjoyed a book this thoroughly in some time. And most wonderfully of all, after you finish the book, you actually feel better.

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.

This was an absolutely wonderful, beautiful and loving story. The prose and the audiobook are marvelous and it really stands out as my favorite of Klunes work. The romance was soft but incredibly present as is the theme of found family. I love all the children by Theodore the most. The comedy was not overwhelming like it can be in some of Klunes books and it was the perfect balance that allowed the story to breathe and move when it was in its more tense moments. The audiobook for it is amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book was such a balm during this time of uncertainty. It follows Linus Baker, a caseworker for magical orphans who lives a very gray, boring life. When given an incredibly classified assignment from Extremely Upper Management, Linus is forced to upend everything he knows about society and his employers. The location our hero is sent to is supposed to contain the most dangerous magical children and their mysterious caretaker. However, all inhabitants of the island are charming and extremely misunderstood. This book is about love, found families, and standing up for what's right. It will forever hold a place in my heart.

Don’t you wish you were here?

One of the things I disliked about this book is that it ends. This was such a treat of a story to read. I love reading the found family trope, and this storyline offered such heartwarming moments brought forth by everyone on the island. Linus Baker became such a well-rounded (no pun intended) character and he thrived in the presence of the children, Zoe, and Arthur. The romance is so cute and doesn’t overwhelm the story with dramatics or sappiness. I love everything about this book, and I think it may be my favorite story of the year. I would love more written for these characters, but I also am content to have read what the author has already put forth.

This is a new favorite! This book gripped me from start to finish, not just by being so compelling and unique but also by having storytelling that didn't provide all information at once. By only presenting facts about the setting and plot as the story went on, the book made me seek answers to questions the whole time, whether they were questions I knew I had about the story or not. It also really kept me reading by building up the suspense throughout, and had so many unique messages to it. This is definitely the best book I've read all year, if not more.

I can totally see why people would enjoy this, and I won't hesitate to recommend it to the right reader. For me, however, it was too jokey and a bit trite

It was like HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE meets WAYWARD CHILDREN with a bit of a 1984esque workplace and it was so soft and funny and sweet and incredibly satisfying.

Can I go live on the island too?

I love love love this story. It was so much more than what it appeared to be. Its look at humanity, parent-child relationships, and it was perfect.

NOTE: I DNFd this book at ~25%. I'm sorry to all those readers out there who love Klune's work. I had such expectations from all your ravings. I get the hype, but this isn't a style of story or writing that interests me.


Honestly, I get why so many people love this book. This book is written in style that is engaging and quirky - think Lemony Snicket vibes. And for this story and the characters it works. It weaves a story that is unique and no doubt will become a love for many young readers.

Overall, based on the writing style, this book definitely read much younger than YA to me. It borders in between middle grade and young adult - something that I can't speak more specifically on due to not completing the book.

For readers who are looking for something unique, fun, and a little dreary this may be the perfect book for you to pick up.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an advanced e-copy for an honest review.

"This is a house of healing"

-Linus Baker

I'm starting this review a bit different because I'm just going to tell you right away that you need to get this book, like now! This is the perfect book for quarantine!

I'll tell you why. This book is the perfect escapist book! It's magical and whimsical, but it's also laced with melancholy. You'll want savor every minute with this book, and once it's done you'll be happy to have heeded my advice.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is the story of Linus Baker, a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, who is sent to investigate government-sanctioned orphanages that cater to magical children. He is given a top-secret case, he is to investigate 6 Children living in the Marsylas Island orphanage, specifically Lucy (short for Lucifer, short for the antichrist). This will lead Linus to interact with enchanting children and an even more enchanting Arthur Parnassus (the children's caretaker).

I love everything and everyone in this book, what more is there to say? I love the world-building, is simple, but with is quirks; the characters are the book's greatest strength, especially Chauncey & Sal for me; the writing is consistent and concise while touching some "real world" themes (mob mentality, past-abuse prejudice, racism, healing, etc.).

Tj Klune is really becoming one of my favorite authors, not only because of his beautiful voice as a writer but also because of his unique ideas and interesting ideas for a plot. I can't wait for what he comes up with next!

Everyone this book is out now! If you can, try to get your copy. Be safe and stay healthy.

#TheHouseintheCeruleanSea #TjKlune #Netgalley

it’s been over a month since I read TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea and I still can’t find proper words for it. This is just one of the most simply breathtaking and perfect books. I devoured the pages. It made me laugh and smile and feel bright. It made me happy. It CAPTIVATED me. It’s WONDERFILLED and WONDERFUL. If you need to float away, go float on the cerulean sea ❤️

I LOVED this book so much I've immediately staff picked it and TJ Klune has shot to the top of my favorite reader list. It feels simultaneously like a familiar, warm blanket and entirely new. Comforting, feel good, yet still fresh and sharp. I highly recommend and will be handselling to as many people as I can.

Klune's novel is a phenomenal read, creating a world that is fantastical but yet so close to our own. His world-building and characterization is great, with characters who will grab your heart and keep you reading. A fantastic novel.

Look at me, slowly but surely catching up on this backlog. Quarantine life seems to suit me pretty well if I do say so myself.

Linus Baker has worked for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth for seventeen years. He’s an excellent case worker who always does things by the book. His latest assignment, evaluating an orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus that is full of peculiar children who might be considered dangerous. Linus’ journey will take him to the far reaches of an island, but the bigger journey will be the emotional one he takes learning to love the children and perhaps their caretaker, too.

This. Book. Is. Adorable. All the stars. 10, 10, 10s, across the board! It’s magical and whimsical and a bunch of other “icals” too. Linus really comes out of his shell throughout his journey, and I love that these outcast children help him to realize what a wonderful person he is while is learning how wonderful they are. Each child has their own magic from a were-pomeranian to the son of the devil himself (but don’t worry, he’s not all bad, and he’s quite charming).

The love story between Linus and Arthur is sweet and builds naturally. Don’t worry, no x-rated scenes here, but if you’re like me, you spend about 150 pages saying, “just kiss already!” I love how their story progresses and even when secrets come out, they weather them together, and I was really rooting for them. You really want them to make it and be together to round out this family of misfits, but secrets abound that may tear them apart.

This was the perfect quarantine read. I alternated between the print and audio versions, and both have their merits. I was super excited to have the audio as well, because I did four loads of laundry and some sewing this afternoon, so when I had to put my Kindle down, I didn’t have to leave this amazing world Klune crafted behind for more than a couple of minutes.

If you like to get lost in a fantastical and magical world like I do and really need something to warm your heart in these crazy times, pick this one up and throw it on top of your quarantine TBR pile.

I was sent an ARC via NetGalley; all opinions are my own!

A heartwarming 'coming into yourself' (as opposed to 'coming of age', since both Linus and Arthur are well past their teenaged years) story. I have had a hard time concentrating on reading over the past few weeks due to the whole pandemic thing, but every time I picked this book up I was immediately hooked. Linus' growth felt realistic and I spent many chapters waiting for him to realize what was in front of him all along. The message may have been a little heavy-handed at points, but I loved it; the magical elements were well-done and I do enjoy a slow-burn romance.

I have been to the ocean one whole time in my life.

You saw the picture if you follow me on Twitter. Santa Monica pier, Valentine’s Day 2020. We got there when it was dark because it was 40 minute drive from our convention hotel (and by ‘our’ I mean mine and my coworkers’, because they were overly indulgent when I said that I wanted to touch the ocean and deigned to come with me), but I was there.

I stood on the beach, took my shoes off, and let the waves roll over my legs. It was bitterly cold, and you couldn’t see anything because the lack of moon or stars (thanks, LA), but I could imagine how it looked in the daylight. How the water touched the horizon, how the world looked ever and ever expansive, how it would reiterate just how small you are.

I bring this up because I, like Linus, constantly dreamed of the ocean before I had to go see it for work. But unlike Linus, I still haven’t gone back.

So let’s talk about THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by TJ Klune.


THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by TJ Klune follows Linus Baker, a caseworker in what essentially boils down to CPS for magical children, as he’s assigned to a secretive home for children whose magical nature is beyond even Linus’s scope. Not only is he battling his own biases against the children, Extremely Upper Management sees fit to remind him over and over that the children’s keeper is more than what he seems.

Where to start with this story?

Past that I super fucking love it, of course.

I mean, I love every single inch of this book, from the introduction of Linus as someone who has to use rules to keep himself from caring (and thinking he’s doing what’s right in doing so), to the tender shoots of the relationships he builds with the children, to the mutual pining between him and one Arthur Parnassus, and to the simple fact that there’s no real antagonist to highlight the real problem: society and its inner machinations.

So let’s break this down.

Prose: Absolutely no complaints whatsoever. This novel is lyrical, a song that you thought you heard once but put out of your mind as just a dream until someone played it for you again. It’s fine-tuned to walk the line between utilitarian and overly-flowery, and it’s full of beautiful imagery that makes me long for lazy days in the sun. It’s comforting. I can’t explain it beyond that – TJ Klune knows how to write the literary equivalent of home-cooking and getting cozy on the couch with someone you love. It’s the perfect balm for the soul in such cruel and unusual times, and I’m customizing a t-shirt gun to fit this book so I can shoot it into everyone’s house while still maintaining the social distancing space. (Ask me if I’m kidding. I dare you.)

Characters: I’ll be blunt: this novel is a prime example on how to write children. You including kids in your book but don’t really get how they talk and act? Perfect primer. But more than that, we’ve got the picture-perfect textbook Hero in Linus Baker; he’s not swinging a sword or riding to stop the monster, he’s doing his job and facing his own internal fears in order to save a group of kids that the world (and especially the neighboring seaside town) is dead-set again. We see his bravery in the adventures he undertakes with the children, in his dealings with Lucy (whom, as we see through Linus’s eyes, go from being a terrifying reminder of the end of the world to a six-year-old boy who likes oldies and baking in the kitchen), and in the end when he faces down EUM. He’s easily one of the best literary characters of the year, if not the decade. I would actually die for him.

Plot: When I say that there’s no real antagonist, I mean it. Linus isn’t facing down a bad guy or a villain – he’s facing down people’s inherent phobias over seemingly monstrous children, and Extremely Upper Management’s own biases against these same children (and even magical adults, in the case of Arthur). And we’re not given a clear-cut “everything is magically better now” ending. Yes, Arthur and Linus end up together living on the island with all their children, but the fears are still seen in some of the people around them. The systematic oppression of these magical children is being fought against, but it hasn’t magically been abolished. We’re seeing people opening their eyes and taking the first steps, but Klune doesn’t toss us to the end of the race with a pat on the back and say, “Good job, the fight’s over.” It’s clear we have a long way to go, but at the same time the ending lets us see the progress and still celebrate how far we’ve come. It’s a good ending, Brant, I don’t know what else to tell you.

TL;DR this is a good fucking book and if you haven’t read it yet, you need to ASAP.

We’ve also published the podcast episode THE BEACH EPISODE going further into the book, so check it out on your favorite podcatcher!

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a whimsical yet slightly dark magical creature fantasy in the vein of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Linus Baker is a social worker for the government Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). He is a by-the-book investigator who lives a life of monotony. He is called by Extremely Upper Management for a month-long assignment at the Marsyas Island Orphanage, a remote location where the six magical children residing are considered Class 4 confidential and dangerous. His job is to evaluate the children, their caretaker, and the island, to determine whether the orphanage should remain in operations.

This story was wonderful. I was immediately charmed by the premise, but then fell into love with the narrative within the first few pages. There is so much to enjoy within this book. The story is fantastically whimsical, but still has just enough of a creep factor. It is sweet without being saccharine and has some fantastical magical elements at work. There are high levels of creativity, great characters, and a plot that moves steadily with ease. I went through a range of emotions in my reading, finding moments of anticipation, unease, happiness, sadness, and pieces where I truly laughed out loud.

The tale begins with Linus Baker's life in a humdrum and utterly gray existence. His job is monotonous and unpersonable, his neighbor is a grouch, and the weather seems perpetually gloomy. The writing captures this blandness so incredibly well, making the narrative feel as weighted and plodding as Linus's life itself. There is something magical to this alone. The words used make everything feel appropriately lonely and unfulfilling. However, as Linus moves out of the clouds and into the sunshine of Marsyas Island and its beautiful cerulean-colored sea, there is a slow shift in the tone, feeling something like the moment in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy touches down to a suddenly colorized world.

Though the plot is undeniably intriguing, fun, and well-crafted, it was the characters who truly made this book for me. Klune has an ability to capture the innocence, honesty, and sometimes inappropriate children of children. His magical children are unique and have highly developed personalities that make them stand all on their own. It was so much fun to see them bloom in depth from beginning to end. The writing felt so honest to the character's natures and stayed all at once intriguing and entertaining.

The story works on many levels--feeling appropriate for nearly all audiences. Save a few instances of language mildly inappropriate for children, this could be a read for those from middle school to old age. The story itself is entertaining enough for all of those levels, but there are also lessons within the plot that work on a social parameter in ways that would be differently comprehended and resonate well with all readers.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a wholly fulfilling read and one of my favorite reads thus far this year. It stands very well on its own and is currently showing as a standalone, but presents a world I would love to explore more. I will absolutely be seeking out more of this author's work and praising this book to anyone who will listen. It's not perfect, but it is beautiful, magical, and just plain great.

I got a free advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

The House In The Cerulean Sea is about Linus Baker, a caseworker in the Department In Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY). He has been sent to the island of Marsyas where there is a orphanage which houses six extremely special children. His job is to ensure there is no danger present to themselves or others from them or the master of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus. But Arthur is quite protective of his wards and Linus will realize that Arthur is not as ordinary as he seems.

This story caught my attention from the start. I knew it would involve magic but I did not think I would start chuckling from so early. For some weird reason, reading this book made me think about Roald Dahl's books and their nonsense.

I loved all the characters of this book but my favorites will have to be the children of the orphanage. Their personalities shone through the pages of the book and like Linus, I found myself quite enchanted by them.

The author very skillfully described the surroundings so well that I could see in my mind's eye the beautiful house in the cerulean sea or the dreary home Linus lived in. I particularly loved the games Arthur played with the children every Saturday as I got to learn more about the rest of the island.

This book, however, was more than just a fun read about magic. In between the fun, the author showed me the prejudices that humans have against anything or anybody which is different. That was why I would love for more people to read this book.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It helped me forget the Covid-19 worries we are facing right now.

Suitable audience: I was thinking it could be read by children but there's a very adult joke in this book. I suggest parents use their own discretion. However, anybody who likes fantasy books would enjoy this story.
Recurrent themes: Magic. Monsters. Prejudice. LGBT.
Violence: There are some violent threats but they are mostly jokes
Sexual Content: Kissing
Profanity: The worst word said was "damn"
Religious Themes: There was talk about the Antichrist.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: None