Book Talk Review; The House In The Cerulean Sea

This book is so magical!

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.

* 

I love this book so much! 

Linus is a caseworker for DICOMY, which stands for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's good at his job. He loves making sure the children in the orphanages are being taken care of, after all, they're just children, even if they're born a little differently than other children. 

Due to how thorough of a job he does, his bosses, the mysterious panel of Extremely Upper Management, task him with going to a highly classified orphanage and reporting his findings. The children there are the most dangerous children in the world. Not only that, but their caretaker has his own secrets. 

Linus, poor Linus, I thought he was going to have a heart attack his first few days. The gnome and the Antichrist are fond of talking of death and devising ways they could get rid of Linus's body, should he step out of line. Poor man. It was hilarious. TJ Klune has this specific type of humor that you can't find anywhere else. It's dry at times, a lot morbid—especially in this book, and can pop up at the most inappropriate times.

TJ Klune is a genius and I hated him at times. Linus is so sweet but he is also so naive. As Arthur kept trying to challenge his stance and position I kept yelling at him to open his eyes! I knew that by the end I would end up in tears because it took him so long to let go of what the Government and society tried to drill into him that it hurt my heart.

This book is not a romance per se, but it does have romantic elements. When Linus and Arthur start low key flirting I was there for it. The longer Linus stayed on the island with Arthur and the children, the more his ideas of DICOMY and the world at large changed. The more he found himself, the more he realized that there was someplace where he could belong truly as he was. And then, TJ Klune, like the mean man he is, made me sob.

What happened next wasn't a surprise to me. I saw it coming, but the difference between knowing what's coming and hoping you would never get to that point is a bucket's worth of tears.

This is the ultimate book of found family. As I finished, I couldn't stop crying. It's so magical. The story of prejudice, differences, loving each other for who you are is so profound and sorely needed in today's society.

*Quote-

"All children, no matter their...disposition or what they're capable of, must be protected regardless of the cost."

"I know you don’t see it, Linus. But I see it enough for the both of us. You make me feel like I’m burning up from the inside out.”

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

"It's the little things. Little treasures we find without knowing their origin. And they come when we least expect them. It's beautiful, when you think about it."

"No one deserves to be made to feel lesser than they are."