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About the Book
Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: December, 2020
Pages: 416, Paperback
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune is just what I needed for a quick, witty, and feel-good book. It is a fantasy-romance book. So if you love this genre, I doubt you will be disappointed.
Synopsis
Linus Baker is a 40-year-old Case Worker who is a dull and ordinary human being whose life revolves around work, home, and nothing else. Perhaps just his cat, who seems not to mind his presence. However, his life takes an unexpected albeit exciting turn when Upper Management at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth sends him to Marsyas Island. There is an orphanage on this island with some of the most unusual and believed to be the most dangerous magical children. And so Linus Baker leaves behind his comfort zone for a month to investigate this orphanage. Which, by the way, the children are not the only hidden secret.
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What I think
I will not lie; the first two or three chapters were a bit boring for me. I almost put it down, but I persevered in honour of all the lovely reviews I had read. And the money I spent shipping it from Amazon. LOL.
But as the book progressed and more was revealed about these magical children, I became more engrossed. I mean, there was an Antichrist child, Lucifer. He kind of reminded me of the Lucifer series on Netflix. Perhaps that’s why I kept reading with the hope of seeing more about this child. Then there was a gnome, a wyvern, a sprite, a Pomeranian, and one green blob that no one knows his real kind or species. We also get a glimpse into the Master of the orphanage, Arthur. He is a freaking Phoenix, by the way! (sorry, spoiler).
As Linus goes through the month in this strange and unexpected place, his perspective on life begins to change. He follows the rules to the letter, making no emotional attachments with subjects in the orphanages he investigates. It is the sole reason why Upper Management gave him this secret assignment. But everything hidden from him when he was assigned the case, what he has learned on this job and what he sees and feels about these children, their master and the other elderly sprite helping them around are nothing like what he has come to believe.
“Sometimes our prejudices color our thoughts when we least expect them to. If we can recognize that, and learn from it, we can become better people.”
― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
It is Linus’s growth, I realise, that made the book worth the patience. First, realising there is more to life and going for what he wants and loves for the first time in his life. Second, taking the necessary actions to protect the orphanage regardless of the consequences. Finally, living a happy life, surrounded by people who truly love and care for him.
“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
I think I still have a but. I couldn’t help but cringe at some point, especially when Baby Lucifer threatened Linus or to destroy the world. There are times when I thought some of these threats were forced.
All in all, this was quite an introduction to the fantasy genre, at least for me. I will probably be diving deeper into this world.
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My ★ Rating 4.5
Goodreads ★ Rating 4.45 (as of June 2022)
