From the Bookshelf of The Rebellious Readers …

The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)

T.J. Klune

Start date: February 1, 2021

Finish date: February 28, 2021

Discussion: BOTM Discussions

Discussion leader: Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader)

Why we're reading this: It won second place in the BOTM poll and so people would have more variety I decided this month to have t…more
[close] It won second place in the BOTM poll and so people would have more variety I decided this month to have two BOTMs!

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February BOTM 2021 - The House in the Cerulean Sea (T.J. Klune)
By Lucy Tonks , Shadowhunter - Head of BOTM · 5 posts · 23 views

last updated Feb 09, 2021 09:14AM

February BOTM 2021 - Red, White and Royal Blue
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last updated Feb 01, 2021 09:24AM

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What Members Thought

Dec 17, 2020 Amelie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, standalones, buddy-read

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

Linus Baker lives a lonely life as a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) where he evaluates the wellbeing of magical children in government-sanctioned orphanages. But one day, he is assigned a confidential case to visit and monitor an orphanage with six powerful children including a gnome, sprite, wyvern, unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichr “A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.”

Linus Baker lives a lonely life as a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) where he evaluates the wellbeing of magical children in government-sanctioned orphanages. But one day, he is assigned a confidential case to visit and monitor an orphanage with six powerful children including a gnome, sprite, wyvern, unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. There he also meets the mysterious caretaker of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus, who will do whatever it takes to protect the children.

“We are who we are not because of our birthright, but because of what we choose to do in this life. It cannot be boiled down to black and white. Not when there is so much in between.”

This book was written in such a moving way, that really filled me with happiness and giddy joy. It was such a beautifully written story about accepting others regardless of their background or differences, and how families aren’t always made up of the people we expect them to be made up of, and they’re instead made up of the people we surround ourselves with who we can truly care for and vice versa. The prejudice against the children for their magic was another common theme where we got to see how they were judged by others for their differences, and how their separation from ordinary people inspired fear among citizens. It was horrible seeing how poorly some of the children had been treated in the past, and I loved how this book showed that change can be gradual and slow thing, but it’s not impossible, and certainly not too late for people to overcome their initial prejudices against magical people and accept them, much like Linus did.

“Our perception is colored by what we’re taught. Even as children, we’re told the world is a certain way, and these are the rules.”

A highlight of this book for me would definetely be the characters. They are each so unique and painted with their own individual struggles, yet they persevere and still find joy in their lives. The protagonist Linus, started off as an avid rule-follower living a lonely life and never questioning the government decisions and authority, and gradually transitioned into a more empathetic person who prioritised the needs of the children, after seeing that it wasn’t fair to judge them just by their power, and how it was important to realise they were simply children who deserved to be treated like any child. I was so impressed when he vehemently voiced his opinions to the public and DICOMY, to help initiate change.

Linus and Arthur’s relationship was highly enjoyable to read about throughout the course of the book, and was incredibly heartwarming with LGBT+ representation. I loved how they bring out the best in each other, and both were so compassionate towards the children. Arthur was such a great character, and I truly admired his kind-hearted nature. His true identity came as a surprise to me, but made things a lot more interesting. Zoe was another character I really liked, and I admired her protectiveness of the children, and her relationship with Helen!

“But those of us who dream of impossible things know just how far we can go when pushed to do so.”

Of course, I cannot forget about the children. In fact, they were what truly made this book so special. Each have their own individual perks, qualities and struggles, and this is what truly made each of them human in their own way. After all, they’re only children and they deserve all the happiness they can get, regardless of their differences. We have Talia, a grumpy and prickly gnome with a love of gardening, who is fiercely loyal to those she cares about, Phee, a forest sprite who can make plants grow and is protective towards her loved ones, Theodore, a wyvern who loves collecting buttons and has a big heart, Chauncey (my favourite), an unidentifiable blob constantly judged for his monstrous appearance but persistently dreams of becoming a bellhop, Sal, a shy writer who transforms into a dog when frightened, and Lucy, the Antichrist, who despite his destructive dreams and powers, is a little boy who enjoys exploring. They were all such great characters I absolutely loved!

Overall, this was a wonderful book about accepting others regardless of their differences, and finding a family even in the most unlikeliest of people and places. It gave me so many happy feels, and I just couldn’t stop smiling for the majority of the book. It’s a book I would highly recommend reading, and absolutely loved!!

5/5 stars ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

Jun 11, 2021 Arunimaa rated it really liked it

Shelves: popsugar-challenge-2021, atychallenge2021, achillean, 2021-reads, wholesome, queer, young-adult, pride-month-2021, found-family

3.75 stars

The House in the Cerulean Sea was an adorable, heartwarming story which I very much enjoyed.

This is the second time I am reading TJ Klune. The first time was when I read Wolfsong. And apparently, I rated that 4 stars. I must have lost my marbles when I was rating that book because it was pretty cringy. I mean, it definitely was NOT worth the four stars I gave it, considering this one got only 3.75 when I enjoyed it way more. I think that was more of a spur of the moment thing. I wan ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2020 Tabatha (tab.talks.books) rated it it was amazing

Amazing feel good book. This is a book that took me a bit to get into because it was kinda boring. I know I know. But once I got to the middle and Linus was on the island it was amazing. Seeing him bond with the children and Arthur was the best. The children stole the show though, all of them were so beautifully written. The meaning of the book — to not judge a book by their cover and no matter what you identify as, you are capable of being loved and you will be loved ferociously. This book made ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

Dec 25, 2020 Joyce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy, favorites, rereads, books-read, audiobook, buddy-read, lgbtq

Reread in Oct.2024
Reread in August 2021
“A home isn't always the house we live in. It's also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.”

Still soooo AMAZING!

Read in Dec.2020
One of the best novels I have read in a long time. This definitely goes in my top reads of 2020.

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! So if you can't tell, I highly recommend it.

Please check this out and get ready for a magical read!

Not only is the storyline so entertaining, but the characters and character growth in this are jus ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Sep 19, 2021 Sunny rated it it was amazing

Expectations met and exceeded.

5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2020 Samantha Geissler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Because even the bravest of us can still be afraid sometimes, as long as we don’t let our fear become all we know.”

Man, this book hit different. I think that’s because our main character, Linus’ job is so very similar to my own as a caseworker for kids that it scared me and excited me. The representation of how casework truly is in a system similar to DICOMY is weird to see in a magical realism novel, but I thought it was executed very well.

I loved the kids in this book, especially ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2021 Karina Flores rated it it was amazing

I have no much to say about this book! Stay tuned for review!

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 09, 2020 Chloé rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-physical, 2020-releases, read-in-2020, adult-fantasy, audiobook-from-scribd, lgbtqia-rep

Author: T.J Klune
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Published: 17th March 2020
Pages: 396
Rating: 5 Stars

Content Warning: Fatphobia, child abuse, child neglect and bigotry.

This review contains spoilers.

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

In this Adult Fantasy novel, we follow 40-year-old Linus Baker, in a small house with his cat. He works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth as a caseworker – where he visits different Author: T.J Klune
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Published: 17th March 2020
Pages: 396
Rating: 5 Stars

Content Warning: Fatphobia, child abuse, child neglect and bigotry.

This review contains spoilers.

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

In this Adult Fantasy novel, we follow 40-year-old Linus Baker, in a small house with his cat. He works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth as a caseworker – where he visits different orphanages with magical children to ensure that they are being cared for properly. One day he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a secret assignment. He is to travel to an orphanage on an Island where six dangerous children live under the care of Arthur Parnassus.

Wow, what an incredible novel. I had heard so many incredible things about this book on Goodreads and bookstagram so I was a little nervous going into it, but I’m happy to say that I absolutely loved it. One of my favourite things about this novel is Linus’ character development – it’s genuinely one of the best developments I’ve ever read. At the start of the novel he is a strict rule follower and does everything by the book, however, he starts to question whether Extremely Upper Management are telling the truth. He also starts to join in with the children’s activities such as going on adventures which are out of his comfort zone and completely against the rules but he has an incredible time and grows closer to the children and Arthur. The relationship between Linus and Arthur is so cute, it’s more of a slow burn romance where they begin to open up to one another and gain one another’s trust. There is quite a large cast of characters in this novel: I loved the children and the way they all interacted with each other and protected, encouraged and comforted one another. I especially liked Lucy’s character, everyone feared him as he was supposed to be the Anti-Christ but deep down he was a good kid who cares about his friends and Arthur, with some incredible humour – I loved his one-liners and when he would say dramatic stuff and Arthur would have to chime in and stop him. This book has the found family trope (which is one of my favourite tropes), and I loved it, Arthur and the kids all love and protect each other and when Linus comes along he seems to be reluctant to open up, however, throughout the book the children grow to trust him and he begins to see that the children and not dangerous, they are simply children. The last scene honestly made me cry, this is one of my new all-time favourites. Also, can we talk about how beautiful this cover is, I’m so in love with it.

Overall this was a beautiful Adult Fantasy novel that will pull on your heartstrings. It has an incredible cast of characters, some amazing character development and a sweet romance. If you’re looking for a novel that will make you smile and also cry at some points then pick this one up.
...more

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Mar 06, 2021 maria basilio rated it it was amazing

the house in the cerulean sea deserves every star possible i laughed like no other book has made me laugh, i cried and continued to cry till the end. such a beautiful book and definitely one that i will recommend nonstop to people because everyone needs to read about these wonderful kids, their two fathers, and zoe

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May 23, 2021 Claire Spring rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, favourites, adult-fantasy, adult-fiction

This was absolutely perfect and wholesome. I cried happy tears and this really brought me out of a slump. I've already rushed to pre-order his next book and truly believe this is my new favourite for the year. Scared for all my other books on my TBR now haha - they have a standard to live up to! ...more

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