Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The House in the Cerulean Sea

Qué libro TAN bonito, 5 estrellas se le queda corto. Lo llevaré siempre en mi corazón. Este libro me ha hecho sentir tantas cosas bonitas e incluso me ha hecho llorar. Los personajes son increíbles y me ha encantado ver cómo evolucionan y lo mucho que se quieren todos e incluso hacen que te sientas como en casa. Arthur y Linus tienen mi corazón para siempre y los niños también. Me parece un libro súper importante por los temas que trata (como, por ejemplo, la segregación, la aceptación de uno mismo, los prejuicios, etc.) y por eso recomiendo a todo el mundo que lo lea.

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pastelmeganes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book was absolutely delightful. The characters had so much life and made my heart swell with all their different, quirky personalities. The children of the house for the most part had some sort of quality to them that made them stick out. My favorite character by far was definitely Talia. All the children in the house had growth in their own way whether it be in regards to their individualistic dreams/aspirations, cultural connection or self actualization. This book was so light hearted and i felt happy after reading it. There were moments where i actually laughed out loud which was a nice surprise since many books dont get that reaction from me.

overall, the story had an important message about not being a product of your birthright but of how you are nurtured and live the life you are given. That anybody has the capacity to do good as easy as they are to do evil. If i had to pick ONE critique, i felt that Phi’s story fell a little short but her connecting with Zoe about their culture was sweet and very healing for her. I would say she was the least memorable child for sure.

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kellan_writes's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When I first start this book, I wasn't sure how I would rate it, because I found Linus at first completely unlikeable. Which isn't surprising, he very much reminds me of Dent, Arthur Dent. But once he reaches the house in the Cerulean Sea, everything changed.

This book is funny, and moving. I laughed, and I even teared up. The relationships felt real, and the children delighted me to no end. I never once thought I would have such emotions about the Antichrist(We don't use that term here) and a small green creature who doesn't even know what he is, but all he wants to be a bellhop.

We are more than the sum of our parts. This book takes issues that we are still facing today and also gives us hope.

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