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alisonvh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was a pretty cute book about a guy who works for a division of the government that regulates magical creatures. It wasn’t my favorite book, but it was an enjoyable read that had me laughing at some parts and going “awww” at others. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job with all the different voices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Abandonment
twoweeeeks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Xenophobia
Minor: Physical abuse, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
avciera7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
4.5
This book is just so charming and sweet! The prose is effortlessly funny, flowing, and full of personality. These characters are so loveable. It reminded of me of how I felt discovering Neil Gaiman for the first time in middle school. One of the most pleasant reads I've had in a long time. The only downside is that the plot feels pretty thin at the start and then tries to ramp up towards the end in a way that feels pretty clunky, though the themes of oppression were consistent enough throughout to make it almost work. For example, a fairly important character gets introduced late in the game for how much she ends up mattering. This is so close to being a perfect read, though, and I really enjoyed it for what it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming and Child abuse
shanellewrites's review against another edition
1.75
I found the characters relatively endearing, though a little flat. However, that is the best thing that I can say about this book. The fact that the "inspiration" was Canada's residential schools is deeply problematic, and I wish I had been aware of that before picking it up. I regret not doing more research beforehand.
The fatphobia in this book was also troubling. Repeatedly, comments are made about the main character's weight, including once where he says essentially (I can't remember the exact words) that it was a problem he could overcome if he tried hard enough.
The degree that a book (or other piece of media) is unproblematic does not always correspond with its value, but those issues made me feel deeply uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, even on a technical level, I also felt let down. The setting was well drawn, but the story was weak, with extremely heavy-handed and forceful application of the themes.
The fatphobia in this book was also troubling. Repeatedly, comments are made about the main character's weight, including once where he says essentially (I can't remember the exact words) that it was a problem he could overcome if he tried hard enough.
The degree that a book (or other piece of media) is unproblematic does not always correspond with its value, but those issues made me feel deeply uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, even on a technical level, I also felt let down. The setting was well drawn, but the story was weak, with extremely heavy-handed and forceful application of the themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia
bageltop's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse
erikagibson126's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Colonisation
cassidy_rain's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
"And what if the treasure was the friendships we solidified along the way?" Arthur asked.
Lucy pulled a face. "That's the worst treasure in the world.
They already were my friends. I want rubies."
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be- whimsical. It also gave me Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends vibes. If you love found family tropes, you’re gonna eat this up!
The book’s setting is a world where there are both “normal” people and magical beings of all varieties. It follows our main character, Linus, who is a government/case worker and his job to ensure that magical children in the orphanages are being cared for and treated appropriately. His new assignment is super classified and takes him out to investigate the children in the house of the cerulean sea.
The children are the stars of the show in this novel. They’re all so unique and quirky and I absolutely adore them all. I think the author does a great job of describing and building out the characters, I could picture them vividly in my mind. Linus has a lot of growth as a character, which I really enjoyed. You can tell he always had good intentions, however misguided. He has to unlearn a lot of propaganda which his latest assignment really helps him with. I do think there could have been better chemistry between Linus & Arthur.
I thought there were some slow parts throughout the book. I was really unsure about the writing style in the first 25%; I felt I was reading a children’s book, but it did pick up for me after that. The chapters are on the long side which made it drag a bit. It’s a predictable story, but overall sweet and endearing. I like that the characters were able to inspire change by the end of the story.
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be- whimsical. It also gave me Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends vibes. If you love found family tropes, you’re gonna eat this up!
The book’s setting is a world where there are both “normal” people and magical beings of all varieties. It follows our main character, Linus, who is a government/case worker and his job to ensure that magical children in the orphanages are being cared for and treated appropriately. His new assignment is super classified and takes him out to investigate the children in the house of the cerulean sea.
The children are the stars of the show in this novel. They’re all so unique and quirky and I absolutely adore them all. I think the author does a great job of describing and building out the characters, I could picture them vividly in my mind. Linus has a lot of growth as a character, which I really enjoyed. You can tell he always had good intentions, however misguided. He has to unlearn a lot of propaganda which his latest assignment really helps him with.
I thought there were some slow parts throughout the book. I was really unsure about the writing style in the first 25%; I felt I was reading a children’s book, but it did pick up for me after that. The chapters are on the long side which made it drag a bit. It’s a predictable story, but overall sweet and endearing. I like that the characters were able to inspire change by the end of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Body shaming, and Confinement
_izzi_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
spellbindingtomes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.
Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He strictly adheres to the rules of his job and has accepted he'll forever be alone in his mundane life. So when he gets assigned a peculiar case to assess 6 dangerous kids and their caretaker, he sets out to do his job, not knowing the many surprises that are in store for him.
If a book can encompass a warm, fuzzy feeling, it would definitely be this one. This was such a joy to read. The narrative and prose had me laughing multiple times.
𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦.
𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.
Don't even get me started on the children. Each of them were so chaotic and loveable in their own unique quirky way, it's so hard to pick a favorite! Sal's the gentlest boy. Chauncey and his fascination with bellhops was priceless. Lucy and how he always delivers the best lines highlighting his parentage with the most deadpan expressions killed me 😂
𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.
I highly recommend the audiobook. It was truly an experience to listen to. Daniel Henning did an impeccable job with his clear distinct voices for every character.
If you're looking for a lighthearted read with so many endearing characters and tender moments that tug on your heartstrings, then check this out! I'm officially a TJ Klune fan and will definitely read his other books!
Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He strictly adheres to the rules of his job and has accepted he'll forever be alone in his mundane life. So when he gets assigned a peculiar case to assess 6 dangerous kids and their caretaker, he sets out to do his job, not knowing the many surprises that are in store for him.
If a book can encompass a warm, fuzzy feeling, it would definitely be this one. This was such a joy to read. The narrative and prose had me laughing multiple times.
𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦.
𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.
Don't even get me started on the children. Each of them were so chaotic and loveable in their own unique quirky way, it's so hard to pick a favorite! Sal's the gentlest boy. Chauncey and his fascination with bellhops was priceless. Lucy and how he always delivers the best lines highlighting his parentage with the most deadpan expressions killed me 😂
𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.
I highly recommend the audiobook. It was truly an experience to listen to. Daniel Henning did an impeccable job with his clear distinct voices for every character.
If you're looking for a lighthearted read with so many endearing characters and tender moments that tug on your heartstrings, then check this out! I'm officially a TJ Klune fan and will definitely read his other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse
jacobevje's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse