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parasolcrafter's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Forced institutionalization
amandalorianxo's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? Yes
5.0
I can’t think of any concrete words at the moment but this book felt like a literal trip to the beach - fresh, rewarding and I wish there was more to Linus & Arthur’s stories as we got to know the children of the island. It’s jam packed with humor, reality, and how to combat the ugliness of people not liking others just because of what they look like or may represent. Prejudice is an ugly concept and House in the Cerulean Sea took that and ran with it in a way that I didn’t see coming. Heart wrenching to the core. This book will stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Racism
Minor: Child abuse
teacupsandfirereads's review
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Ableism, and Homophobia
archaicgambit's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
OK so ngl this is a DNF. I read 203 pgs/380 (idk why storygraph says 308) Wanted to be able to write a more thorough review.
So I had to wait 20 holds on my library to get my hands on this book. I love the illustrator, I heard there was a queer romance and it felt like slice-of-life a fairytale. I was hyped.
The prose is solid (though it did not blow me away), the characters are sweet (this is what earns it the 2.5 alongside the gorgeous cover), but the sophistication in which the political issues were handled felt supremely lacking. At first I thought the magical children were a placeholder for all types of discrimination at once, which felt more becoming for a MG book than an adult one. I asked some friends if it ever became more nuanced but they admitted it resolved with a "first step."
The idea of magic orphanages or safehouses is well-explored territory. X-men, Umbrella Academy (which is used as a comp on the cover), HBO's The Nevers. In each of these the magical childrens' inception is spontaneous. At first I thought this book followed suit and it would be a metaphor for disability or homophobia.
The House on the Cerulean Sea does itself a disservice by racializing the childrens' magic, tying them to magical races that the text casually admits have been largely genocided and forced to assimilate to the human world. Another friend of mine tipped me off that the author admitted to being directly inspired by the history of Residential schools, and knowing that made it very difficult to keep reading as bodies keep being found in the news, though I tried another 60 pages.
While I believe regardless of identity one should be able to explore social issues, historic tragedies, and their meaning, the tone felt eerily saccharine given the inspiration and the allegory of the magical children both felt too close to the Residential schools and not directly connected enough. The tonal dissonance may be triggering for some, though I don't mean to shame anyone who loves this book.
So I had to wait 20 holds on my library to get my hands on this book. I love the illustrator, I heard there was a queer romance and it felt like slice-of-life a fairytale. I was hyped.
The prose is solid (though it did not blow me away), the characters are sweet (this is what earns it the 2.5 alongside the gorgeous cover), but the sophistication in which the political issues were handled felt supremely lacking. At first I thought the magical children were a placeholder for all types of discrimination at once, which felt more becoming for a MG book than an adult one. I asked some friends if it ever became more nuanced but they admitted it resolved with a "first step."
The idea of magic orphanages or safehouses is well-explored territory. X-men, Umbrella Academy (which is used as a comp on the cover), HBO's The Nevers. In each of these the magical childrens' inception is spontaneous. At first I thought this book followed suit and it would be a metaphor for disability or homophobia.
The House on the Cerulean Sea does itself a disservice by racializing the childrens' magic, tying them to magical races that the text casually admits have been largely genocided and forced to assimilate to the human world. Another friend of mine tipped me off that the author admitted to being directly inspired by the history of Residential schools, and knowing that made it very difficult to keep reading as bodies keep being found in the news, though I tried another 60 pages.
While I believe regardless of identity one should be able to explore social issues, historic tragedies, and their meaning, the tone felt eerily saccharine given the inspiration and the allegory of the magical children both felt too close to the Residential schools and not directly connected enough. The tonal dissonance may be triggering for some, though I don't mean to shame anyone who loves this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
greymalkin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a gentle, sweet book! So hopepunk. It felt very much like a mashup of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Good Omens with a dash of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Romance was super adorable. Yes, the message may be applied with a bit of a heavy hand at times but it's a message I like, so I didn't mind.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Racism
eddine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
MY NEW COMFORT BOOK
this book was just so heartwarming and just sooo gooood
went into this thinking i wouldnt use much of my tabs but nOooOo
the kids are just so dkn wholesome i wanna keep them all in my pocket and keep them
CHAUNCEY MY BOI YOU ARE THE BEST BOI AND BEST BELLHOP THERE IS
it needs more hype than it deserves
this book was just so heartwarming and just sooo gooood
went into this thinking i wouldnt use much of my tabs but nOooOo
the kids are just so dkn wholesome i wanna keep them all in my pocket and keep them
CHAUNCEY MY BOI YOU ARE THE BEST BOI AND BEST BELLHOP THERE IS
it needs more hype than it deserves
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Racism
eligru's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
5.0
New favorite!!
This is a story about an orphanage for children with magical powers narrated by a forty-something government official with a huge heart. Hence, it is not a children's book (but still ok for older kids/young teens to read).
It was all so cute and the world-building so beautiful, that I couldn’t stop reading it. Too bad, it’s a standalone cause I would love to keep following these character's lives. But I guess TJ Klune’s other books will have to do ;)
Also the audiobook is amazing! Already looking forward to re-listing/re-reading this!
This is a story about an orphanage for children with magical powers narrated by a forty-something government official with a huge heart. Hence, it is not a children's book (but still ok for older kids/young teens to read).
It was all so cute and the world-building so beautiful, that I couldn’t stop reading it. Too bad, it’s a standalone cause I would love to keep following these character's lives. But I guess TJ Klune’s other books will have to do ;)
Also the audiobook is amazing! Already looking forward to re-listing/re-reading this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Racism, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent and Animal death
sov_a's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Child abuse
lovely_lisa's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Fatphobia, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child abuse
justreaditem's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this book. I listened to it on Scribd and the narrator voiced each character with distinct difference that gave each one their own voice.
I know there's a lot of controversy over the author, and although I don't condone anything they've done or agree with their views, I thought I'd try this book on a platform where it was freely available to me.
The message of the book is very clear. Just because someone is different, it doesn't mean they are scary or evil. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Treat people with kindness and give everything an open mind.
It's a sweet story which tackles homophobia and racism (I guess it's technically speciesism), family dynamics and loving yourself no matter your shape or size.
I will say that I found it lacking in race with the human presenting characters. All bar one or two, everybody was white. The main protagonist was a white man and it did give the story hints of white saviourism.
If it sounds up your street, give it a go!
I know there's a lot of controversy over the author, and although I don't condone anything they've done or agree with their views, I thought I'd try this book on a platform where it was freely available to me.
The message of the book is very clear. Just because someone is different, it doesn't mean they are scary or evil. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Treat people with kindness and give everything an open mind.
It's a sweet story which tackles homophobia and racism (I guess it's technically speciesism), family dynamics and loving yourself no matter your shape or size.
I will say that I found it lacking in race with the human presenting characters. All bar one or two, everybody was white. The main protagonist was a white man and it did give the story hints of white saviourism.
If it sounds up your street, give it a go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism