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merlioras's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A nice story with a warm feel to it. The message was at points quite heavy handed and more text than subtext. I didn't care for the fatphobia against the protagonist that was brought up unnecessarily again and again by both him and the narrative voice.
I listened to the book. At first I had to get used to the voice actor but having finished the book I think he's a good fit for the protagonist and also has distinct voices for the cast of characters. He did a good job. What sometimes threw me off was how he pronounced certain words. I don't know if that is some kind of accent but I never had heard them pronounced that way. It made it appear as if he has never encountered these words before and didn't bother to check the pronunciation.
I listened to the book. At first I had to get used to the voice actor but having finished the book I think he's a good fit for the protagonist and also has distinct voices for the cast of characters. He did a good job. What sometimes threw me off was how he pronounced certain words. I don't know if that is some kind of accent but I never had heard them pronounced that way. It made it appear as if he has never encountered these words before and didn't bother to check the pronunciation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I loved the narrator!
The story is very wholesome, reminds me of the secret society of irregular witches, maybe even better:)
The story is very wholesome, reminds me of the secret society of irregular witches, maybe even better:)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
blakeandbooks's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Confinement
itsjoenna's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
I am but paper. Brittle and thin.
i love it. i freaking love it.
throughout the book, i smiled, screamed, laughed, cried, and most importantly i felt warm. this book feels exactly like that, a warm hug.
the children are truly delightful, i especially have a soft spot for Lucy, he's just so fun and unhinged lol i love him so much!!! as for Arthur and Linus, they're... π« π« π«
βYou make me feel like Iβm burning up from the inside out.β "You are a fire, and they need to know how you burn."
yup, i think just those 2 quotes alone can explain it all π« π
honestly i was quite busy when i pick up this book, so finishing it took a long time, but i enjoyed it so much. i literally wish it to never end, i just want to keep reading π₯Ή
i highly recommend it, 5 stars worthy.
honestly i was quite busy when i pick up this book, so finishing it took a long time, but i enjoyed it so much. i literally wish it to never end, i just want to keep reading π₯Ή
i highly recommend it, 5 stars worthy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, and Fatphobia
mixmousereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Eating disorder, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder
mlwizenberg's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
A sweet and fun story, though its positive messages β however welcome! β were delivered with a very heavy hand.
I was also disappointed with the book's espousal of diet culture and anti-fat bias. We're frequently reminded that Linus is "rotund," that he should lose weight, that his body is a problem, that he shouldn't eat ice cream, etc. It seems like a real blind spot for the author, especially given that the whole book is about affirming people for who they areβ¦
I was also disappointed with the book's espousal of diet culture and anti-fat bias. We're frequently reminded that Linus is "rotund," that he should lose weight, that his body is a problem, that he shouldn't eat ice cream, etc. It seems like a real blind spot for the author, especially given that the whole book is about affirming people for who they areβ¦
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Representations: https://trello.com/c/8wNj7gDc/79-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea-by-tj-klune
Oh man oh man how I wish I picked up this book so much sooner! It's been sat on my shelf now for a good couple years, knowing I'd love it but never quite having the moment to grab it. I now really regret not doing so sooner, and will most certainly read the other books of his I own too as soon as I can!
Linus is stuck in life. He lives in a rainy city. He has a very strict job. The only things keeping him going are his cat and a motivational mouse pad depicting the sea with the saying "don't you wish you where here". Until one fateful day, Extremely Upper Management calls him for a meeting and ships him off to a remote island that no one knows about..
I absolutely adored this book. It's message about love and acceptance, while also learning to love yourself in the face of adversity. The characters where all so incredibly sweet and adorable, I just wanted to pick all of them up and give them a big hug <3
There's not too much plot, it's mainly just about the relationship between Linus and the residents of the island. A lot still happens however, there's trips to the village, adventures and more!I wouldn't really call it a romance though, while yes there is a romantic relationship, it doesn't feel like an absolutely major piece of the story, nor is it a main focus until essentially the very end. It's just a sweet additional story to the overall book.
The inspiration is being pointed out as being "problematic" but in all honesty.. I'm not sure those people have read the book. The book doesn't glorify or glamorise abusive residential "schools" or anything similar to that. In fact it's incredibly explicit about how abusive the system at its roots is. Arthur's home isn't a "if it's ran by someone good then it's ok" excuse. Arthur's home is a tale about strength together, found family and fighting injustice and abuse together. His home lies outside the system.
Additionally if you read the entire interview, the book was already pretty much done by the time he found out about Canadian residential schools so like. What are you all even on about lmao.
Last point, what are y'all on about that it sounds like the author is trying to be English lol. I'm from the UK and it sounded pretty American to me.
Oh man oh man how I wish I picked up this book so much sooner! It's been sat on my shelf now for a good couple years, knowing I'd love it but never quite having the moment to grab it. I now really regret not doing so sooner, and will most certainly read the other books of his I own too as soon as I can!
Linus is stuck in life. He lives in a rainy city. He has a very strict job. The only things keeping him going are his cat and a motivational mouse pad depicting the sea with the saying "don't you wish you where here". Until one fateful day, Extremely Upper Management calls him for a meeting and ships him off to a remote island that no one knows about..
I absolutely adored this book. It's message about love and acceptance, while also learning to love yourself in the face of adversity. The characters where all so incredibly sweet and adorable, I just wanted to pick all of them up and give them a big hug <3
There's not too much plot, it's mainly just about the relationship between Linus and the residents of the island. A lot still happens however, there's trips to the village, adventures and more!I wouldn't really call it a romance though, while yes there is a romantic relationship, it doesn't feel like an absolutely major piece of the story, nor is it a main focus until essentially the very end. It's just a sweet additional story to the overall book.
The inspiration is being pointed out as being "problematic" but in all honesty.. I'm not sure those people have read the book. The book doesn't glorify or glamorise abusive residential "schools" or anything similar to that. In fact it's incredibly explicit about how abusive the system at its roots is. Arthur's home isn't a "if it's ran by someone good then it's ok" excuse. Arthur's home is a tale about strength together, found family and fighting injustice and abuse together. His home lies outside the system.
Additionally if you read the entire interview, the book was already pretty much done by the time he found out about Canadian residential schools so like. What are you all even on about lmao.
Last point, what are y'all on about that it sounds like the author is trying to be English lol. I'm from the UK and it sounded pretty American to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, and Hate crime
Minor: Homophobia
Fantasy bigotry (hatred from humans towards magical beings for being non-human), Gore descriptionsmegb64's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
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? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Forced institutionalization
heini's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming and Child abuse
hales_1243's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cannibalism
Minor: Drug use
There was no explicit drug use, but there was reference to drugs briefly by a side character.