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Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'
La casa en el mar más azul. Edición especial: Edición especial con cantos tintados by TJ Klune, Carlos Abreu Fetter
1349 reviews
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I want to start with the pros. The worldbuilding and characters are very enjoyable. I found the plot setup to be a great hook for getting me reading and are its best virture. I think the writing style is pretty good as well.
Now for the cons.
The biggest and most glaring sin is a consistent issue with telling-not-showing. I felt at times that I was being beat over the head with certain themes or points the story was trying to make. To the point where it felt I was reading a book meant for a younger age bracket. [There is no indication of this, so I will assume it is meant for a slightly older audience.] This was also combined with a rushed pace near the end of the book, leading to a lot of long-winded dialogue in places where it doesn't make sense.
There were also a lot of holes in the story and worldbuilding as well. There were times where I was confused by the main character's reactions to certain events when it doesn't really make sense. It almost feels that he is completely new to magic, when his entire job is to work with magic children. Or there are mulitple somewhat intimate scenes seemingly in the middle of a public setting.
This last point is more of a personal gripe, which is that I feel Lucy's character could have had way more subtlety or nuance. He is just an edgy child who doesn't cause any real trouble at all. It feels as if the book didn't know how to find a middle ground between Antichrist and normal child. It is difficult to not compare this to Good Omen's similar Antichrist setup, which was vastly superior in my opinion.
I want to like this book more, I do like it to an extent. However, it could have used more time to brew and get more polish.
Now for the cons.
The biggest and most glaring sin is a consistent issue with telling-not-showing. I felt at times that I was being beat over the head with certain themes or points the story was trying to make. To the point where it felt I was reading a book meant for a younger age bracket. [There is no indication of this, so I will assume it is meant for a slightly older audience.] This was also combined with a rushed pace near the end of the book, leading to a lot of long-winded dialogue in places where it doesn't make sense.
There were also a lot of holes in the story and worldbuilding as well. There were times where I was confused by the main character's reactions to certain events when it doesn't really make sense. It almost feels that he is completely new to magic, when his entire job is to work with magic children. Or there are mulitple somewhat intimate scenes seemingly in the middle of a public setting.
This last point is more of a personal gripe, which is that I feel Lucy's character could have had way more subtlety or nuance. He is just an edgy child who doesn't cause any real trouble at all. It feels as if the book didn't know how to find a middle ground between Antichrist and normal child. It is difficult to not compare this to Good Omen's similar Antichrist setup, which was vastly superior in my opinion.
I want to like this book more, I do like it to an extent. However, it could have used more time to brew and get more polish.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Religious bigotry
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
No
This book was a joy to read. The characters heavily carried this book, which was enjoyable despite a predictable plot. I took comfort in the predictability however due to current life events. I am excited to return to these characters when I can. The book ultimately carried a lovely message of acceptance and love in a world where prejudice is strong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wholesome, heartfelt, earnest, quirky, and almost too sweet... I could see this being a Pixar film. Highly recommend the audio book over print for this one. The narration adds entertainment value, and keeps the playful vibe front and centre -- a reminder not to take it too seriously. I could definitely see myself rolling my eyes at this on a different day but the timing just hit right for a comfy story about believing the best in people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
I just really loved this book. Linus was incredibly relatable. His journey of self discovery, of learning to love and know the children, Zoe, and Arthur was touching. I feel like there are a lot of people, including myself, who occupy places of privilege in the various systems in the world who want to do good and think they know how, but they really don't. Linus took the time to get to know the people behind the files and learn what they actually needed to thrive, not just what the system said they needed. I loved the development of Linus' relationships as well as watching the children especially change and grow during Linus' stay. One of the only things I wasn't a fan of was how Phee kind of faded into the background. I hope she gets more attention in the sequel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization
emotional
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
The House in the Cerulean Sea is my favorite read of 2025 so far. I really connected with Linus and the other characters. There were several characters that played active roles in the narrative, and it can be difficult to fully develop so many characters. However each character had depth and growth in their own way. I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the second book and see what becomes of these beloved characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Murder
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amazingly well-written, feel-good story! To those who have ever felt that they haven’t found their family yet, this story shows how it can happen in the most unexpected places with the joy and freedom only Klune can bring!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Death