A review by leonormsousa
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

I once read (I don’t remember where so I’m sorry to the person who wrote it for not tagging them) that reading The House in the Cerulean Sea is like being wrapped in a cosy blanket and I honestly can’t think of a better way to describe this book. 
Although it is an adult book, it almost has this fairy-tale aspect to it and I believe it could actually be read by children with no problem whatsoever. It tells a beautiful story with so many important messages of acceptance and diversity, of standing up against what’s wrong, of stopping violence, of following your dreams, of “it’s never too late to change your life”... And through this tale of a found family, a dash of a beautiful BEAUTIFUL queer romance (not I didn’t make a mistake: it’s so beautiful, it deserves the repetition!). 
I wouldn’t say it is a sad book at all. It’s also not a violent book (at least not in the main meaning of the word). But it’s an extremely emotional one that just makes you want to give happiness and more happiness to these characters, with which it’s impossible not to fall in love. 
Writing children is something that I believe to be extremely complicated. Yes, we’ve all been kids and we can even remember some of our childhood moments (some more than others) but going back to the mindset we had back then is not something easy at all. That’s maybe one of the biggest accomplishments of The House in the Cerulean Sea: it gives us six wonderful kids that despite all their peculiarity, are as real as it gets. Their insecurities, fears and dreams might be taken to a fantastic level, but on their basis, they’re the insecurities, fears and dreams of any kid out there (and even of some adults 😉). 
The House in the Cerulean Sea is the kind of book that makes you want to restore your confidence in humanity but also the kind that makes you believe that we can do better! And that “we” begins with “I”. Choosing Linus to be our eye into the world was I believe another very clever option that is meant to show us the importance of critically evaluating the rules and traditions and preconceptions that rule the world. To challenge them, even when we have lived under them our whole lives. But also to allow ourselves to find our own happiness. 
An extraordinary book, marvellously written, that I consider to be absolutely worth the hype. Needless to say that I 100 per cent recommend this book and it makes me incredibly happy to see it being published in Portugal this month by a publisher that is equally challenging the routine: Desrotina (totally feeling like a genius after writing this basic pun 😝). As for me, I already have the same-style book “Under the Whispering Door” on my shelf waiting to be read, but I’m very much curious to see how T. J. Klune has delved into other genres. 
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