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

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing slow-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? No

3.5

It was a very sweet book with very cute characters and a very nice setting. But I just didn't really care? It was too cozy and too gentle, I think. Not that I don't love a cozy book with not a lot of conflict, but it seemed to clash a little with the subject matter of discrimination and isolation and often deep devastating abuse of children. I don't know that dealing with that always has to be very dark, and I certainly didn't want this to be a dark book, but it just wrapped up so nicely that I wasn't super invested in that wrap up. Also, the central romance in the book was underdeveloped. Like, it read to me as a romance novel, but with so much else happening, you don't get the tingling glee of the romance developing. I think I would have liked the book better if it wasn't trying to world build or have a statement beyond the one island and instead was a sweet story of a magical island full of magical children and the love an ordinary man found there.

It still was well written and I'm glad I read it.

 
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