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jesromas 's review for:
The House in the Cerulean Sea
by TJ Klune
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
God this was so disappointing. The cast of characters and the setting were so heartwarming and exciting. But the white saviour narrative pretty much ruined the whole thing. I found the protagonist grating and the political messaging in this book was so weak, especially considering this was supposedly “inspired” by the Sixties Scoop. It felt like if Blindside was a comedic fantasy book with a bad-fanfiction-y romance shoehorned in. The fact that there’s anything redeemable about this story is a testament to how strong the side characters and setting were. And even the strength of the side characters was compromised by their use as props in the character development of the protagonist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation
Minor: Confinement