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

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

3.25

Charming, but just on this side of cloying. A disservice to not classify this as YA, frankly. Had it been, I might be a bit more forgiving of some of the overemphasis in the writing or the way the stakes never feel quite as heavy as they should or that everything ends so neatly. As is, this feels a bit unsophisticated. The ideas are heavy-handed and the hopefulness feels naive. That said, I’m sure a lot of readers will appreciate that sentiment and I suppose I can’t necessarily fault this for engaging in wish fulfillment. It’s a good book, but one I wish I’d liked more.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings