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

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

4.75

Okay WOW??? I am not a fantasy girlie, so I went in with a lot of skepticism, but I LOVED IT. This is such a great book for folks like me who typically don’t read fantasy but want to step outside their comfort zones. It is so cozy, heartwarming, and lovely. 

The fatphobia at the beginning was a bit jarring. The third-person narration reflects how Linus sees himself at the beginning—it’s not the author condoning those beliefs, so as the story progressed, it stopped bothering me. But even though it did have a point and was addressed pretty well, it still felt a tad much. I also found the book to be rather predictable, but it doesn’t detract much from the story at all, so that’s a very minor criticism.

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