A review by tsunni
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? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Really really heartwarming. The overall arc is really simple, but the warmth and heart of the characters and their growing bonds makes this such a gem. Klune did such a good job with showing some complex characters that had gone through difficult experiences, I felt like they really understood and respected some difficult topics.

This feels like cozy fantasy, except most of the core cast are orphans from bad situations and targets of bigotry; the descriptions of what they go through are kept relatively light, but its a core focus of the story and enough to warrant some content warnings. 

I’ve never seen the term hopecore before, but I think that’s a really good label for this.

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