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

4.0

Amazing character development and world building. A stoic older man working for the department of magical children as a social worker of sorts is sent off to an orphanage on a distant island where he meets a group of magical children that were cast away for being deemed too different. The protagonist, Linus grows a special bond with the children and follows them on their adventures around the island. The writing really makes you grow to love the characters. It has themes of its what’s on the inside that counts and second chances. A bit corny at times, includes a gay love interest which is cool, but I personally didn’t feel the chemistry between them. A few parts in the book dragged on but it was mostly pretty gripping and hard to put down. No doubt a fun and unique read.