Review by yujowheelies - The House in the Cerulean Sea

yujowheelies 's review for:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

4.75

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

This book is charming, cozy, and a tad cliche. A bit like if the Hotel Transylvania films and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children had a colorful and gay little baby. I agree with other reviews that this book can feel a bit juvenile, but I found it's simplicity refreshing and fun, and I like that I could easily recommend this book to my younger siblings. Unfortunately, the book's discussion of marginalization is also simplistic- with a "be yourself and be nice and everything will work out" kind of approach that will make most adult readers, especially queer and/or otherwise marginalized adult readers, raise an eyebrow. However, I think it's clear this book's goal was not to present a solution to end actual racism with a depiction of Fantasy Racism(tm), and moreso offer a lighthearted and comforting story about a world where morality and issues such as these actually are a little more black & white than our world. This, of course, can still be inspiring and positive nonetheless, though it understandably may not be everyone cup of tea.

Content Warnings