solarel 's review for:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

4.5

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

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The first half of the book felt a little slow and it took me a while to get through it. But it picked up around the midpoint and I read the last third of it in one night. 

It’s a very heartwarming and funny story about a man who has never known a family. The themes of oppression and discrimination aligned well with many struggles today, and it felt like a hopeful breath of fresh air. 

The ending made me cry and then sigh and then kick my feet and giggle. So yeah. 

Not a full five stars because there were moments (especially in the first half) that felt clunky and underdeveloped. I also was a bit put off by how far phobic the main character was about himself. It felt unkind and didn’t ever quite let up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail

Most of the trigger warnings are for macabre little children saying violent things in a lighthearted way. The kids had a tragic background, and there are tales of child abuse previously, though they do get rather detailed.