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A review by laaurenculpan
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
okay, shout out to my friend who recommended this book because honestly, i don’t know if i would have picked it up. i only became aware of TJ Klune this year (after my friends recommendation and reading Under The Whispering Door) and whilst i liked that one, i wasn’t overwhelmed and so thought, this could be the same.
this was better.
~spoilers to follow~
i will start by saying, this book was slow to begin with. i stopped for a few days (hence why its taken me almost 2 weeks to read) because i wasn’t overly enamoured with it. the pacing between the 0%-30% was not there for me and i was worried i wouldn’t pick it up again. however, as soon as i hit that mark, i couldn’t stop reading. i have consumed the last 10 chapters or so because i loved it. i loved the characters, i loved the story, i loved the dialogue. it was as cosy and warm and fulfilling as i wanted a fantasy book to be. i wanted the hints of a romance, i wanted the bonding between linus and the children, i wanted him to stand up for himself and i got all that. i got everything i wanted from this book and more. sure it was a bit predictable in parts but that didn’t take anything away from the story. i liked that.
i took to each of the characters immediately. even if linus was intended to be someone you didn’t like, i did. he was sweet. he had a job to do and he lived by that and that’s okay! but his character development over the book really stood out for me. the linus you see by the end of the book is not the man you meet on those first few pages. i will say that i found his relationship with arthur developed a bit quickly and i didn’t believe in it as much as his relationships with the children, but by the end of it i was truly rooting for them. i liked all of the children individually and together; they all had their quirks about them and i could picture them all perfectly. they were funny too! i found myself laughing at this book more than i thought i would which was wonderful! i said it in an earlier update but theodore was my favourite. when he shows linus his nest/hoard and linus sees all the things he’s collected? well i started crying and i didn’t really stop.
this book was not what i was expecting. there were a few moments of repetition towards the beginning but i couldn’t not give it 5 stars. not when it surprised me, made me laugh, made me cry and made me put my kindle down with sheer joy.
this was better.
~spoilers to follow~
i will start by saying, this book was slow to begin with. i stopped for a few days (hence why its taken me almost 2 weeks to read) because i wasn’t overly enamoured with it. the pacing between the 0%-30% was not there for me and i was worried i wouldn’t pick it up again. however, as soon as i hit that mark, i couldn’t stop reading. i have consumed the last 10 chapters or so because i loved it. i loved the characters, i loved the story, i loved the dialogue. it was as cosy and warm and fulfilling as i wanted a fantasy book to be. i wanted the hints of a romance, i wanted the bonding between linus and the children, i wanted him to stand up for himself and i got all that. i got everything i wanted from this book and more. sure it was a bit predictable in parts but that didn’t take anything away from the story. i liked that.
i took to each of the characters immediately. even if linus was intended to be someone you didn’t like, i did. he was sweet. he had a job to do and he lived by that and that’s okay! but his character development over the book really stood out for me. the linus you see by the end of the book is not the man you meet on those first few pages. i will say that i found his relationship with arthur developed a bit quickly and i didn’t believe in it as much as his relationships with the children, but by the end of it i was truly rooting for them. i liked all of the children individually and together; they all had their quirks about them and i could picture them all perfectly. they were funny too! i found myself laughing at this book more than i thought i would which was wonderful! i said it in an earlier update but theodore was my favourite. when he shows linus his nest/hoard and linus sees all the things he’s collected? well i started crying and i didn’t really stop.
this book was not what i was expecting. there were a few moments of repetition towards the beginning but i couldn’t not give it 5 stars. not when it surprised me, made me laugh, made me cry and made me put my kindle down with sheer joy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse