Reviews with content warning for Violence - Дом в лазурном море

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Дом в лазурном море by TJ Klune

85 reviews

gemloukay's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful relaxing 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

5.0

Linus Baker is a Case Worker for the Department of Magical Youth, whose job it is to inspect the Orphanages where they often live. When he gets sent on a special assignment by Extremely Upper Management, he finds himself on an island with some very special and potentially very dangerous youngsters, and the master of their home, Arthur Pernassus. But as he gets to know them all, he must decide between his head and his heart.

A beautiful story, full of hope and plenty of heart. I adored both the story and the characters, and can’t wait to read the sequel.

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tatjanasbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sierrabowers's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious fast-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

If I could rate this book a 6, I would! This was a great read that included so much diversity and I loved the message it was trying to present. The theme being: love others no matter what, even if you don’t understand them. I also believe the author included another theme: people are afraid of what they don’t understand. As someone who works with children and sees the corrupt foster care system, I encourage all to read. It is enlightening and also very funny. It was lighthearted while also touching on important subjects!

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lucia2's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

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weepy_iskwew's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book is light-hearted, whimsical, sweet, with some obvious ‘lessons’ that are still worth talking about. I enjoyed reading it. I also enjoyed the stylized form of writing, a little Lemony Snicket adjacent. I enjoyed the humor, the queer relationships, the mature and wholesome romance subplot, the found family vibes, loved all the children etc. etc. I also loved the scenery, worldbuilding etc. It was very vivid and could easily be translated into a show or movie someday.

However…

I read this book knowing about the controversy surrounding the author’s inspiration for the story. As an Indigenous person, I tend to avoid arguments about who should tell stories related to our history because I don’t have all the answers either. But, what I do know is that if you are going to tell our stories you better do it justice.

The following are some flaws that I feel got in the way of this being higher rated for me. Especially if we look at this as a story inspired by the 60s scoop and other Indigenous history. Covering this whole section as spoilers just in case - read at your own risk!

Linus is sweet, but ultimately the most boring character to explore the world through. Everything happens to him, and he does very little until the very end. He begins with certain beliefs and standards, but they are so comically ‘bad’ and he lets go of them so quickly it’s a wonder he hadn’t gone through this journey already. He’s kind of a nothing character to me which is unfortunate.
Also, Linus succeeds in the face of this supposedly crazy oppressive government department; which is a great success for the story but felt a little too easily resolved for my preference. Also, the resolution of the confrontation with the villagers felt a little unrealistic to me.
Linus (and a few others) hold problematic beliefs due to ignorance and once the ignorance bubble is ‘popped’ through exposure, the problematic beliefs and behaviors can and should be forgiven. Honestly, this is a perspective that many of my Elders would agree with and teach themselves. But, the radical side of me wants to say that ignorance is a choice, and not an excuse despite the forces that might be in place to keep you there. Someday, I’ll be as gracious as my Elders are lol.
Ultimately, there is no deeper analysis of the system and how it results in the children having no family or community to care for them. There are brief mentions of a deeper history, like boarding schools, and some of the individual stories of the children and how they came to this orphanage. However, it seemed like all the children were in care because of legitimate reasons (aka their parents were dead or presumed dead; to be fair some related to mistreatment by the non-magical government). However, the reasons why children were brought into care during the 60s scoop were much more nuanced, and a direct result of residential schools, racist policies, and systemic discrimination resulting in systemic poverty.

Ultimately, I think in favour of whimsy, and ‘feel-good’ story, Klune left out many of the deeper, more meaningful, and challenging parts of the history that he was inspired by. Which is a choice that an author is allowed to make, and one that some may like. But not really one that makes me excited.

That being said, I do wonder if some of this deeper story could be explored in the sequel. I’d reread this story, and I’ll be adding the sequel to my wishlist. However, I wasn’t so charmed by the whimsy or so convinced that this author has something significant to say that I’ll be rushing out to get it on release.

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mbrogs2024's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

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iane_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-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

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dillonsees's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is in my top 100 books of all time! It invites you on this journey with many fun and very lovable characters. Its reminds you it’s the little things like a button or a song, maybe a touch of someone’s hand in yours or even a dance with someone you care for.

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njh_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

I started this book first in December 2023 and couldn't get into it, so I put it to the side for a bit and then came back to it.

Had a much better read the second try and overall found the book sweet and wholesome and funny. Reminded me of my counseloring days--kids say the darndest things. Lols.

The kids all grew on me and each I thought was unique in their own way. I think some kids were fleshed out better/more than others (Lucy and Sal) and I think that was also due to who had the most one-on-one alone time with Linus (since the story follows Linus). Now that the sequel is coming, I hope this may change in the next installment. Just felt like some kids got more focus, which while I know no book would ever cover all characters equally, would've been nice to have a bit more in depth look at Chauncey besides just the bellhop/monster under the bed and Thalia besides gardening/grave digging and Phee with growing plants/being a sprite. Also just noticed that all the magical female characters in the book have something to do with plants.

Arthur is a smooth talker and sweet and was nice to see him continuing his journey to be himself. Also showed that childhood trauma can still be a battle into adulthood.

Glad Linus eventually fought for himself and found his voice.

Also hope to see a bit more of Zoe and Helen in the next book.

____________________
Some favorite quotes:

“'It’s the little things. Little treasures we find without knowing their origin. And they come when we least expect them. It’s beautiful, when you think about it. He loves it dearly. That was very kind of you.'” (94)

“'When something is broken, you can put it back together. It may not fit quite the same, or work like it did once before, but that doesn't mean it's no longer useful.'” (247)

“'The little girl. She wasn’t scared of me. She was nice. She didn’t care what I looked like. That means she can make up her own mind. Maybe that woman will tell her I’m bad. And maybe she’ll believe it. Or maybe she won’t believe it at all. Arthur told me that in order to change the minds of many, you have to first start with the minds of few. She’s just one person. But so is the lady.' Talia grinned.” (270)

“'It’s not fair,' Linus said, staring off into nothing. 'The way some people can be. But as long as you remember to be just and kind like I know you are, what those people think won’t matter in the long run. Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.'” (278)

“Helen scoffed. 'A home isn’t always the house we live in. It’s also the people we choose to surround ourselves with. You may not live on the island, but you can’t tell me it’s not your home. Your bubble, Mr. Baker. It’s been popped. Why would you allow it to grow around you again?'” (283)

“'You’re too precious to put into words. I think … it’s like one of Theodore’s buttons. If you asked him why he cared about them so, he would tell you it’s because they exist at all.'” (308)

“'Funny how that works out, isn’t it? That we can find the most unexpected things when we aren’t even looking for them.'” (376)

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alanaefarrell's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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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