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sierrabowers's review against another edition
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Fatphobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Violence and Cannibalism
songofsummer's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Colonisation, and Classism
weepy_iskwew's review
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!
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.
- 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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Cultural appropriation
arysuh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
Le bouquin feel good par excellence. Qui nous dit, contrairement à la doxa actuelle, que même si on ne s’aime pas soi-même, il se trouvera toujours quelqu’un pour nous aimer. C’est touchant, c’est pour toutes les générations, c’est un vrai doudou 🫶🏻
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
bluedilly's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Death is wonderful to music. It makes the singers sound like ghosts.
When I started reading this, I didn't expect it would take me seven months to finish! You might wonder why I stuck with it for so long, but it was nice to have a book like this around, something light and simple, easy to pick up and easy to put down, especially for those tedious waits at bus stops when you still need to be half aware of your surroundings. There were a few things about Klune's writing style and worldbuilding which didn't hit the spot for me, but I dearly loved all of the children, and Linus and Arthur were quite sweet together.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Fatphobia, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
emptzuu's review
Given its 4.40-star rating on Goodreads and numerous glowing reviews, I had high expectations for this book. However, it turned out to be based on the Sixties Scoop, an event fraught with pain and suffering. I found the representation of real-world Native children's trauma in "The House in the Cerulean Sea" deeply troubling. This book transforms the unbearable trauma—encompassing both the literal and cultural murder—of these children into a simplistic tale where the fantasy version of such horrific foster homes is portrayed positively.
The author himself acknowledged this in a quote:
“I didn’t want to co-opt, you know, a history that wasn’t mine. I’m a cis white dude, so I can’t ever really go through something like what those children had to go through. So I sat down and I was like, I’m just going to write this as a fantasy.”
Despite being fully aware of the sensitive nature of the history he was touching upon, Klune created a story that trivializes the real and ongoing suffering of Indigenous children and their communities. These children were forcibly separated from their families and subjected to torture, sexual abuse, and murder as part of cultural genocide. Klune profits from a narrative that glosses over the severe and lasting impacts of these atrocities, which continued into the mid-1990s, on Indigenous people who still face systemic oppression today.
Additionally, the book is quite depressing. It follows a lonely man with a miserable life, working in a toxic environment, and disliked by everyone around him—including his cat, boss, coworkers, neighbors, and even the bus driver. He lives in a perpetually rainy city and perpetually forgets his umbrella. This gloomy narrative is masked in overly sweet language, lacking any nuance or real consideration of historical and systemic oppression.
The author himself acknowledged this in a quote:
“I didn’t want to co-opt, you know, a history that wasn’t mine. I’m a cis white dude, so I can’t ever really go through something like what those children had to go through. So I sat down and I was like, I’m just going to write this as a fantasy.”
Despite being fully aware of the sensitive nature of the history he was touching upon, Klune created a story that trivializes the real and ongoing suffering of Indigenous children and their communities. These children were forcibly separated from their families and subjected to torture, sexual abuse, and murder as part of cultural genocide. Klune profits from a narrative that glosses over the severe and lasting impacts of these atrocities, which continued into the mid-1990s, on Indigenous people who still face systemic oppression today.
Additionally, the book is quite depressing. It follows a lonely man with a miserable life, working in a toxic environment, and disliked by everyone around him—including his cat, boss, coworkers, neighbors, and even the bus driver. He lives in a perpetually rainy city and perpetually forgets his umbrella. This gloomy narrative is masked in overly sweet language, lacking any nuance or real consideration of historical and systemic oppression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Racism
akswhy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
A delightfully whimsical book that deals in deceptively heavy themes, but handles them with ease. A perfect summer read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
iane_reads's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
fred___'s review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This was written based on the 60s scoop. Indigenous populations have discussed often that it was not an appropriate thing for a white cis author to cover (and give a happy ending to) because it dismissed the trauma indigenous populations are still living.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism