A review by candidcopywriter
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

I LOVED this book! It was a wonderful breath of fresh air; one I really needed as I was going through a massive reading slump (I hate ‘em, don’t you?) I read an ebook version of it, but it’s so wholesome and so…nice (no other word for it) that I want a physical copy because I want to give the book a massive hug, damnit! It’s hard not to love this book (although I’ve heard it called “vanilla”, and I wonder what’s happened to the readers; why they only prefer tragic stories with lots of violence). It’s got dragons (wyverns, to be precise) and sprites and gnomes, and the representation is just amazing. Linus Baker (the protagonist) is queer, the children are, well…different, and racism in that world is to discriminate against such people who are not entirely human. The way those issues are handled, so gently, so adorably, deserves to be applauded.