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

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

Cute! A cozy feel good read, which is surprising given that the majority of the book feels like a clear allegory to residential schools for indigenous children in the Americas. It however, focuses less on the major issues of the institution of the magical orphanages and more on the individual characters for this particular story.
Loved the kids characters and the style of magical powers in a mundane and prejudiced world. Klune does a wonderful job of creating vibrant lovable characters. This is definitely a character driven story more than a plot driven story. Most of the story movement being Linus the MC’s change in his perception of magical people and his job at DICOMY. 
My main issue for this book was the plot resolution felt very grade school fiction book-esque. There was a problem, then with little work it’s resolved. It felt anti-climactic. 
Additionally, I wish the setting was a little more flushed out. What was the history of DICOMY/DICOMA and how it started. The vague history between Arthur and Mr. Handsome seemed like it was going to be super important to the plot but then wasn’t (or was, I’m unclear).
I did love the relationships that Linus developed with each of the children; especially his relationship with Lucy as his fear turns to love and indulgence.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings