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

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Every time I read a TJ Klune book, I fall a little bit more in love with his characters and the stories they live.

I really wanted to give the story a 4.25 because of how much I connected with the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the narration, but there are a few things that need further development in the world building itself to push it over the four-star range. More about the magical system itself and how it integrates with Society, especially if this is an alternate Society where this is supposed to be magical realism. 

After discovering that some of the inspiration for Marsyas was from the res schools of Canada, and having a personal connection to Res schools in America from my own distant relatives and study, I definitely have some feelings about how they were represented here. But I'm happy to be able to separate this story from history.
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