on March 17, 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQIA, Paranormal
Pages: 393
Format: eBook
Source: purchased myself
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A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An absolutely lovely happy queer story!
Look. It is April of 2020, and most of the world, if they are lucky, are stuck inside their homes, trying not to get COVID19.
I’ve been absolute garbage at writing reviews since the 2016 US election. I’ll go into that more at some point, but I’ve been writing angry letters to my congresspeople instead of talking about books.
But T.J. Klune’s work has been a bright spot in my universe for a long time. When I was suffering from severe MDD in 2015, Klune’s The Lightning-Struck Heart was one of the first things that really made me laugh again after going on meds. He’s been through a crazy shit-show in the past year with his mostly former publisher Dreamspinner Press, and so this book, Klune’s first book with Tor Books, I have to talk about it.
This book is just heartwarming. And fantastical. And ridiculous. And, like everything else I have ever read by Klune, I fucking love it.
Whether you are stuck in quarantine or not, this book will make your world just a little bit brighter.
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