Linus Baker is good at being a case worker. He evaluates foster homes for a government agency and determines if they meet standards. He turns in thorough reports, and his desk is kept clean. He keeps to himself both at work and at home and is as happy as a single guy with a cat, nosey neighbors, and a government job can be. So, when Extremely Upper Management assign him to a Top Secret case investigating The House in the Cerulean Sea, his status quo, and many of his beliefs, are completely upended!
TJ Klune weaves a poignant tale in this novel of how being different is just that – different. Not bad, or evil, or something to be hated. Klune also connects ordinary things we all have opinions on like child protective services and prejudices to a fantasy world of magical beings and mythology. This book challenges thought patterns and shows how harmful our words truly can be, but also the power they carry to make a difference.
I give The House in the Cerulean Sea 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the use of mythological creatures along with more modern magical beings to weave this tale. I also appreciated the way Klune writes of the foster homes showing both good and bad, and the long-lasting damage that can be done to a child. The section about the magical kids visiting town was especially striking for me – it felt as though this was any small town in America seeing a group of people who are just a little different. I wish that some of the twists had been a little less predictable throughout the book though. Without giving too much away, there was one romantic relationship in the last few pages of the book that felt thrown in without thought or purpose to the overall story. However, the detail used to paint this story really brought the characters and the environments to life for me.
Given the themes of child abuse and discrimination, this novel would be best for more mature audiences over the age of 13. There is an undercurrent of politics and government interactions with children deemed at risk that could be a trigger for those who have dealt with child protective services in the past. Given these topics though, this was a light and quick read for me, and I found it very enjoyable!
The House in the Cerulean Sea was the Girlfriend Book Club pick for May. I went into this without reading any other reviews or snippets from the book. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but magical youth was definitely not on my list! If you enjoy the XMen movies from the 90’s and early 00’s, or the Fantastic Beasts movie series, you will really love this book!
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