The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – Audio 

Book Blurb:

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.

My Review: 5 stars

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The House in the Cerulean Sea, a young adult book, mixes magic, mayhem, prejudice and loyalty into one perfect story. I don’t read a lot of YA (young adult) yet this book kept popping up on my Tell Me What You’re Reading Tuesday page on Facebook. Everyone was raving about it so when I saw it was available on audio through my local library, I downloaded it asap. 

Honestly, until I started listening, I didn’t even know it was YA. I only knew the title; however, it only took the first few minutes for me to realize. In a nutshell, this book beautifully and enchantingly celebrates our differences. Not just in our sexuality or gender, this is bigger, this about our being. The kids at the orphanages that Linus, our OCDish protagonist oversees, are wonderfully different with a myriad of abilities, physical attributes, and kinds of beings. When he’s called on a special project, Linus is brought face to face with the Lucy, son of the devil, a gnome and boy that shifts into a Pomeranian plus many others. Just as Linus learns to love and trust them, so do we, the readers of this smartly written tale. 

As expected, they face much discrimination, and Linus faces his own inner demons and his set-in stone ways of doing things. This is a feel-good story where good battles evil and you’ll be cheering on these naïve and curious children on finding acceptance and kindness. 

Quotes I liked:

Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.”

“Just because you don’t experience prejudice in your everyday doesn’t stop it from existing for the rest of us.”

“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”