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Chauncey is an amorphous blog with tentacles, basically a monster. And Sal is a shapeshifter who can become a small Pomeranian, with the special ability of being able to give others shapeshifting abilities by biting them. Linus's assignment is to assess a special orphanage on the island of Marsyas. The master of the orphanage is a man named Arthur Parnassus. There are six children living in the orphanage there, one of whom is called "Lucy" (short for Lucifer), who is the Antichrist. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place―and realizing that family is yours.
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Many mythological species feature in this novel, while other books focus on werewolves, ghosts, and the like. Klune’s work, and The House in the Cerulean Sea in particular, has been praised for its warmth and messages of love and acceptance. It is part of a larger swell of LGBTQ+ representation in contemporary young adult and children’s literature. In previous assignments, Linus had prided himself on being detached and viewing the children's fates as outside the scope of his responsibility, but on Marsyas, Linus finds his objectivity slipping away.
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If you like upbeat stories, a little romance, fantastical creatures and other magical beings and just a touch of humor, there’s a lot to like about The House in the Cerulean Sea. As soon as Linus's recommendation to keep the orphanage open is accepted, he know it's where he wants to be. Later, Linus submits an anonymous whistleblower report about the DICOMY's discriminatory practices which results in the EUM all stepping down and being replaced. He also tells his story to a reporter who plans to publish an expose.
Book Description:
10 Feel-Good Fantasy Books Like THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA - Book Riot
10 Feel-Good Fantasy Books Like THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA.
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As Linus spends more time with Arthur and the kids, he starts to question a world that would shun them for being different, and he even develops romantic feelings for Arthur. Lambda Literary Award–winning author Klune (The Art of Breathing, 2019, etc.) has a knack for creating endearing characters, and readers will grow to love Arthur and the orphans alongside Linus. Linus himself is a lovable protagonist despite his prickliness, and Klune aptly handles his evolving feelings and morals. The prose is a touch wooden in places, but fans of quirky fantasy will eat it up. Linus clings to the notion that his job is about saving children from cruel or dangerous homes, but really he's a cog in a government machine that treats magical children as second-class citizens.
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When Linus goes to investigate, Arthur tells Linus that he grew up in a DICOMY orphanage and was abused. When he tried to ask the DICOMY for help, the master of the orphanage intercepted the letter and locked Arthur in the cellar. He was eventually released when the DICOMY came to investigate months later. As an adult, Arthur requested to be put in charge of the orphanage because he wanted to turn it into a place where kids could truly get help. That said, if you like the idea of a breezy, feel-good novel with some romance mixed in, for the right reader this would be a great read. There’s a wide range of mythical, magical beings, but we don’t really see them showcasing the full spectrum of their abilities.
About the Author
Linus’s job is to follow up on incident reports and make suggestions regarding the fate of the children and the homes. 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. A tightly wound caseworker is pushed out of his comfort zone when he’s sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children.
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Linus is scared of the children at first, but soon sees that they act much like other kids. Arthur tells Linus that people see the kids as being threats, but actually the kids can be anything they choose to be. Meanwhile, the kids are scared that Linus will take away their home, since he will be making a recommendation whether to shut down the orphanage or not. Linus becomes more confident, more willing to form emotional attachments, and more outspoken in his defense of children, magical and otherwise. He is also able to break through to Sal, a traumatized shapeshifter recovering from previous abuse. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an uncomplicated feel-good book that is full of fantastical creatures and tells a well-meaning, upbeat story about acceptance and inclusivity.
Soon, Helen brings David, an undocumented yeti boy who needs a home, to the island. Arthur and Linus intend to formally adopt all the children, including David. When Linus's time on the island concludes, Arthur asks Linus to stay with him and the kids, but Linus declines. He goes back to the office and makes a recommendation to allow the orphanage to stay open. He also accuses the DICOMY of running discriminatory orphanages by segregating out the magical beings.
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I think I’m just someone who tends to prefer more layered novels in general, so this wasn’t entirely to my tastes. I think The House in the Cerulean Sea could probably have been categorized as a Young Adult novel. Even though the main character is an adult, many of the main storylines in the book involve the personal growth and development of a group of young children that reside in the titular “house in the cerulean sea”. There’s definitely some similarities to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, if you were a fan of that book. Of course, the main character arc is reserved for Linus (an adult), so I get why they didn’t mark it as a YA novel.
It’s understandable, since that’s not what the book is really about, but I’m just someone who likes that kind of stuff. I recall thinking it had a great title and really lovely cover (see notes about the making of that cover here), but it wasn’t until I started seeing positive reviews of it from people I know that it really popped on my radar. Grim Oak Press is the award-winning small press specializing in creating beautiful SF&F books. Second part of an alien-contact trilogy (The Three-Body Problem, 2014) from China’s most celebrated science-fiction author.
He also starts to develop romantic feelings toward Arthur, which are reciprocated. As Linus sends back reports to Extremely Upper Management, they are dismayed when they see how sympathetic Linus has become towards Arthur and the orphanage. Mr. Werner reveals to Linus that Arthur is actually a very rare magical being as well, a Phoenix.
First, though, he steals files from DICOMY to expose the abuses and failures he’s seen in his 17 years as a caseworker. Once he’s prepared and the orphanage is safe, Linus quits his job, packs his meager belongings, and returns to Marsyas Island. After the children hold a brief conference—and communicate a number of adorable demands—Linus is welcomed home. He and Arthur begin a romantic relationship and petition to adopt all six of the children officially. The book ends with an Epilogue in which the mayor of the town notifies them of an unregistered child in need of a home. Linus himself is a serious, solitary man with a preference for order and clarity.
Linus Baker is a lonely case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth ("DICOMY"), a governmental organization which manages orphaned magical beings who are minors. His job consists of visiting orphanages to check up on them and then writing up a report. One day, he's called in by the organization's Extremely Upper Management ("EUM") to serve on a month-long classified assignment, reporting directly to one of the four members of EUM, Mr. Charles Werner. Despite his initial reservations, as Linus's days pass in Marsyas, in this idyllic setting among a coterie of magical children, Linus finds himself coming across a little romance, an unlikely family and possibly even a home. One day, he's given a secret assignment to assess a special orphanage on the island of Marsyas, run by a man named Arthur Parnassus, who has secrets of his own.
The orphanage is located on Marsyas Island, isolated from civilization other than a small town on the mainland. It is populated by Arthur Parnassus, the children, and Zoe, an island sprite whose powers are tremendous and closely linked to the island. The town on the mainland is openly hostile towards magical beings, and relations between the townspeople and the orphanage are strained.
He gives Linus a key to a burned-out cellar on the island to show Linus how potentially dangerous Arthur can be. Book review, full book summary and synopsis for The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, a warm-hearted story about kids in an orphanage for magical creatures.
We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006). A thoroughly enchanting novel that follows lovable Arthur, the caretaker of magical misfit orphans from around the world. Full of whimsy, romance, and a touch of intrigue, The House in the Cerulean Sea will make you smile from the first word to the very last.
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