910: Cerulean Magic Revisited
In this episode, I was reduced to tears and lifted up by the most charming and special book that I’ve read in years...
In honor of my upcoming review of its sequel Somewhere Beyond the Sea, I am re-posting my 2021 review of The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Friends, friends, friends.
Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.
Sometimes a book is more than just a book. Sometimes a book makes you laugh harder than you should when you’re driving for no reason. Sometimes a book makes you cry more fiercely than you thought possible. Sometimes a book makes your heart break open, heal, and repeat over and over again because of the sheer beauty of it.
Sometimes, you read a little slice of Magic. The House in the Cerulean Sea is that book. It is so dang good and I have to start by complimenting the work of author T.J. Klune, who poured every ounce of love and pain and joy into these pages.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a book that transported me in a way that very few books ever have. From the introduction of the square main character Linus Baker to the world that is so similar yet so subtly different from our own to the island to the characters, this book made me happy to the point of laughter and tears.
This book was one of the rare books that forced me to rearrange my writing and publishing schedule. Even though it would have usually posted at the end of August (damn backlog), I had to write about it today, mere hours after reading.
That also means that I will be posting this review twice: once as a special episode (you should be seeing this first on a Saturday in May) and also as its numbered episode.
This book got me laughing and crying and tingly with happiness. Linus and the residents of Marsyas Island orphanage that he is sent to inspect do not live in a perfect world. There is discrimination, fear, and bigotry in this world. These children that Linus is ostensibly there to protect with his report to the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth (or DICOMY) have remarkable abilities.
There’s Talia the bearded gnome (sob), Chauncey the Nightmare (what a gentleman), Phee the forest Sprite (so adorable), Theodore the Wyvern (so sweet), and Sal the shapeshifter who stole my heart.
I almost forgot. There’s Lucy, who’s known as the Antichrist. He’s six years old. All of these children are young for their respective kinds and every flipping one of them stole my heart.
This book is the light that shines brightest when the darkness is threatening. The character development transcends every single accusation I could throw at a saccharine plot or a predictable evolution in the heart and mind of Linus Baker.
The character development, the heart, and the staggering levels of execution of this story make it the best book that I’ve read this year.
It absolutely melted me into a puddle of delight. I may have to gush about it some more before the year is over.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a book that I desperately hope receives a sequel. It works remarkably well as a standalone novel, but I crave more.
I. Crave. More. More I say!
More, I say. I want more from Phee, Sal, Lucy, Talia, Chauncey, and Theodore. I want more buttons, more records, more gorgeous poetry. I want more Arthur, more Linus, and more Zoe Chapelwhite.
Damn, I almost gave away some of the story. I don’t care because this is a book that I find incredibly hard to shut up about.
Do you want to know why? Because it is pure magic and it is the best book I’ve read in 2021.
It’s an instant addition to my best-of list and I’m so happy that I never saw it coming.
Until next time, please give this book a try and I have a feeling that bookmarks might be close to unnecessary for this one.
Peace, Love, Pages. This story is what this blog is all about.
Note: As Always, Affiliate Links are here for your convenience at no cost to you. All reading was at my own expense.