One more book down for 2025! For my third book of the year, I read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This was something a few of my friends were reading, so I ended up jumping on the bandwagon and got on the waiting list as the library. After a very long wait, I finally got my hands on this book and read it pretty quickly.

The Plot

Someone described this book as The Umbrella Acadmy meets 1984, and that actually is a pretty apt description. The House in the Cerulean Sea is very fantastical, but grounded in reality. This book tells the story of Linus Baker, a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. His role within the department is to check in on the state of orphanages that house magical children and ensure everything is on the up and up. Because of his track record of being impartial, he is tasked with going to a unique home far away by the sea that has six very classified/dangerous children.

While Linus is there, he meets Arthur Parnassus who runs the orphanage, as well as the children and caretaker. Throughout his time at the orphanage, Linus is confronted with the realities of what his department does, who these children are, and who he wants to be as a person.

Was the Book Good/Bad?
At the start of this book, I was really excited to read it. The storyline does pull you in, but after a bit, it did start to feel a little drawn out and repetitive. I also was really thrown off by a 6 year old talking like someone who is in their 20s. It just felt a little off to me in a way that I couldn’t overlook.

I’d give this book a solid 3(.5?), but I’m not sure I’d recommend anyone read it to be honest. It was very much an “OK” book.