A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
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.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
Honestly, such an excellent book. I have been recommended this multiple times, and it obviously has the cutest cover ever, but I was never sure exactly what the story was about, and people’s explanations were always extremely vague. Nevertheless, I finally put my hold down on the book and got to reading it and I am super glad I did.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a book about our protagonist, Linus, who is probably in many ways ordinary. However, through his career, he is selected to go on a particular mission to scout out a particular special orphanage located on a secluded island. The story is told in a charming narrative format, almost like a short story or fable. However, the topics that are explored were excellent, and full of life as we meet these special children and the other inhabitants of this particular island.
The characters were definitely some of the best parts of this book. Each character was so unique, and despite there being a number of them, it was not difficult at all to keep track and to clearly distinguish in your head how they were different. Each character arc was also really excellent, and the relationships that were built between all the different characters really shone through and was truly quite the heartwarming experience.
The plot was pretty good too. It played out a little bit like a suspense, like who is this aptly named Extremely Upper Management anyway? No, things weren’t the biggest surprise ever but there was just enough of that suspense to make it a page turner to try and find out what exactly is happening in this world. The scenes between the characters were well done not only to develop characters but also to further the plot, and I really enjoyed how this whole story was put together into such a charming narrative.
The powers and world-building were enjoyable too. I almost wish I got a little bit more of it, but I think there was just enough to keep me engaged and interested, and also to be invested in what happened to the different characters. Overall it was just such a captivating and fast-paced story that I found it impossible to put down.
Overall Recommendations
The House on the Cerulean Sea is an adorable story of a “boring” man who takes his work perhaps a little bit too seriously, but is ultimately thrown into a series of tricky situations that he would probably rather avoid. A whimsical and heartfelt story about magical children in an orphanage protected by a furtive caretaker, this experience will bring into question everything that Linus thinks he stands for in his line of work as a children’s case worker. I can’t recommend this one enough!
Down the Rabbit Hole 