The House in the Cerulean Sea

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

 

Have you read this wonderful piece of fiction yet? People keep talking about it, and it's been on the best seller list for quite some time. I had to read this book for a workshop I attended last month, and I was enchanted by the book. It turned into a page turner for me. My only complaint about this book? When I finished it, I had to leave the Marsyas Island Orphanage and the Cerulean Sea and come back to my ordinary, every day world.

The house in this book is set across from the mainland in the Cerulean Sea. The house is a home for magical creatures. This home (and others like it) are orphanages meant to train magical creatures. 

Linus Baker works for the Department of Magical Youth, and he oversees the orphanages making certain that everything is up to code and the children are safe. One unexpected day, he is sent to speak with Extremely Upper Management and he is sent to this orphanage to make certain that the children who live there will not inadvertently bring about the end of the world.

What kind of children live there, you ask? Why a sprite, a were-pomeranian, a gnome, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green thing, and the anitichrist.

But the island holds many unexpected secrets. The head of the orphanage, Arthur Parnassus will do anything to keep the children in his care safe. As Arthur explores the orphanage and the island he uncovers many long held secrets. 

At the end of the day, Arthur must decide whether to destroy the orphanage and send the children out into the world or let the kids stay where they are and risk the end of the world.

This fantasy novel of love and acceptance and finding family wherever you are will warm your heart and keep you intrigued until the very last page.

For those of you who've read the book, I have to ask: Don't you wish you were here?