TJ Klune: House in the Cerulean Sea (2021, Pan Macmillan)
400 pages
English language
Published Jan. 2, 2021 by Pan Macmillan.
Linus is an uptight caseworker with a heart of gold working for the department in charge of magical youth. When he goes to investigate an orphanage on an island with supposedly dangerous children and an enigmatic leader Arthur, he’s expecting the worst. But it turns out he might be falling in love with Arthur and his charges.
This is about outgrowing the oppressive structures you've been supporting, and working to tear them down.
Also I think the message is "you can always choose to be a weirdo and live with the weirdos", which makes me very happy.
Yeah I like this one. Much more than I liked Under the Whispering Door, even though that was also nice.
I don't know what I was expecting when I picked this book up, but it turned out to be a charming gay romance story but also so much more.
Sweet romantic queer dramedy with charming magical children. My only two complaints are that the general course of the plot was predictable from quite near the beginning and that the Underlying Message was conveyed entirely without subtlety. It's a good message, mind you, but I prefer the moral of the story to be offered rather than being hot over the head with it. But it's a fun and quick read and I definitely recommend it.
