The House in the Cerulean Sea

The plot is predictable and some elements of the book lack finesse. The concept of Lucy doesn't make much sense, I think. Lucy's behavior in the story is consistent, though.

That being said, I did enjoy the audiobook. Marginalized, unusual creatures making the best of their situation and living good lives is just the kind of story I love.

Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth where he has progressed little over his quiet life. Each time inspecting orphanages of magical youth, he rigorously applies the RULES AND REGULATIONS that guides how magical people should be handled in this world of quiet but persistent discrimination. What becomes of the children in the orphanages he issues a negative report on, he has never quite considered. 

His life of quiet compliance is interrupted when he is given a confidential case from Extremely Upper Management, who’s taken note of his rigorous application of the rules. A remote island orphanage that is home to six children classified as extremely dangerous including “a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist” under the tutelage of a headmaster who has little regard for rules and regulations.

During Linus’ stay, he starts to see beyond the classifications ascribed by the department to see the beautiful dreams and gentle souls the children have. Little risk comes from the playful antichrist, the nearby villagers on the other hand pose a far more menacing threat thanks to the department’s ever-present fearmongering. And as he comes to care for the children, Linus begins to fall for their tender-hearted headmaster.

I found this incredibly sweet and hopeful in how it wove together this found family creating safety for each other to heal in the face of a world that doesn’t accept them. It might come across to sweet or YA for some people, but it gave me a lot of comfort and smiles given how stressful the world is at the moment. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a young adult story story about Linus Baker, a case worker for the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY) who is sent to investigate Marsya Island Orphanage, a government-sanctioned orphanage where a number of unique children currently reside. Deemed “dangerous” by the government these children are looked after by Arthur Parnassus, a mysterious man with a secret of his own. Linus, who would rather spend his days at home listening to golden oldies in the presence of his cat, Calliope, initially just wants to remain impartial, observe the children, make his report and then head home. Instead, what he finds on Marsya Island will change him forever.

I’m in two minds about this book. One the one hand, it was kinda cosy and warm and hopeful. On the other hand I cannot ignore that it was apparently inspired by the Sixties Scoop. A real government policy from Canada where indigenous children were institutionalised in government care homes. It also reminded me a lot of Australia’s Stolen Generation, something that only ended within recent living history. But, this is a book review and not a history lesson. So I will just mention that I thought about these things within the context of this story, as I think it is important to acknowledge the background for the book. I will now move onto the rest of the review.

At face value the book was mostly delightful. I did enjoy all the characters, especially Linus who I grew quite fond of. I found myself wanting to learn more about some characters, like Zoe, the island’s caretaker. The setting was interesting with location of the home being on a secluded island with lots of space for children to roam. And I feel like the writing was reasonably well done. I did struggle a little at first as the story didn’t immediately grab me, but around the half way point it improved and I ended up really liking the story, for what it was.

There were some minor issues, at times I found the concept of Lucy to be a bit over the top and I don’t want to say cliche, but yes, cliche. Also sometimes it felt like the book wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. There were some comedic elements that you would normally only find in satire, like the office executives were called “Extremely Upper Management”. At times the story read like it was aimed at much younger readers - it had the feel of a children’s book - while at other times it had some pretty adult concepts like the philosophical discussions that Linus and Arthur had at one point, where they name dropped Kant, who is a german philosopher. It’s also heavily implied that all the children are dangerous in some way, but that is only really explored with maybe two or three of the children, aside from confronting prejudices.

That said I found the book to be somewhat hopeful in the way that change came about for everyone. For the children on the island, the nearby village, for Linus and Arthur, and even for DICOMY too. It presented kindness and positivity, even in the face of judgement and trauma. Perhaps sometimes a little too much, sometimes. So I think if you are looking for an easy read full of love and hope then this book might be for you.

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.