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.
So I have been seeing this book everywhere for the last couple of years. I know it's been a really popular book, but I kept putting it off since my TBR is so humongous anyway. I wish I would have read it a lot sooner.
As the pull quote on the cover says: "It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket." I LOVED THIS BOOK. I think I expected it to be some high fantasy intensive romance novel, but it's definitely not. The story is lovely and whimsical. Linus Baker has worked the same job for almost two decades. He gets assigned to a special case of investigating and observing a home for magical children, something he's done hundreds of times during his career.
When he arrives on the island, he immediately realizes that this is nothing like the other homes he's visited. For one, the children that live there are incredibly special. One named Lucy--short for Lucifer--is the antichrist. While you may think that this child would be rotten to the core, what I found was a young little boy who tried to live up to the name he was given, but was actually a warm and cuddly cinnamon roll.
This is only one of the brilliantly written characters in House in the Cerulean Sea. If you're looking for a feel good story, one that you root for the main characters all of the way, please please please pick this one up!
★★★★★
Thanks for reading, Abbie