The House in the Cerulean Sea

So many people have loved this book and I was afraid I was not going to be one of them at about halfway through. It was a good book and I was enjoying it, but I didn't understand what everyone was raving about. However, the last third of the book is so intense and really comes together in a way that I wanted to see. And yes, it made me cry...a lot. But in a nice way?

What a wonderful beautiful book! The story, the setting, the characters in it, ... everything was so touching, I felt tears in my eyes at every chapter. This is a tale of difference, of accepting one's another as we are, how strange it might me. It's a book that teaches also to go over the appearances and learn to see a person for what they're worth and not where they're coming from or how they look. And I just loved Linus and Arthur chemistry. Thanks a lot for those beautiful pages and this magnificent story <3

This was a very satisfying read and it served as a balm in troubled times for me. Linus, a mild mannered case worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth is given a classified assignment to investigate an orphanage on a remote island where six seemingly dangerous children reside along with their mysterious caretaker. Shenanigans ensue...

It was not hard to predict how the story would play out and the moral is not subtle, but the book is filled with so much heart that none of that matters. I was just happy to be along for the ride.

TJ Klune has written something truly wonderful here – a positively delightful book that warms the heart and soul. Each page brims with life and joy and it gives me hope for a better world. I'm not sure what else you can ask for from a book.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Pretty sure this is the only book that has made me happy cry multiple times. While it took me about 100 pages to get into the story I was hooked right after.
I have grown so attached to all of these characters and found types of people and creatures I would want in my life.

Everyone should (want to) read this.

So incredibly wholesome and adorable!! A refreshing change of pace. Chauncey is now my favourite literary character. Everything he did and said melted my heart!!! I listened to this as an audiobook and with the narrators voice for Chauncey is honestly couldn't handle the cuteness overload. My only gripe id that there were so many impassioned speeches and I find those cringey but that's just a personal preference. Loved this one!

I decided to join my library's book club this year, and this was our first read of the year.

It was an alright read - I loved a lot of the characters, especially Arthur. I thought the perspective of this story was pretty interesting as well. The themes and setting of this book are ones that will be familiar to a lot of YA readers - you have a group of misfits in a magical school setting, and this theme of finding yourself and standing up for your beliefs in a vaguely dystopian setting. All that seems kind of familiar. However, what was unique was seeing that from the perspective of Linus, a middle-aged man, rather than from a precocious teen. That changes how we experience the story in a big way, I think.

One thing that I wish the story did better was to give us a more well-rounded world - the world beyond Marsyas felt very underdeveloped and vaguely sketched out. I think it would have made the story stronger to have a greater sense of just how different the world is from our own.

This book is charming. Really there isn't any word for it. I was charmed. It's a children's book for adults, not a genre nearly explored enough. Sure it's a bit cheesy and he ending wraps up a pretty easily, but I think I was really in the space to appreciate a book about very genuine people fighting prejudice. The language is reminiscent of Pratchett or Lemony Snicket. It's a book that I enjoyed, and I could see having enjoyed as a teenager, and could see reading to my child (with a couple of discussions about maybe not using “bitch” as a derogatory). I can't totally explain why I liked this book so much, but I did. If you are a grown up who loves kids' books, this was more or less made for you.

Rounded up from 3½ stars.
Full disclosure: I am not really into fantasy, but this was recommended to me, so I gave it a go. I mean, you need to widen your horizons right? So far in my life the only fantasy books I have read are The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, and The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, and must admit I love them both.
This one ... while cute and feel goody, it was ... safe. I was never bored and there was some funny stuff in it, but you were never really in any doubt that it would have a happy ending. Quirky characters meet Harry Potter meet X-Men, was the feeling I got. And for me it took half the book to become somewhat interesting.
Again, wasn't bored, I don't regret reading it, but it didn't make me want to read more fantasy.
Also, I was not quite sure who the democraphic is. It's written like a YA book, and there ARE kids in it, but the main character is a man in his 40s.

A dystopian novel about the the struggles of surviving in a society that distrusts you is exactly the wrong description for this book. A better description would be: a warm, sun-kissed hug of a book. For those put off by the “magical kids” label, note that it wears its fantasy roots lightly, being more an examination of people and society than exploring the limits of imagination. If you're looking for the perfect antidote (maybe not the best choice of word at the minute) to doom and gloom, you would be hard-pressed to find a better one than this.