The House in the Cerulean Sea

TJ Klune

Mar 2020 · Cerulean Chronicles Book 1 · Sold by Tor Books

About this ebook

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER!
A 2021 Alex Award winner!
The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner!
An Indie Next Pick!
One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2020"
One of Book Riot’s “20 Must-Read Feel-Good Fantasies”

Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune’s bestselling, breakout contemporary fantasy that's "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger)

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

"1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." —Gail Carriger, New York Times bestselling author of Soulless

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

The plot of this book was very standardized. Based on the cover it looked like it would have better and more exciting fantasy elements. It seemed like there would be, witches, goblins and trolls. Unfortunately, there was none of those things. The main character, Linus, was also extremely standard. One could almost say he was taken straight out of a movie like The Truman Show. All of the longing for something new was so obviously buried in the subtext that his wants and needs were plain. The ending of this books was very predictable and not very exciting, in that, anyone could see it coming from a mile away. The main good quality of this book was the relationship between Linus and Arthur, which, was portrayed honestly and accurately. Their chemistry was unquestionable. The book, overall, was good, but it could have been extraordinary.

This was one of the most wholesome and moving reading experiences I've had in a long time. The main character is real and relatable, and seeing his dull sadness in the early chapters turn to comfort and confidence as he spends time with Arthur and the children as the book wears on can't help but give me a little hope for myself and my own life. I'll always remember this one.

This is perhaps one of the best stories I have ever read. My only complaint is I wish it were 1000 more pages. The love story isn't the one between Arthur and Linus but the one between Linus and the children. The way he slowly falls in love with them and realizes he just cannot be without them tugged at my heart strings till I almost couldn't take it. I cried. I laughed. The message behind this story is one for the ages. It was such a phenomenal read and I would do anything to read it for the first time all over again. This has become one of my all time favorite books. I will read it many times to come. I highly recommend this book for everyone. It truly changed my prospective on so many things. Thank you, TJ Klune for writing another phenomenal story that needs to be heard!

About the author

TJ KLUNE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.