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- The House in the Cerulean Sea: an uplifting, heart-warming cosy fantasy about found family
- From the Remembrance of Earth's Past series
- About the author (
- It's a creatively told story about real-life themes of belonging and chosen family.
- The cast of characters is vibrant and lovable, making you wish you were a part of their family.

Linus, a man accustomed to rules and structure and proper behavior, is wary of the children at first, but he begins to fall in love with them and their guardian as he spends more time on the island. There is romantic tension between Arthur and Linus, which Linus isn’t sure how to deal with. After further correspondence from Charles Werner, a young, attractive member of Extremely Upper Management, Linus discovers that Arthur is a phoenix who was raised on the island by one of the homes’ abusive former masters. He also discovers that Arthur and Werner were in a romantic relationship, which explains Werner’s deep interest in the orphanage. The orphanage is located on Marsyas Island, isolated from civilization other than a small town on the mainland.
Full Plot Summary
Also, if you are a cat-lover, I’m pleased to let you know that Calliope the cat makes for a pleasingly feisty side-character in this book. Linus's assignment is to assess a special orphanage on the island of Marsyas. There are six children living in the orphanage there, one of whom is called "Lucy" (short for Lucifer), who is the Antichrist.
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Meanwhile, the kids are scared that Linus will take away their home, since he will be making a recommendation whether to shut down the orphanage or not. Once back in the city, Linus brashly defends Arthur, the children, and the home itself to Extremely Upper Management. He implicates Management in the discrimination and abuses of the system. Even so, they accept his recommendation that the home remain open. He quickly realizes that he is miserable and grieving the people he left behind, so he makes plans to return. First, though, he steals files from DICOMY to expose the abuses and failures he’s seen in his 17 years as a caseworker.
The House in the Cerulean Sea: an uplifting, heart-warming cosy fantasy about found family
A tightly wound caseworker is pushed out of his comfort zone when he’s sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children. Linus becomes more confident, more willing to form emotional attachments, and more outspoken in his defense of children, magical and otherwise. As the island changes Linus, Linus has an important effect on those around him, too—for example, he encourages Arthur to bring the children to the village, setting in motion a much better relationship between the orphanage and the mainland.
Q&A: TJ Klune, Author of 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' - The Nerd Daily
Q&A: TJ Klune, Author of 'The House in the Cerulean Sea'.
Posted: Sat, 14 Mar 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
About this book
The Most Anticipated New Books of 2024 - The Everygirl
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Book review, full book summary and synopsis for The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, a warm-hearted story about kids in an orphanage for magical creatures. I read this book for the first time in the early weeks of the pandemic, just after it was published, and found the sweet story to be a simply enjoyable read. I recently picked it up again to revisit the comfort of the magical house in the Cerulean Sea and fondly discovered once more why it comes so highly recommended by readers on TikTok. Travis John Klune (born May 20, 1982) is an American author of fantasy and romantic fiction featuring gay and LGBTQ+ characters.
Once he’s prepared and the orphanage is safe, Linus quits his job, packs his meager belongings, and returns to Marsyas Island. After the children hold a brief conference—and communicate a number of adorable demands—Linus is welcomed home. He and Arthur begin a romantic relationship and petition to adopt all six of the children officially. The book ends with an Epilogue in which the mayor of the town notifies them of an unregistered child in need of a home.


Early in the novel, he is unexpectedly summoned to a personal meeting with Extremely Upper Management, elusive figures that are often whispered about but rarely seen. At the meeting, Linus is given top secret clearance to review an unusual orphanage run by Arthur Parnassus. He will be sent to the orphanage for a month, during which he will send thorough weekly reports. Mr. Werner, a young, handsome member of Extremely Upper Management, warns Linus to “beware” and to leave no detail out of his reports. My absolute favorite part of this book is the appearance of one magical child named Lucy, who is (quite literally) the son of Satan. I recall thinking it had a great title and really lovely cover (see notes about the making of that cover here), but it wasn’t until I started seeing positive reviews of it from people I know that it really popped on my radar.
It's a creatively told story about real-life themes of belonging and chosen family.
Linus Baker is a lonely case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth ("DICOMY"), a governmental organization which manages orphaned magical beings who are minors. His job consists of visiting orphanages to check up on them and then writing up a report. One day, he's called in by the organization's Extremely Upper Management ("EUM") to serve on a month-long classified assignment, reporting directly to one of the four members of EUM, Mr. Charles Werner. At the end of the day, this is a fantasy novel that can satisfy many readers, even if they're not usually fantasy fans.
With heartwarming characters, a comforting aesthetic, and a mind-blowing ending, it's a thoroughly enjoyable read from cover to cover. 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.
He is also able to break through to Sal, a traumatized shapeshifter recovering from previous abuse. Linus himself is a serious, solitary man with a preference for order and clarity. He is cautious in life and careful with his words, making him particularly well suited for the inflexible structure of DICOMY.
It is populated by Arthur Parnassus, the children, and Zoe, an island sprite whose powers are tremendous and closely linked to the island. The town on the mainland is openly hostile towards magical beings, and relations between the townspeople and the orphanage are strained. This tension is exacerbated by the extremity of the children’s magical natures. One of the children, Lucy, is listed in his files as the Antichrist, or the son of the Devil. Among the other children are a wyvern, a gnome, a forest sprite, a shapeshifter, and a gelatinous, tentacled child named Chauncey. Linus Baker is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY), a governmental agency that monitors the behavior and well-being of magical children living in orphanages and group homes.