The House in the Cerulean Sea is a bit reminiscent of the Miss Peregrine's series but with more magical creatures and love. Like the Miss Peregrine's series, this a story about an orphanage and its caretaker but this time with Linus. Linus has been tasked with assessing the orphanage for suitability and safety, it is his job to determine whether or not it should remain open. Less than a week there, his 17-year record of maintaining professional distance wanes as he is welcomed by its inhabitants and their lovely master.

I recommend you read The House in the Cerulean Sea because it will bring a smile to your face. A beautiful world is waiting for you within these pages reminding you of the power of love and how change starts with one person. This is a world bound to entice you and leave you feeling happy, a novel undoubtedly worth your time.

The story is told over a month-long period with an epilogue. It's a month of Linus assessing the orphanage and its suitability for the most dangerous magical youths. Except, they are much less dangerous than Linus expected and the master is warmer than anticipated and the ocean is blue and smells like salt and Linus is lost. The orphanage is different from others and causes Linus to stray from his rule-abiding nature stumbling instead into something magical.

The plot is told through Linus's perspective and is a sweet viewpoint; it ebbs and flows and changes with his life experiences unintentionally creating something you can learn from, making The House in the Cerulean Sea beautiful to read.

The character development in The House in the Cerulean Sea makes this a great read. Linus is not necessarily the most unique character within this novel but who cares? He has a good heart and brings warmth to your soul when you read about him.

The children at the orphanage, the master, the caretakers and all other characters are such delights to read. This novel is a breath of fresh air and so are its characters.

The House in the Cerulean Sea contains solid world building. You will not be confused on how orphanages came to exist or question magical creatures. Simple as that. The world building is not overly extensive and does not leave you craving more magic, it has the right amount.

A bit expected but so smile-worthy. You will be greeted with a satisfactory conclusion and that is all that matters.

You knew how this would end after reading the first chapter. It was clearly leading to a heartwarming ending and I love those endings. The House in the Cerulean Sea like Watch Over Me is a story about the character and their journey. For Linus, it was journey towards enlightenment. Enlightenment of what he wants, how he wants to change the world, and who he is. Linus is a determined man who didn't know he had a backbone until he went to a house on a hill. A house that opened his eyes and allowed him to become himself but to maximum capacity.

I found no downsides to this novel, it was beautiful and I loved the orphanages the most. It was a toss up between Talia or Phe for who I liked the most but that's always because I am a gardener and tree lover myself and Lucy... well I Liked him too. I can imagine him when he's a teen that those witty remarks will only increase ten-fold.

The budding relationship between Arthur and Linus is sweet although I am never a fan of quick relationships but I am going to show some leeway here and pretend that there was literal magic in the air that accelerated their relationship development. I wish it had been a bit of a slower relationship development and that they had also kept in contact with Linus left to maybe represent that development expect that would have been completely unprofessional but ... who cares? Definitely not Linus at the end.

All of this novel was a delight from the orphans, to the ocean, to the relationships within and made it such a joy to read. I cannot wait to tackle other novels by TJ Klune especially if it has another Talia, I am so down.