5/5 stars. eBook. I have not given out many fives this year, but this book is absolutely deserving of that rating. I cannot find one single thing I can fault. It is so incredibly charming and well-written. Sarah Rae Vargas recommended Under the Whispering Door, and she also mentioned The House in the Cerulean Sea. The title of the book sounded so whimsical, and I loved the cover, so I went with House first. The book is very much a fantasy book, with Linus Baker being a social worker of sorts for the DICOMY, a department that monitors orphanages that house magical creatures. He gets sent to investigate a highly classified, isolated orphanage with very magical creatures living there.

Linus is one of the most endearing protagonists I have ever read. In the beginning, his demeanor is very much someone who follows the rules. He is living in a mundane existence, working all day, and going home each night to an empty house, save for his cat, Calliope. Linus is so sure of himself and how the world works. Traveling to the Marysas completely changes him in such endearing ways. Arthur, the master of the orphanage, and the children teach Linus so much about relationships. That is what I loved most about this book. Each character is so well-developed and compelling. I loved each of them in my own way for many different reasons.

The book is so entertaining, fun, and fresh, but it addresses so much more. There are difficult conversations about complacency, prejudices people can hold, and what it means to be different in a world that runs on normalcy (whatever that means). The book faces these dark conversations and fills them with hope. There is hope to be had in such a hateful world. We owe TJ Klune a debt of gratitude for writing such a remarkable book.