Category: book review

Book Review: The Cloisters by Katy Hays

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review9 Comments

Goodreads Summary:

Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.

There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, each with their own secrets and desires, including the museum’s curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of Tarot holds the key to unlocking contemporary fortune telling.

Relieved to have left her troubled past behind and eager for the approval of her new colleagues, Ann is only too happy to indulge some of Patrick’s more outlandish theories. But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.

And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide whether she is truly able to defy the cards and shape her own future . . .

Bringing together the modern and the arcane, The Cloisters is a rich, thrillingly told tale of obsession and the ruthless pursuit of power.

My Thoughts:

The Cloisters have always been the one place I want to visit in New York City. The architecture, the gardens, the seeming remoteness in a city that is so bustling and chaotic – it just seems like it would be a respite for New Yorkers and tourists alike. It’s been on my bucket for a very long time, since I was at least 18 years old and read a book where a character would escape there to read.

For Ann Stillwell, The Cloisters became that place as well, a place of calm and beauty, where she can do research and walk the gardens and be exposed to a life that she had not previously experienced. An academic, with a gift for languages especially old, dead ones, Ann escapes her small town in Washington to New York for her summer position at the MET, renting a stuffy, one room studio but feeling like she is where she belongs now, and doesn’t have plans to go back home. Ever. When she arrives for orientation, she learns that her position has been eliminated suddenly – but then in swoops suave, sophisticatedly casual Patrick and his assistant Rachel, and they scoop her up and bring her with them for a summer position at The Cloisters instead.

She is enchanted by the Cloisters, so different from her home. By her coworkers, by the work they do. She forms a friendship with the gardener Leo, and with her direct coworker Rachel, and starts to form a little life of her own. Ann learns though that there is much there that is happening that is unseen, that there are so many secrets.

I don’t really want to give anything away because things become twisty and complicated. I will say that this book kept my attention, surprised me, and was ultimately unsettling. It was very well written and I didn’t quite know what was ever going to happen next. It did feel very dark and heavy, and packs a wallop.

If you are into dark thrillers, then definitely read this one!

Stephen King Summertime Reads

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review, books and reading7 Comments

Stephen King and summertime go hand in hand for me. So many summers of my young adulthood were spent reading his books, scaring myself silly. I will always associate summer reading with Stephen King. I haven’t read as many of his books in recent years, I just can’t keep up anymore, but I do have a few on my list for this summer, that I hope to read. This list however, is of Stephen King books that I have read and loved and will always make me think of summer.

First up one of my two all time favorite Stephen King books – Bag of Bones.

I think this one flies under the radar a lot, and does not get the appreciation it deserves. It is fantastic, the story of a grieving man who retreats to his summerhouse to try to heal and write again, as he is a writer unable to write. While there, he meets a woman and her daughter, and..a ghost. I am all about a ghost book. I read this entire book out loud to Billy one summer, years after I had read it for the first time. There is a made for tv movie, but don’t watch it and don’t compare it to the book. The book is by far superior!

My second book on the list is my other favorite – another underappreciated King book, in my high opinion!

Joyland! I really can’t say it better than I said it in 2016 –

I loved this book so much; I didn’t want it to end! The feel of it was classic top of his game King. It put me in mind of Bag of Bones. Thinner, and The Body. The story was a sentimental and nostalgic coming of age story; there were triumphs and revelations and a bit of sadness too. The story is told from the point of view of Devin as a wistful older man, looking back at this summer, a monumental one that changed him forever.

It was weird reading this a bit, as two of the characters are named Erin and Devin, and my name is Erin and my brother’s name is Devin. Lol. I don’t usually encounter them too frequently in books, especially Devin, much less in the same book! (If you want to see my review that is on my old blog, click here!)

Ok the next ones are pretty classic!

Is there any horror fan out there who can think of summer without thinking of It? My cousin Brian and I read this the same summer and completely terrified ourselves!

These two go hand in hand! The Regulators, written under King’s pseudonym, and Desperation. Both are the same story, parallel universe type stuff, about the same monster. My brother and I for years and years would respond to each other in the language of Tak like complete nerds. We still do at times lol, most often thankee sai which is more Dark Tower. Anyways, I digress.

The next three were all part of compilations as either short stories or novellas.

I swear, this story is one reason I absolutely am terrified of swimming in open water. And I can’t see one of these rafts afloat in a lake without thinking of this story!! Originally part of Skeleton Crew, chockful of terrifying short stories…

Also known to my generation as the movie Stand by Me with River Phoenix (sigh..my young girl heart had such a crush). The story is just as compelling as the movie, and is another coming of age story like Joyland. Such a summertime Stephen King memory for me, especially renting this on VHS and watching it at slumber parties as a kid. Originally part of the Different Seasons book, which is one of my all time favorites of King’s as well.

Oy this book was so good but so terrible and made me cry. Why am I including it?? It is just sad. I could never revisit it now as an older person with a child. It would break my heart even more than it did before! However, I couldn’t leave it off of this list. It was originally published as part of the Bachman Books.

As for the books that are on my summer TBR, I have added the following two:

I am not a baseball fan, but I am a fan of baseball movies and stories. Blockade Billy just sounds so good and I am intrigued, what could be the secret in this one!! And 1922, eeek! I will probably not sleep for a few nights.

And since June is audiobook month, I’ve added Billy Summers to listen to – starting now!

I would love to reread Bag of Bones and Joyland this summer as well! I own all of his books except for those that came out in the past seven years, I think I may have to revisit my Stephen King collection after this meander down memory lane..

Book Review: A House with Good Bones

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review, books and reading10 Comments

Publisher Summary:

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book! I knew I would, but I didn’t realize it was going to be so funny! The main character, Sam, cracked me up. I feel like if she were real we could hang. I also like bugs and wine and watching cozy British mysteries with rumpled detectives.

I don’t know if I would want to hang in that house though…. it sounded just a little bit creepy for me! On a scare scale, I would not put this way up there, but it did have this undercurrent of unease that made me well, uneasy.

There are vultures in this book y’all! And I was totally here for it. I didn’t realize vultures were so dang interesting! I see them circling in the sky, by the sides of the road, but they are not exactly my favorite birds. However, this book made me rethink vultures and my opinion of them. I am not sure I would want to run a vulture rescue/rehab like one of the characters in the book did, but I no longer think they are as yucky, and that is a win.

Sam has memories of living in the house as a child, growing up with her mom and brother, as her mom worked two jobs to support them after her father died. They lived with her grandmother in her childhood home while her mom tried to get the family back on their feet, and it does not exactly sound idyllic. Sam’s grandma was pretty frightening and darn right ghoulish at times. Sam’s mom is off too. Her normally laid back mom seems to have changed her entire personality, changing their home from how it had felt for the last twenty years, with funky art pieces, color, charm, into something cold and boring, lacking personality. More like something her grandma would like, in fact.

I absolutely devoured this book. It is a fast quick read, and a good one! Although, you may never look at a rose garden the same way again after reading it…

Book Review: Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review5 Comments

Goodreads Summary:

The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony–until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case.

Reporter Vera Vixen is a relative newcomer to Shady Hollow. The fox has a nose for news, so when she catches wind that the death might be a murder, she resolves to get to the bottom of the case, no matter where it leads. As she stirs up still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and discovers that additional lives are in jeopardy.

Vera finds more to this town than she ever suspected. It seems someone in the Hollow will do anything to keep her from solving the murder, and soon it will take all of Vera’s cunning and quickness to crack the case.

My Thoughts:

This book was absolutely adorable – or I guess as adorable as a murder mystery can get, which in this case is pretty darn adorable. Shady Hollow seems like a wonderful village to live in, with a bookstore named Nevermore owned by a raven named Lenore, a moose named Joe who runs the local coffee shop, and of course Vera Vixen, the reporter with a nose for news…and solving mysteries.

Shady Hollow is a sweet little woodland town, usually a sleepy little woodland town as well. But when the grumpy toad Otto Stumpf is found dead in the water, it sets the town a buzz. At first it is thought that he died accidentally, but circumstances and evidence soon begin to point to murder – you know, like that knife found in his back when they pull him from the water. But who did it? And why? Otto’s murder kicks off a series of events, revealing new mysteries and secrets and even more danger, especially for Vera who is hot on the case.

I loved this book. I love books with animals, although honestly I was a little overloaded this time around as I am also reading Wind in the Willows and a Heartwood Hotel book aloud with Wyatt – so many animals who talk and wear clothes and live like people! However, I enjoyed escaping into the world of Shady Hollow in my own free time, and I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series, Cold Clay, which I have on my list for autumn!

Book Review: The White Hare

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review9 Comments

Publisher Summary:

In a valley steeped in legend lies an abandoned house where Edens may be lost, found and remade…

The White Valley in the far west of Cornwall cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea. The house above the beach has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation, which is why Mila and her mother Magda acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda plans to restore the house to its former glory: the venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for bracing walks by day and sumptuous cocktails by night. Mila’s ambitions, meanwhile, are much less grand; she dreams of creating a safe haven for herself, and a happy home for her little girl, Janey.

The White Valley comes with a long, eventful history, laced with tall tales. Locals say that a white hare may be seen running through the woods there; to some she’s an ill omen, to others a blessing. Feeling fragile and broken-hearted, Mila is in need of as many blessings as she can get. But will this place provide the fresh start she so desperately needs?

My Thoughts:

I could not get enough of this book. I love books that feel heavy with mystery and history and folklore, that are atmospheric and surprising. This book had all of that, PLUS rabbits! Ok so not like rabbits running around being super cute but sort of maybe ominous and curious most of the book because you are not quite sure what the heck is going on but you know, just know, something is afoot, and the white hare totally has something to do with it.

The story is set in Cornwall, in a house that has a mysterious past, and not a good one from what new owner Mila can surmise. No one will really tell her just what happened there, just that it is a “cursed place”. But hopeful Mila, who just wants a whimsical, safe, loving childhood for her daughter, Janey, has high hope for their new home. Not as high of hopes as her own mother however, Magda, who plans on turning the house into a ritzy high end inn for travelers. Janey, for her perspective, instantly takes to the house and particularly the land, and runs a bit wild and free, which I loved.

This is one of those books I don’t want to get into much detail or talk too much about – I think there is just too much to spoil for a reader.

I will say that it reading it reminded me so much of reading a book by Barbara Michaels or Mary Stewart, which is high praise from me because I love those two authors. There is a timelessness about it, a quietness despite the unease that grows as the book moves along. I wanted to pull on my wellies and explore the bluebell woods, the beach, learn about the turbulent history of the area (oh, I can do that one) along with these characters. I want to sit in the kitchen with Keziah and Ariadne, ramble the hills with Jack. It was one of those books guys, where you just fall right into that world, and then when it is over, you are left feeling a little lost because you are not there anymore.

This book is definitely one of my favorite reads this year so far. I look forward to rereading it again and again!

Book Review: Watership Down

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review9 Comments

I have to admit right off the bat here, that I lied in the title of this post. This is not really a review of Watership Down, per se, but more of a collection of quotes I love, and some thoughts I have on it. But not a review of the book itself. I will start with the publisher’s summary though!

Summary:

A phenomenal worldwide bestseller for over thirty years, Richard Adams’s Watership Down is a timeless classic and one of the most beloved novels of all time. Set in England’s Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.

My Thoughts:

I get asked all the time why I love this book so much. I don’t actually have a great answer – it just speaks to me, I never get tired of it, and every reading I find something new to think about or a different way of looking at our world. I love how this band of rabbits works together, are loyal to each other, trust each other. And there is something to be said for that, especially in this world we live in. This book gives me hope, it gives me the warm feels, and, at times yes, it scares me with its violence or situations. It is a book of freedom, with characters full of wisdom, chutzpah, honor, cleverness, feyness. Characters who are leaders and storytellers and dreamers, inventors and fighters and goofs. I have a new favorite every time I finish reading it. This time around I was all about Blackberry.

Richard Adams began spinning the tales of the Sandleford Warren, Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and all the rest as a means of entertaining his daughters on car rides. He began putting the stories to paper and from there, Watership Down was introduced to the rest of us. Adams builds a full world, one full of myth and folklore, and even the language of rabbits, called Lapine, appropriately enough. I have read this book so often that sometimes I slip a word of Lapine into conversation here and there like a weirdo, probably, but I do it. I have been known to say Fu Inlé, or Silflay hraka, u embleer rah. Because I am not a super nerd or anything.

For many people, the only introduction they ever have had to this masterpiece is the cartoon movie from 1978, which yes, is nightmare fuel if you watched it as a little tiny kid expecting fun and fluffy bunnies. Umm, like me. I was three in 1978 and probably watched this around that time and yes, it freaked me the heck out. But I never forgot it, and a few years later picked up my first copy..the one that looks like this.

I read my first copy so often that it became tattered and worn and eventually fell to pieces. So my parents got me another one, same cover. Which also later became so well read it no longer could be read. I now currently have the one pictured at the top, and another very fancy one that Billy bought me for Mother’s Day last year. I am on a mission to collect different copies now, and keep one for reading to pieces. I realized I could just get a digital copy (and wow, I totally should!) but there is something about this book that I most definitely want to hold in my hands. This year I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Peter Capaldi, and I could not recommend it enough. The life he brings to these rabbits, the personalities are alive – it was magnificent.

My copy is currently full of underlined quotes, thoughts, notes, coffee spills (yep, I am not a pristine book reader). It is a collection of me within the confines of the book. Most quotes that I love are the most famous ones, but there is a reason that those particular phrases are so famous and loved. Let me share!

“There’s terrible evil in the world.”

It comes from men,” said Holly. “All other elil do what they have to do and Frith moves them as he moves us. They live on the earth and they need food. Men will never rest till they’ve spoiled the earth and destroyed the animals.”

“Animals don’t behave like men,’ he said. ‘If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don’t sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures’ lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.”

This next one is a top favorite..

“Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it.”

“…what is, is what must be.”

Ok last one, I could go on forever.

“To come to the end of a time of anxiety and fear! To feel the cloud that hung over us lift and disperse—the cloud that dulled the heart and made happiness no more than a memory! This at least is one joy that must have been known by almost every living creature.”

Have you read this? What did you think?

Books That Feel Like Spring!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review, books and reading20 Comments

Spring! It is not quite here in Michigan yet, but it is coming. The crocuses are popping up, birds are happily chirping in the morning and evenings, the sun streams through my windows until much later in the day, and I am soaking it all up. I love fall and winter, but I appreciate spring for all it brings. The sunny days with warm breezes, not too hot but just perfectly warm, the return of the color to the landscape, and even rainy days too. Worms and birds and rabbits, and flowers and picnics and afternoons in the garden. I can’t wait for it to be fully spring here but until then, I have books!

Wind in the Willows is the first book I read to Wyatt when he got home from the hospital as a teeny baby. The windows were open, letting in a slight slight breeze, I could hear the wind chimes, and I held my sweet preemie and read to him. I will always associate this book with Wyatt and spring.

How to be a Wildflower by Katie Daisy is a wonderful journey! It is a field guide and journal that allows you to dream away lazy afternoons. Billy got me this one Mother’s Day and I love taking it on all of our spring and summer adventures.

This next one I haven’t read but I just discovered! I am not sure how I missed this as a kid because Mandy looks like a book I definitely would have read – and I plan on doing just that this spring.

Things to Look Forward To doesn’t need much explanation. Spring is about hope and dreaming and small joys, and this book is all about those little joys. I love Sophie Blackwall and this book is so fun. (also $1.49 on kindle!)

The Secret Garden. Of course. Because what spring book list can be complete without it? One of my childhood favorites!

If you read here often then you know that I love Watership Down. It’s my favorite book of all time and I reread it every spring. These courageous, clever rabbits are always so inspiring.

Those rainy days of spring deserve some magic and maybe even a little mystery. Mary Stewart is one of my go-to comfort reads for life and Thornyhold is one of the best in my opinion. If you like a cozy mystery with a bit of edge, I highly encourage you to read Mary Stewart, although some of the ideas may be considered a bit old fashioned these days.

The Cottingley Secret – I love this book. I love fairies and have always been fascinated by the real story behind the Cottingley fairies, especially Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s belief in it!

Sarah Addison Allen is always a must read for me too, and Garden Spells was the first book I read of hers. It is magical realism and cozy and just fun. It definitely gives me springtime feels.

These two are actually in progress over here. I checked out Hill House Living from the library because I love Paula Sutton’s Instagram account. Her life is just so beautiful! And I have A Poem for Every Spring Day on order from Amazon to add to our collection. That cover! I am in love!

Are there any books that sing of spring to you? Nostalgic reads, or new reads, or just anything that speaks to you? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Book Review: Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review9 Comments

Publisher Summary:

Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic…

Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test:

ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don’t leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.

The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.

When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she’s worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her “semi-magical fixes” repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva’s bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she’s grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.

My Thoughts:

This book was absolutely adorable! Eva Evergreen is daughter to one of the most powerful witches in the land – however, Eva herself only seems to have a pinch of magic. She is finally of age to gain her rank of Novice Witch, and sets off to the town where she will spread her wings and work on her challenge. She has one month to prove that she can do this, and will need the support of the town mayor, who doesn’t seem to like her much. The town was expecting someone not quite like Eva, but more like her mother.

However, bit by bit, Eva starts to make friends and finds ways to be helpful to her town. She makes friends with a little a flame fox, who like her doesn’t quite fit in, as well as some human friends as well. She finds she has an affinity for repair magic, and can fix problems, in her own Eva-like way – sometimes which have rather explosive results. Her biggest challenge however is looming off in the distance, something called The Culling, a magical storm that can take out and destroy whole towns. Witches defend their towns with their magic, and Eva feels she is not up to this task. The longer she is there, the more anxious she becomes. Her mother can’t see her or help her until after her month is up, and if this storm comes while Eva is in Auteri, her mother will more than likely be defending another town. So it is up to Eva.

What I absolutely loved about this book is that while Eva found she only had a pinch of magic, she found the power to do great things and solve problems by using her other skills, the non-magical ones. She is clever and resourceful and she finds that these two qualities are just as, if not more, important than her magic.

I really enjoyed this book, and now I need to read the next one. The ending set up a whole new situation that I need to know the answer to!

Book Review: The Grace of Wild Things

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review11 Comments

Publisher Summary:

An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables—with magic and witches!—that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland.

Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.

But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them. But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was so much fun! I would have absolutely loved it as a kid – I loved it even as an adult!

So the big question everyone wants to know the answer to…how much of it is an Anne of Green Gables story? In my opinion, the similarities are mostly very broad ones. Grace is an orphan, her first adoption didn’t work out, and the character Grace is very inspired by the character of Anne. Grace is enthusiastic, curious, is prone to flights of fancy and romanticism, has a very dear and close friend, and there are two direct incidents that were definitely directly out of Anne of Green Gables but with a twist to make it work with this book.

There was magic, and witches, fairy princes, and a quest that Grace had to fulfill. The witch was not nice, she was definitely an evil witch (at least in the beginning) but the book takes a turn, and Grace and the witch become a family of sorts, so it is also a book of found family, which I love.

By far though one of my favorite characters is Windweaver, Grace’s familiar and pet crow. She found him as a baby and nursed him to health, and Windweaver is arrogant, yet loyal and loving with Grace. He also adores poetry, but only poetry about birds.

The ending felt maybe a bit rushed but it was also emotional, and moving. I was actually pretty upset over something that happens in the end but like Grace I understood it was the right thing.

Overall, this is a fantastic book that is like Hansel and Gretel meets Anne of Green Gables, yet strong enough to not simply be a retelling. Grace and the witch, Windweaver and Sareena, all are wonderful characters in their own right and stand on their own against these famous backdrops and comparisons. I do think this book might be scary for sensitive young readers, who are not fans of scary stories. While most of the book is not scary there are references to children being cooked in the oven, so be mindful of that if there is a child in your life who would not react well to those parts.

Book Review: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn book review12 Comments

Publisher Summary:

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. 

My Thoughts:

This book could not have come into my life at a more perfect time. I needed this book, this warm and fuzzy read about found family and courage and becoming who you really truly are inside. It was simply beautiful, and I wanted to hug it close, along with just about every character (but especially little Theodore the Wyvern).

I feel like this book has been talked about and talked about so much, and that I am one of the last people around to read it, so maybe I am not adding anything new to the conversation with this review. I still want to give my two cents though, and have the chance to wax rhapsodic over it too.

Linus is a rule follower, a pencil pusher, someone who doesn’t deviate from the path he is on. He does his duty, and he does it well. He does it with empathy yet at the same time, dispassionately. He lives a pretty lonely life, with his cat and his beloved records of golden oldies, but doesn’t seem too unhappy. More – resigned and somewhat…accepting that this is his life.

One day, out of the blue, he is called to the offices of Extremely Upper Management, which is a bit alarming for our quiet hero. He goes and learns that he has been chosen for a very special, very classified assignment, a Level 4 even. He is to travel to Marysas and observe the residents of the orphanage there, including the master, Arthur. He is to determine whether the children are safe and cared for and that Arthur is managing them all well. Because these are not just children – they are magical beings, level 4 magical beings, that could be considered dangerous. But whether the danger is from them, or to them, is something that Linus begins to question. I am getting ahead of myself here, sorry.

Linus arrives, slightly terrified, well, ok, super terrified, because one of the children is the Anti-Christ. The other children include a very powerful forest sprite, a female gnome (rare), a wyvern (very rare), a shapeshifter, and Chauncey, who defies classification. The island where the orphanage is located has its own sprite, Zoe, to round out the crew. Linus is determined to do his four weeks, remain objective, and write his weekly reports. Slowly though, he finds this to be more and more difficult, as he makes connections with the children, Zoe, and Arthur as well.

I loved this book. I loved Linus and his transformation. I loved the characters. I loved the beautiful writing of Klune. I just loved it all. I originally picked this up thinking it was middle grade; I was misled by some things I had read but now I know it is not. It is classified as adult but I could see young adult readers reading it. And I am not the only one who feels this book is ambiguous in its age group – check out this quote from an article I read.

THE HUB: This book defies classification! Published as an adult title, winning an Alex Award for YA crossover appeal, it could also easily fit on middle grades shelves next to Harry Potter or the Penderwicks or the Melendy quartet from Elizabeth Enright. Why do you think this book works across so many ages?

KLUNE: I think there’s something not only topical about the story, but also universal in its messaging. Fantasy is often filled with grimdark stories (absolutely nothing wrong with that!), and we don’t get to see a lot of “happy” fantasy these days. I wanted to write a story that reminded me of the cozy fantasies I read as a kid, books that not only made me happy, but allowed me to believe everything could be okay. Hope can often seem like it’s in short supply these days, and while a novel like The House in the Cerulean Sea won’t fix the world’s problems, I hope it can at least serve as a small reminder that we are capable of so much when we stand for what we believe in and lift each other up.

I choose to believe that a good number of people want to feel hope, especially over the last year we’ve all been through. And the idea of accepting differences and creating change through goodwill is something that people can believe in, no matter what age they are.

https://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2021/05/07/an-interview-with-alex-award-winner-tj-klune-author-of-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea/

The book itself is endlessly quotable. I found myself scrabbling about in drawers and whatever was close at hand for pencils or pens, so that I could underline parts of the book that spoke to me. Parts like this one:

It’s that kind of book y’all.