The House in the Cerulean Sea

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Daniel Henning

"Daniel Henning is a great narrator for this quirky and theatrical audiobook.... Henning revels in a cornucopia of characters, diving into nuanced voices and colorful moments with accents and growls, tone shifts and whispers.... This is definitely a title for those who enjoy fantasy stories replete with gnomes and witches and all in between." (AudioFile Magazine)

Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune's breakout contemporary fantasy

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.

Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year - 2020

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year - 2020

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

"1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger, New York Times best-selling author of Soulless)

©2020 TJ Klune (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

ALA Alex Awards Winner (Adult for Young Adults), 2021

Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year, 2020

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2020

Wonderful!

This was TJ's first book with a new publisher, and of course, it's wonderful! I honestly can't imagine anything he writes would disappoint me. HE made me fall in love with the people in this story. I don't know how he manages it, but he always does. You care what happens to these extrordinary people.
For the life of me, I can't figure out what time period the story takes place, but I suspect it is not a time ever encountered on this Earth. Nevertheless, it all just works. I do hope we get to revisit this world.
The narrator did a fantastic job of coming up with unique voices for each of the characters. he conveyed the emotion of every scene. I laughed and cried along with all of them.
Oh just stop reading my prattle and go listen to the book! You will love it.

Another great TJ book.

I am a long time TJ Klune fan. Prior to this book, his stories had been published by a smaller press and then self-republished. There was something about the news that this book was going to be put out by Tor that made me wonder if his writing style would change in some way, or if it would be less romantic than some of his other books. Even beginning this book and learning about Linus Baker's kind of dull life, I was just a little worried about connecting with the characters. But here is the thing, I have a lot of faith in this author, and I strongly believed that even though Linus's beginning was slow going, it didn't mean that it wasn't going to be a great story.

Now, TJ's books are varied, and each of his main characters are very unique. Linus is a main character of this book, sent to inspect an orphanage under the supervision of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). The master of the orphanage would be considered the second main character, in terms of the adults leading the story and for the romance that runs through the background. T Though I would argue that the children there are just as important as the two mc's.

Arthur Parnassus is the product of the very system that he now works for. And if I'm not mistaken, the children at his orphanage are quite unique from most other magical youth. A sprite, a female garden gnome (with a beard), a shapeshifter, a wyvern, the devil's son, and someone quite indescribable. There is an important lesson that Arthur and Linus have to impart, not to the children but to upper management of DICOMY. The children might be strange, might have the potential to be dangerous. But it is not what they are that should dictate what happens to them. As children this is when they are molded into the kind of adults they will be. Their future behavior relies on how they are cared for and treated as children.

Arthur Parnassus is such a perfect master for them. His love for them is the love of a father. It is also with the empathy of someone who has been in their shoes. Linus's loyalty to his job was worrisome at first, but it wasn't long before the residents of the orphanage would make him see it was a home, and it could be his home. Feelings begin to grow between the two adults, but it is somewhat of a slow burn as the importance of their being in the same place was for the children. But burn it does.

So all my worries were for nothing, because TJ Klune was able to draw me into this story just like all his others. There were laughs, and there were tender moments that drew tears. I loved all the kids especially the wannabe bellhop. I was taken in by them just as Linus was. There was a lot of hope in this book for the acceptance of others that don't look the same or come from the same place. All in all it was a beautiful story that charmed me greatly. The narrator was a new one to me, and I thought he did a great job. I would definitely listen to him again.

I wish there was a sequel

I love it. Fresh, funny, up beat, great love story. Narrator's voices are perfect

Amazing

This book was so fantastic! The reading was on point. My son and I enjoyed listening to it and cannot wait to download more books by this author as well as those narrated by Daniel Henning.

l Loved this!

This is an amazing book with a very animated narration. I miss the characters already!