The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. KluneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of the easiest five stars that I've ever had the pleasure of giving. This has instantly become a comfort read for me, and one that I look forward to revisiting many many times in the future. The character writing was fantastic, the world building was exciting and interesting, and all the settings were described in such a lush, immersive way that I'm struggling to put to words.
I would say that my only complaint was that I wished I could see more of the main romance, but that's just because the characters involved were so lovable that I wanted to read more about them together. Another thing I'll say is that this book is more about the journey than the destination. Pretty early on I could guess the general framework of the ending - in a story like this about a bureaucrat discovering a found family, it can only really end with that family being together - but I'm not upset about predicting the ending because everything leading up to it was the most important.
This is a story about watching characters learn how to open up and connect with one another, and through each scene and chapter you get these heartwarming vignettes back-to-back about exactly that. It's delightful, it's charming, and it never failed to bring me joy and escape whenever I picked up the book. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that I look forward to re-reading this book many times in the future; already upon finishing it, thinking about this book feels like looking back fondly on an old friend. I loved it very much, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read something light, fun, and character-driven.
P.S. I just need to get this out somewhere because I couldn't stop thinking about it while I was reading. This book would look so good animated by Cartoon Saloon - everything about the character descriptions and the settings and the story fits their style so much!
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