The House in the Cerulean Sea

Bookseller recommendation

“This audiobook is amazing! This is a beautiful story about a type A social worker for magical youth. He is tasked with a highly classified assignment to go to an island to see if the kids there are too dangerous for the 'normal' world. The narrator uses different voices for each character, which made me fall in love with all of them <3. This is a must read, even if you don’t like fantasy books!”

— Maggie • River Bend Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Loved this sweet, funny, magical story of an unlikely family”

— Kimberly • Volumes Bookcafe

Bookseller recommendation

“My favorite read in 2024! I fell in love with this fantasy and all the characters in it. ”

— Julie • Tropetastic Books and Gifts

Bookseller recommendation

“Magical, fun, emotional. Such a great read.”

— Sherry • Roaming Pages & Blooms

Bookseller recommendation

“So good! A wonderful whimsical feel good!”

— Leslie • The Cozy Book Nook

Bookseller recommendation

“The characters! Funny and sad, touching all the feels! ”

— Cynthia • Pages Books and Coffee

Bookseller recommendation

“I adore this book. The story begins in a morose greyscale, setting you up with the story of a hard-working but not terribly inspired man, Linus Baker. Linus works for the equivalent of Magic CPS, evaluating the homes that care for magically gifted children. He is pulled out of his drab and grey life in the city when he is assigned to address a new sort of home, by the sea. As soon as Linus arrives in the house by the sea, via train (a common vehicle for normal to magical transportation, as we all know), Linus' world explodes in color, chaos, and children. The traumatized children in the house by the sea open up Linus' eyes and heart, and give him the inspiration to help them in return. Excellent for fans of Pratchett and Gaiman, whimsy and magic, sarcasm and a healthy dose of pragmatism.”

— Gwyn • Hudson Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“A whimsical, cozy story about family, belonging, and acceptance with some of the most wonderful characters I’ve ever encountered. I never wanted it to end!”

— Quinn • Newtonville Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Genevieve of A Great Good Place for Books said it best when she said, "It's part fantasy, part love story and all heart." I couldn't agree more. I could feel my heart swell as I read. I laughed. I cried. I fell for all the characters. I loved this book!”

— Zinna • A Great Good Place for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The sweetest love story I've read in a long time! Misfit magical kids being raised in solitude, one of them is Lucifer (Yes, THAT lucifer) *shrug* he's pretty adorable. You'll root for all these awkward kids and their caretakers as they discover their found family in each other. Found family, LGBTQ+ romance, heartwarming, cozy read.”

— Jenise • Maple Mercantile Book & Gift Shop

Bookseller recommendation

“This is a warm hug of a book! The audio book version just adds an extra layer of magic!”

— Karlie • Novel Bay Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“Escape with me to a wonderful world where magic and magical creatures exist. Linus Baker, a quiet and lonely man, finds an unexpected and challenging task as he's assigned by the government to report on an island where an orphanage with extremely classified magical children reside and a charming caretaker with many secrets. He encounters many unexpected things which make him question everything he thought he knew and believed about the world and himself. I recommend this to anyone who needs a little island getaway!”

— Lance • Skylight Books