The House in The Cerulean Sea- T.J. Klune

I do believe I’ve started the year off with a book that will be near impossible to beat. What an act to follow. This was by far the best #bookstagrammademedoit pick I’ve ever read. 

After a rocky start to the year, I knew a feel-good story was in order and Bookstagram did not disappoint . 

Linus Baker is a no-nonsense caseworker working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He goes through the motions at work, lives a solitary life, and has come  to accept his repetitive, lack-luster life as is. 

His world is toppled upside down when he is assigned to an upmost classified assignment: the investigation of an orphanage housing six magical children, all deemed extremely dangerous. A gnome, a forest sprite, a wyvern, a gentle giant, a little boy of a species unknown, and the son of Lucifer himself make up this group of misfits led by the most curious of them all, a Mr. Arthur Parnassus. 

Linus intends to treat this investigation as any other, to remain impartial and by-the-books. This task proves to be most difficult the more he gets to know these children beyond their files and classifications. As embers of love burn and secrets are unveiled, Linus must make decisions that will not only effect the outcome of this orphanage but of his own life as well. 

This is THE most feel-good book I’ve ever read. It’s inconceivably delightful, quirky, and full of hope. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this book. The characters are positively endearing. The messages are powerful. The writing is sublime. The House in The Cerulean Sea is a gem that should be read by anyone with a pulse.