The House in the Cerulean Sea is a young adult story story about Linus Baker, a case worker for the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY) who is sent to investigate Marsya Island Orphanage, a government-sanctioned orphanage where a number of unique children currently reside. Deemed “dangerous” by the government these children are looked after by Arthur Parnassus, a mysterious man with a secret of his own. Linus, who would rather spend his days at home listening to golden oldies in the presence of his cat, Calliope, initially just wants to remain impartial, observe the children, make his report and then head home. Instead, what he finds on Marsya Island will change him forever.
I’m in two minds about this book. One the one hand, it was kinda cosy and warm and hopeful. On the other hand I cannot ignore that it was apparently inspired by the Sixties Scoop. …
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I have a minor regret importing my books. Seems a lot are missing, broken or don't have complete info. I feel like I will have a lot of work to do to get my books back into their shelves etc... :(
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SpiderKitten set a goal to read 35 books in 2023
SpiderKitten reviewed The House in the Cerulean Sea by Daniel Henning
Review of 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a young adult story story about Linus Baker, a case worker for the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY) who is sent to investigate Marsya Island Orphanage, a government-sanctioned orphanage where a number of unique children currently reside. Deemed “dangerous” by the government these children are looked after by Arthur Parnassus, a mysterious man with a secret of his own. Linus, who would rather spend his days at home listening to golden oldies in the presence of his cat, Calliope, initially just wants to remain impartial, observe the children, make his report and then head home. Instead, what he finds on Marsya Island will change him forever.
I’m in two minds about this book. One the one hand, it was kinda cosy and warm and hopeful. On the other hand I cannot ignore that it was apparently inspired by the Sixties Scoop. A real government policy from Canada where indigenous children were institutionalised in government care homes. It also reminded me a lot of Australia’s Stolen Generation, something that only ended within recent living history. But, this is a book review and not a history lesson. So I will just mention that I thought about these things within the context of this story, as I think it is important to acknowledge the background for the book. I will now move onto the rest of the review.
At face value the book was mostly delightful. I did enjoy all the characters, especially Linus who I grew quite fond of. I found myself wanting to learn more about some characters, like Zoe, the island’s caretaker. The setting was interesting with location of the home being on a secluded island with lots of space for children to roam. And I feel like the writing was reasonably well done. I did struggle a little at first as the story didn’t immediately grab me, but around the half way point it improved and I ended up really liking the story, for what it was.
There were some minor issues, at times I found the concept of Lucy to be a bit over the top and I don’t want to say cliche, but yes, cliche. Also sometimes it felt like the book wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. There were some comedic elements that you would normally only find in satire, like the office executives were called “Extremely Upper Management”. At times the story read like it was aimed at much younger readers - it had the feel of a children’s book - while at other times it had some pretty adult concepts like the philosophical discussions that Linus and Arthur had at one point, where they name dropped Kant, who is a german philosopher. It’s also heavily implied that all the children are dangerous in some way, but that is only really explored with maybe two or three of the children, aside from confronting prejudices.
That said I found the book to be somewhat hopeful in the way that change came about for everyone. For the children on the island, the nearby village, for Linus and Arthur, and even for DICOMY too. It presented kindness and positivity, even in the face of judgement and trauma. Perhaps sometimes a little too much, sometimes. So I think if you are looking for an easy read full of love and hope then this book might be for you.
SpiderKitten rated Mooncakes: 3 stars
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu
A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.
Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. …
SpiderKitten rated The Tea Dragon Society: 3 stars
The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill (The Tea Dragon Society, #1)
From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows …
SpiderKitten rated Every Heart a Doorway: 3 stars
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children, #1)
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of …
SpiderKitten rated The Cybernetic Tea Shop: 3 stars
The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz
Clara Gutierrez is a highly-skilled technician specializing in the popular 'Raise' AI companions. Her childhood in a migrant worker family …
SpiderKitten rated Scarecrow returns: 2 stars
Scarecrow returns by Matthew Reilly
Pitted against a secretive terrorist group that has seized control of an island in the Arctic, Marine captain Shane Schofield …
SpiderKitten rated A Prayer for the Crown-Shy: 5 stars
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #2)
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent …
SpiderKitten rated Uzumaki.: 3 stars
SpiderKitten reviewed A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Monk and Robot, #1)
Review of 'A Psalm for the Wild-Built' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I'm such a huge fan of all the Becky Chambers books. The author's work continues to amaze me with futuristic stories full of hope and diversity. A Psalm for the Wild-Built is no exception to that. The ideas I loved most in this story were humanity reacting with acceptance when the robots gained sentience far in the past. That humanity adapted to life without them. But also the idea that what those robots chose to do with their lives was to retreat to nature and study it, with excitement and curiosity. The idea that a robot created to work in industry would then turn around and spend decades just watching a tree grow for no other reason than because it was fascinating, is such a refreshing take. And of course, it's a lot more complex than all of that, but the story doesn't feel overly complicated. These are the kind …
I'm such a huge fan of all the Becky Chambers books. The author's work continues to amaze me with futuristic stories full of hope and diversity. A Psalm for the Wild-Built is no exception to that. The ideas I loved most in this story were humanity reacting with acceptance when the robots gained sentience far in the past. That humanity adapted to life without them. But also the idea that what those robots chose to do with their lives was to retreat to nature and study it, with excitement and curiosity. The idea that a robot created to work in industry would then turn around and spend decades just watching a tree grow for no other reason than because it was fascinating, is such a refreshing take. And of course, it's a lot more complex than all of that, but the story doesn't feel overly complicated. These are the kind of stories we need in this day and age.
SpiderKitten rated To Be Taught, If Fortunate: 4 stars
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
At the turn of the twenty-second century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. Through a revolutionary method known as …
SpiderKitten rated This Is Going to Hurt: 3 stars
This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
The story of an overworked, underpaid junior doctor in the employ of the UK's National Health System, as told through …
SpiderKitten rated The Kaiju Preservation Society: 3 stars
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That …
SpiderKitten rated Record of a Spaceborn Few: 4 stars
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but …