The House in the Cerulean

Sea by T.J. Klune

2/2/2024. Update: There's a seEQUEL COMING OUT!!!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune is releasing September, 2024. Read the publisher's synopsis/information about it. I am very excited because the first book had me really wanting more intensity and darkness to it (see below my post), ideally a revolution. The summary makes it sound like it might be going there at least a little bit!

But regardless, I'm sure whatever T.J. Klune writes, I'll be enchanted.

Stay tuned as I wait on tenterhooks to see if I can get my hands on an Advanced Reader Copy and I'll write a spoiler-free review. Xoxoxo

7/16/2023. Charmed.

This book was suuuuper lovely. Loved the kid characters, adored Arthur Parnassus. The main character left a little oomph to be desired, but isn't that the case with a lot of main characters: they have to be a little mediocre to let the others breathe when it's an ensemble.

There's this rise in "oh dear" and "oh my" utterances in characters of popular TV and books right now which keeps drifting me over to Good Omens' Aziraphale, and I have to admit I struggle with it a little bit. It's often taking massive high stakes apocalyptic drama and undermining it by injecting old timey quaintness into it, diffusing the tension/thrill of things. I wonder if it'd be considered subversive, thwarting expectations. As a person who loves massive high stakes apocalyptic drama that demands my rapt absorbed attention, I'm not sure how much I like my expectations subverted on this one though.

In any event, I loved this book. But it did have me craving a darker narrative that doesn't pull its punches.