For a change of pace I’ll be posting some book reviews, primarily of cozy fantasy works besides my own.
First up in book reviews: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
I loved this novel. Klune’s imaginative design interwoven with the mundanity and bureaucracy of “ordinary” life is masterfully done. The development of Linus’s relationships with the children and their caretaker is perfectly plausible and delightfully awkward, and the reveal of Arthur’s mysterious past is artfully executed.
The best part? Klune’s ability to write monstrous beings as believable and even likeable characters. Cranky adolescent garden gnome? Sure. An undefinable gelatinous being who wants to be a bellhop? Of course. A tiny wyvern (squeeee!) who collects buttons? Delightful. And the best – the best! – HOW anyone can write the Antichrist as a troubled but wonderful and likeable child is beyond me, but Klune has done it.
Strongly recommend! Looking forward to reading Under the Whispering Door next.
Book reviews forthcoming for more fantastic novels. Stay tuned!
-Dr. S. K. Burkman, Author of The Dragon Doc Tales
