Cerulean Chronicles #1
The House in the Cerulean Sea
T.J. Klune, Daniel Henning (Narrator)
The first clue that this book is fantasy is the cast on a child's tail and then learning the child lives at an orphanage for magical children Linus has been sent to investigate. I'm immediately drawn to Linus.
Orphanages are run by people who cannot afford to become emotionally involved with their clients. Linus cannot maintain such objectivity.
The office manager here reminds one of why so many prefer to continue working from home.
The tone of the book is tongue in cheek, the name--Extremely Upper Management seems intended to be farcical. Can't wait until Calliope the cat meets the AntiChrist. Calliope reminds me of Thump's Freeway.
Linus takes a long train ride to his month-long assignment that proves to be at the end of the line. There he is met by a water sprite who drives him at breakneck speed to the ferry and there abandons him. After driving the only road in sight he arrives at his destination and Calliope disappears into a magical garden. There he is met by a garden sprite who introduces him to a garden gnome, a wood sprite, a wyvern, and the magical creatures keep coming.
What is not immediately made clear is Linus' magical status. Seems he has none.
Arthur manages five of the most unusual and potentially dangerous magical children one could imagine. The Wyvern has a nest in the attic. Another bears resemblance to a Jellyfish; yet another shape shifts into a Pomeranian. Lucy sleeps in Arthur's closet. And then there's the garden gnome. All five are children who are still trying to adjust to and manage their unusual powers and abilities. There's a cook and the sprite who owns the island this all sits on.
If the cover photo is any indication it is magic that prevents the orphanage from collapsing into the sea.
The gang goes for a stroll in the woods and given who they are this is no teddy bear's picnic. That the wood sprite has flowers growing out her walls and grass for her livingroom floor should not surprise.
Speak softly and carry a big stick. A burning phoenix with a 20 ft wingspan does not require the stick.
Some things are greater than the sum of their parts and it is love that cements this story. I discovered this writer only a week ago but this book has been the most enjoyable read I've had in years. The author has a way of hinting at things and keeping you waiting for the reveal but it's no secret that book two in the series is due in a weeks time on September 10.
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