When Linus is assigned to investigate the Marsyas Island Orphanage he loses his poise, followed rapidly by his objectivity.

He lives a gray and lonely life devoid of ambition, passion, or companionship other than that of his cat. His job is to ascertain whether various institutions are being properly run, and he does his job conscientiously and without questioning the Rules and Regulations that drive the department. Our hero, Linus Baker, has spent the last fifteen years as a caseworker for the Department of Magical Youth, which quarantines children with magical powers or qualities into orphanages and schools. I recommend it for adults who are young at heart and for kids and teens with old souls. The book is not a romance novel specifically but it does involve a lovely m/m romance. However, the main character is an adult and themes include grinding bureaucracy and the numbness of everyday life. It’s written almost like a fable for children, with simple language and many heavy-handed explanations of its morals. The House in the Cerulean Sea charmed me to pieces even though I’m not quite sure who the book is for. You will also meet the other vibrant characters inside the teashop, like Mei, the Reaper I mentioned earlier, who will not be a reaper that you might expect.Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy I can say that Wallace and Hugo in this book is the Linus and Arthur in The House in the Cerulean Sea. Though amidst the sadness, something is blossomed.

In the book itself, there’s a mention of the disease related to Wallace’s past. Klune as a way to grief over his husband’s passing to cancer. The teashop runs by the ferryman Hugo is not an ordinary teashop because inside, you will find a door that leads Wallace to the afterlife … whenever he is ready.Īccording to a source, Under the Whispering Door is written by T.J. At his funeral, he met a Reaper who would guide him to a teashop named Charon’s Crossing. The book opens with Wallace, who dies of a heart attack. When in fact, the book carries a heavy theme throughout, which is death. I was fooled by the cover myself because I thought the book would only contain a happy story with sunshine and butterfly. Seeing the book’s cover, many people would assume that this book is a The House in the Cerulean Sea sequel.

The house of cerulean sea