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Sign up todayThe House in the Cerulean Sea
Cerulean Chronicles: Book #1
Narrator
Daniel Henning
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
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Length
12 hours 12 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“If a book was a hug … it’d be this one.”
— Kirstin • Margins Bookstore
Bookseller recommendation
“So good! A wonderful whimsical feel good!”
— Leslie • The Cozy Book Nook
Bookseller recommendation
“Amazing! As my first introduction to TJ Klune's books, it was the perfect first book. I fell in love with this whimsical story from the very beginning. This story will make you feel all the feelings and laugh right after. ”
— Elizabeth • McLean & Eakin Booksellers
Bookseller recommendation
“I adore this book. The story begins in a morose greyscale, setting you up with the story of a hard-working but not terribly inspired man, Linus Baker. Linus works for the equivalent of Magic CPS, evaluating the homes that care for magically gifted children. He is pulled out of his drab and grey life in the city when he is assigned to address a new sort of home, by the sea. As soon as Linus arrives in the house by the sea, via train (a common vehicle for normal to magical transportation, as we all know), Linus' world explodes in color, chaos, and children. The traumatized children in the house by the sea open up Linus' eyes and heart, and give him the inspiration to help them in return. Excellent for fans of Pratchett and Gaiman, whimsy and magic, sarcasm and a healthy dose of pragmatism.”
— Gwyn • Hudson Booksellers
Bookseller recommendation
“A whimsical, cozy story about family, belonging, and acceptance with some of the most wonderful characters I’ve ever encountered. I never wanted it to end!”
— Quinn • Newtonville Books
Bookseller recommendation
“There aren't many books that can leave you wishing you were a parentless magical child feared by the rest of the society. But with characters like the ones in The House in the Cerulean Sea, you can't help but wish you belonged to such a wonderful, magical family. And the dialogue! You will not be able to drive while listening to it because you'll be laughing way too hard!”
— Chris • Belmont Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Magical, fun, emotional. Such a great read.”
— Sherry • Roaming Pages & Blooms
Bookseller recommendation
“The House in the Cerulean Sea is a heart-swelling wave of sweetness and hope. Mild-mannered government caseworker Linus Baker is sent on a secret assignment to an island orphanage he’s never even heard of. The astonishing inhabitants he gets to know there will change his life and make him reassess everything he thought he knew. This book will leave you believing in the good in everyone — even those society has given up on — and contemplating how huge changes have to start somewhere.”
— Haley Stocking • Phinney Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Loved this sweet, funny, magical story of an unlikely family”
— Kimberly • Volumes Bookcafe
Bookseller recommendation
“Escape with me to a wonderful world where magic and magical creatures exist. Linus Baker, a quiet and lonely man, finds an unexpected and challenging task as he's assigned by the government to report on an island where an orphanage with extremely classified magical children reside and a charming caretaker with many secrets. He encounters many unexpected things which make him question everything he thought he knew and believed about the world and himself. I recommend this to anyone who needs a little island getaway!”
— Lance • Skylight Books
Bookseller recommendation
“I cannot get over how amazing this book was! It had everything I was looking for - adventure, fantasy, whimsy, lovable characters, and romance! It follows the life of Linus Baker, a lonely, middle-aged government employee who feels as though something is missing from his life. Every day, Linus wakes up, goes to work, completes his mundane job, and then goes home. Nothing has changed in the past 17 years. Then, all of a sudden, he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management, the top government officials in his office. Linus has been chosen specifically, and he is being sent on a top-secret assignment. Suddenly, everything in his life is no longer as it seems, and Linus must rely on his own instincts to cipher out the truth and decide what is truly important to him. ”
— Maddie • A Great Good Place for Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Genevieve of A Great Good Place for Books said it best when she said, "It's part fantasy, part love story and all heart." I couldn't agree more. I could feel my heart swell as I read. I laughed. I cried. I fell for all the characters. I loved this book!”
— Zinna • A Great Good Place for Books
"Daniel Henning is a great narrator for this quirky and theatrical audiobook...Henning revels in a cornucopia of characters, diving into nuanced voices and colorful moments with accents and growls, tone shifts and whispers...This is definitely a title for those who enjoy fantasy stories replete with gnomes and witches and all in between" -- AudioFile Magazine
Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune’s breakout contemporary fantasy
Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.
Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books
"Daniel Henning provides nimble, versatile narration, clearly having fun voicing a variety of magical creatures as well as cautious Linus, protective Arthur, and a wide range of secondary characters...This charming, funny tale about chosen family and finding your place in the world is sweet without being saccharine and heartwarming without being corny." -- School Library Journal
"1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." -- Gail Carriger, New York Times bestselling author of Soulless
TJ KLUNE is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Green Creek Series for adults, the Extraordinaries Series for teens, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.
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