Mo's Reviews > The House in the Cerulean Sea

I like to read children’s literature at this time of year because I am looking for potential gifts to give to my grandchildren for Christmas. This book won’t be one of them.

First, let me say that there were some good things and some not so good things about this book. Happily, most of the characters were quite charming and I enjoyed spending time with them. The story was also original, which I always applaud. On the negative side, even though readers may appreciate that it ticks all the boxes popular these days, it is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. If this had been marketed as a book for adults, or even YA, then my rating would be 3 stars.

If this was supposed to be a book for children, my rating would be 0 stars. I would be horrified to imagine my granddaughter reading it. I don’t think that there is a place for overt and frequent sexual tension in a children’s story, nor should there be any veiled references to masturbation.

I both read this and listened to it, and preferred listening to it. The narrator was very good, and used several different voices.

Audiobook
Narrated by Daniel Henning
12 hours 12 minutes