The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Linus Baker leads a rule-following life. His boss certainly has a lot of rules but then so does the department they work for: the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY). Linus has spent his life trying to fit in, to accept the status quo. Only his faded mousepad suggests a dream: go on vacation to a beach with the bluest ocean. It's simple, but he doesn't know when he'll have time to go. His job as a case worker being sent to orphanges filled with magical children keeps him busy. And, he thinks proudly, important. No matter what the children are, they should be safe.
But then Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and sent on a class four classified mission. He is sent to the Marsyas Island Orphanage located on a beautiful stretch of cerulean ocean. His task is to check on the welfare of the six children there as well as the operator of the orphanage: Arthur Parnassus. The six children each have a file (as does Arthur), but Linus passes out after reading just the beginning of the little boy named Lucy's file: the Antichrist.
After getting over the initial shock, Linus learns not only about the children, Arthur (who is more intriguing than Linus can admit even to himself), the island's other guardian Zoe (who wasn't in the files), but also about himself and the system he's spent much of his life serving. With eyes opened, Linus must decide what to do with what he has.
Lovely, romantic, enchanting, and poignant, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune is a wonderful read. Klune paints a world where magic is regulated by a restrictive, fearful, and prejudicial government, but that government doesn't stop the magic from being wondrous. The fierce love of found family comes through beautifully in this first book in a duology I can't wait to complete.
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