“We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
The first entry in his Cerulean Chronicles series, The House in the Cerulean Sea is a 2020 fantasy fiction novel by T.J. Klune. The story centres around Linus Baker, a caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Linus is told to travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage. Six dangerous children reside there, and it is up to Linus to decide whether they’re likely to bring about the end of days. But the children aren’t the only secrets the island and its caretaker, Arthur Parnassus, hold. As the two grow closer and more of these secrets are revealed, Linus must choose between destroying a family or watching the world burn. If you loved the cosy magical realism, emotional connections and warmth and wonder of Klune’s novel, join us at What We Reading for the best books like The House in the Cerulean Sea!
The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) – Becky Chambers
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew on board the old Wayfarer. An introspective woman who learned early on to keep to herself, the knacked ship purely represents an opportunity to lay her head and see the stars. Still, she’s never met anyone like the ship’s motley crew featuring Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, engineers Kizzy and Jenks, and their esteemed captain, Ashby.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy, and soon takes a turn for the dangerous when the crew are offered the expedition of a lifetime. Tunnelling wormholes through space to a far-flung planet will set them up for years, but risking her life was not a part of Rosemary’s plan. Like The House in the Cerulean Sea, Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet features this crew embarking on a series of mishaps and misadventures that teach them all about love, trust and how having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.
The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches – Sangu Mandanna
Nominated for Best Fantasy in the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a warm and uplifting novel similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea by Sangu Mandanna. One of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she must keep her magic hidden. As an orphan raised by estranged, she’s used to being alone and following the rules. The only outlet she has is her online account where she posts videos of her pretending to be a witch.
Only someone takes notice of these videos. Soon a message arrives, begging Mika to travel to the mysterious Nowhere House and teach three young witches how to control their magic. Despite it being against the rules, Mika nevertheless goes and soon encounters the witches and the house’s array of eccentric residents. But, just as she is beginning to feel at home at the Nowhere House, a threat arrives at the door, forcing Mika to decide whether she can risk everything to protect her new found family.
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The Starless Sea – Erin Morgenstern
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book. As he turns the pages, enchanted by the tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors and nameless acolytes, he reads something even stranger: a story from his own childhood. Perplexed by this book and how his life came to be recorded, Zachary unearths a series of clues that soon lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club and through a doorway to an ancient library buried under the surface of the Earth.
This is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and stories whispered from beyond the grave. Zachary soon learns of those who have sacrificed so much to protect this realm, and of those who wish to destroy it. In Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms and soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his true purpose along the way.
The Black Veins (Dead Magic #1) – Ashia Monet
Sixteen-year-old Blythe is one of seven Guardians: powerful magicians who could induce global panic with a snap of their fingers. But Blythe spends his days pouring latte art at her family’s coffee shop and has very little care for her apocalyptic capabilities. However, she’s given a reason to care when magician anarchists crash into her shop and kidnap her family.
Heartbroken but unshakeably determined, Blythe knows that she can’t save her family without help. A war is brewing between two magical governments and tensions are simmering too close to boiling point. So, she packs up her things, picks out a playlist and embarks on a road trip in her family’s yellow Volkswagen to enlist the help of six strangers whose abilities are unparalleled: the other Guardians. Ashia Monet’s The Black Veins is the perfect fantasy book like The House in the Cerulean Sea for any readers looking for another found family adventure.
Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) – Travis Baldree
Another low-stakes fantasy book similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea nominated in the Goodreads Choice Awards, Travis Baldree introduces readers to Viv, a battle-weary orc in Legends & Lattes. After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is ready to hang up her sword and open the first-ever coffee shop in the city of Thune.
But, old and new rivals stand in the way of this new quest. There’s also the issue of no one having any idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the ways of the blade behind her, she won’t be able to do it alone. As she soon discovers, the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travellers you encounter along the way. And, whether it be through ancient magic, soft pastry or a freshly brewed cup of joe, Viv discovers there are plenty of partners, friends, family and something even deeper waiting to be discovered.
Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) – Tamsyn Muir
If you’re looking for another book like The House in the Cerulean Sea that more than doubles down on the snark and humour, Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth has to be on your TBR list. Brought up by unfriendly nuns, ancient retainers and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, shoes and dirty magazines and prepares to embark on a daring escape. But, her childhood nemesis won’t let her leave without a service.
Harrowhawk Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs of each of his loyal houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. Becoming an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection is on the cards for the winner. Nevertheless, without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail and the Ninth House will die out.
Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle #1) – Diana Wynne Jones
Sophie has the grave misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably if she should ever leave home and find her fate. But, when she attracts the fury of the Witch of the Waste, she finds herself under a curse that transforms her into an elderly woman. Her only chance of breaking this spell lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle.
In order to untangle herself from the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike up a deal with a fire demon and face off against the Witch of Waster head-on. Over the course of her journey though, she will discover there is far more to Howl – and to herself – than what first meets the eye. Another warm fantasy book like The House in the Cerulean Sea, Diana Wynne Jones’ famous Howl’s Moving Castle is the perfect follow-up for anyone who loved T.J. Klune’s tale.
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The Shop Before Life – Neil Hughes
After two centuries in the prelife, Faythe is battling the most dangerous human feeling known. She is bored. But, when she accepts a once-in-a-prelifetime opportunity to become the Apprentice at the magical Shop Before Life, her days suddenly become dreadfully interesting.
Now, she helps her customers with the most important choice they will ever make: who will they become in life? But Faythe has questions of her own to grapple with. Namely, what exactly is in the jar of human traits, and who is the mysterious Supplier who creates them? Unfortunately, such questions could awaken an ancient conflict and even lead to the destruction of the shop itself. Nevertheless, Faythe needs to discover these secrets to save the shop. If she fails, nobody will ever be themselves again.
The Hike – Drew Magary
When Ben, a suburban family man, takes a business trip to rural Pennsylvania, he decides to take a short hike before his dinner meeting in the evening. However, once he sets off on his trek, he soon learns that the path he has chosen is not one he can turn back from. Soon enough, he finds himself falling deeper and deeper into a world of man-eating giants, sinister demons and colossal insects.
Now on a quest of epic life-or-death proportions, Ben is aided by everything from strange magical objects to a profane crustacean. Resolute in his determination to return home to his family, Ben is forced to track down ‘the Producer’, the creator of the world and the only one capable of freeing him from the path. A fresh and funny new take on the fantasy genre, Drew Magary’s The Hike takes readers on a thrilling journey across an enchanting world propelled by heart, imagination and survival.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
