Back in August of 2020, I was aching to get out of a reading slump that I had been in for well over a decade.  I spent many years working at jobs where all I did was read scientific articles and conducted a boat load of research. I had no brain power at the end of the day to do anything other than watch mindless television. That was until I picked up this book after a friend who is a librarian suggested it to me.

Damn, I was so glad I picked it up. 

Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.

Synopsis

The book centers around Linus Baker who is a case worker employed at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s as “by-the-book” as you can get – he’s fair, just, and has a hint of kindness masked under a whole bunch of zero emotion. 

He’s sent on a secret task by his employers to determine the suitability of the man in charge of six dangerous magical children residing in an orphanage. While there, Linus meets Arthur Parnassus who runs the orphanage. Arthur is wary of Linus especially when it comes to the children he is a guardian over. He is fiercely protective of them. 

The six children include a sprite, wyvern, green blob, gnome, werewolf (although think super small dog like a Pomeranian), and the Antichrist himself. Linus is scared of them at first and doesn’t quite know what to think. But the more he learns, the more he falls in love with both the children and the man who cares for them.

My Review

It’s a bit difficult to describe exactly how happy this book made me. That warm and fuzzy feeling after you went on a first date or watching a romantic comedy – that’s what I felt after I finished this book. I got lost in the language and the relationships between Linus and all the other characters, especially all the children at the orphanage. Linus comes off as this very rigid human who doesn’t tolerate any sort of emotion in his life, which up until that point had been quite gray (literally and metaphorically).

He prides himself on doing his job well without putting emotion into it – it’s why the upper management gave him this particular job. He’s sorta frumpy and a bit worse for wear who constantly talks down to himself. The love and respect that blooms from Arthur (who thinks the absolute world of him no matter his size or appearance) is written so beautifully and makes you want to root for them almost from the beginning. I loved watching Linus’s walls get slowly broken down by all of those at the orphanage.

The relationship that blooms between Linus and Arthur is… well… enchanting! There were butterflies in my stomach every time they interacted in the book. It’s such a beautiful love story between the two of them. And then the snark between Linus and the children are wonderful. Specifically, the interactions between Linus and Lucy (aka Lucifer aka the Antichrist) as well as Talia (the garden gnome) will give you all the feels.

I won’t give away the ending but if you like slow burn romances and fantastical creatures, then this book is for you!