At first, I thought this book was trying to be Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children with an isolated orphanage housing magical children. But as I joined Linus, the case worker from the bureaucratic Department in Charge of Magical Youth, on a special “level 4” mission to investigate the most unusual of the unusual, I discovered a charming same-sex love story (!).
Arthur, the headmaster of the “orphanage” (a euphemism since none of the inhuman children are ever adopted) is a soft-spoken gentleman who cares passionately for his charges, and Linus is intrigued by him during his month-long investigative visit to the isolated island.
The children are colorful and personable. One abused boy turns into a Pomeranian when frightened, a young girl is an earth sprite, a wyvern speaks in chirps, a female gnome sleeps with her gardening tools, and a blob with tentacles wants nothing more than to be a bellhop. But, of main concern to the Extremely Upper Management of DICOMY is Lucy (short for Lucifer), the Antichrist, who is currently six years old and residing at the orphanage.
Linus is taken aback by the ominous threats from Lucy and several other children (the gnome wants to dig a grave for the social worker throughout the book), but as he learns more about the children, their headmaster, and the nearby village which hates and fears them, he tries to help them achieve their goals. He knows he’s stepping outside his mission of objectivity and reporting, but he can’t help himself. He misses the signs that the kind headmaster is more than a simple gentleman helping each child reach their full potential (except for Lucy which they try to channel to more moral endeavors).
Linus considers his own closeted life to be fine although it is bland and oppressive. Still, with loyalty to his superiors, he tries to fulfill his mission to find out what the orphanage is hiding. When he suggests the children go on a field trip to the nearby village, the residents’ reactions are painful but cathartic. He reminds himself he’s not supposed to get involved as the children open up to him, sharing their fears and dreams.
His attraction to Arthur grows as does his love for the children, but after a month, he returns to the dreary city and his tiny office desk. He’s convinced he can save the orphanage from the Extremely Upper Management’s wish to close it. While the ending is a little sugar-coated, it is a fantasy, and I enjoyed it very much.
It’s not often you read a gay fantasy romance (with only one kiss) written by a gay author, but I may look for other books by this young man. Well done, Me. Klune.
