Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

425 reviews

jujubee_reads's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

rosegoldteacher's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is defiantly joyful.

Content Warnings

erika_winters's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Wow, what a sequel! TJ Klune does it again with this one. Although this book is thematically different from the first, both can be read as two sides of the same coin. Told from Arthur’s perspective this time around, we get to hear how he thinks and feels being the last phoenix on Earth, and what it has meant to him over the years to shoulder the weight of everyone’s trauma, including his own. The way this book handles trauma makes it special because it doesn’t provide a cure for it; but rather a way to live through it and piece yourself together from the trauma. Arthur has found his family and beloved, and has to learn how to combat the hateful people in the world beyond Marsyas Island—including the hateful Harriet Marblemaw inspecting the home and his behavior toward the children—while also allowing the children to find themselves in the world and learning from it themselves instead of having Arthur shelter them away from it. Overall, I thought the conversation around this, and the looming fear of the government (including one Jeanine Rowder, who is probably based on a certain bigoted author of a popular fantasy series) taking the children away from Arthur and Linus. I cried 5 or 6 times from pure joy and from the emotional speeches shared between Arthur and Linus, so be prepared for tears here! This is now up there in my favorite books, along with the first book. Impeccable series (and I hope more is to come!)

Content Warnings

ali_chaa's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

chellyfish's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I think this book was a nice conclusion to the story established in the previous installment, though it might be slightly less compelling than the subsequent book. All of the characters are charming. Is it on the nose? Yeah. But quite frankly, who cares. We deserve something heart warming and on the nose and unflinchingly pro-trans and queer kids. I don't need that message to be occluded by symbolism. It can just be. Klune's afterword establishing his desire to be the "anti-JK Rowling" is also amazing.

While all of that remains true, the narration by Daniel Henning was sometimes cringe and hard to listen to. I don't remember having a visceral reaction to his narration in the Atlas Six series, so there must have been something specific going on about the choices here. It often sounded overwrought and on the verge of tears, and a couple of the character voices very strongly invoked a watered down Moira Rose and Vizzini from the Princess Bride. I stuck with it because I care about these characters and their story but oof.

Content Warnings

lamado2186's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A great follow up to a masterpiece. Following Arthur instead of Linus this go round was intriguing. I laughed out loud multiple times at things the kids would say.

I found myself really finding the deeper meaning behind the story. It really breaks my heart how close this is in line with actual events that are happening right now.

I hope that we can all get to the place where the people of Marsyas were at the end, where everyone fought for equality and the call was finally heard.

Content Warnings

tfaydoyle's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Another immensely enjoyable and profoundly moving novel. Having to take a break halfway through did not diminish the book, rather made the themes all the more devastatingly important for those who cannot put the book of their lives down and take a four month break. Wonderful and illuminating as always.

Content Warnings

seastheday's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was much more intense than the first book. It’s riding on the brink of”” “cozy” fantasy. I almost DNF’d it because the beginning felt so bleak compared to what I was expecting. The story did vastly improve after the first major even in the story. This is how it became a 4 star book. The children grew up a smidge (since book 2 doesn’t take place far after book 1) & you could see how Linus’ personality/parenting changed the children for the better. I loved the growth of Zoey Chappelwhite. She carried this story on her little back with her wings out!

I recommend this. Stick through the tiny bit in the beginning & it will return to the normal silly programming of THOTCS.

Content Warnings