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emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Finished reading: October 9th 2024
"There is magic in the ordinary, magic that has the power to change the world."
The House In The Cerulean Sea is hands down one of my all time favorite stories, so I was over the moon when I discovered that there was going to be a sequel. I was granted early access to a sampler, which only made me want to read Somewhere Beyond The Sea even more... And I have to say that this sequel I was everything I hoped it would be and more. I loved meeting up with this cast of characters again, and I loved that we saw the story through Arthur's eyes this time around. Somewhere Beyond The Sea is very much a sequel, and I would recommend reading the books in order to get a proper introduction of all the characters and their development. There are a couple of new characters in this second book as well, and David made for such a great addition to the group of children living on Marsyas Island! The banter, the growing bonds, the friendship... You just want to wrap them all up in a big hug and protect them from harm. It's not all rainbows and sunshine though, as there is a lot of focus on child abuse, discrimination, politics and corruption along the way... And Arthur and the rest will have to fight to keep their family together. The ending was perfect for this story, and Somewhere Beyond The Sea is a worthy addition to my list of 2024 favorites as well as all time favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Transphobia
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Gaslighting
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Xenophobia
Minor: Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexism, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“It hit Arthur then, in this moment: everything he'd done, everything he'd lived for, fought for, all the sleepless nights and miles on the road, the good, the bad, and the ugly, all of it had led to this.”
Somewhere Beyond The Sea is the highly anticipated sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. It picks up where book 1 leaves off; Arthur continuing the fight to keep his foster children safe and guide them into healthy and kind adults in a world that refuses to accept them. Linus steps into his “step-father” role seamlessly.
Like book 1, I’ve continued to absolutely adore these characters. The new character/foster child is a delight. 🥹 It was also nice to see the children grow and mature a bit in this one! The writing style is so detailed and vivid. I love having a solid picture in my mind of what the characters and the island look like. You’re left feeling inspired and hopeful at the way these characters deal with the adversity they face.
I did find the pace to be on the slower side, and the long, wordy chapters did tend to slow my momentum when reading. As much as I hate to say it, I did feel a little bored at times. Maybe cozy fantasy is just not my favorite genre and I need to accept that?! I don’t know. That said, if you enjoyed the first book, definitely check this out!
“You know, anytime I want to wipe out the entire universe, I remember that humans made music and then I think that maybe, just maybe, you weirdos have something to offer after all.”
Somewhere Beyond The Sea is the highly anticipated sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. It picks up where book 1 leaves off; Arthur continuing the fight to keep his foster children safe and guide them into healthy and kind adults in a world that refuses to accept them. Linus steps into his “step-father” role seamlessly.
Like book 1, I’ve continued to absolutely adore these characters. The new character/foster child is a delight. 🥹 It was also nice to see the children grow and mature a bit in this one! The writing style is so detailed and vivid. I love having a solid picture in my mind of what the characters and the island look like. You’re left feeling inspired and hopeful at the way these characters deal with the adversity they face.
I did find the pace to be on the slower side, and the long, wordy chapters did tend to slow my momentum when reading. As much as I hate to say it, I did feel a little bored at times. Maybe cozy fantasy is just not my favorite genre and I need to accept that?! I don’t know. That said, if you enjoyed the first book, definitely check this out!
“You know, anytime I want to wipe out the entire universe, I remember that humans made music and then I think that maybe, just maybe, you weirdos have something to offer after all.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment
adventurous
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:
Yes
I finished this a bit ago and I have not stopped nothing crying.
What a wonderful book this was, and what a wonderful series this has been. The House in the Cerulean Sea has been one of my favourite books ever, and this sequel has just solidified TJ Klune as a favourite author of mine. I don't fully know how to describe the love I have for this series. I just know I love it, and I mourn the fact that I cannot read this series again for the first time.
This series is just so magically fantastic. From Arthur to Linus to Zoe to the children to the townsfolk... they're all just so amazing and they feel like a warm hug. This book feels like a warm hug from the person you love most on a chilly summer evening on the beach.
I absolutely just love how wholesome the characters are, and how much they love each other. This book defines the "found family" trope perfectly, and it's truly marvelous to see how much they all care, and how far they would go for each other.
Although the plot was a bit similar to the first one, I didn't mind as much. It was interesting to see how the inspection goes when it's not someone like Linus who comes to inspect. I do have to say,I have no clue how the children, or Linus, or Arthur didn't simply wring Miss Marblemaw's neck. She's beyond insufferable. The Epilogue was so wonderful, and I'm so happy we got to see the wedding. I would've been very disappointed if we didn't. Especially with just how truly, wonderfully wholesome it was. I was sobbing when I was reading their vows (and laughing thanks to dear old David for his promos during the ceremony).
I do have to say this was an incredibly hard read though. The child abuse, xenophobia, and general bigotry was much clearer in this one. It made it hard to read because, although this is about magical people, we all know it stems from actual prejudice in real life. It's hard to read through, especially as a member of of the LGBTQ+ community and a woman. The child abuse was incredibly difficult to read through as well, especially whenDavid said:
What a wonderful book this was, and what a wonderful series this has been. The House in the Cerulean Sea has been one of my favourite books ever, and this sequel has just solidified TJ Klune as a favourite author of mine. I don't fully know how to describe the love I have for this series. I just know I love it, and I mourn the fact that I cannot read this series again for the first time.
This series is just so magically fantastic. From Arthur to Linus to Zoe to the children to the townsfolk... they're all just so amazing and they feel like a warm hug. This book feels like a warm hug from the person you love most on a chilly summer evening on the beach.
I absolutely just love how wholesome the characters are, and how much they love each other. This book defines the "found family" trope perfectly, and it's truly marvelous to see how much they all care, and how far they would go for each other.
Although the plot was a bit similar to the first one, I didn't mind as much. It was interesting to see how the inspection goes when it's not someone like Linus who comes to inspect. I do have to say,
I do have to say this was an incredibly hard read though. The child abuse, xenophobia, and general bigotry was much clearer in this one. It made it hard to read because, although this is about magical people, we all know it stems from actual prejudice in real life. It's hard to read through, especially as a member of of the LGBTQ+ community and a woman. The child abuse was incredibly difficult to read through as well, especially when
Have you ever hit a kid?
Put their fingers in a drawer and closed it so hard it...
Absolutely heart wrenching. But, as TJ Klune does, he approached the topic very tactfully, and made sure to put appropriate amounts of humour into those sections to make them digestible.
Again, 5 star read. No. 6 stars.
Again, 5 star read. No. 6 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Transphobia
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Sequels are difficult. In my experience, they're rarely as good as the original.
I am delighted to report that is not the case with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. It's as fun and heartwarming as its predecessor, while maintaining equally high stakes. Klune has a real talent for writing children, that shines throughout both books in this series thus far. And I think he learned from the heavy-handedness that I noted when I read The House In the Cerulean Sea, as this book strikes a better balance and allows for a bit more diversity of opinion and respectful disagreement.
Oh, and I still love Lucy so much, he's probably one of my favorite characters ever.
I am delighted to report that is not the case with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. It's as fun and heartwarming as its predecessor, while maintaining equally high stakes. Klune has a real talent for writing children, that shines throughout both books in this series thus far. And I think he learned from the heavy-handedness that I noted when I read The House In the Cerulean Sea, as this book strikes a better balance and allows for a bit more diversity of opinion and respectful disagreement.
Oh, and I still love Lucy so much, he's probably one of my favorite characters ever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
All I can say is: trilogy when???? This return to Marsyas was like a big hug, and it was an absolute delight to spend more time with the Baker-Parnassus family. Beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Grief
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief
Moderate: Transphobia, Death of parent
Minor: Confinement