Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

145 reviews

jxrr_y's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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: Yes

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I enjoyed this book and love TJ Klune, but I don’t think it was his best book. Maybe what’s beyond the sea was best left to the imagination after the first book, but maybe it was all worth it for chapters 12 & 13 and to spend more time with characters I love. The plot felt like the same plot from the first book but with a different ending and from the point of view of the islanders instead of the inspector. I don’t know how I feel about the ending, but this is still one of my favorite books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury

arialuna's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

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This book — this book — truly was everything I wanted in a sequel and then some. 

Arthur's point of view makes me love him all the more, if that was even possible to begin with, as I adore him. His struggles with trauma and repressing his own emotions made me think of my own experiences, and having someone tell him "you can't do it all" made me nearly cry.  

The kids?  I adore Lucy, but Sal really stepped up and grew up before my eyes. I was so proud of him and how he was able to wield the confidence and compassion hand in hand, especially when he had to call out Arthur for carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

Lucy made my howl with laughter, his little commentary and anecdotes helped to break up the tense situations or add to the already baffling situation they were in. His interactions with David, his love for his siblings, and his ability to land a solid punch line where needed makes me miss him all the more. 

I can't express the words for how well this was written. If you enjoyed the first novel, this surely is the best continuation I've seen of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

taschenuhr's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

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This story makes me very jealous :D

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent

Minor: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts

hdunscombe's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Transphobia, Xenophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent

readandfindout's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 3.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Genocide, Homophobia, Sexism, Transphobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War

naomiauld's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death of parent

jamr3adsalot's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

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Tj Klune is by far one of my favorite authors. He brings life and depths to the world and characters he creates. This book was beautiful in all ways. The way he wrote Arthur made me so happy beyond words. I love this book, and I love this series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Grief, Colonisation

Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting

gjerne_leser's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment

Minor: Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail

mbrogs2024's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, War

m_petranoff's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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: No

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As charming as its predecessor, Somewhere Beyond the Sea explores the ways a family is built and how trauma lives on within us. The children are, once again, deeply funny and wonderful, with a new addition, and I enjoyed seeing more from Arthur's perspective. Fantastical, hopeful, and loving, this book delivers the same warm hug as the first in the series, this time acknowledging that the warm hug also contains a fiery rage.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Physical abuse

The book deals with children who have been abused by the system, a system which still exists and perpetuates harm. However, the book does not linger in the abuse and pain, but focuses on processing that pain once the acute cause of it is removed and a stable, safe home is established.