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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
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Vomit
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Xenophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Outing, Dysphoria, War, Deportation
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
As in the first one, Chauncey steals the show. I love him the absolute most and I'd be honored if he was my bellhop, or private detective.
This book is great if you need to turn your brain off and read something happy.
Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia
Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury
However, this sequel dives more deeply into the institutional and historical roots of oppression, and the impacts of the resulting traumas on both individuals and communities. Both books emphasize the power of forming small pockets of safe spaces to heal within a world of persecution, but in Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the characters additionally take steps to dismantle systems of oppression.
It's worth addressing the criticism the author received for drawing inspiration from the historical and ongoing genocide of First Nations people by the Canadian government. In particular, Cerulean has been criticized as a white savior narrative, and for the allegory of magical ability as race coming across as simultaneously trivializing native peoples and othering them as non-human. These critiques are not unfounded. At the same time, I believe the sequel effectively addresses at least two of these issues: First, the centering of a magical character as narrator emphasizes that while allyship is valuable, oppressed people are in the best position to understand their struggles and needs, and are quite capable on their own; second, the explicit and implicit references to oppression and abuse make clear that there is no whimsy in trauma.
Ultimately, while The Cerulean Chronicles initially appear to be only fairytales where love conquers all, the second installment reveals the underlying darkness.
Is it fancifully optimistic wish fulfillment? Yes. Are the characters all wise beyond their years and incredibly emotionally intelligent / well emotionally regulated despite having barely begun to heal from their trauma? Yes.
And so what?
Graphic: Hate crime
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Xenophobia, Grief, Abandonment
Minor: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury