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Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Death of parent
An amazing and heartfelt read.
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Blood, Death of parent, Deportation
I also laughed at the whole anti-J.K. Rowling part at the end, hell yeah!
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Transphobia
My only criticism is that the ending felt a bit abrupt and rushed, with a lot thrown at the reader in a very short space of time. However, the rest of the book, and the deep love I have for Arthur, Linus and their kids kept this from being too detrimental to the story. At the end of the day, I love everything that this book represents, and salute the Anti-J.K. Rowling for continuing to put these important stories out into the world. I'll be revisiting Marsyas Island for years to come, and will be encouraging as many people as I can convince to do the same.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Sexism
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Transphobia, Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Death of parent
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: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Vomit
“But I believe the greatest weapon we have at our disposal is our voices. And I am going to use my voice for you, and for me. Hate is loud. We are louder.”
➽ The House in the Cerulean Sea did NOT need a sequel 😭 I'm distraught, as it's one of my favorite books and Somewhere Beyond the Sea was such a letdown. I was already hesitant about the sequel, as the first book had a great ending and should have been left alone. The fact that the series is titled 'Cerulean Chronicles' now worries me, as there's no need for even more books. The author wanted to write Arthur's story in this book but to be honest, this would have worked much better as a prequel about Arthur setting up his home and getting to know his children. It would have been sad not to see Linus in that case, but we would have truly gotten to know Arthur. The prologue is a snippet from this time and I loved it! If it had to be a sequel, the focus should have definitely been on the children, in this case, David, a new arrival at Linus' and Arthur's home. Instead, Somewhere Beyond the Sea goes full on the political discussions and bigoted government, only it doesn't do it very well 🙈
➽ My experience reading this book was like a rollercoaster. I loved the prologue but hated the first quarter of the book. Linus and Arthur travel to a hearing at the Department In Charge of Magical Youth about Arthur's past. Obviously, this is a setup to spread fear about the magical community and it was so tedious to get through. It was a lot of people trying to twist Arthur's words and trying to manipulate the narrative. I don't get what this section added to the story since we don't even hear Arthur's story. Afterwards, Arthur and Linus pick up David, a Yeti who's going to live with them. I loved this part as David is so endearing and finally at a home that accepts him. I loved seeing him meet the others and slowly form a bond with them. That should have been the main focus of the story!
➽ Instead, the main focus of the story is yet ANOTHER inspector coming to visit the kids. We've had this storyline TWICE now (with Linus and his predecessor) and it was so repetitive and unimaginative. Miss Marblemaw is a truly horrible, bigoted person and only appears to stir up trouble. Seeing Arthur and her play constant mind games was so exhausting. This didn't feel like a Cozy Fantasy, it was stressful and anxiety-inducing, as there is the threat that Arthur's children will be taken away from him. The vibe was so different from the first book, which struck a good balance between found family and the marginalization of the magical folk. The author's attempt to talk about discrimination failed in this book because it felt SO preachy and shallow. There was no nuance. We literally had evil, bigoted people vs. good magical folk and their allies. The villains felt like caricatures to me!
➽ The ending was also rushed and unrealistic. After all that buildup the solution is so easy and way too far-fetched for a book that aimed to closely mirror real-life discrimination.
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia