Review by bookcheshirecat - Somewhere Beyond the Sea

bookcheshirecat 's review for:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

2.5

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

“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.

Miss Marblemaw doesn't change at all. I understand that the author wanted to show that you can't change everyone's perspective and have to move on. However, I was so frustrated because we spent so much time seeing the inspector sprout all the bigoted stuff imaginable. In the end, Zoe is a 'queen' who seals off the island and creates a safe haven for magical folk and allies, that casts out everyone else. I like the idea of a safe haven, but it didn't solve any of the societal issues. I wonder why Zoe only came up with this NOW when there had been a crisis before.

Content Warnings