A review by ranee_samaniego
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective

5.0

I utterly adore this duology. TJ Klune masterfully created characters that reached out of the book and touched by heart.

I cannot understate Klune's magical writing skills. His writing is smooth and clear; he has a vast vocabulary yet writes in a way that doesn't feel forced or verbose; he infuses wit and meaning into the narrative; he allows the characters' voices to shine through. 

As mentioned, Klune infused meaning into his narrative and explored the following themes: 
  • Parenting - There are no better fictional parents than Arthur and Linus. (And they also outrank many real-life parents, too.) The way they teach, support, and admonish the children is so full of love and a desire for their children to thrive in life. 
  • Discrimination - Klune craftily tackles issues of discrimination through the hatred (overt and subtle) toward magical beings in his world. It is a clever way to show the impacts of discrimination toward marginalized populations without yelling "don't judge people based on race or sex!" Because this discrimination is fictional - magic, after all, does not exist in the real world - we can put aside our own biases and sympathize with the magical beings' plight... which can then allow us to look at the real world and see how discrimination harms.  
  • Found Family - Arthur, Linus, and the children captured my heart. I adore them. I would go to battle against anyone who wishes them harm. 
  • Transformation and Growth - Neither the characters nor the world is stagnant. Our beloved characters grow. The children are slowly healing from the traumas of their pasts. Linus learns more and more how to love those who are marginalized. Arthur becomes braver to face the world and challenge its biases and to allow himself to grieve and process. Zoe accepts her full, true self. In the outside world, seeds are planted to challenge discrimination against magical beings. Marsyas grows to become a more inclusive safe haven for all beings - magical and nonmagical. 


The only negative I will say is that the ending was a tad out of left field and unsatisfactory. It felt like an easy way out of the challenging situation Klune placed the characters. 
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