aus10england 's review for:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

3.5

adventurous lighthearted

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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I'm having a hard time rating this one. As a sequel, I think it did its job well, but as a story I didn't feel like there were stakes at play that made it seem like there would be huge consequences. I think where this book shines is its characters, I very much enjoyed just hearing what shenanigans the kids were getting in to. Also, a bit preachy at times with little nuance, I can tell the author is an advocate but at certain points in the story I was just eye rolling. Overall, a solid follow up to a perfect original that didn't really need it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent