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Cerulean Chronicles #2
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Win a free print copy of this book!
3 days and 12:04:00
3 copies available
U.S. only
Goodreads Choice Award
Winner for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2024), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2024)Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. Featuring gorgeous orange sprayed edges!
A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.
Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.
He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.
Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.
But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.
And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.
Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.
A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.
Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.
He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.
Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.
But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.
And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.
Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2024
17033 people are currently reading
293291 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Klune
65 books59.5k followersTJ KLUNE is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company. His novels include The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries. Being queer himself, TJ believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 23,535 reviews
September 27, 2024
The beauty of The House In The Cerulean Sea was the found family. Did Somewhere Beyond the Sea live up to it’s predecessor? Not quite, but I still enjoyed revisiting everyone at Marsyas.
Linus & Arthur were properly together in the sequel, which was wonderful! I loved when they were allowed to have their domestic scenes. The children were adorable and up to their usual shenanigans, although they also seemed more grown and serious, and I didn’t always quite know what to make of that? Especially when Sal was lecturing.
CH14 was good.
And that’s… it? That’s all the positive things I’ve to say.
The book fell short for me, but why?
There were times when the dialogue became very monologue-ish and somewhat preachy. It was like getting a sermon every other chapter. It almost felt as if TJ Klune was trying to convince me(?) of the plight of magical creatures. He needn’t have bothered, I was already on their side!
How many times can you shove the same message down someone’s throat in 400 pages? As far as I can remember, Book#1 was better at show-don’t-tell than this one. I could be misremembering, of course, it has been a while. That doesn’t change the fact that I was never allowed to draw my own conclusions with this book, I was simply told who was right and who was wrong.
The book didn’t invite for deeper reflection. It almost seemed as if I wasn’t trusted to reach the correct conlusion on my own.
And while I agree with the message, did it have to be so on-the-nose and frequent?
This book and the previous one are both labeled YA + Adult. I’d thought Book#1 was whimsical with its unique language, but this book cranked it up a notch or two. To a point where I think we entered exclusive YA territory and I didn’t necessarily appreciate the shift. The House In The Cerulean Sea seemed better balanced.
In the end, I’m left with one question: Did we need this book?
Unfortunately, I don’t think so. Book#1 stood wonderfully on it’s own, and whilst the book had somewhat of an open-ended resolution, I don’t think Somewhere Beyond the Sea was the answer to that. I don’t even think it needed to be answered. Not everything needs to be tied up with a neat little bow.
In a sense, this book was a repeat of The House In The Cerulean Sea.
Again, we have an evil government who sends a worker to asses the island.
Again, we have the government offical conducting interviews and observing.
Again, we get the same message to be kind and tolerant.
The only difference is that Miss Marblemaw doesn’t become better. She doesn’t change her mind unlike Linus. The book reads more as a What-If fanfiction. What if Linus had been bad?
Then there's Rowder, who was a cartoon villain. TJ Klune tried to give her depth right at the finish line, but it felt cheap. Did she really need a sad backstory for being evil? Sometimes people just suck.
I think this could’ve been a better book if it had simply been about David coming to Marsyas and finding a home and a family. If I'm being completely honest, I thought the dedication to the trans community would have more relevance to the plot, given that it was a dedication. Maybe I was thinking too ahead and making up assumptions, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I thought David would be trans. I thought the plot would have more to do with Marsyas being the first place David felt comfortable being open about his true self. And while the book did dedicate some time to this aspect in terms of David being a monster, I found it a little hollow.
I also think this would have been better if the politics had been a b-plot. It also shouldn’t have been stretched out as far as it was.
Would've loved diving deeper into Arthur's childhood and learn more about his parents, or hearing more about those missing years where he helped hide people in the magical community.
The sequel didn’t have the same magic of the first one.
Also, I didn’t like the ending. It was "too perfect" and convenient, almost unearned and forced. Per definition, we had a seemingly unsolvable problem that was suddenly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely intervention, with a last-minute powerup and revelation from Zoe.
Very deus ex machina.
Linus & Arthur were properly together in the sequel, which was wonderful! I loved when they were allowed to have their domestic scenes. The children were adorable and up to their usual shenanigans, although they also seemed more grown and serious, and I didn’t always quite know what to make of that? Especially when Sal was lecturing.
CH14 was good.
And that’s… it? That’s all the positive things I’ve to say.
The book fell short for me, but why?
There were times when the dialogue became very monologue-ish and somewhat preachy. It was like getting a sermon every other chapter. It almost felt as if TJ Klune was trying to convince me(?) of the plight of magical creatures. He needn’t have bothered, I was already on their side!
How many times can you shove the same message down someone’s throat in 400 pages? As far as I can remember, Book#1 was better at show-don’t-tell than this one. I could be misremembering, of course, it has been a while. That doesn’t change the fact that I was never allowed to draw my own conclusions with this book, I was simply told who was right and who was wrong.
The book didn’t invite for deeper reflection. It almost seemed as if I wasn’t trusted to reach the correct conlusion on my own.
And while I agree with the message, did it have to be so on-the-nose and frequent?
This book and the previous one are both labeled YA + Adult. I’d thought Book#1 was whimsical with its unique language, but this book cranked it up a notch or two. To a point where I think we entered exclusive YA territory and I didn’t necessarily appreciate the shift. The House In The Cerulean Sea seemed better balanced.
In the end, I’m left with one question: Did we need this book?
Unfortunately, I don’t think so. Book#1 stood wonderfully on it’s own, and whilst the book had somewhat of an open-ended resolution, I don’t think Somewhere Beyond the Sea was the answer to that. I don’t even think it needed to be answered. Not everything needs to be tied up with a neat little bow.
In a sense, this book was a repeat of The House In The Cerulean Sea.
Again, we have an evil government who sends a worker to asses the island.
Again, we have the government offical conducting interviews and observing.
Again, we get the same message to be kind and tolerant.
The only difference is that Miss Marblemaw doesn’t become better. She doesn’t change her mind unlike Linus. The book reads more as a What-If fanfiction. What if Linus had been bad?
Then there's Rowder, who was a cartoon villain. TJ Klune tried to give her depth right at the finish line, but it felt cheap. Did she really need a sad backstory for being evil? Sometimes people just suck.
I think this could’ve been a better book if it had simply been about David coming to Marsyas and finding a home and a family. If I'm being completely honest, I thought the dedication to the trans community would have more relevance to the plot, given that it was a dedication. Maybe I was thinking too ahead and making up assumptions, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I thought David would be trans. I thought the plot would have more to do with Marsyas being the first place David felt comfortable being open about his true self. And while the book did dedicate some time to this aspect in terms of David being a monster, I found it a little hollow.
I also think this would have been better if the politics had been a b-plot. It also shouldn’t have been stretched out as far as it was.
Would've loved diving deeper into Arthur's childhood and learn more about his parents, or hearing more about those missing years where he helped hide people in the magical community.
The sequel didn’t have the same magic of the first one.
Also, I didn’t like the ending. It was "too perfect" and convenient, almost unearned and forced. Per definition, we had a seemingly unsolvable problem that was suddenly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely intervention, with a last-minute powerup and revelation from Zoe.
Very deus ex machina.
Read
September 13, 2024I. LITERALLY. CAN. NOT. BREATHE. RN.
A freaking SEQUAL to ONE OF MY FAV NOVELS OF ALL TIME???? *INTERNALLY SCREAMING*
A freaking SEQUAL to ONE OF MY FAV NOVELS OF ALL TIME???? *INTERNALLY SCREAMING*
September 1, 2024
I can already feel how unpopular of an opinion this is going to be (not my coworker literally staring at me with glowing embers for eyes)…..but I will speak my truth gosh darnit. This book was ALL fan service. Don’t get me wrong, I ate it up like 300 pages of Lucy the Antichrist?! Say less brother. But what made House in the Cerulean Sea so unique and special just doesn’t hit the same here. It does make sense because Cerulean Sea was very unique to its time, being the first really inclusive “cozy fantasy” to hit the mainstream, but I don’t think that’s an excuse for this one to not be as good. There was little to no real plot or character development, and while the overall message of “sometimes you can’t change people’s minds and you just have to stand up for yourself and what you know is right” is REALLY good and present - the conflict or resolution to make it hit home just feels inevitable and 2D. I’m not trying to take away from the absolute WHIMSY of it all, and maybe if I just wanted to feel good this would be 5 ⭐️s, but I was promised Arthur’s deep dark past and I got Arthur being an incredible dad to his kids for 300 pages. I’m not complaining I stg I’m just saying 😭 i did love David the yeti, he was fantastic and his dynamic with Lucy was everythinggg. Overall though, I was a little disappointed by the epilogue-esque feeling of it all. Sorry ☹️
May 16, 2024
SO THRILLED TO HAVE GOTTEN MY HANDS ON A COPY OF THIS BABY! GOING TO BLANKET TOWN NOW, HOLD MY CALLS! HAHAHA JK NO ONE CALLS ME BYEEEEE!
FINISHED!!! a lovely book, gooey sweet and cozy as fuck.
FINISHED!!! a lovely book, gooey sweet and cozy as fuck.
August 14, 2025
oof. this just did not hit or deliver in the same way “the house in the cerulean sea” did for me, unfortunately.
that being said, there is still a lot of good in this book. i adore the messaging this series promotes and i think there are a lot of things it does right in terms of representing found families, living authentically, and what it means to be accepting of everyone. i love how very life-affirming the story is and i know it makes a lot of readers feel seen and validated.
that being said, while i agree with the message of the story, i just did not enjoy how it was delivered this time around. “the house in the cerulean sea” does a great job at showing a situation and making me empathize with the characters struggles. this does no do that. it tells me how i should feel. with the constant therapy talk and lengthy monologues, this dialogue began to feel unnatural, very preachy, and even self-righteous at times. so i got tired of it after awhile.
but im happy other readers could look beyond that and find just as much joy reading this as they did with “the house in the cerulean sea.” if you havent read that, then i highly recommend it!
↠ 3.5 stars
that being said, there is still a lot of good in this book. i adore the messaging this series promotes and i think there are a lot of things it does right in terms of representing found families, living authentically, and what it means to be accepting of everyone. i love how very life-affirming the story is and i know it makes a lot of readers feel seen and validated.
that being said, while i agree with the message of the story, i just did not enjoy how it was delivered this time around. “the house in the cerulean sea” does a great job at showing a situation and making me empathize with the characters struggles. this does no do that. it tells me how i should feel. with the constant therapy talk and lengthy monologues, this dialogue began to feel unnatural, very preachy, and even self-righteous at times. so i got tired of it after awhile.
but im happy other readers could look beyond that and find just as much joy reading this as they did with “the house in the cerulean sea.” if you havent read that, then i highly recommend it!
↠ 3.5 stars
September 14, 2024
You get a star for Chauncey, because he’s perfect. However. I do not appreciate people writing books, especially fiction, for a political agenda. If you are going to write a fantasy, do it to make a good fantasy book. You want to be the anti-J.K. Rowling? At least she didn’t have her political agenda written into the very fibers of her story. I don’t care what side or views you have, write to write and write well. Otherwise you are trying to be a politician, not an author.
September 20, 2024
I’m starting to think TJ Klune is as magical as the characters he writes about! He’s the rare author that can consistently get 5 stars from me, and that’s because it’s so evident that his stories come straight from his heart. Open one of his books and you can see what’s beating in there on every page. Take the words in this one's dedication:
To the trans community the world over: I see you, I hear you, I love you. This story is for you.
Followed soon after by a quote that beautifully summarizes a major theme:
“When we live in fear, it controls us. Every decision we make is smothered by it.”
In this second book of The Cerulean Chronicles, a follow-up to The House in the Cerulean Sea, orphanage master Arthur Parnassus finds himself not only having to defend himself to the remnant members of DICOMY and DICOMA (The Departments In Charge of Magical Youth and Adults respectively), but also protect his partner, ex-DICOMY employee Linus Baker and the magical children in their care when a newly appointed manager with her own agenda sends a biased inspector to investigate their home’s fitness for the children.
The long and short of the story is that Klune has written a book that confronts what happens when those in power use fear-mongering to silence and censor a marginalized community that doesn’t fit their mold. That sounds heavy and some will undoubtedly be put off by the messaging, but if you’ve ever read a Klune novel, you’ll know that he understands how to balance emotionally-charged themes with extraordinary heart and humor! The now SEVEN children in Arthur and Linus’ care have given me some of the best book laughs and feel good moments I’ve ever had!
How can you dislike a seven-year-old Antichrist named Lucy whose greatest passion in life is “dead-people” music and who aspires to make footie pajamas mandatory for humans if he ever enslaves them? Add to this eclectic group a grumpy but lovable garden gnome named Talia, a sensitive but formidable forest sprite named Phee, a button-hoarding wyvern named Theodore, a wise-beyond-his-years teen named Sal, an amorphous bell-hopping blob named Chauncey and the newest addition: a theater-loving Yeti named David! Their antics and interactions were as likely to cause tears of laughter as they were to melt my heart with their support for each other and their “daddies-to-be” Arthur and Linus. Their interactions with devious inspector Miss Marblemaw were delicious as well!
I have to say: if you have ANY inclination whatsoever to listen to audiobooks, definitely consider listening to this series. Daniel Henning returns to narrate and his voicing for every character in this large cast is so impeccably good that I can’t imagine experiencing the series without it. I followed along on my Kindle, and enjoyed every second! While this can be read as a standalone, I don’t recommend it since you’ll miss a lot of the history behind the characters and story arc.
If you enjoy ‘found family’ stories with a sprinkle of magic, loads of heart and the whole range of feels, I highly recommend this AND The House in the Cerulean Sea! Review
★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5)
(TW: Some heavy themes of childhood trauma and governmental mistreatment of marginalized communities. Also, the author’s note comes out swinging at JK Rowling and her views on the trans community, so if any of those things are an issue for you, you’ll want to consider that.)
Thanks to my library/Libby for the Kindle copy and audio. The book is out now.
To the trans community the world over: I see you, I hear you, I love you. This story is for you.
Followed soon after by a quote that beautifully summarizes a major theme:
“When we live in fear, it controls us. Every decision we make is smothered by it.”
In this second book of The Cerulean Chronicles, a follow-up to The House in the Cerulean Sea, orphanage master Arthur Parnassus finds himself not only having to defend himself to the remnant members of DICOMY and DICOMA (The Departments In Charge of Magical Youth and Adults respectively), but also protect his partner, ex-DICOMY employee Linus Baker and the magical children in their care when a newly appointed manager with her own agenda sends a biased inspector to investigate their home’s fitness for the children.
The long and short of the story is that Klune has written a book that confronts what happens when those in power use fear-mongering to silence and censor a marginalized community that doesn’t fit their mold. That sounds heavy and some will undoubtedly be put off by the messaging, but if you’ve ever read a Klune novel, you’ll know that he understands how to balance emotionally-charged themes with extraordinary heart and humor! The now SEVEN children in Arthur and Linus’ care have given me some of the best book laughs and feel good moments I’ve ever had!
How can you dislike a seven-year-old Antichrist named Lucy whose greatest passion in life is “dead-people” music and who aspires to make footie pajamas mandatory for humans if he ever enslaves them? Add to this eclectic group a grumpy but lovable garden gnome named Talia, a sensitive but formidable forest sprite named Phee, a button-hoarding wyvern named Theodore, a wise-beyond-his-years teen named Sal, an amorphous bell-hopping blob named Chauncey and the newest addition: a theater-loving Yeti named David! Their antics and interactions were as likely to cause tears of laughter as they were to melt my heart with their support for each other and their “daddies-to-be” Arthur and Linus. Their interactions with devious inspector Miss Marblemaw were delicious as well!
I have to say: if you have ANY inclination whatsoever to listen to audiobooks, definitely consider listening to this series. Daniel Henning returns to narrate and his voicing for every character in this large cast is so impeccably good that I can’t imagine experiencing the series without it. I followed along on my Kindle, and enjoyed every second! While this can be read as a standalone, I don’t recommend it since you’ll miss a lot of the history behind the characters and story arc.
If you enjoy ‘found family’ stories with a sprinkle of magic, loads of heart and the whole range of feels, I highly recommend this AND The House in the Cerulean Sea! Review
★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5)
(TW: Some heavy themes of childhood trauma and governmental mistreatment of marginalized communities. Also, the author’s note comes out swinging at JK Rowling and her views on the trans community, so if any of those things are an issue for you, you’ll want to consider that.)
Thanks to my library/Libby for the Kindle copy and audio. The book is out now.
September 11, 2024
This book gave me everything I wanted—and then some! I loved every bit of this story. I tried to pick a favorite character from the children, but honestly, I just couldn’t. Each one is so wonderfully created by TJ Klune’s amazing imagination, you can't help but fall in love with all of them.
I’m really hoping there’s many more books from the Cerulean Chronicles because it’s just too heartwarming and delightful to leave us hanging! I think a yearly instalment would be just right!
I’m really hoping there’s many more books from the Cerulean Chronicles because it’s just too heartwarming and delightful to leave us hanging! I think a yearly instalment would be just right!
August 30, 2024
I hate to rate this so low but after the first book which I adored this book fell extremely flat. Very surprised by all of the high ratings
It was a hard read to get through, just repetitive and trying to push a narrative constantly that although is justified and good was really all the book was.
Characters lacked the same characteristics from the first book and all of the children seemed to be the same and not individual.
If you loved the first book don’t read this one. The ending of the first can be left as that and should have been.
It was a hard read to get through, just repetitive and trying to push a narrative constantly that although is justified and good was really all the book was.
Characters lacked the same characteristics from the first book and all of the children seemed to be the same and not individual.
If you loved the first book don’t read this one. The ending of the first can be left as that and should have been.
Want to read
July 4, 2024💘🦄🌈💗🌊✨i've just burst into tears because this is everything rn!!😭💙😭💛😭🧡😭💚😭
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥also, the way this book has set fire to my feed is unreal❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥also, the way this book has set fire to my feed is unreal❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
December 3, 2024
My heart has been melted by this book!!!! It has everything “House In the Ceralun Sea” does and it’s all in Arthur’s perspective, whose thoughts were originally not revealed. Throughout this whimsical sweet story there is a look into his past, a deeper dive into his relationship with Linus and also the continuation of a fight to show the simple minded people of this universe that magic is not something to be feared!! But most importantly we get to witness Arthur learn and change. He has always been the one to give love and apologize for other people's wrongdoings without thinking anything of it. Until his family shows him how to receive love in return and tell him that he shouldn’t always be the one apologizing, he’s already done enough 🥲. This story is so freakinggg sweet!! All of TJ Klunes gorgeous writing really comes to life, capturing all the characters thoughts and feelings. I wouldn’t change anything about this book!!
Want to read
July 29, 2024 When I received this arc, I'd thought it was the entire book. However, it's just an excerpt (Epigraph and first 4 chapters)
Not only can I not cultivate an honest review on 4 chapters but I'm struggling to get into said 4 chapters. I'm a little bored.
I'll be putting this book back on my tbr shelf until the entire book is released.
* Slams fist down on desk* THIS is what I'm talking about! I mean, maybe not so dramatic, jk. idk but I'm excited!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and TJ Kune for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! 🐦🔥🌊
Not only can I not cultivate an honest review on 4 chapters but I'm struggling to get into said 4 chapters. I'm a little bored.
I'll be putting this book back on my tbr shelf until the entire book is released.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and TJ Kune for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! 🐦🔥🌊
March 13, 2024
As one of TJs beta readers, I was very lucky to read this very early in its iteration. I've now read the final version and it is perfection.
November 13, 2024
”It’s hard.” “What is?” “Being alive.” “It is,” Arthur agreed. “But perhaps that’s the point: the trials and tribulations of life weigh heavily upon us, but we find people to help lighten the load.”
this time, the story is told from Arthur’s pov and while i still don’t think a sequel was necessary, it was nice to get some insight into his thoughts and feelings, along with what drives him to be an anchor to those who might experience the same things he did. Arthur had a rough upbringing which we get glimpses of in the other book but i almost feel like there wasn’t much depth given to the story itself as i would’ve expected, despite the obvious take away from these situations they all face. i loved seeing all the kids again though and Lucy is still my favorite, I felt so happy and proud of them witnessing how much they’ve grown in confidence since the previous book. the new character David is so sweet and i just live for how everyone welcomed and accepted him with open arms into their makeshift family.
”Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud.”
i can see why the author felt the need to write this and the message is one i think is important always— even more so in this current shit show of a world we’re living in. but i also have to admit that i think the approach was too heavy handed and doesn’t leave room for you to just enjoy the story as it’s own thing like the other one did, since it’s overshadowed by the points T.J Klune wants to get across. it was just lacking that comforting and fun aspect that i wanted from it, so i enjoyed it less than the house in the cerulean sea. i am still glad i read it though!
this time, the story is told from Arthur’s pov and while i still don’t think a sequel was necessary, it was nice to get some insight into his thoughts and feelings, along with what drives him to be an anchor to those who might experience the same things he did. Arthur had a rough upbringing which we get glimpses of in the other book but i almost feel like there wasn’t much depth given to the story itself as i would’ve expected, despite the obvious take away from these situations they all face. i loved seeing all the kids again though and Lucy is still my favorite, I felt so happy and proud of them witnessing how much they’ve grown in confidence since the previous book. the new character David is so sweet and i just live for how everyone welcomed and accepted him with open arms into their makeshift family.
”Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud.”
i can see why the author felt the need to write this and the message is one i think is important always— even more so in this current shit show of a world we’re living in. but i also have to admit that i think the approach was too heavy handed and doesn’t leave room for you to just enjoy the story as it’s own thing like the other one did, since it’s overshadowed by the points T.J Klune wants to get across. it was just lacking that comforting and fun aspect that i wanted from it, so i enjoyed it less than the house in the cerulean sea. i am still glad i read it though!
September 16, 2024
ALL THE STARS - if I could, I’d give 5000 stars👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻!!! THIS is the book I was most anticipating this year, and I am so, so happy that it did not let me down🥳!! Is it as perfect as the “House in the Cerulean Sea”?? If not, it’s very, very close! I loved every minute & word of it & am sad it’s over & now I have to return my library copy! It’s the greatest “found family” ever (again) with new challenges to face, lots of growth for all & as always, “Love is Love” with all that that means🏳️🌈💙 Also, I really appreciated the metaphors & allegories to todays political climate of weaponized hatred of “others”. My hearts now been broken & healed anew💔❤️🩹💝 MAGICAL, just MAGICAL🧚🏼🐦🔥!! Perfect ending and the author’s note at the end- chef’s kiss!! PLEASE READ IT EVERYONE!!
September 19, 2024
So, so, so sweet. Hopeful and righteous and heartfelt.
And yet, I don't find this to be a good book, and I feel like a bit of a candy stealer for it. Please, do not hide your lollipops and bags of caramel popcorn, this is not an attempt to take them away.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is unsubtle and simplistic, its antagonists devoid of inner life, its systems of oppression vague and lacking in any sense of historicity, its struggles and resolutions nebulous. Liberation is a struggle is a matter of the Good People (which are many) who only need to find their voice to stand against the Bad People (which are few.)
T.J. Klune apparently found inspiration for writing The House in the Cerulean Sea in the real-world history of residential schools, which uprooted, re-educated and abused Indigenous children; and there is a more noticeable effort in this book to address the generational trauma of uprooting, and allegorize Indigenous rights to the land. The execution leaves something to be desired, for all the author's heart is in the right place.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea's tone feels... off, to me. Contradictory. Its broadstrokes and politics have the feel of a children's book - yet, that isn't the audience the text seems to anticipate, given its language and protagonists' perspective. I'd judge the Cerulean Chronicles more kindly if they settled in for being children's literature — they still are, as long as you don't mind the occasional swear word. Better yet, its simplicity and genuinely quite fun dialogue would make it a good animated series. (Not to imply that animation is an innately more childish medium, but rather that the superficiality of the text would be lesser in a different medium.)
In the Acknowledgments, T.J. Klune professes a desire to be remembered as the Anti-J.K. Rowling. (Based. No notes. May the Queen of terfs choke on black mould and fall forever silent.) I find a bitter irony in that – for the Harry Potter series and the Cerulean Chronicles both are drenched through with a hyper-individualized view of political struggle, a liberal naïveté, a deep-rooted trust in institutions (even if Klune tries to escape it.) And everyone lived happily ever after, married in the epilogue.
P.S. This is very much Hurt/Comfort and Fluff. Possibly a bit of Crack. I bring out the fanfiction lingo, because Somewhere Beyond the Sea has the je ne sais quoi of fanfiction.
(My review of The House in the Cerulean Sea here; Past Me seemed much more inclined to enjoy it on its own level then, but both books have very similar strengths and flaws. If you liked that one, you will like this one.)
And yet, I don't find this to be a good book, and I feel like a bit of a candy stealer for it. Please, do not hide your lollipops and bags of caramel popcorn, this is not an attempt to take them away.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is unsubtle and simplistic, its antagonists devoid of inner life, its systems of oppression vague and lacking in any sense of historicity, its struggles and resolutions nebulous. Liberation is a struggle is a matter of the Good People (which are many) who only need to find their voice to stand against the Bad People (which are few.)
T.J. Klune apparently found inspiration for writing The House in the Cerulean Sea in the real-world history of residential schools, which uprooted, re-educated and abused Indigenous children; and there is a more noticeable effort in this book to address the generational trauma of uprooting, and allegorize Indigenous rights to the land. The execution leaves something to be desired, for all the author's heart is in the right place.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea's tone feels... off, to me. Contradictory. Its broadstrokes and politics have the feel of a children's book - yet, that isn't the audience the text seems to anticipate, given its language and protagonists' perspective. I'd judge the Cerulean Chronicles more kindly if they settled in for being children's literature — they still are, as long as you don't mind the occasional swear word. Better yet, its simplicity and genuinely quite fun dialogue would make it a good animated series. (Not to imply that animation is an innately more childish medium, but rather that the superficiality of the text would be lesser in a different medium.)
In the Acknowledgments, T.J. Klune professes a desire to be remembered as the Anti-J.K. Rowling. (Based. No notes. May the Queen of terfs choke on black mould and fall forever silent.) I find a bitter irony in that – for the Harry Potter series and the Cerulean Chronicles both are drenched through with a hyper-individualized view of political struggle, a liberal naïveté, a deep-rooted trust in institutions (even if Klune tries to escape it.) And everyone lived happily ever after, married in the epilogue.
P.S. This is very much Hurt/Comfort and Fluff. Possibly a bit of Crack. I bring out the fanfiction lingo, because Somewhere Beyond the Sea has the je ne sais quoi of fanfiction.
(My review of The House in the Cerulean Sea here; Past Me seemed much more inclined to enjoy it on its own level then, but both books have very similar strengths and flaws. If you liked that one, you will like this one.)
November 1, 2024
IT’S OFFICIAL: SEQUEL TO THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA CONFIRMED
Want to read
October 14, 2023I’m sorry??? I had no idea this was coming out, SOMEONE SEDATE ME. I will literally be screaming about this till the day it releases in 2024.
December 20, 2024
While I am very glad this book and these characters exist, I find myself not loving this book as much as everyone else. It's very longwinded, to the point where I wondered why several scenes were included. And as much as I agree with Klune's intentions and agree with his points, the messaging of this book was heavy handed to the point I felt I was being punched in the face repeatedly. That combined with most of the children speaking and behaving as if they were full grown adults didn't work well for me.
I do think books like this are important and as I said, I love the characters in this book. But if you're going to write second book in a series, find a way to expand your story instead of just reiterating everything in the first book over and over again.
I do think books like this are important and as I said, I love the characters in this book. But if you're going to write second book in a series, find a way to expand your story instead of just reiterating everything in the first book over and over again.
January 1, 2025
This healed a piece of my broken heart from the election. 🥹🫶🏼
September 24, 2024
"We're surrounded by like-minded people. We all want the same thing, or something close to it. Isn't that an echo chamber? How does that make us different?" (pg. 38-39)
Linus covered Lucy's mouth with his hand as the strangers around them snorted in laughter. "I think that's quite enough. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we might need to consider removing all Bibles from the island. Too many things in its pages children should not have access to."
Lucy's eyes filled with red as he pulled his head away. "We could have a good old-fashioned book burning." (pg. 349)
To the reader: there is a danger in believing that what an author writes is what they truly believe. And to the author: there is a greater danger in writing what you truly believe. "Write what you know," sure, but if what you know is the same as what a million other people have shown they also know, then maybe you should either make an effort to know more so you can say something more substantial, or write something else. Preferably the first option. Because the world really does need more good queer stories, more beacons of hope for those of us who have only ever been told we're a danger to society just for being ourselves. Unfortunately, Somewhere Beyond the Sea was not a thing of feathers for me.
The heavy-handed use of terms lifted from The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Toolbox is something I've come to expect from Klune's writing, along with over-performative dialogues about inclusivity. It was noticeable, but subtle enough to be dismissed in his other books I've read--The House in the Cerulean Sea, In the Lives of Puppets, and Under the Whispering Door. This book, however, is more performance than story.
I understand very well the message Klune is trying to impart here, and it's a message I can agree with: Love is louder than hate. Live your truth, and other will follow. And I think Klune could have relayed this message perfectly well with the plot and subplots he set up. Instead, he just had to shoot himself in the foot by writing Jeanine Rowder.
J. K. Rowder's existence flies in the face of the book's narrative moral of "Love is louder than hate." If Klune actually believed what he was writing, as he claims to in the Acknowledgements section, he would not have decided to base his "legacy" on being the anti of a singular, terrible person. Maybe he thinks he's being funny, since he has a very important Anti in his book, but I think Klune forgot he was writing a story, a thing that needs comprehensible plots and characters, not stream-of-consciousness diatribes that would look more at home on tumblr.
I'm not saying Rowling doesn't deserve mockery. She absolutely does. But Klune's fixation on her is extremely ill-fitting in the narrative. Firstly, why Rowling? And why reskin her as a politician for the story? The real Rowling is a celebrity with a legion of manchildren to defend her idiocy on the internet, but she's not a government official. She has social influence, sure, but she's only a backer of the industries that construct and sustain oppression. There are hundreds, thousands of politicians who pass anti-human-rights legislation all the time. So, why not base his evil politician character on one of them? They do way more active harm in a single sitting than Rowling could ever do. The choice of Rowling instead of an actual anti-LGBTQ politician makes Klune's caricature look even more childish, like he's just another one of her fans betrayed by her bigotry, butthurt that they can't stream Harry Potter in good conscience anymore.
Secondly, how is being an Anti . . . not being hateful? Love is louder than hate, except when the person really deserves it? Is that really what Klune wants his legacy to be? "We should try to change hearts and minds! . . . but not J. K. Rowling's! She doesn't deserve it! She's too far gone!" If we're not trying to illuminate the darkest hearts, then what are we doing? Who are we convincing if we're rebuking those we've decided aren't worth it?
To put it bluntly, Klune's fixation on his irl mortal nemesis has made this book nigh unreadable. There is no nuance, no subtlety; the mood of each scene fluctuates wildly between severe anxiety, to elation, to cartoonish randomness, to saccharine brain rot, but that's okay because nothing that happens actually matters because you need to remember that Klune hates Rowling. That's his whole thing now. He even wrote a book about it: this book. This sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which, shockingly, was simultaneously a fantastic story about love and acceptance while not being about Rowling at all.
That being said, here are some of the grievances I had that had nothing to do with Rowder:
-I don't know who this book is supposed to be for. The writing style is puerile, reminiscent of YA, while still trying to tackle themes of racism, sexism, segregation, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia. And while the xenophobia toward magical creatures is plainly a thinly-veiled metaphor for homo-/transphobia, it makes no sense:
"Can't you see what they're doing?" one such blowhard bellowed on a radio news program. "They're going to come after your children, indoctrinate them into thinking being magical is normal. It's anything but! It's a choice." (pg. 384)
. . . What? The worldbuilding clearly dictates magic as a genetic trait. That's like having your bigot character say being tall is a choice. But that leads me to my next gripe:
-All of the bigots in his book are idiots. They're lazily-constructed strawmen who are so extreme in their views that they are cartoonish. They exist solely to have our protagonists shake their heads at them while pointing over their shoulders, saying to the audience, "Would you get a load of this guy?" One of the only times this book made me laugh was when the children referred to Marblemaw as a "scarecrow," but I know that wasn't intentional. And speaking of cartoonish:
-Chapter 14 reads like the description of an episode of Tom and Jerry. Marblemaw deciding to body slam the door at the exact moment it swung open for her, with Arthur standing coolly above her as she face-planted into the dirt; Calliope, completely and inexplicably anthropomorphized in her behavior, attacking Marblemaw when she reaches for Sal, leading to another bizarrely-slapstick moment where Sal opens the door for them to tumble out in the flurry of their scuffle. Again: who was this book written for?
-The children talk like characters from a Very Special Episode of a children's sitcom, made even stranger by the fact that they don't have internet access. This is not to say children can't have empathy, or the emotional maturity to uplift their friends, but they all talk like they learned empathy from a twitter thread on How to Heal Your Inner Child.
-Somewhat iterative, but all of the good guys are obviously good while the bad guys are obviously evil and also strawmen. Hey Klune, since you're such a huge Harry Potter fan, remember this line from Order of the Phoenix? Paraphrased, since I threw the books away long ago: "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters."
-The motivation of the characters is too vague. To change hearts and minds is all well and good, but there isn't enough actionable planning on this goal to move the plot any faster than the pace of sludge on a wheelchair ramp. Plainly speaking, it was boring.
-The ending (no spoilers) opens up a ton of implications that Klune frankly does not have the world-building skills to navigate. He can't even decide which phobia he wants his story to represent.
And my final gripe:
MILLENNIAL WRITING.
For the love of god, Klune, please talk to a human being who doesn't live their life on the internet. You want to talk about an echo chamber?
There are a few hallmarks of millennial writing, some of those being:
-References and meme language. "My father took a switch upside my rear when I stepped out of line, and I turned out just fine." (pg. 79) Boomers don't talk like this. Their traumatized children say they do to succinctly encompass their parents' generational trauma. Additionally, "I'm just a little guy!" (pg. 315) "The new ice cream parlor owner, the librarians, the guys, gals, and nonbinary pals from the bookstore and coffee shop." (pg. 371) Not just memetic, but again, over-performative. For fuck's sake, just say "people." You slowed the narrative to a grinding halt to draw EXTREME attention to Byron's androgynous appearance and Jason's weird, twitter-esque aggression about affirming their nonbinary identity, just to needlessly say "A few more people--two older women and a young man--sat on the couches [...]" (pg. 112) two paragraphs later. JUST SAY PEOPLE, KLUNE.
-Excessively verbose. Every single person in this book says way more words than necessary at all times. It feels like padding, and also like Klune forgot he wasn't writing prose on tumblr. Here's my favorite:
Unfazed, the conductor said, "How wonderful! I, too, am filled with an encroaching dread over my own mortality. I've always thought that being aware of one's impending demise makes for a more interesting life, but I have yet to prove this particular hypothesis." (pg. 129) . . . HUH?
I wanted to like this book, Klune, but you are not the hero of all of us poor little queers betrayed by Rowling, no matter how badly you want to be. I would be much happier if even a fraction of the hate directed at her was poured into actionable goals toward changing real-life legislation. In your acknowledgements (pg. 403), you said, "Something you didn't like? Blame me. And then remember: it's just a book."
. . . I thought words were important, TJ?
Edit: Forgot to add how much I hated the ass-pull with the scroll at the end. Granted, it's a fantasy story; it can have improbable things so everything works out in the end. But if those things were not set up earlier in the story, they are an ass-pull. I don't care that it's unrealistic--the genre is fantasy! I want it to be unrealistic!--but I do care that it's written badly, with Klune's vision of his ending being more important than, again, comprehensibility.
Linus covered Lucy's mouth with his hand as the strangers around them snorted in laughter. "I think that's quite enough. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we might need to consider removing all Bibles from the island. Too many things in its pages children should not have access to."
Lucy's eyes filled with red as he pulled his head away. "We could have a good old-fashioned book burning." (pg. 349)
To the reader: there is a danger in believing that what an author writes is what they truly believe. And to the author: there is a greater danger in writing what you truly believe. "Write what you know," sure, but if what you know is the same as what a million other people have shown they also know, then maybe you should either make an effort to know more so you can say something more substantial, or write something else. Preferably the first option. Because the world really does need more good queer stories, more beacons of hope for those of us who have only ever been told we're a danger to society just for being ourselves. Unfortunately, Somewhere Beyond the Sea was not a thing of feathers for me.
The heavy-handed use of terms lifted from The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Toolbox is something I've come to expect from Klune's writing, along with over-performative dialogues about inclusivity. It was noticeable, but subtle enough to be dismissed in his other books I've read--The House in the Cerulean Sea, In the Lives of Puppets, and Under the Whispering Door. This book, however, is more performance than story.
I understand very well the message Klune is trying to impart here, and it's a message I can agree with: Love is louder than hate. Live your truth, and other will follow. And I think Klune could have relayed this message perfectly well with the plot and subplots he set up. Instead, he just had to shoot himself in the foot by writing Jeanine Rowder.
J. K. Rowder's existence flies in the face of the book's narrative moral of "Love is louder than hate." If Klune actually believed what he was writing, as he claims to in the Acknowledgements section, he would not have decided to base his "legacy" on being the anti of a singular, terrible person. Maybe he thinks he's being funny, since he has a very important Anti in his book, but I think Klune forgot he was writing a story, a thing that needs comprehensible plots and characters, not stream-of-consciousness diatribes that would look more at home on tumblr.
I'm not saying Rowling doesn't deserve mockery. She absolutely does. But Klune's fixation on her is extremely ill-fitting in the narrative. Firstly, why Rowling? And why reskin her as a politician for the story? The real Rowling is a celebrity with a legion of manchildren to defend her idiocy on the internet, but she's not a government official. She has social influence, sure, but she's only a backer of the industries that construct and sustain oppression. There are hundreds, thousands of politicians who pass anti-human-rights legislation all the time. So, why not base his evil politician character on one of them? They do way more active harm in a single sitting than Rowling could ever do. The choice of Rowling instead of an actual anti-LGBTQ politician makes Klune's caricature look even more childish, like he's just another one of her fans betrayed by her bigotry, butthurt that they can't stream Harry Potter in good conscience anymore.
Secondly, how is being an Anti . . . not being hateful? Love is louder than hate, except when the person really deserves it? Is that really what Klune wants his legacy to be? "We should try to change hearts and minds! . . . but not J. K. Rowling's! She doesn't deserve it! She's too far gone!" If we're not trying to illuminate the darkest hearts, then what are we doing? Who are we convincing if we're rebuking those we've decided aren't worth it?
To put it bluntly, Klune's fixation on his irl mortal nemesis has made this book nigh unreadable. There is no nuance, no subtlety; the mood of each scene fluctuates wildly between severe anxiety, to elation, to cartoonish randomness, to saccharine brain rot, but that's okay because nothing that happens actually matters because you need to remember that Klune hates Rowling. That's his whole thing now. He even wrote a book about it: this book. This sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which, shockingly, was simultaneously a fantastic story about love and acceptance while not being about Rowling at all.
That being said, here are some of the grievances I had that had nothing to do with Rowder:
-I don't know who this book is supposed to be for. The writing style is puerile, reminiscent of YA, while still trying to tackle themes of racism, sexism, segregation, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia. And while the xenophobia toward magical creatures is plainly a thinly-veiled metaphor for homo-/transphobia, it makes no sense:
"Can't you see what they're doing?" one such blowhard bellowed on a radio news program. "They're going to come after your children, indoctrinate them into thinking being magical is normal. It's anything but! It's a choice." (pg. 384)
. . . What? The worldbuilding clearly dictates magic as a genetic trait. That's like having your bigot character say being tall is a choice. But that leads me to my next gripe:
-All of the bigots in his book are idiots. They're lazily-constructed strawmen who are so extreme in their views that they are cartoonish. They exist solely to have our protagonists shake their heads at them while pointing over their shoulders, saying to the audience, "Would you get a load of this guy?" One of the only times this book made me laugh was when the children referred to Marblemaw as a "scarecrow," but I know that wasn't intentional. And speaking of cartoonish:
-Chapter 14 reads like the description of an episode of Tom and Jerry. Marblemaw deciding to body slam the door at the exact moment it swung open for her, with Arthur standing coolly above her as she face-planted into the dirt; Calliope, completely and inexplicably anthropomorphized in her behavior, attacking Marblemaw when she reaches for Sal, leading to another bizarrely-slapstick moment where Sal opens the door for them to tumble out in the flurry of their scuffle. Again: who was this book written for?
-The children talk like characters from a Very Special Episode of a children's sitcom, made even stranger by the fact that they don't have internet access. This is not to say children can't have empathy, or the emotional maturity to uplift their friends, but they all talk like they learned empathy from a twitter thread on How to Heal Your Inner Child.
-Somewhat iterative, but all of the good guys are obviously good while the bad guys are obviously evil and also strawmen. Hey Klune, since you're such a huge Harry Potter fan, remember this line from Order of the Phoenix? Paraphrased, since I threw the books away long ago: "The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters."
-The motivation of the characters is too vague. To change hearts and minds is all well and good, but there isn't enough actionable planning on this goal to move the plot any faster than the pace of sludge on a wheelchair ramp. Plainly speaking, it was boring.
-The ending (no spoilers) opens up a ton of implications that Klune frankly does not have the world-building skills to navigate. He can't even decide which phobia he wants his story to represent.
And my final gripe:
MILLENNIAL WRITING.
For the love of god, Klune, please talk to a human being who doesn't live their life on the internet. You want to talk about an echo chamber?
There are a few hallmarks of millennial writing, some of those being:
-References and meme language. "My father took a switch upside my rear when I stepped out of line, and I turned out just fine." (pg. 79) Boomers don't talk like this. Their traumatized children say they do to succinctly encompass their parents' generational trauma. Additionally, "I'm just a little guy!" (pg. 315) "The new ice cream parlor owner, the librarians, the guys, gals, and nonbinary pals from the bookstore and coffee shop." (pg. 371) Not just memetic, but again, over-performative. For fuck's sake, just say "people." You slowed the narrative to a grinding halt to draw EXTREME attention to Byron's androgynous appearance and Jason's weird, twitter-esque aggression about affirming their nonbinary identity, just to needlessly say "A few more people--two older women and a young man--sat on the couches [...]" (pg. 112) two paragraphs later. JUST SAY PEOPLE, KLUNE.
-Excessively verbose. Every single person in this book says way more words than necessary at all times. It feels like padding, and also like Klune forgot he wasn't writing prose on tumblr. Here's my favorite:
Unfazed, the conductor said, "How wonderful! I, too, am filled with an encroaching dread over my own mortality. I've always thought that being aware of one's impending demise makes for a more interesting life, but I have yet to prove this particular hypothesis." (pg. 129) . . . HUH?
I wanted to like this book, Klune, but you are not the hero of all of us poor little queers betrayed by Rowling, no matter how badly you want to be. I would be much happier if even a fraction of the hate directed at her was poured into actionable goals toward changing real-life legislation. In your acknowledgements (pg. 403), you said, "Something you didn't like? Blame me. And then remember: it's just a book."
. . . I thought words were important, TJ?
Edit: Forgot to add how much I hated the ass-pull with the scroll at the end. Granted, it's a fantasy story; it can have improbable things so everything works out in the end. But if those things were not set up earlier in the story, they are an ass-pull. I don't care that it's unrealistic--the genre is fantasy! I want it to be unrealistic!--but I do care that it's written badly, with Klune's vision of his ending being more important than, again, comprehensibility.
August 7, 2024
AudioARC received from LibroFM, thanks!
ALL THE SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!
I almost don't know what to say about this book. I'm incredibly disappointed that this book was allowed to be published, as it is hugely problematic.
I really loved The House in the Cerulean Sea when I first read it, and at the time I could see the parallels between Klune's story and the way Indigenous people in Canada have been treated (historically and currently), so then to hear that it was directly inspired by the 60's Scoop, left me feeling quite off about it. And to hear Klune speak about it, it's as though it was this small, little snippet of Canadian history that he discovered. Which, it's not. And he rightly got called out on it. And did not respond in any way, which didn't impress me. But, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, he made a mistake, let's hope he does better going forward. And he really has not with this sequel. If anything, it's worse than THITCS.
The absolutely blatant use of Indigenous trauma to write this book (and sell it, because you know it's going to sell well) and then not acknowledge it whatsoever is absolutely disgusting. I wanted to give Klune a chance to hear the criticisms of THITCS and to learn from that, and not do it again, but I think he actually leaned harder into that trauma with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. In it we have Arthur, our POV character this time around, giving testimony about his time and how he was treated in foster care, he received a monetary settlement because of it; both of these things are exactly what happened with survivors of the 60's Scoop, where Indigenous children were stolen away from their families and put into white foster homes, where they were treated appallingly. While it was at its height in the 1960s, it continues TO THIS DAY, with Indigenous children making up a large majority of those living in foster care. To use Indigenous trauma that is still ongoing is insensitive at best and appropriation at worst.
Throughout the book there are mentions of intergenerational trauma, the dehumanization and othering of the children in foster care, treaties and land rights. These are all very real traumas and issues that Indigenous people in Canada are dealing with today. The 60's Scoop wasn't some small blip in Canada's history, its legacy and trauma is still very present today. At one point in SBTS the government officials come and try to take the children away (at which point treaties and land rights are mentioned) and the imagery of an Indigenous Elder, who escaped being taken by hiding under the dead body of their family (while this is reminiscent of any colonized people, it is very much a part of Indigenous history, too), showing the bad government people the treaties that were signed and declaring the land sovereign is evoked. And I can't help but think of all the times this has happened in Canadian history (as well as present day) and how the police were called in and the government just did whatever they wanted. The Wet'suwet'en in BC are still dealing with this, despite their never having ceded their land. To use this sort of imagery without knowing the history is just not okay.
In addition to the blatant use of Indigenous trauma to write this book, there is also the issue of how it portrays white saviourism. Don't worry marginalized children who have been ripped away from their families and cultures, these two middle-class white men will save you! While I do think that Klune was trying for more of a found family feel, this just comes across as white saviourism, and while the children aren't being abused, they're also not learning about their own unique cultures. This is a huge problem within the foster care system, in that children from marginalized communities are placed with white foster families and they completely lose their culture. So to reinforce that is quite awful.
And lastly, setting aside how incredibly problematic it is, the story was not compelling in any way. With THITCS, you could tell that it was a story that Klune was excited about, whereas with SBTS it feels like he was trying to write the sequel he had no intention of writing. The plot was very haphazard, the characters not well developed. I am also having feelings with regards to the dedication and author note, in that Klune is dedicating this book to trans kids and he talks about how he wants his legacy to be as the anti-JKR. However, as far as I know, Klune has never written a trans character. There is one very minor side character in SBTS who I believe is meant to be non-binary, but I don't know that they actually even have any lines of dialogue. If you are wanting to set yourself up as the anti-JKR, maybe include some trans characters in your books? Dedicating a book to trans kids and then those same kids not even being able to see themselves in that book is making me feel some sort of way.
Overall, this was a complete dumpster fire of a book that never should have been published. After reading this I am seriously considering what do to with my not insignificant collection of TJ Klune books, because it honestly makes me feel gross to even be looking at them.
ALL THE SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!
I almost don't know what to say about this book. I'm incredibly disappointed that this book was allowed to be published, as it is hugely problematic.
I really loved The House in the Cerulean Sea when I first read it, and at the time I could see the parallels between Klune's story and the way Indigenous people in Canada have been treated (historically and currently), so then to hear that it was directly inspired by the 60's Scoop, left me feeling quite off about it. And to hear Klune speak about it, it's as though it was this small, little snippet of Canadian history that he discovered. Which, it's not. And he rightly got called out on it. And did not respond in any way, which didn't impress me. But, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, he made a mistake, let's hope he does better going forward. And he really has not with this sequel. If anything, it's worse than THITCS.
The absolutely blatant use of Indigenous trauma to write this book (and sell it, because you know it's going to sell well) and then not acknowledge it whatsoever is absolutely disgusting. I wanted to give Klune a chance to hear the criticisms of THITCS and to learn from that, and not do it again, but I think he actually leaned harder into that trauma with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. In it we have Arthur, our POV character this time around, giving testimony about his time and how he was treated in foster care, he received a monetary settlement because of it; both of these things are exactly what happened with survivors of the 60's Scoop, where Indigenous children were stolen away from their families and put into white foster homes, where they were treated appallingly. While it was at its height in the 1960s, it continues TO THIS DAY, with Indigenous children making up a large majority of those living in foster care. To use Indigenous trauma that is still ongoing is insensitive at best and appropriation at worst.
Throughout the book there are mentions of intergenerational trauma, the dehumanization and othering of the children in foster care, treaties and land rights. These are all very real traumas and issues that Indigenous people in Canada are dealing with today. The 60's Scoop wasn't some small blip in Canada's history, its legacy and trauma is still very present today. At one point in SBTS the government officials come and try to take the children away (at which point treaties and land rights are mentioned) and the imagery of an Indigenous Elder, who escaped being taken by hiding under the dead body of their family (while this is reminiscent of any colonized people, it is very much a part of Indigenous history, too), showing the bad government people the treaties that were signed and declaring the land sovereign is evoked. And I can't help but think of all the times this has happened in Canadian history (as well as present day) and how the police were called in and the government just did whatever they wanted. The Wet'suwet'en in BC are still dealing with this, despite their never having ceded their land. To use this sort of imagery without knowing the history is just not okay.
In addition to the blatant use of Indigenous trauma to write this book, there is also the issue of how it portrays white saviourism. Don't worry marginalized children who have been ripped away from their families and cultures, these two middle-class white men will save you! While I do think that Klune was trying for more of a found family feel, this just comes across as white saviourism, and while the children aren't being abused, they're also not learning about their own unique cultures. This is a huge problem within the foster care system, in that children from marginalized communities are placed with white foster families and they completely lose their culture. So to reinforce that is quite awful.
And lastly, setting aside how incredibly problematic it is, the story was not compelling in any way. With THITCS, you could tell that it was a story that Klune was excited about, whereas with SBTS it feels like he was trying to write the sequel he had no intention of writing. The plot was very haphazard, the characters not well developed. I am also having feelings with regards to the dedication and author note, in that Klune is dedicating this book to trans kids and he talks about how he wants his legacy to be as the anti-JKR. However, as far as I know, Klune has never written a trans character. There is one very minor side character in SBTS who I believe is meant to be non-binary, but I don't know that they actually even have any lines of dialogue. If you are wanting to set yourself up as the anti-JKR, maybe include some trans characters in your books? Dedicating a book to trans kids and then those same kids not even being able to see themselves in that book is making me feel some sort of way.
Overall, this was a complete dumpster fire of a book that never should have been published. After reading this I am seriously considering what do to with my not insignificant collection of TJ Klune books, because it honestly makes me feel gross to even be looking at them.
September 23, 2024
࿐ This was hope; the children, love letters to a future that had yet to be decided.
ᝰ.ᐟ 3.5 stars
I’m not sure if this will end up being an unpopular opinion, but I don't think this sequel was necessary. It pains me to say this because The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favourite books, but Somewhere Beyond the Sea feels more like fan-service than a proper sequel.
── .✦ Whatever else he was, David's bravery in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds proved yet again what Arthur had always believed: magic existed in many forms, some extraordinary, some simple acts of goodwill and trust, small though they might be.
A part of me loved this book, it's cosy and comforting and it made me happy, I even shed a few tears. The characters are the kindest, loveliest, most precious people ever. Lucy remains my favourite, he's a wonderful boy, but I love them all. Sal made me so proud, he's more confident and not afraid to speak up. Talia, Phee, Theodore, Chauncey, they're all so funny and sweet. David, the new kid, was so easy to love and fit into this beautiful family like it was made for him. Linus and Arthur are the best parents these kids could have and they're just the sweetest. I love their love. So of course it was great to see them again and follow their adventures and feel like I'm part of their everyday life.
── .✦ Whatever else he was, David's bravery in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds proved yet again what Arthur had always believed: magic existed in many forms, some extraordinary, some simple acts of goodwill and trust, small though they might be.
Unfortunately, some things didn't work for me.The plot was almost non-existent and it felt like a repeat of the first book, I even got a bit bored at some points because nothing was happening. This book focuses a lot on Arthur and his story, but I think it all felt a bit shallow because his trauma was not explored in depth. And I know this is a cosy, low-stakes fantasy book, but Arthur has spent so long bottling up his emotions and always being everything to other people that I wish this book had focused more on his healing journey and him putting himself first for the first time in his life. I love him, but the truth is there's no character growth in this book.
── .✦ "You've been strong your entire life. You've had to be. Unfairly. Unjustly. But I think you also believe you're still alone at times, that you have to shoulder everything on your own. You don't. You have me. I can help you carry the weight of it. I can be your rock.”
At times the book was too political and I had the impression that the author was trying to force his ideals on me. I want to make it clear that I think this story has a beautiful message, I believe in an inclusive world where everyone is free to be who they are, to do what they want, to love who they want. And I agree with the message the author is trying to get across to his audience, but there was no need to repeat the same thing over and over again, it felt forced instead of something natural. Like he was saying "this is right and this is wrong” instead of saying "have you ever thought that maybe this is what the world should look like?”. I like a book that gives me the freedom to think for myself, not one that tells me exactly what to think.
The House in the Cerulean Sea had something that I didn't find in the sequel. It wasn't as magical, whimsical and special as the first book. And I didn't like how perfect the ending was, even though it was lovely. I appreciate this book for allowing me to visit characters I treasure so much, but I can't help but feel disappointed.
── .✦ Hope is the thing with feathers, yes, and hope is the thing with fire.
September 9, 2024
Whilst the House in the Cerulean Sea was like a warm hug, this was a strangling squeeze of reality partnered with a hopeful embrace.
With six children of varying shapes, sizes, and magical abilities, the adventure never ends.
Told from Arthur’s perspective, our beloved cast must face the prejudice of the world and the trauma from their past to pave a better, more loving and inclusive future.
Arthur set up the Island so that things would be different form his own abusive upbringing there. He pledges to give orphaned magical children what he never had: a place to be whoever they want to be, no matter what they can do or where they come from.
Now, Arthur is testifying against the government to show the corrupt system and highlight the changes that must be made.
As usual, Klune keeps a light tone with bright humour and scenes that had me giggling. There is also a lovely new addition called David - a yeti.
But before he could finish, Lucy yelled in unfettered joy, "You can breathe fire? Holy crap, Theodore! Let's burn everything!"
"And that's our cue," Arthur said.
"This is what happens when you sleep late," Linus muttered.
Klune always writes his themes with a heavy hand. His on the nose approach is obvious dealing with the queer community, finding belonging, and standing against a passive, non-transparent, unaccountable, and untrustworthy government.
In fact, Klune acknowledges himself as the Anti-Jk-Rowling.
For some reason, the chapters were soooo long! There were paragraph breaks, but sometimes I felt starting a new chapter would have worked better.
Also, to note there is some controversy about this book as the story was partially inspired by the traumatic truth of Indigenous children who were taken from their families and placed into orphanages and treated brutally to try to assimilate them into white society and culture.
As a white author, some wonder whether it is right for Klune to write this narrative.
This felt cathartic. A scream into the void surrounding a cerulean sea.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing me a physical arc (AHHHH) in exchange for a review.
Bookstagram
With six children of varying shapes, sizes, and magical abilities, the adventure never ends.
Told from Arthur’s perspective, our beloved cast must face the prejudice of the world and the trauma from their past to pave a better, more loving and inclusive future.
Arthur set up the Island so that things would be different form his own abusive upbringing there. He pledges to give orphaned magical children what he never had: a place to be whoever they want to be, no matter what they can do or where they come from.
Now, Arthur is testifying against the government to show the corrupt system and highlight the changes that must be made.
As usual, Klune keeps a light tone with bright humour and scenes that had me giggling. There is also a lovely new addition called David - a yeti.
But before he could finish, Lucy yelled in unfettered joy, "You can breathe fire? Holy crap, Theodore! Let's burn everything!"
"And that's our cue," Arthur said.
"This is what happens when you sleep late," Linus muttered.
Klune always writes his themes with a heavy hand. His on the nose approach is obvious dealing with the queer community, finding belonging, and standing against a passive, non-transparent, unaccountable, and untrustworthy government.
In fact, Klune acknowledges himself as the Anti-Jk-Rowling.
For some reason, the chapters were soooo long! There were paragraph breaks, but sometimes I felt starting a new chapter would have worked better.
Also, to note there is some controversy about this book as the story was partially inspired by the traumatic truth of Indigenous children who were taken from their families and placed into orphanages and treated brutally to try to assimilate them into white society and culture.
As a white author, some wonder whether it is right for Klune to write this narrative.
This felt cathartic. A scream into the void surrounding a cerulean sea.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing me a physical arc (AHHHH) in exchange for a review.
Bookstagram
October 2, 2024
this is my I’m not sure how I feel but mostly loved it rating.
personal setting: I’m in a mild anxiety mood at the moment because life. so as you can see by my pre-read updates below, I was hella excited for this book; for the group of weird fantastical kiddos to take me on a new unexpected adventure, make me laugh, forget and cry a little with Arthur’s backstory and end it with good vibes.
I kind of didn’t like the political agenda that was slapping me in the face from the beginning and taking me out of the story mood. but it’s TJ KLUNE, he can talk about whatever the fork he likes in his book and I’ll skip if I get bored. but it felt a lot? ALSO, Arthur talked for two hours, forty-plus minutes about his childhood and it was glossed over? we didn’t get more info than book one!!!!! ALSO, these kids don’t talk like kids, sometimes it works but other times I forget they’re ten year olds! ALSO, that lord of the rings scene at the end was a bit much🙄
to the good bits: I did not think, I would love a fictional kid more than Lucy and Talia but David was just so damn precious 🫶🫶 the first meeting was ridiculously wholesome, I just can’t even! I also, would never mind a book about him and Lucy falling in love, please and thank you. I’m loving how it’s a year later and the kids have grown in confidence (Sal) in friendship (Phee) in powers (Chauncey&Theodore) and are still ridiculously inventively murderous and sassy (Lucy&Talia). Arthur is the fun dad, I just love him to bits, how he’s always amused by everyone and goes along with everything, and I enjoyed that this book was from his point of view. someone should draw him wearing his children approved suit at the hearing🔥 (as well as Zoe clad in armor) this is my favorite quote: “We’re going to stab her with so much kindness, she’ll thank us for it.” Chauncey is a FREAKING SWEETHEART!!! the scene of him eating the pinecones, the scene where he took them on an adventure and talking to Frank the fish😂😂 ohmygod!!!!! A lot of the kids’ scenes were hilarious, like Phee’s story about the mustache and Linus’ reaction to David learning swear words in Wyvern speak. I was also taking notes on how to reply to aholes, most of these scenes are satisfying.
PS. I loved the ’flora bora slam’ easter egg, I think I’ll go read the Tales of Verania books now, maybe the audios this time!
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personal setting: I’m in a mild anxiety mood at the moment because life. so as you can see by my pre-read updates below, I was hella excited for this book; for the group of weird fantastical kiddos to take me on a new unexpected adventure, make me laugh, forget and cry a little with Arthur’s backstory and end it with good vibes.
I kind of didn’t like the political agenda that was slapping me in the face from the beginning and taking me out of the story mood. but it’s TJ KLUNE, he can talk about whatever the fork he likes in his book and I’ll skip if I get bored. but it felt a lot? ALSO, Arthur talked for two hours, forty-plus minutes about his childhood and it was glossed over? we didn’t get more info than book one!!!!! ALSO, these kids don’t talk like kids, sometimes it works but other times I forget they’re ten year olds! ALSO, that lord of the rings scene at the end was a bit much🙄
to the good bits: I did not think, I would love a fictional kid more than Lucy and Talia but David was just so damn precious 🫶🫶 the first meeting was ridiculously wholesome, I just can’t even! I also, would never mind a book about him and Lucy falling in love, please and thank you. I’m loving how it’s a year later and the kids have grown in confidence (Sal) in friendship (Phee) in powers (Chauncey&Theodore) and are still ridiculously inventively murderous and sassy (Lucy&Talia). Arthur is the fun dad, I just love him to bits, how he’s always amused by everyone and goes along with everything, and I enjoyed that this book was from his point of view. someone should draw him wearing his children approved suit at the hearing🔥 (as well as Zoe clad in armor) this is my favorite quote: “We’re going to stab her with so much kindness, she’ll thank us for it.” Chauncey is a FREAKING SWEETHEART!!! the scene of him eating the pinecones, the scene where he took them on an adventure and talking to Frank the fish😂😂 ohmygod!!!!! A lot of the kids’ scenes were hilarious, like Phee’s story about the mustache and Linus’ reaction to David learning swear words in Wyvern speak. I was also taking notes on how to reply to aholes, most of these scenes are satisfying.
PS. I loved the ’flora bora slam’ easter egg, I think I’ll go read the Tales of Verania books now, maybe the audios this time!
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IT'S HEEEERE!!!!!!
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I was about to freak out over the 57 minutes released of this book on Everand and whether I should listen to it or not, BUT THE BOOK COMES OUT IN A WEEK OHMYGOD!!!!!!
October 27, 2024
Clear allegory addressing politics today othering LGBTQ+ and acknowledging all the historical atrocities of government, including Indigenous colonization and genocide. So it resonated with me deeply, but what I loved most about this book is the promise that a third must be coming based on the ending.
I’m so distraught about the state of humanity in the US right now. This book tells me to remain hopeful and believe in the righteousness and goodness of people who will stand in solidarity with us. With elections only a couple of weeks away and the MAGA party (I refuse to call them Republicans) setting up to destroy and rebuild the country in its pre-Civil War image, hope is a hard resource to find right now. The most I hope for is that this author is right - that we have the right to hope that our citizenship will be defended and allowed to live in peace with the full authority to exist as we are - someday.
I’m so distraught about the state of humanity in the US right now. This book tells me to remain hopeful and believe in the righteousness and goodness of people who will stand in solidarity with us. With elections only a couple of weeks away and the MAGA party (I refuse to call them Republicans) setting up to destroy and rebuild the country in its pre-Civil War image, hope is a hard resource to find right now. The most I hope for is that this author is right - that we have the right to hope that our citizenship will be defended and allowed to live in peace with the full authority to exist as we are - someday.
September 17, 2024
DNF’ed after about 20%. I loved the first book so I was really excited to get a sequel but I couldn’t even make it to the quarter mark for this book. I don’t DNF books lightly, but I could just tell that this book was not going to give me the same joy and warm feelings as the first did. This book, right off the bat, felt so politicized and TJ Klune clearly had a strong agenda that he was pushing that was just too much for me. I’m really sad and disappointed that this book was such a letdown for me but after reading a few other people’s opinions at least I know I’m not alone in my thoughts (even if we are the minority with the book having such a high rating).
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October 11, 2023GOING BACK TO THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA UNIVERSE?? I’M SOLD. 🥹
September 18, 2024
This is tough for me. I have loved every TJ Klune book I've ever read, and the House in the Cerulaen Sea is one of my all-time favorites. The setting, the characters, the feels - that book was so important to me during the pandemic and probably deserves much of the credit for setting me on a cozier reading path.
So it is safe to say my expectations were sky-high for this sequel. Don't get me wrong, this book has a lot of things to love. All of our favorite characters are back and just as adorable and lovable and hilarious as ever, with new friends to boot. I still found so much joy in the siblings' interactions and their wild adventures.
But. I just couldn't connect with this story in the same way as the first. The pacing and plot were uneven and I don't think the story came together as a whole in the same way. I mean, the first ~100 pages are about Arthur baring his soul in a testimony before congress and the story doesn't even really start until after that. Surprisingly, though it took me midway through the book to realize, Arthur really didn't work for me as a POV character. His language and communication are quite stiff and I read some lines that really took me out of the story because no one would ever say some of his words out loud, let alone to children. My one humble suggestion is that this actually should have been Zoe's story, not Arthur's.
Finally, my big (sad) complaint. I really, deeply appreciate what TJ Klune is trying to do here. There is no greater aspiration for a writer than to be the anti-JK Rowling. But reaching into your back pocket for a cartoon-sized mallet to bang us over the head with a message over and over again did not make me feel all warm and fuzzy. It really took me out of the story and made me sigh each time.
Upon reflection, this could definitely be a me problem. I look to TJ Klune for an escape that will make me cry and laugh and break my heart (gently) and then put it back together again. But this book was way too real. It was not an escape, instead it was an overt exploration of our society and the many ways we hurt and target the most vulnerable among us. That is a very important story to be told and I applaud him for doing it. I just think there is a book somewhere in here that accomplishes all of those things rather more delicately. This one unfortunately, devastatingly, wasn't it for me :(
So it is safe to say my expectations were sky-high for this sequel. Don't get me wrong, this book has a lot of things to love. All of our favorite characters are back and just as adorable and lovable and hilarious as ever, with new friends to boot. I still found so much joy in the siblings' interactions and their wild adventures.
But. I just couldn't connect with this story in the same way as the first. The pacing and plot were uneven and I don't think the story came together as a whole in the same way. I mean, the first ~100 pages are about Arthur baring his soul in a testimony before congress and the story doesn't even really start until after that. Surprisingly, though it took me midway through the book to realize, Arthur really didn't work for me as a POV character. His language and communication are quite stiff and I read some lines that really took me out of the story because no one would ever say some of his words out loud, let alone to children. My one humble suggestion is that this actually should have been Zoe's story, not Arthur's.
Finally, my big (sad) complaint. I really, deeply appreciate what TJ Klune is trying to do here. There is no greater aspiration for a writer than to be the anti-JK Rowling. But reaching into your back pocket for a cartoon-sized mallet to bang us over the head with a message over and over again did not make me feel all warm and fuzzy. It really took me out of the story and made me sigh each time.
Upon reflection, this could definitely be a me problem. I look to TJ Klune for an escape that will make me cry and laugh and break my heart (gently) and then put it back together again. But this book was way too real. It was not an escape, instead it was an overt exploration of our society and the many ways we hurt and target the most vulnerable among us. That is a very important story to be told and I applaud him for doing it. I just think there is a book somewhere in here that accomplishes all of those things rather more delicately. This one unfortunately, devastatingly, wasn't it for me :(
September 12, 2024
This was okay. I bought it. I read it. I didn't love it. It entertained me. Was it worth $15? Questionable. My main issue with it is that it is really preachy and the dialogue is not particularly realistic.
The reason why I'm giving it two stars: I teach 7th and 8th grade. I would not recommend this book to any of my students as a mentor text. The writing is uncomfortably self-indulgent in that the author's own personal life philosophy is so obvious that it admits no other viewpoint as being acceptable. The cartoonish villains are just cringe. To take humanity away from anyone who doesn't agree with your worldview is not something I like to model for my students. We first seek to understand before we persuade or condemn.
The reason why I'm giving it two stars: I teach 7th and 8th grade. I would not recommend this book to any of my students as a mentor text. The writing is uncomfortably self-indulgent in that the author's own personal life philosophy is so obvious that it admits no other viewpoint as being acceptable. The cartoonish villains are just cringe. To take humanity away from anyone who doesn't agree with your worldview is not something I like to model for my students. We first seek to understand before we persuade or condemn.
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