Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, 2)

📚 102/100 (2024 Reading Goal) 📖 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙖 ✍️ 𝗧𝗝 𝗞𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗲 🎧 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Story, 𝗧𝗝 𝗞𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗲: Introduction, Acknowledgements ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱: All the same characters from the previous book + new ones, created family, story from Arthur’s perspective, queer representation, humor, perseverance, love 𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲(𝘀): “I won’t lie to you. The road ahead will not be smooth. No matter what I—we say, there will always be those who refuse to accept the truth. They surround themselves with like-minded people, and it creates an echo chamber that’s nigh on impossible to escape. A feedback loop that never ends.” “But I believe the greatest weapon we have at our disposal is our voices. And I am going to use my voice for you, and for me. Hate is loud. We are louder.” “That’s the funny thing about those in power. They underestimate everyone beneath them, even knowing their secrets are heard by someone.” “You have to trust me. Trust us. We may be kids, but we’re your kids, Dad. You made us all believe we could do anything. Now you have to trust us to do that.” “Hope is the thing with feathers, yes, and hope is the thing with fire.” 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This story, at its heart, is a love letter to the trans community. Yes, it’s a continuation from 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙖, but there’s a beautiful and powerful message embedded in every single page. TJ Klune has something to say about the hate he sees towards transgender peoples, and he is shouting at the people in the back. It’s like a dream returning to Marsyas Island; these characters have felt like family to me and I loved getting to visit the inhabitants once again! There’s a magical child that has been in hiding, and Arthur and Linus want to be David’s forever home. But David has had a very difficult life and trust will not come easy. Besides working on making David feel safe and integrating him into their family, the adults on Marsyas Island also have to contend with the new director of DICOMY. Jeanine Rowder has made it her mission to ruin Arthur’s reputation as well as remove the children from his and Linus‘s care. Miss Rowder immediately appoints a new case manager to report the goings on on the island in the hopes it will be Arthur’s undoing. With all these adults going around, making decisions, they forgot to ask the people who this would impact the most, they forgot to remember that there are seven individuals who want to have a say in their life-the children. And the children are tired of being left out of the conversation. The children are going to take matters into their own hands and speak in voice so loud, they will no longer be ignored. This book made me laugh, this book made me cry, and this book paints such a clear picture of where we are failing our children and where we need to start listening. Hate is not inherent, it is learned, and the adults in the room need to start doing a heck of a lot better if we want to see a world that is inclusive and accepting of all. Daniel Henning is an incredible narrator, giving each and every child their own voice, identifying each, and every adult in the story. If you listen to the audiobook, there are some fun surprises with how the story is told. Definitely a must listen! TJ Klune also narrates the introduction and the acknowledgments and his voice is incredibly powerful.

If only the evil in the world could be conquered by love! Well, maybe someday. I loved this book because of the wisdom of Arthur and Linus. And because of their weaknesses also. This is a lovely book if you read as a story and feel it as a hope for better things.

I absolutely loved book one, and book two didn’t pale in comparison. These stories complemented each other perfectly, and the special brand of comedy, familiar characters, and new faces tied together a duet I fell in love with within the first few pages. I can’t even put into words how good this was or how queer representation for young adults should be done other than this. This book was beautiful, heartfelt, and Arthur and Linus were clearly meant to be fathers to the children on the little island they call home. As they fight to keep their family together, they go toe-to-toe with the powers that be and those who simply want to rock the boat. Set against the backdrop of a race war “magic vs non magic, this story feels more relevant than ever. There are plenty of jokes to keep the heavier subject matter approachable for younger readers, but they also shine a light on everyday struggles and the importance of reminding people that they matter and deserve to be seen, even when they’re different from everyone else. As much as I love every character, Lucy will always be my favorite. He’s witty, funny, brutally honest, and he has excellent taste in music. Books like this make me happy to be a reader. They remind me how lucky I am to experience different worlds and discover something new with every page I turn.

The House in the Cerulean Sea was the first book I ever read by T.J. Klune a few years ago. I loved it and have since read the other two fantasies he wrote following it, which I also greatly enjoyed. So I was more than excited to read Somewhere Beyond the Sea, which is a follow-up to The House. It can be read as a standalone but it's always best to read The House first. I appreciated all the context that was included, as it had been a while! Sequels aren't always better than the first novel, but this one is an exception! I loved so much about this novel: Relevancy to real life, teamwork between the characters, all the love, true villains to deal with, humor, creativity, etc. Some parts reminded me of The Parent Trap, when the girls go camping with their dad and Vicki. (Yes, I'm talking about the original movie, although I know the same things happened to Meredith in the remake.) That's all I will say. Like me, you'll be applauding for all the magical youth in this novel. And the newest addition to the group is fabulous! Some parts of the story definitely had my blood boiling, perhaps because they were so relevant to real life. While I know what message he was trying to convey, it also had parallels to another situation that has been going on for the past year. There were some lines that could apply to either. In the meantime, I can tell you that the villains are really well done and I love seeing how they are dealt with. It was so great being reunited with everyone and getting to know the characters even better, this time through Arthur's perspective. In a recent interview with T.J., he hinted at writing a third novel. I really hope that happens! I highly recommend this novel! Even if you're not into fantasy (like me), it's such an incredible story that you will be easily captivated and fall in love with these characters too. (Especially Chauncey...) (Trigger warning below.) Movie casting suggestions: Arthur: Neil Patrick Harris Linus: Lee Pace Zoe: Rutina Wesley Ms. Marblemaw: D'Arcy Carden * * * * * * * * TW: Mentions of child abuse from the past. Villain projecting gender norms on people.

<i>The House in the Cerulean Sea</i> is one of my favorite novels. It feels like coming home, like being loved, like being seen and I think it’s such an important novel to read for anyone. I’ve read it twice and will probably continue to go back to it my whole life. <i>Somewhere Beyond the Sea</i> did not hit home for me as much. It felt sort of rushed, a lot of the humor felt forced. The message was still important, but it was more or less the same thing we learned in THITCS, just more drawn out. I feel like TJ Klune was so focused on being anti-JKR and continuing his success that the story we could have gotten would have been way different. That said, it’s not like I won’t recommend SBTS. While it was sort of the same message, there were different nuances to it that I think is important for anyone willing to change their perspective. We see a side of Arthur, Linus and all of the children that really make it a decent sequel, but I had much higher hopes following how well received THITCS was. If TJ Klune writes a third novel in this series (and I genuinely hope he doesn’t; we should leave it on the slight uphill it ended on) I hope it’s wildly different from what SBTS gave us.

TJ Klune has a talent for bringing magical beings to life. As the Baker-Parnassus family interacted and innocently chatted, I found myself feeling like I was in the room. The children’s reactions and comments brought life and humor to the pages. I did find the epilogue to be a bit long. It wrapped up everything but maybe, as was the case in a few spots, the figurative language and listing of comparisons was too much. Beautiful book overall and I want to live in this world where all are accepted- welcomed- for who they are.

Where do you start, this book has so many great lines. The characters are full of life and sass, the found family is so amazing. My favorite character is still Lucy, I loved watching him grow from book 1 to the end of two. I really would love more books from the island but it is also such a beautiful ending.

I love this book. I love this series. I love this writer. It’s a refreshing look at what life can be when you see life through the eyes of other people. It’s uplifting. It’s refreshing, and it’s a great read. Highly recommend this book

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea I immediately needed more of the world of Marsyas, and this book didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the stark contrast between the grey, dour, highly-regulated city and the colourful, joyous chaos of the island and its inhabitants. Another heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable story, I hope the series continues so that I can see the orphans grow up and find (or make) their place in the world.

Great book

Im in page 50 and im crying from happiness and confort. Like the first book but better.

I bought this the moment I finished The House on the Cerulean Sea. The same characters, lovely fantasy, fantastic feeling good family vibes. I'd say book 1 is better, but this is still 5* and I'll definitely read again. I have recommended it to my friends.

No lo he leído, pero llegó bien y rápido.