House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite reads when it first released and this excerpt just confirmed the sequel is going to be just as good as the first! Can’t wait!

Not rating this one since it’s an excerpt but I loved what I’ve read so far. I only read the first 4 chapters but I had tears rolling down my face both from laughing so hard and from hard truths in Klune’s writing. I can’t wait to read the rest of this story!

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the follow up to the House in the Cerulean Sea, which was easily one of my favorite books the year it came out.

We pick up with Arthur, Linus, and the children about 9 months to a year after the events of House in the Cerulean Sea. DICOMY and DICOMA are in turmoil and Extremely Upper Management has been ousted. The government is trying to figure out what changes to make to the Rules and Regulations, and basically it's a time of political upheaval and change. Admidst this backdrop, Linus and Arthur are waiting to hear back about their petition to officially adopt the children, and they are waiting to meet David, a yeti child who they would like to offer a home to as well. We follow Arthur's perspective in this one, and we start out with a flashback and then his testimony about his treatment at the hands of DICOMY.

I would say that I loved returning to this world and to the children, but I definitely preferred the first book. I loved seeing the growth of some of the children in this, especially Lucy and Sal. I have such a soft spot in my heart for all these characters. I just love all the children, and I feel like we got to focus a bit more on them and their personalities and relationships with each other, especially Phee and Chauncey.

I feel like the perspective shift from Linus to Arthur was interesting, but I found Linus to be a bit more charming to follow. Arthur has a lot more going on with a lot of deep-seated trauma and anxiety surrounding his past and his current existence as a magical being, so that perspective shift alone contributed to this being a heavier read than the first one. I also feel like we never got his character fully fleshed out in the first book, and that continued to a certain extent in this one. Even though we followed Arthur, his main personality trait remained that he loves other people. I still loved him and his relationships with everyone, but I was a bit disappointed that we never got as much character and personality exploration of him that we did of Linus.

This one dealt a bit more with more politically charged topics, which also made it heavier and less cozy. It felt less like the escape from the real world to the fantasy island, and much more apparent that we were exploring our real world in this fantasy space. The topics we explore are very important, but it just overall made it feel heavier and less cozy - there was a feeling of helplessness and rage behind a lot of the events. It closely aligns with real world attacks on LGBTQ and trans rights and all the laws that are being passed around this. And while that was present in the first one, this book was a bit more in your face about how closely it aligns to our real world, which makes for a less escapist read. This is not something that made it better or worse than the first one, just a very different feel if that makes sense.

The children as always were an absolute joy and certainly the best part of the story. I loved the addition of David and the themes and exploration of what makes a family.

The heaviness is what made it slightly less enjoyable than the first one for me personally, but the reason that I can't give this a full five stars is because of the ending. As we were working through all the events, I was having a hard time seeing how the conflicts would be resolved in a believable way. I found the ending charming and I enjoyed how things wrapped up, but I couldn't help but think that it wrapped up a bit too easily and neatly for the complexity of the issues that were being explored. It felt like too much of a deus ex machina type ending with too much of a magical resolution for something that was positioning itself so closely with the horrible political stuff happening in the real world. I feel like it either needed to really lean into the real-world alignment and have an ending that was a little more applicable to the real world, or it needed to lean away from some of the real world alignment towards the beginning that would fit better with the ending.

Maybe that is being too nitpicky, but it is how I felt. Overall, I really did love this one and it was wonderful to return to this world. I just felt like this installment had a more difficult time walking that fine line between fantasy and reality that the first one pulled off flawlessly.

I am very, very torn about this book. On one hand, I loved the first book so much that I read it in one night. On the other hand, this book really felt like just a repeat of the first from Arthur's perspective. I would have loved to have it go in a different direction rather than just the same story of an inspector coming to the island yet again.

I had no idea that when I opened the book it was just the first four chapters. But what I read was amazing. I’m a huge fan of TJ Klune’s writing and cannot wait to read the entire book!

What a great sequel and so full of love. This author has become an auto buy for me because the writing is always so heartwarming and full of great messages. This is a story of hope, resilience, and family.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a perfect sequel to House in the Cerulean Sea, and I was blown away by Klune's ability to expand on this world in a way that feels both fresh and familiar. It is every bit the welcoming, hopeful story as its predecessor without shying away from the real-life issues that Marsyas represents. While others have criticized the level of "political" content, I think it's a much-needed look at how to process anger at injustice and being kind while standing up for yourself and others. It touches on childhood trauma in a way that is gentle, yet realistic, and I'm so thankful I live in a world with T.J. Klune in it.

I didn't realize until I opened the galley that this was a preview and not the whole book, so it's difficult to review based on just a few chapters, but it's a promising start! The tone of this beginning section is pretty didactic, but I'm intrigued to find out who's going to be helping Arthur and Linus from inside the government, and how Arthur's testimony will go!

My review is for the entire book, not just the preview snippet provided on NetGalley.

Oh boy. I was incredibly excited to see a sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea pop up on NetGalley. I loved the previous book and I was super ready for a continuation. My feelings after reading are a bit complicated. The first half of the book was disappointing, lacking the vibes that the first book did. A lot of the story elements from Cerulean Sea are repeated and I felt like the author was bludgeoning me across the face with morality. Note to publishers, editors, and authors: Even if someone agrees with the point being made (which I did) it doesn't mean you should use your plot as a cudgel. I have been in front of people like Router (I listened to this so I apologize if I misspell names) and I felt a connection to Arthur dealing with what feels like a wall of evil and dis-ingenuousness. I still feel like Klune writes with a heavy hand when it comes to political messages and moralistic philosophy. You can make a point without treating your readers like idiots.

The second half of the book was much better for me. We return to the island, interact with the kids, see Arthur and Linus be sweet with each other, and more. Klune's quippy writing is entertaining and refreshing. The discussion of past trauma, generational trauma, and the story of found family are all handled quite well. I really enjoy the interactions between the children and seeing their growth from the first book.

It's pretty rare that I can so easily separate a book into two parts like this. If you are looking for the cozy vibes of The House in Cerulean Sea, then you'll be waiting past the 50% mark to get there. If that doesn't matter and you just want to learn more about Arthur, Linus, and the wards of Marsyas Island, you'll probably enjoy the read. If you get easily annoyed when an author tries to force feed their readers a point, maybe give the sequel a pass.

TJ Klune captured the wonder, delight, innocence, humour, and heartwarming feelings you most likely would have gotten when reading the first book. Despite it only being the first few chapters, you get a real feel of what the rest of the story is going to be. Easy to read, smart, witty, and just an utter delight of a book

I love this world with my whole heart and am so happy that TJ Klune has written this second installment.

I now need to buy this book to read the whole thing. I will post a full review when I do! I don’t think it would be fair to review an excerpt without reading the whole thing. I love the author’s writing and I’m so glad we have a sequel for House on the Cerulean Sea. Can’t wait to receive my copy.

Like it's predecessor, this book is a cozy hug. I really enjoyed getting back into this world and seeing how all of the characters were (especially my favorite anti-christ, Lucy). I think I'll read every book in this universe TJ Klune writes.

I've now read this entire book and it was so nice to be back in this world. I didn't know I wanted a continuation of this story but to have one focused on Arthur was such a joy. I loved being back with the kids, meeting David and seeing my friends live happily ever after.

So excited to see Arthur's story continue. Clear messaging throughout with questions of society's treatment of its people -- all people. Klune's character development and how much we can be touched by each child's individuality continues to draw me in.

Could not wait to get my hands on this title! I love Arthur Parnassus and the abstract way TJ Klune thinks! Very much appreciate the opportunity to read this work of art. Love this story so much.

If you haven’t read The House In The Cerulean Sea, please do so immediately and then jump right into this one. These books are gorgeous. So creative. So timely. So heartwarming. I love the lessons and the story and all of the characters. Just go read it now. You can thank me later.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Such a delight!! I love returning to this world and these characters. Absolutely magical. I’m so so excited to read the full length novel. I know it won’t disappoint!

This teaser was very good - cannot wait to finish it! Loved the first book a lot and I think this will invoke similar feelings.