Big fan of TJ Klune so I was very excited for this excerpt. I read the first book in the series just before this second book came out and was happy I didn't have to wait long! I love the family they've created on the island and all the characters.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved it. No notes. It was beautiful, charming, whimsical. It was just a wonderful book and I highly recommend!

4.5 stars

A little too close to reality at times, I still loved Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Yeah, it's predictable and sugary sweet and imagines a better world than the one I think we live in. But Klune always gets me in the end and he got me good with this one.

Linus is firmly installed in his new home and he is thriving. I love the dynamic of the house and this family. Linus' stability is much needed while Arthur is trying to hold everything together. I love their love.

I found Somewhere Beyond the Sea to be a lot darker than The House in the Cerulean Sea , maybe because of the changes happening in the world today. The narrative was deeper and dug into Arthur's past and how he came back to the island. I loved every moment.

I hope Klune never stops writing. I will certainly keep reading.

TJ’s world building is truly, truly everything to me. As a lover of The House in the Cerulean Sea, and all the stories that have followed, this story was a no-brained for me. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA by TJ Klune was the perfect continuation to the series. Klune writes with so much heart, warmth, and care that it feels less like reading a book and more like being wrapped in a hug.

This sequel expands the world just enough while staying grounded in what made the first book so special: found family, forgiveness, queerness, and the quiet bravery it takes to choose love in the face of fear. It’s slower and softer than the first, but in a way that feels earned.

The emotional beats landed beautifully, and Klune’s writing continues to offer comfort without ever steering into cliche. His characters are messy, kind, and deeply human. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars,

dang, had me crying again.
this story went a lot bigger than i expected, and i'm even expecting a third book with the way the ending went, but it still hits the feels and i forgot how enjoyable this world was with Linus, Arthur and the children. also i'm forever weak for found families.

I just finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, I received an eARC from NetGalley.

This is the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It picked up shortly after the events of the first book. Arthur Parnassus and Linus Baker have settled in to a life with their family on Marsayas Island. When Arthur is invited to speak before the government about the historical injustices inflicted upon the magical community by the government, he is instead met with hostility and pushback. With a new Interim Director at DICOMY, a new inspector, and a new child- David, yeti- Arthur and Linus must once again prove that the children on the island are not, in fact a danger, but a benefit to the world.

I loved this one as much as the first one. The story has a little more Arthur on Linus romance-- which I am here for-- and the kids are all delightful as usual. I love Lucy so so so much, and he continues to be his amazing wonderful self in this novel. The kids have all evolved since the first installation, and have become more themselves. This story takes the plight of the magical community outside of just the little beach-town that we were introduced to in the first. We see a larger world rife with government abuse, paranoia, and fear mongering. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a beautiful love letter to every child that never felt wanted, that fell between the cracks of society, that was queer and kicked out and misunderstood by their family. What a poignant and timely novel. The way Klune writes this characters is with deep love. And I hope we get to go back to Marsayas again.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea was beautifully written and another favorite of mine by TJ Klune. I highly recommend this read!

4.5 stars

House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was so excited to read the sequel!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is much more political than the first book, with Linus, Arthur and the kids enduring a DICOMY inspection knowing the government is dirty and coming for them. Having read this so close to the US presidential election definitely affected I how felt about this one. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved it.

TJ Klune is an amazing writer, and the characters he has created here are still just as fantastic. It was great to see their growth and learning new things. I just had a hard time with the injustice they had to face in the book with so much of that happening in the real world.

Definitely a book I would recommend to everyone (after reading the first book).

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune is the delightful sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. If you haven’t read the first book, I recommend starting there.

As a fan of Linus, Arthur, and the magical misfit kids, I enjoyed revisiting this world. Klune’s message of acceptance, chosen family, and fighting for love in the face of fear remains as relevant as ever. the story of a group of magical misfits, orphans, and their struggle against prejudice.

If you’re looking for a cozy, magical read with found-family themes, this sequel will leave you with a hopeful heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ (4 out of 5)

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Book One is one of my absolute favorites so I was soo excited to finally read this one! Just as beautiful and cozy and clever ❤️ and I loved it on audio- such amazing storytelling! 5/5⭐
So many wonderful lessons and social commentary artfully weaved through the story, and it was all so artfully written without hitting the readed over the head with all its morals. The dialogue was so fun, especially everything the kids said- I actually laughed out loud constantly while reading! Id recommend this for anyone who loved the first book, and for anyone looking for a cozy, fantastical novel filled with hope and joy.

T. J. Klune must be so much fun to be around. I wish I had the imagination of the author. The world building is always amazing. The characters are always well thought out and rounded and the story of acceptance always shines through. This kind of romance and found family is what I need all the time.

This was healing and so special. I laughed, I cried, I felt that special bond between families. This is arguably better than the first book.

I really enjoyed this book. I found, like as sequels, that is wasn't as good as the first, but it was still very enjoyable! I liked how it wrapped the story up but also left space for you to imagine whay everyone will get up to when you are not there. Gives hope and imagination!

One of my favorite books of the year. The sequel was just as good as the first one. I adored being back with all these character. The added stakes and world building of the government and testifying felt oh so apt for our current times and it was the perfect hopeful message I needed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this sample! I’m hesitant to review because i’ve only read the first 4 chapters, but i think this book had a lot of potential!

A worthy sequel to the original.

I gave the original book to one of my 12th grade students for an independent novel study, and she ended up loving it. I then proceeded to give her the sequel here, and she read it over the following weekend.

An excellent series of books that should find their way into any teacher's classroom library.

This short surprised me. It seems like this one will be more political that #1 but I did love seeing all our favorites from #1. I am excited to read the rest and hope it’ll be just as cozy as the first.

While The House in the Cerulean Sea was all about Linus, this was really Arthur's story. We start off with seeing his original return to the island and getting it ready for him to take on the guardianship of magical children. We then skip forward in time to present day when Arthur and Linus are preparing to return to the city to discuss Arthur's experiences as a young child in the care of DICOMY (Department in Charge of Magical Youth).

While in town, Arthur and Linus bring a new magical child back with them, and much of the book deals with how this child is incorporated into life on the island and is made to feel safe in this new environment.

Similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, DICOMY sends an inspector to the island to determine if it's a safe place for the magical children to live. This is in multiple definitions of the word "safe". Are the children safe from the person in charge of the home? Is the outside world safe from the magical (and possibly dangerous) children?

The different children in this book are just great, and their various personalities are well fleshed out. I definitely enjoyed the continuation of this story.

The House in the Cerulean Sea was my favorite book in 2023, so when I found out TJ Klune was writing a sequel, I NEEDED to get my hands on it as soon as I could because I wanted to go back to the house where my favorite, adorable magical children creatures were growing up.

I enjoyed Somewhere Beyond the Sea a lot, it's nods to oppression to certain groups of individuals hits harder especially in today's social climate. I love being transported back to this world and even being able to hear more of Arthur's past helped make the story even more captivating and character development so heartbreakingly beautiful. The commentary to what the magical creatures have to endure is so relevant. And I'm always grateful when TJ gives us great hope in coming together as a collective community to fight back for what right. The new character added so much comedic relief, I laughed so much, but also cried (no surprise there).

Although it did not beat it's predecessor, it was so much fun to read and to be back home by the sea with my favorite magical creatures 😈🦠🧙‍♂️🧚‍♂️🐕🐉🐦‍🔥. It felt like a big welcome home hug and I can't wait to come visit again. 💖