Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. The way it was advertised on Netgalley made it seem like it was the whole ARC, so I was very surprised when it was an excerpt. It’s very difficult to judge excerpts, which is why I have avoided requesting them as I want to wait for the full novel. There are many that begin where I can’t wait to read more and others where they start terribly but end up being among my favorite reads. Since The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite reads, I have faith that this novel will turn out well from start to finish. I highly regret requesting this story as it was only an excerpt, but I did still love returning to the world with some of my favorite characters.

For the actual story, this one continues to focus on Arthur Parnassus, master of the orphanage, and Linus Baker. They were amazing characters in the first novel, so I loved getting a glimpse at their life together. This story focuses on Arthur needing to confront his dark past while the other characters are there for support. The orphanage “kids” are still amazing and are one of the highlights of the story. There’s enough in this excerpt to make the reader want to continue the story and it even ends on a cliffhanger, which was expected. As this is just the excerpt, I will wait to give a full review until I read the actual novel. Until then, this novel seems to have the elements that I loved about the first story and I cannot wait to read the full novel once it’s available!

"Hope is the thing with feathers. And hope is the thing with fire.

Featuring gorgeous golden yellow sprayed edges! Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to T.J. Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade.

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 headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six magical and so-called dangerous 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. And 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; Zoe Chapelwhite, the island's sprite; 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 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."

It's the book we've all been waiting for!

I was very excited to read this, however I didn't realize they were sending only the first four chapters. I liked what I read and am looking forward to reading the entire novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Somewhere Beyond the Sea
EXCERPT
By: TJ Klune
Genre: Fantasy
Thanks for the sneak peek to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the sneak peek!

At first, my request was approved for Somewhere Beyond the Sea, I thought I had got the whole ARC. I was pretty sad when I realized it was an excerpt so I saved it to read until closer to the release date

This is the sequel to one of my favorite books, House of the Cerulean Sea. That book is so wonderful and I like to say it feels like reading a warm hug. Of course, I pre-ordered this book.

I loved the opening of the book, which introduces us to the “beginning” of Arthur Parnassus’ time as headmaster. It was a great flashback and caught my attention and gave me that “warm hug” feeling straightaway.

It’s really sweet to see a glimpse of Linus, Arthur and the kids’ (and Calliope’s!) (and Zoe and Helen’s!) life together.

In this book, Linus and Arthur trek back into the world of DICOMY/DICOMA politics and there seems to be much at stake!

What a cliffhanger this excerpt left off on. I cannot WAIT to finish this book!! I would definitely recommend reading these books as a series, starting with the House in the Cerulean Sea.

Well, I did not realize this was only a sample! But it did make me interested in reading the rest of the book, which is what I suppose it's intended to do. Love the group on Marysas island.

After loving The House in the Cerulean Sea, I was dying to read Klune’s sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Unfortunately, I will have to keep waiting, as this was only an excerpt, and I need to devour it in its entirety.
Until then… giving this 5 stars for the time-being.
If you enjoy quirky, complicated characters, magical rag-tag crews, and lovely stories of found family, then do read Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea.

House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favorite books so I was very excited for the chance to read this excerpt from Somewhere Beyond the Sea! I love this book so far! I didn’t realize how much I missed these characters until I started reading the excerpt! I can’t wait to read the rest of the book when it releases!

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕚𝕤𝕥:
Arthur Parnassus, master of a peculiar orphanage on a distant island, hopes to adopt six magical children to prevent them from experiencing the neglect he once faced. With his partner, Linus Baker, and allies Zoe Chapelwhite and Mayor Helen Webb, Arthur dedicates himself to protecting the children.

When Arthur is summoned to address his dark past, he must fight for the future of his family and all magical people. The arrival of a new child, who embraces the term "monster," brings their family to a critical juncture: they will either strengthen or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur's story.

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
🥰 Heartwarming
🫂 Found family
💫 Magic
☕️ Cozy fantasy
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ representation

𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕓𝕖𝕤:
📚 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮
📚 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 & 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗲

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
Words can’t even describe my excitement when I saw that there would be a sequel to 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗮. It is one of my very favorite books and I am so excited to be returning to the island.

Obviously I can’t speak to the whole book, but reading these first several chapters felt like coming back home to my favorite found family. From what I have read so far, this sequel has everything I loved about the first book; whimsy, humor, and unique characters.

I absolutely 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 to read the rest of 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗧𝗝 𝗞𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (𝟱/𝟱)

When I heard that The House In the Cerulean Sea was getting a sequel I was PUMPED. It is one of my favorite books of all time and I was even more excited when I received the alert from NetGalley that I was approved to read the first 4 chapters of this book.

I obviously cannot speak for the entire book because I only got the excerpt but it felt SO GOOD to be back with this quirky group of characters. I am excited to read more of Arthur's story and see what kinds of things the kids get themselves into in this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the early read of an excerpt of this book. Check it out when it comes out 9/10.

Amazing first 4 chapters. It felt like visiting with old friends. I can’t wait to read the rest of the book.

Beautiful sequel. Love the characters and the development in the story. Klune always leaves me wanting more.

House in the Cerulean Sea was an all time favorite book of mine, so I was clamoring to get my hands on Somewhere Beyond the Sea as soon as I heard it was coming out. This excerpt was a delightful taste of what is to come with the continuation of Arthur and Linus's story as well as the children who they care for on the island.

This book has everything I loved about the first book. It has love and humor and so much whimsy. I can't get enough of TJ Klune's writing style. His words make me feel everything and I can't get enough of this quirky cast of characters. I love these children with every breath I take and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I am anxiously awaiting the chance to devour the rest of this story. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is easily one of my most anticipated books of the entire year!

As I expected, this excerpt both grabbed me immediately and made me even more excited for the release of Somewhere Beyond the Sea.

I can't wait to follow Arthur, Linus, and their magical wards on this current adventure, and I'll be recommending the book right, left, and center.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this excerpt in advance of publication.

The copy I was sent had the first four chapters. I appreciated the ways the author "reminded" us of who the characters were - it had been a while since I read the first book in this series. The first four chapters definitely have me wanting to read more! I look forward to reading the complete book when it is published.

Meet Linus Baker, reforming stick-in-the-mud, who unexpectedly found himself on an island with magical orphans and a far too interesting orphanage director, Arthur Parnassus. In a story as old as time itself, in The House in the Cerulean Sea, Linus finds both his life and his worldview turned upside down after spending a month on this island, which was definitely not in his long term plan thank you very much.

Like many other people, I have been desperate for a return to this island and its wonderful inhabitants and TJ Klune has not disappointed. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is this highly anticipated return to Linus, Arthur, and the magical kids of Marsyas Island, this time told from Arthur’s perspective as he fights for the rights of his family and friends.

Following the revelations of the first book, Arthur has been summoned to give testimony about his experiences with DICOMY, the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. But things are not as they seem and suddenly Arthur is fighting not just for the children in his care, but for magical beings everywhere.

Plus, there is a new child being brought into his care, one who finds strength in reclaiming words that previously Arthur did not allow in his orphanage. This child brings an unsettling presence to the island just when appearing united is the most important thing for Arthur’s case in court. Will the public pressure and the internal conflict break this delicate island apart? Or will this magical family be able to pull together and show the world just how powerful love and acceptance can be?

TJ Klune is the current king of cozy fantasy and this book does nothing but solidify his expertise in the genre. Arthur, Linus, and the gang are all delightfully eccentric and the found family they create is heartwarming and hilarious in equal measure. The addition of a new child and the outside pressures only highlights how beautiful the world of the island is and what strength there can be in loving communities.

The real strengths in Klune’s books are always the characters. They are unique and compelling and while they do serve the story they are in, they are also so fleshed out that I fully believe I could find this island and these people in our world somewhere. While the writing is good and the messages are solid, I will always come back to Klune’s books for his characters and their relationships.

This sequel is a wonderful addition to the world of Cerulean Sea and Klune’s works overall and I continue to eagerly look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next.

This preview sent me right back into the magical world of the House in the Cerulean Sea! The characters are just as charming and the story still feels like a warm hug. I am so excited for the rest of the story to be released! Thank you for Tor Publishing and NetGalley for this excerpt.

I can’t wait to read this when it comes out! I loved the little bit that I got to read! I love these characters and Author and Lionel are the greatest!

This was a glimpse into what this book will be and from the little bit that we are given you can already tell Rudy this will be such a wonderful story just like it’s prequel!!

I didn't realize this was just an excerpt of the book. I enjoyed hearing things from Arthur's POV and having a better understanding of how the orphanage came to be. Reading it did make me excited to get my hands on the book!!

Normally, I am not one for excerpts or previews prior to reading a book, but I was just so excited for Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune that I couldn’t resist. So much thanks to @torbooks for sending this my way.
As a massive fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea—seriously, I have either lent it or bought it as a gift for pretty much everyone I know—the fact we’re getting a sequel at all was such a massive boost of serotonin for me. Safe to say Somewhere Beyond the Sea is one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Having now read the excerpt has not diminished that excitement in any way. In fact I find myself more curious. While this one definitely feels like an evolution in terms of making its social criticisms more overt, the inherent heart of the first book—emotional themes centred around acceptance, found family, and compassion—still beats within these pages. I still feel that warm comforting rush of whimsy wash over me as I take in each and every word. That alone had me wanting more.
If you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, there is honestly no reason to not pre-order the sequel. From what I have seen so far, it’s going to be just as amazing as the first.