it’s hard to provide an effective review for a short excerpt of a book, but this was very effective at getting me excited for reading the rest of the book when it comes out!

I liked the first chapters but felt misled as it did not indicate that it was only an excerpt. I can’t rate it appropriately on such a small sample so I’m giving it a middle of the road rating. It got me excited to read it but I was already excited to read it.

Was so excited to get a preview of this book! I loved the small sample and I can’t wait to read the full book!

Did I get catfished by @torbooks or @netgalley ???? I feel duped and pissed!!! I got the arc for tjklunebooks next novel, the highly anticipated sequel to The House In The Cerulean Sea. I was soooo excited to obtain it and squealed with glee! So today I sat down to start it and quickly came to the end. Like within an hour. Why you ask? Because they only shared the first 4 chapters. I would rather have gotten denied, knowing only a small percentage of early readers got it, than be tricked and waste my time reading a section of a book that doesn’t come out for another month. Nowhere on NetGalley did it say a sample, but when I went back to my Kindle it said “excerpt.” So if you are a book nerd like me and it’s queued up in your Kindle, WAIT FOR THE ACTUAL BOOK AND SKIP THIS NONSENSE.

Who the hell wants to read a few chapters months before the book comes out, only to have to re-read it when it does? So thank you @netgalley for this 1/8 of an arc in exchange for my honest review 🤦🏻‍♀️

What a great opening excerpt for this book. I highly anticipate the full book and can't wait to find out what happens with Arthur. To have his beginning story told and get to return to island is such a treat.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Excerpt)
by TJ Klune
Cerulean Chronicles #2
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: September 10, 2024
Tor Publishing Group
Ages: ?


As this is only the first four chapters of this book, I can't give a complete review because that would not be honest.

But I can say it started off good, introducing Arthur when he rebuilt the orphanage and a little peek into his more distant past. Then the next chapter had the wonderful and funny antics of the children, which I could not help laughing at.

Then my excitement dwindled as the story continued, Author leaving the island to make his public statement. Politics.... and that's where this sneak peek ended, on a downhill.

Had I known this was only an excerpt, (which it was not listed as (and on NetGalley sometimes is and sometimes isn't listed as such! Not very transparent!)) I would have never requested a copy. I can't give an honest review because I don't know how the story ends.

I also cannot give an age range because I don't know what is hidden in the rest of the book!

Will I get this book? Maybe, sometime in the future, but I am no longer excited about it. Sure I do want to find out how it ends, and to find out if my guesses are correct, but I find, now that I've read this sample, that I can wait and give my official review then, along with sharing my opinion on my social media sites.

Since I couldn't read the entire book, my first impression isn't the best. And because I have to give a rating...

3 Stars

Bummed this was just four chapters. Feels misleading. Especially as it starts pretty confusing and bouncing around timelines

this arc was only a sample of the first four chapters BUT those 4 chapters were great! It brought me straight back to the magical island I love so dearly! Klune has an incredible way of taking heavy real life issues and tying them into a cozy fantasy that really gets your mind going while also pulling on your heart strings. I can’t wait to read the rest of the novel.

I cannot wait to read the full book when it is published! A fantastic excerpt that makes me yearn for the full book.

Delightfully charming excerpt from Somewhere Beyond the Sea! It quickly transports you back into the magical world! Hard to say more with only an except! But I fully believe anyone who loves the first one will love this as well!

Thanks to Tor, the authors and NetGalley for the excerpt!

I am only giving this three stars because I don't think I can give something more than that when I only have the first 4 chapters, I screamed when i saw that I was approved for this but I should have payed more attention because this is just an excerpt.

All that being said, I absolutely adored this. I am so excited to jump back into this world and see these characters I love so much over again. Cannot wait to see how the story unfolds but Klune wraps you in the warm blanket that is this book immediately. I know that this will be a 5 star. The writing, the setting, the characters, the romance. This book gives you everything and I am so pleased we got a sequel to what is one of my favorite books of all time.

Charm out the wazoo and just a big book hug. I’ve been putting off reading this excerpt because TJ Klune does not miss for me and I knew I’d be hooked then distraught I had to wait until publication to read the full book. And here we are. But, 40 sleeps until pub day!

5 Stars

This little excerpt peak takes us right back to the house in the cerulean sea. I can tell just from this little bit that this will be another 5 star read. I cannot wait to read the rest of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the opportunity to read this excerpt!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea Excerpt
by TJ Klune
Pub Date: Sep 10 2024
Definitely one to get for my library. He's one of the most requested authors and my students will go nuts when I tell them this one is coming out!

Words cannot express how excited I am to read this full book. I loved the first one so much. The characters in this story feel like family. Thanks to TJ Kline for creating such a beautiful world.

“Somewhere Beyond the Sea” is the sequel to TJ Klune’s utterly delightful and satisfying novel “The House in the Cerulean Sea.” I was surprised to see that there would be a sequel - Cerulean Sea is, in my opinion, a near-perfect novel and certainly doesn’t require any story threads to be wrapped up. This book is from Arthur’s perspective, and we learn about his unhappy childhood on Marsyas Island, which is being dredged up in anticipation of his testimony on behalf of magical youth before the government. We see Arthur and Linus being an adorable and loving couple, the kids being messy and also incredibly thoughtful and wholly themselves, in scenes full of heart and charm. As always Klune’s characters are beautifully fleshed out an are at their core good people, but certainly they have flaws and things they need to overcome; however, since we are starting at such a baseline of goodness I’m curious to see how far character development can be taken in this book. While enjoyable, jury is still out for me whether this book was necessary. I’ll be staying tuned when it comes out!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the sequel to possibly one of my favorite books of all time, the House in the Cerulean Sea, written by one of my favorite authors TJ Klune.
Imagine my delight when I saw this title available as an ARC, when I had never even known that there was a sequel in the works!
Imagine my squeal of delight when I got approved almost instantly after requesting it!
And now, if you will, imagine my devastation when I started reading and discovered it had only been an excerpt! I wanted more! And I wanted more right this very minute. I have loved every single delicious word of this small little glimpse into what I can only imagine will become one of my favorite cozy, magical, fantastical story and I cannot wait to devour all the rest of it!
September 10th CANNOT come soon enough. I want it now. I need it!

Gah I am SO EXCITED to read the rest of this ASAP. I absolutely adored The House in the Cerulean Sea. It was so sweet cozy, sad and hopeful! I have been looking forward to the sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, since I heard about it. Early on it takes you right back to that world with Arthur Parnassus. I am excited about the opportunity to deeper explore the island and its history as well as the kids who are just the best.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to listen to this sneak peek. Looking forward to 9/17 to read the rest!

From the first page, I was instantly transported back to Marsyas Island. Klune lost no magic in the time between novels, and seeing these characters grow is an absolute delight. Imagine my shocking dismay when I realized this was only an excerpt. I absolutely cannot wait to purchase this the day it is released, and consume it immediately.

A timely story for sure about how magic is necessary and people must protect the rights of those that are magical to be who they really are. I love everything Klune writes and I look forward to reading the rest of this story when it’s published.