Didn’t realize this was an excerpt. Good so far, but unable to truly give a review due to this being an excerpt. 4 stars for the author’s writing style.

Dang just an excerpt but that’s okay! TJ Klune hasn’t disappointed me yet so I’m excited to read the full book when it comes out. Pacing seems slow but the Cerulean Sea also felt that way! Can’t wait to see more development and continuous story!

I was so excited to see this, thank you NetGalley! While I can't wait to finish the book when it comes out, the pacing so far is a bit slow and the whimsy carried over from the first is there but it feels a little forced this time around. TJ Klune has never disappointed me so I'm eager to see if my thoughts on the pacing will change.

I got fooled by an excerpt, SOB! Excited for this book regardless, but NetGalley needs to have a big excerpt icon or something, LOL.

While a little heavy-handed, these first four chapters are absolutely delightful. I cried almost immediately, upon seeing Arthur's return to Marysas in order to make it suitable for his dream. Linus and Arthur remain a beautiful, queer light, and their relationship with the children (always, specifically, Sal) shines on every page. If Tor wants to give me full access I hope they know I'd love them forever and also they can have any one of my organs.

I found this excerpt really intriguing. I was excited to learn more about Arthur's past and I got a snippet in the prelude. Then you get to see Arthur and Linus and the kids in a cozy scene of domesticity, with the kids attempting to make Linus breakfast for his birthday. And then Arthur and Linus leave to address the government about the crappy system they have for magical kids, but when they get there something fishy is going on with the hearing. I can't wait to find out more when the book comes out!

The House in the Cerulean Sea” is a comfort book to the Hive, so being able to go back and be near the special residents on the island is a true joy. These wonderful characters are a gift. Arthur Parnassus was an enigmatic character in House, so being able to experience life from his perspective will be enlightening. We can’t wait to see the next slice of their lives.

I cannot wait for the entire book to be released. This was such a tease. I’m obsessed with everything TJ Klune does but especially this

I can't wait for this entire book to be released. As soon as I started reading, I was magically transported back to the cerulean sea. I easily found my place back with the children, and the warm and fuzzy feelings rushed into my heart. I love that the message isn't forced down my throat. The characters help it along, but nonchalantly. It never feels coerced. I have been really looking forward to this title, and have been recomending the first book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, to every patron that comes in the library. I will be doing the same with this sequal. I am interested to find out what happens next, and how the world may change with Arthur and Linus' actions. I have very high hopes for this work, and just from this excerpt, I can tell I will not be let down or disappointed in any way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the 4 chapter preview of this!
We pick back up with Linus, Arthur and all the children on the island being cute and charming and heart warming and you suddenly remember all the things you love about Cerulean Sea. Arthur is headed to the mainland for the first time in many years to testify to the government on behalf of magical creatures, but not everything is as it seems in Linus’ old stomping grounds. There are messy politics afoot.
I’m so interested to see where the rest of this book will go. All the political discussions feel very timely and I’m hoping it doesn’t get too heavy handed in drawing correlation to our current world, it will be most successful if it can continue to gently skirt the line of obvious i think.

really looking forward to the rest of the chapters!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea, by TJ Klune, is off to a great start! I was was able to read the first 4 chapters and it was like beginning reacquainted with old friends
All of the kids are back, along with Arthur and Linus who are a wonderful couple.

I was left with a cliffhanger and can't wait until this book comes out to see what happens to my good friends.

I received 4 chapter excerpt from NetGalley. My review will be from only that for now.

Much like the first book you are immediately transported into their world. This short part of the book has definitely left me wanting more. My only critique is that it was a bit hard to follow the political part of it but it was a short piece of it. I am also never the biggest fan of political systems in books so take it as you will. I can’t wait to read the rest! I miss it already!

ARC EXCERPT Review

Read this book if you like:
•good queer representation
•found family
•magical misfits
•self discovery
•the power of nature vs nurture
•books that feel like a warm hug

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Publishing for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I got to read an excerpt including the prologue and Chapters 1-4.

It felt so good coming back to Marsyas Island 🏝️ The story picks up right where the first book ends and this time, we get Arthur's point of view.

Once again, my magical misfits absolutely steal the show and MY HEART 🖤

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this delightfully cozy read that takes you right back HOME to the Cerulean Sea 🖤

Here I am, sitting in the middle of a restaurant SOBBING because I am so happy to be back with my favorite found family. Although I was only able to read a few chapters of the upcoming book, I am confident this will be in the “favorites of all time” list for me.

We start with Arthur going back to the island for the first time since childhood to reopen the orphanage, and then we jump to where Cerulean Sea left off. The characters in this story are some of my all time favorites and I just can’t wait for the rest of this story!

I will say i absolutely loved what I read! I am disappointed in myself for not realizing it was the full ARC but that’s 100% on me. I loved how the story opened up and showed Arthur before all the children came about and how he fixed up the house to make it a wonderful home for them. I also really liked how the author chose to dive right back into the story instead of overlapping the story from what we already had in Linus’s POV. Overall I’m pleased with what I read but super disappointed in the cliff hanger I was left with at the end of chapter four but extremely grateful that I got to read what I did! I cannot wait for the book to com out.

🪄📖 I have been excerpted-only, NetGalley!!! Thank you so much for the briefest peek at Linus and Arthur and their magical children’s long awaited return…. My heart will forever be In the House in the Cerulean Sea❣️ I cannot wait to read the rest of the magical Somewhere Beyond the Sea by the amazing T.J. Klune ✨ I am already hooked! 5/5

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and was anticipating anxiously this book. I loved the excerpt and having the second book be about Arthur. My only bone of contention was that the ARC was an excerpt and not a full copy. I'm on pins and needles now, waiting to see what will happen with the hearing, the adoption, and whether Arthur and Linus get married.

"A time will come," she said, "when all of us will have to make a choice between what is right and what is wrong. I worry that time is closer than we think. And I don't know that we're prepared."

It seems odd to write a review when I have only read an excerpt from the book, but what I was able to read was excellent. It appears that Somewhere Beyond the Sea will allow us a glance at what Arthur's childhood was like, him getting started as a foster care provider, as well as, picking up where the first book left off - trying to make the world a better place. I absolutely adored the first book and I am happy to see what all the children have gotten up to. It looks like this book will mirror the current political climate in the US, having to deal with people's prejudices and being denied medicare based on personal religious beliefs influencing laws and regulations.

I cannot wait to read the whole journey that Arthur, Linus, and the kids all go on. I'm certain it will break my heart, but I'm hopeful it will also put it back together even better than before.

Thank you for NetGalley and Tor Book for allowing me early access to read this excerpt early in exchanged for my honest review.

It’s incredibly hard to write a review for an excerpt, so all I can really say is that I adored this. Klune keeps the same magical, warm feel that is all throughout Cerulean Sea, and immediately draws you back into that world. I loved reading from Arthur’s perspective, and I loved seeing all of the kids again.
I hope the full book is released soon, because this ARC has left me practically vibrating with excitement. Please read everything Klune has ever written, you won’t regret it.

Authors are amazing creatures, aren’t they? They walk around with highly imaginative worlds, magic systems, and quirky, lovely characters in their minds and find a way to write us into those dreams with books. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is my most anticipated book of 2024. After reading this excerpt, I fell in love with this world all over again. Excuse me while I go listen to The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy excerpt. All opinions are my own.