Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Mar 11

Written By Meg Hopkins

by T.J. Klune

“In a world of Rowlings, be a Klune.”

— Initial Book Reaction

Meter Ratings

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Meter Ratings 〰️

Cozy Meter: 3/5

Spicy Meter: 0/5

Epic Meter: 2/5

Meg holding T.J. Klune's 'Somewhere Beyond the Sea'

Ew Meter: 1/5

Re-Readability Meter: 4/5

Feelings Meter: 5/5

Overall Book Vibes:

Immaculate

Trigger Warnings:

Talk of physical and emotional abuse and overall heavy topics, alluding to the plight of transgender children in the real world.

Summary

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Summary 〰️

Welcome back to Marsyas.

While The House on the Cerulean Sea was a cozy read about finding family in the most unlikely place, its sequel delves deep into the past of orphanage master/main character Arthur Parnassus, and hones in on what his experiences could mean for the future of magical children everywhere.

Arthur runs an orphanage for six ‘dangerous’ magical children who he soon hopes to adopt alongside his life partner (and former employee of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth [DICOMY].) But, when he is summoned to testify about his experiences as a magical child in an orphanage on that same island, he finds himself in a fight with the government for the life he has built, his magical wards, and the fate of the world’s magical community.

And, when a new child joins into the fray, Arthur is forced to face what from his past led him here in the first place.

In Somewhere Beyond the Sea, we follow Arthur as he is forced to face his childhood trauma, discovers what it truly means to be a monster, and learns that, perhaps, he doesn’t have all the answers after all.

My Review

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My Review 〰️

This book made me feel the entire range of possible human emotions in the best way possible. T.J. Klune continues to write in his unique, relatable style that I first fell in love with upon reading The House on the Cerulean Sea. He manages to be descriptive, touching, and funny without any one emotion encroaching upon the other. I will forever be in awe of how he has developed these characters into individuals that I am excited to come back to over and over again.

Seriously, I would read a whole novel of Arthur and his family living their most mundane lives and love every single word.

My favorite parts of the Marsyas world are by far Arthur’s supposedly dangerous wards. Their banter is wildly entertaining (though it sometimes comes across as too advanced for their ages.) And they all have their own dimensions in their individual personalities.

Every single kid has a trait in them that is both endearing and relatable:

Chauncey is my favorite, of course, because who doesn’t love a little green blob that dreams of becoming a bellhop!? But I digress…
Talia’s instinct to create chaos first and ask questions later is relatable AF.
Sal’s growth into the big brother of the house really shines through in a realistic way.
Lucy continues to be an absolute delight, and his character arc in this book is one of my favorites.
Phee’s inability to accept compliments is so real.
Theodore’s hoarding of buttons is perhaps the cutest thing I’ve ever read on a page.

And Arthur’s newest ward, David, is introduced in the most theater-kid way imaginable. It really touched my theater kid soul.

Reading about Linus and Arthur trying to nurture and wrangle the kids, alongside island sprite Zoe and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen had me laughing, chuckling, sighing, crying, and desperately wanting to be a part of this family.

In terms of plot, this sequel, in my opinion, dials down the cozy levels from the first book in favor of a more tension-filled narrative. Diving more into Arthur’s past and the fates of many magical children in their world broke my heart. The way the government chooses to respond and manipulate the world with their messaging had me seething. And the main villain, Rowder, is smart in the most obnoxious way. The struggles of the magical community in the book mirror the struggles of the trans community in the real world, which made reading about the plight of the characters all the more heart-wrenching and infuriating.

So, Meg, was the book PERFECT? I mean, I will say that there are a few parts (especially dialogue) that came off a bit overkill in their explanation of why what DICOMY (aka anti-trans people in the real world) is diabolical. I hated DICOMY within the first few chapters of this book, so it may not have been necessary.

Otherwise, was the wrap-up of the book a little too neat and convenient? Perhaps. Did the villains read as one-dimensional? For sure (although, seeing how some people are in real life, this was VERY realistic to me.)

But, overall, this was the perfect follow-up to The House on the Cerulean Sea. It was funny, tragic, magical, whimsical, thought-provoking and, all-in-all, a very fun read.