Book Review: Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

Title: Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Series: Cerulean Chronicles, #2
Author: TJ Klune
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: September 10, 2024
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ 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 master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical 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. 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. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, 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 that 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.

I absolutely loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I’m happy to report that the newly released follow-up book, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, is just as lovely and wonderful as the first book.

In The House in the Cerulean Sea, Linus Baker is the main character — a caseworker with the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) who is sent to evaluate the Marsyas Island orphanage, run by the kindly Arthur Parnassus.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is Arthur’s story, showing his past as well as his continuing story after the events of the first book. As we pick up from where we left off, Arthur and Linus are in love, and are happily providing a warm, safe home for the magical children in their care. But outside forces are aligned against them and seem poised to rip apart everything they’ve built.

Once again, we get to spend time with the wonderful children of Marsyas, who are joined by a new addition, a yeti named David. David is funny, dramatic, and enjoys scaring people (just for fun — he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body) — yet he’s also sensitive, and cries ice cubes when he’s upset.

The child at the center of much of the action, and whose mere existence sends DICOMY into a tizzy, is Lucy… short for Lucifer. Lucy is the Antichrist… but he’s also a seven-year-old child who loves old-timey music and needs comforting when his nightmares strike.

Lucy also gets some of the funniest lines in the book:

“Are we going to sleep in the forest?” Lucy asked, tugging on his pant leg. “I’ve always wanted to see if there were night monsters. I bet they’re big with fangs and claws and filled with rage that only subsides when sucking out the marrow from the bones of unsuspecting—”

“There will be no marrow sucking,” Linus said sternly.

Lucy hung his head, shoulders slumped. “Yet another thing we can’t do with bones. What’s the point of even having bones if we don’t get to play with them?”

“Anarchy!” Lucy shrieked, eyes burning red. “Chaos! Buffets with a never-ending supply of macaroni and cheese! Hellfire!”

The evil representative of DICOMY who arrives at Marsyas to inspect the home and the children is absolutely awful, and is startlingly reminiscent of Dolores Umbridge, which I can only assume is entirely deliberate on the part of the author. (Read his afterward to understand his thoughts on J. K. Rowling).

The lesson proceeded with minimal interruption, usually from Miss Marblemaw coughing pointedly or clearing her throat when Linus or the children said something that she obviously did not approve of. Linus attempted to ignore her, but the longer the lesson went on—going from the wide and mysterious world of mathematics to history—the more Miss Marblemaw made a nuisance of herself, muttering under her breath as she scribbled on her clipboard.

TJ Klune’s writing is, once again, imaginative and funny and heartwarmingly sweet. The characters shine with warmth and humor, and the relationship between Linus and Arthur is romantic and loving and oh-so-perfect.

The ultimate showdown between the forces who want to shut down Marsyas and control the children and all magic, versus Arthur, Linus, and the people of Marsyas village, is a wonder. It’s pure delight to see the townspeople rally around the magical children and declare them a part of their community. Somewhere Beyond the Sea shows found family at its best.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a lovely, cozy read, with both surface-level entertainment and deeper emotional impact. If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea (didn’t we all?), Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a must-read.