Title: Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Series: Cerulean Chronicles #2
Author: T.J. Klune
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: September 10, 2024
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.
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.
"The House in the Cerulean Sea" is one of my favorite books. It was wonderful. Since I love the book so much, I was undecided about reading 'Somewhere Beyond the Sea'. What if it was a bad sequel? Well, thankfully it wasn't. However, it was not as amazing as its predecessor.
We have so many characters returning. Arthur Parnassus and Linus Baker are now an item and are in the process of adopting those amazing magical children. Also, a new child is coming to live with them. He is a Yeti who enjoys theater and who makes you want to protect him.
We also have the "Department In Charge of Magical Youth" sending a new investigator to Marsyas Island to evaluate if Arthur Parnassus can continue keeping the kids around. DICOMY believes Arthur wants to keep the kids and plans to use them to take over the world.
I listened to the audiobook, which I thought was narrated fabulously. I love all the children (especially Luci), and every time they were present, they just made me happy.
So why not a five? I thought the conflict's resolution was just too easy and too perfect.
Would I read another book with these characters? Absolutely!!
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs