This book is the highly anticipated sequel to the international bestseller The House In The Cerulean Sea from TJ Klune. Klune is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Extraordinaries Series, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.
Arthur Parnassus lives a good life, built on the ashes of a bad one. He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six magical and so-called dangerous 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. And 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; Zoe Chapelwhite, the island’s sprite; 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 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 an entertaining, whimsical book from TJ Klune. This book has been highly anticipated with big expectations after the enormous success of its predecessor, The House in the Cerulean Sea. It’s questionable whether this book will see the same success, but there is still some great storytelling to be enjoyed in this one. As The House in the Cerulean Sea revolved around Linus Baker, this book sees him as a supporting character, while Arthur Parnassus and the magical children take centre stage. As Arthur is summoned to testify in the courts about his experiences growing up as a magical being in an abusive orphanage, the story takes a more serious tone. Arthur’s testimony is extremely emotional and full of powerful messages.
What really makes this book so enjoyable are the many scenes that include the magical children. There’s so much heartfelt and engaging dialogue between the children, Linus and Arthur, showcasing how strong of a family unit they have become. One note of criticism would be that the children sometimes don’t sound like children, often speaking wisely behind their years or with words of sarcasm that you would normally hear from adults. It’s clear this was done to convey some of the powerful messages in the book, but there is a bit of a disconnect between the characters introduced in the first book and the ones presented here, especially as not much time has passed.
This book may be less whimsical than its predecessor, but its messages are more powerful. The themes of resistance, fighting for what is right, equality, and being accepted are strongly emphasized numerous times in this book. With the introduction of a new magical child in the story, David, there is an even stronger central theme of found family. David’s uncertainty of being accepted is very authentic and easy to empathize with. His conversations with Arthur and Linus on becoming part of their family are endearing and memorable! This book is most definitely a love letter to supporting marginalized people and gives them strong voices to be seen. In the afterword, TJ Klune makes it clear that this book is dedicated to the trans community, but any marginalized group or any person will definitely resonate with his powerful words.
Narrator Daniel Henning does another phenomenal job on this audiobook. If you’ve listened to his narration of The House in the Cerulean Sea, it will feel as though Henning picks up exactly where he left off. In this book, Henning has more character voices to contend with, and not only does he rise to the occasion, but he gives incredibly unique voices and personas to every one of them! His portrayal of Arthur is very powerful, especially during Arthur’s testimony, as Henning uses a wide range of emotions and vocal range to fully capture this emotional scene. The narration of the story is well paced, as Henning increases the tempo and suspense during the most dramatic scenes. Henning also increases the emotional intensity of the characters towards the end and creates incredibly vivid pictures in the final climactic scenes when the island is transformed. This is truly an audiobook that can easily be enjoyed countless times, and Henning’s performance should stand up amongst the best of the year in the coming awards season!!
Overall, this is another heartfelt, magical story with some very relevant messages from TJ Klune. It’s a novel that lingers long after finishing it and will leave many readers with the belief that love, in all its forms, can truly cross any boundary. If you’re considering this book or this series, the audiobooks are the highly recommended format for enjoying them, as Narrator Daniel Henning provides an incredible listening experience! With potential to expand the story further, it would be wonderful to have a final book in the series and another masterful performance by Henning!
