Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea which I read earlier this year. Although, I wasn’t 100% enamoured with the first book I felt I needed something light to read after The Bear and the Nightingale so this seemed and easy choice for my next Book.
The Blurb
Arthur Parnassus has built a good life on the ashes of a bad one. He’s headmaster at an orphanage for magical children, on a peculiar island, assisted by love-of-his-life Linus Baker. And together, they’ll do anything to protect their extraordinary and powerful charges.
However, when Arthur is forced to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself fighting for those under his care. It’s also a fight for the better future that all magical people deserve. Then when a new magical child joins their island home, Arthur knows they’ve reached breaking point. The child finds power in calling himself a monster, a name Arthur has tried so hard to banish to protect his children. Challenged from within and without, their volatile family might grow stronger. Or everything Arthur loves could fall apart.
My Review of Somewhere Beyond the Sea
It was definitely a much lighter read. Even though, the Island and home that had become so joyful was under threat we still had all the lovely children and their quirks and happy outlook. Arthur and Linus are stronger and closer than ever and it’s quite heart warming to see how their family is thriving and growing.
However, they now stand to lose everything, but help arrives in mysterious ways. The story was funny, light hearted and quaint, but it also had it’s dark sides reminiscent of Orwellian views. I do think that maybe TJ Klune might have tried a little too hard to get his message across though. Without doubt, his message of accepting everyone for what or who they are is very important, but the strength of his convictions is a lot stronger than his ability to write a more adult appealing book.
TJ Klune does not hide his dislike for JK Rowling and her views and makes this very clear, not so much in the story but in his words afterwards, and his preface. I think he makes an elegant case for this dislike and I’m inclined to agree with him. I’m happy that my children never became fans of Harry Potter and even though I did express an interest in Strike, I will boycott lining the pocket of JK Rowling and her persona.
I don’t tend to like magical books, but this does sound like an interesting read.