lou's library

A couple of years ago, one of my best friend gave me The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune for my birthday. I felt immediately drawn to the whimsical cover and its promise of a cosy reading adventure. And boy, did it deliver. I gobbled up that book with a big smile on my face, and the characters were so vivid and felt so real that by the end of it, it broke my heart to let them go. So, when me and aforementioned bestie figured out that a sequel had been published, I squealed with joy, but also slight apprehension. Following up such a stunning, wholesome novel is no easy feat, after all. But of course, we had to read Somewhere Beyond The Sea anyway. Here are my thoughts.

The action starts not too long after the end of book one, but our heroes, including but by no means limited to Arthur and Linus, have to face a difficult challenge. The government is on their heels, and certainly up to no good, and our favourite gang stands to lose it all if they fail to make the officials see sense and let them keep the orphanage. And also, there is the small matter of David, a yeti that Linus and Arthur want to adopt, which the government really should not know about.

It took about half a page for me to be back in TJ Klune’s magical world, all thanks to his stellar writing. His style is unique in that he manages to make you feel warm and cosy, as though he is wrapping a blanket around your shoulders, but he is also incredibly witty and funny. As this is a story all about inclusion, the power that lies in being yourself, and standing up for one another, words matter, and it is clear the author knows it. There are so many beautiful passages that stress the importance of making space for everyone and accepting them exactly the way they are, and it is so very obvious that the author has a gift when it comes to playing with words.

I have loved being back in the world TJ Klune has created, as it is incredibly welcoming and wholesome without ignoring or downplaying the threats that come with being an inclusive and non-conforming bunch of people trying to live their best life on a secluded island. Obviously, all of this hits harder considering the many obstacles and prejudices that queer and/or non-white people are facing in the real world these days. For this reason, I think Somewhere Beyond The Sea and its predecessor are vital books in these trying times. If you are in need of books that feel like a hug, look no further.

All of this being said, I felt like sometimes, the stakes were a bit too low in this book. That might sound ridiculous given the paragraph leading up to this one, and I do not mean to downplay the dangers Arthur and his family see themselves faced with. Plus, I am aware of this being cosy fantasy, which means that shit will never hit the fan as hard as it would in other fantasy books. So this might simply be me craving something a little more high-stakes, which would then make me the problem, and not the book (which I am happy to admit!). I just felt like a lot of problems were resolved a little too easily. Perhaps more importantly, I would have loved to spend more time with each of the children, and to see them go through struggles, persevere and grow. I can understand that the author perhaps did not want to do that so as not to suggest that the children are not perfectly alright the way they are, but showing their flaws and how they deal with them would have been powerful in its own way.

At the end of the day, what I love most about this series are the characters, and I would gladly just watch them go about their day endlessly. It is a true testament to TJ Klune’s writing that I never get bored, because they basically jump off the page and are so full of life. That being said, particularly the first half of the book wasn’t very plot-heavy. Again, this is not necessarily something negative, but I did find myself wondering when the action would start properly. So, if that is something you struggle with, then this book might test your patience slightly.

Ultimately, I know that nothing will ever come close to the joy I felt getting to meet these characters for the first time in The House In The Cerulean Sea. TJ Klune set out on a bit of an impossible task trying to follow that one up. But I would not say he failed. Somewhere Beyond The Sea dives deeper into some of the themes explored in the first book, we get to know our beloved characters better, and the message of unity in the book is very timely and powerful. I guess that the inevitable comparison to the first book will always make the second one pale slightly in comparison. But that is okay, and I enjoyed returning to this joyous and colourful world a lot. Please keep writing your wonderful stories, TJ Klune!

If you’ve read this book, do let me know your thoughts and send any cosy fantasy recommendations my way, please! In the meantime, you can read my thoughts on reading less or if you need books to get you out of a reading slump, may I draw your attention to this post? Happy reading!