Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) | Review

Rating - ⭐⭐⭐1/2

"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."

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Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the second novel in Cerulean Chronicles, a fantasy series by T.J. Klune.

I gave The House in the Cerulean Sea five stars, which is quite rare for me, seeing as I am rather stingy when it comes to ratings. I absolutely adored all of the kids and ended up almost crying because of how emotional it got. Despite my liking the book, though, I wasn't sure if a second book was necessary, nor was I sure if I wanted to pick up another book by this author due to possible problematic reasons.

Here I am writing a review though...so clearly I ended up reading it anyway. While I didn't mind the book and enjoyed it well enough, it didn't ignite the same spark as the first book. The story does end up touching upon themes that were prevalent in the first book, mainly the idea of 'other' and their treatment and oppression by society. The book does a good job of trying to convey the topic through the lens of a more lighthearted fantasy story.

That doesn't mean it pulls its punches, though, as the villain of this story is rather heinous. I am talking Umbridge-level heinous that was used effectively to the point where she really pissed me off. She used her so-called good intentions to cover up persecution and abuse, and she unethically judges the children based on her own personal values. Again, effective use of a villainous character, but hard to read for me.

Maybe that is why I didn't end up liking this book as much. Not to say that the topics discussed weren't important, as they were, but I wasn't expecting it to be as heavy as it was. Yes, the first book was also heavy on the societal issues, but it was balanced more with the romance and found-family aspects. It was still good, just not quite what I was expecting to read.

I also agree with my earlier statement that this book wasn't very necessary, and the author could have left the series as a standalone. I doubt this is also the last book, seeing as this one seemed to be building up to a greater plot. Will I read it if a third book does come out? Maybe, maybe not.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Did you end up enjoying the book?