Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2)

I’m starting to think TJ Klune is as magical as the characters he writes about! He’s the rare author that can consistently get 5 stars from me, and that’s because it’s so evident that his stories come straight from his heart. Open one of his books and you can see what’s beating in there on every page. Take the words in this one’s dedication:

To the trans community the world over: I see you, I hear you, I love you. This story is for you.

Followed soon after by a quote that beautifully summarizes a major theme:

“When we live in fear, it controls us. Every decision we make is smothered by it.”

In this second book of The Cerulean Chronicles, a follow-up to The House in the Cerulean Sea, orphanage master Arthur Parnassus finds himself not only having to defend himself to the remnant members of DICOMY and DICOMA (The Departments In Charge of Magical Youth and Adults respectively), but also protect his partner, ex-DICOMY employee Linus Baker and the magical children in their care when a newly appointed manager with her own agenda sends a biased inspector to investigate their home’s fitness for the children.

The long and short of the story is that Klune has written a book that confronts what happens when those in power use fear-mongering to silence and censor a marginalized community that doesn’t fit their mold. That sounds heavy and some will undoubtedly be put off by the messaging, but if you’ve ever read a Klune novel, you’ll know that he understands how to balance emotionally-charged themes with extraordinary heart and humor! The now SEVEN children in Arthur and Linus’ care have given me some of the best book laughs and feel good moments I’ve ever had!

How can you dislike a seven-year-old Antichrist named Lucy whose greatest passion in life is “dead-people” music and who aspires to make footie pajamas mandatory for humans if he ever enslaves them? Add to this eclectic group a grumpy but lovable garden gnome named Talia, a sensitive but formidable forest sprite named Phee, a button-hoarding wyvern named Theodore, a wise-beyond-his-years teen named Sal, an amorphous bell-hopping blob named Chauncey and the newest addition: a theater-loving Yeti named David! Their antics and interactions were as likely to cause tears of laughter as they were to melt my heart with their support for each other and their “daddies-to-be” Arthur and Linus. Their interactions with devious inspector Miss Marblemaw were delicious as well!

I have to say: if you have ANY inclination whatsoever to listen to audiobooks, definitely consider listening to this series. Daniel Henning returns to narrate and his voicing for every character in this large cast is so impeccably good that I can’t imagine experiencing the series without it.  I followed along on my Kindle, and enjoyed every second! While this can be read as a standalone, I don’t recommend it since you’ll miss a lot of the history behind the characters and story arc. 

If you enjoy ‘found family’ stories with a sprinkle of magic, loads of heart and the whole range of feels, I highly recommend this AND The House in the Cerulean Sea!

 

★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5)

(TW: Some heavy themes of childhood trauma and governmental mistreatment of marginalized communities. Also, the author’s note comes out swinging at JK Rowling and her views on the trans community, so if any of those things are an issue for you, you’ll want to consider that.)