ALL THE SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!

I realize that I got a sneak peak of the audio, however, I also received a full audioARC elsewhere, so my review is for the full book.

I almost don't know what to say about this book. I'm incredibly disappointed that this book was allowed to be published, as it is hugely problematic.

I really loved The House in the Cerulean Sea when I first read it, and at the time I could see the parallels between Klune's story and the way Indigenous people in Canada have been treated (historically and currently), so then to hear that it was directly inspired by the 60's Scoop, left me feeling quite off about it. And to hear Klune speak about it, it's as though it was this small, little snippet of Canadian history that he discovered. Which, it's not. And he rightly got called out on it. And did not respond in any way, which didn't impress me. But, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, he made a mistake, let's hope he does better going forward. And he really has not with this sequel. If anything, it's worse than THITCS.

The absolutely blatant use of Indigenous trauma to write this book (and sell it, because you know it's going to sell well) and then not acknowledge it whatsoever is absolutely disgusting. I wanted to give Klune a chance to hear the criticisms of THITCS and to learn from that, and not do it again, but I think he actually leaned harder into that trauma with Somewhere Beyond the Sea. In it we have Arthur, our POV character this time around, giving testimony about his time and how he was treated in foster care, he received a monetary settlement because of it; both of these things are exactly what happened with survivors of the 60's Scoop, where Indigenous children were stolen away from their families and put into white foster homes, where they were treated appallingly. While it was at its height in the 1960s, it continues TO THIS DAY, with Indigenous children making up a large majority of those living in foster care. To use Indigenous trauma that is still ongoing is insensitive at best and appropriation at worst.

Throughout the book there are mentions of intergenerational trauma, the dehumanization and othering of the children in foster care, treaties and land rights. These are all very real traumas and issues that Indigenous people in Canada are dealing with today. The 60's Scoop wasn't some small blip in Canada's history, its legacy and trauma is still very present today. At one point in SBTS the government officials come and try to take the children away (at which point treaties and land rights are mentioned) and the imagery of an Indigenous Elder, who escaped being taken by hiding under the dead body of their family (while this is reminiscent of any colonized people, it is very much a part of Indigenous history, too), showing the bad government people the treaties that were signed and declaring the land sovereign is evoked. And I can't help but think of all the times this has happened in Canadian history (as well as present day) and how the police were called in and the government just did whatever they wanted. The Wet'suwet'en in BC are still dealing with this, despite their never having ceded their land. To use this sort of imagery without knowing the history is just not okay.

In addition to the blatant use of Indigenous trauma to write this book, there is also the issue of how it portrays white saviourism. Don't worry marginalized children who have been ripped away from their families and cultures, these two middle-class white men will save you! While I do think that Klune was trying for more of a found family feel, this just comes across as white saviourism, and while the children aren't being abused, they're also not learning about their own unique cultures. This is a huge problem within the foster care system, in that children from marginalized communities are placed with white foster families and they completely lose their culture. So to reinforce that is quite awful.

And lastly, setting aside how incredibly problematic it is, the story was not compelling in any way. With THITCS, you could tell that it was a story that Klune was excited about, whereas with SBTS it feels like he was trying to write the sequel he had no intention of writing. The plot was very haphazard, the characters not well developed. I am also having feelings with regards to the dedication and author note, in that Klune is dedicating this book to trans kids and he talks about how he wants his legacy to be as the anti-JKR. However, as far as I know, Klune has never written a trans character. There is one very minor side character in SBTS who I believe is meant to be non-binary, but I don't know that they actually even have any lines of dialogue. If you are wanting to set yourself up as the anti-JKR, maybe include some trans characters in your books? Dedicating a book to trans kids and then those same kids not even being able to see themselves in that book is making me feel some sort of way.

Overall, this was a complete dumpster fire of a book that never should have been published. After reading this I am seriously considering what do to with my not insignificant collection of TJ Klune books, because it honestly makes me feel gross to even be looking at them.

Sneak Peek for Somewhere Beyond the Sea is an extended preview for the upcoming second book in the House in the Cerulean Sea series by TJ Klune. Currently available free from the publisher, it's 36 pages. The actual full book has an anticipated release date of 10th Sept 2024 from Macmillan on their Tor imprint.

This is a warmly supportive tale for anyone who has felt like a misfit. The characters are appealing and whimsical and the entire premise of love, generosity of spirit, kindness, and found family shine through. It is humorous, and often full of slapstick comedy (one of the kids has eyestalks on tentacles; they're -all- pretty special), but always, the theme of found family and misfits-against-the-world comes through loud and clear.

The audiobook version is marvelously narrated by Daniel Henning, who does a wonderful job with the wildly divergent character voices. His timing is perfect, and he manages to delineate the kids' and adults' voices perfectly. The sneak preview has a run time of 30 minutes 34 seconds. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Five stars. Excellent excerpt and great story narration. Definitely one for public library acquisition as well as for fans of YA school fantasy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you for the sneak peek! House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favourite books ever so you can probably imagine how excited I am for the sequel. The narration is so good too. TJ Klune has stolen my heart with this family and I can’t wait to listen to the whole audiobook again and again.

I did not realize this was just a sneak peak, and thought it was the full version. However excited I am for the book, this was a disappointment. I am glad I got it because I know to read it, not listen to the audio. The voices are too distracting and childlike. I’ll give this a rating because NetGalley demands it, but this is not indicative to my rating of the book since I haven’t been given a copy to read.

I mean, since I loved the first book...this was obviously wonderful and excellently narrated. I was bamboozled by the 'sneak peak' and thought I was getting an arc to review. I don't have a review of the book at the moment. I will give stars on NetGalley to complete the process but I will not be posting this review or rating it yet since this was only one chapter. This rating reflects my feelings of this chapter alone.

This makes me so excited to read the rest of this book! It was wonderful to return to the island and continue the adventure of The House in the Cerulean Sea!

This just whets my appetite for the book! I NEED IT!!!! Linus' voice was a bit different than THITCS, but he is a changed man. No longer meek and mild, but loved and loving. I thought it was fantastic that we got the story of when Arthur went back to the island as an adult. The history there is important, I think. That was the prologue and chapter one seems to pick up fairly soon after book 1 ended. I wonder if it goes back and forth because I would love to see what happens as every child enters the house for the first time.

Cannot wait for the full length audiobook. I absolutely loved the house in the Cerulean Sea, and can’t wait for this next books

I’m excited to listen to the full version! Great narration and was fun to listen to the extended excerpt.

I love TJ Klune and was so excited to listen to this excerpt. The narration is so good and this is one of the few books I’d say should be listened to instead of read. Can’t wait for more

I'm very excited for this book to come out, but I just couldn't get into the narration style. As this series is already a cozy/magical realism vibe, the narrator doing different voices made the story feel like it was intended for a younger audience than what it actually is. I normally really like different voices in audiobooks, so I'm not sure why this one doesn't appeal. Truthfully I have not listened to the audiobook for The House in the Cerulean Sea, so maybe I would've eased into it more had I started there first. My rating reflects the audio, and not the story itself.

I forgot how much I absolutely adore these characters. I can't wait for this book to release. Specifically, I forgot how much I love the voice of chauncey.

Cannot wait to read the full version! TJ Klune has totally captured my attention with this latest….!

This was so good! I didn't realize it was a sneak peek. I can't wait to read the full book. I read the House by the Cerulean Sea and loved it. I am happy that we are getting a sequel.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook sample!

I was so excited to listen to this excerpt! The narrator did an amazing job with each individual voice, and I'm so excited to listen to the full book in September.

Thanks for NetGalley for an ALC of the first 2 chapters! I was already excited for this book, && the ‘sneak peak’ of the book delivered. It includes many of the same lively characters and, same delightful & heartfelt writing from the first book.
The narrator does an excellent job with each characters voice.
Sept 10 can’t come soon enough!

This was a delightful sneak peak of this book that has me really excited for the full book! I adore these characters and I"m glad that we're getting a book from Arthur's perspective!

Just with the sneak peek I already know it's going to be so good, the narrator and the story are excellent. I'm so excited, I can't wait for the rest!

When I received this arc, I'd thought it was the entire book. However, it's just an excerpt. SADDDDD DAY. Very hard to rate a book I only got a small taste of.

Well, like any good sneak peek, I definitely feel teased and primed and ready for the whole damn thing