Somewhere Beyond the Sea struck me in the most beautiful way, the perfect sequel to the House in the Cerulean Sea. It brings the most endearing and lovable characters against the most reviled, with good versus evil, acceptance, joy, magic, family, and love.

Arthur Parnassus, the world’s only known phoenix, is also dad to six (possibly seven) children, each with their own stunning and unique magical powers and qualities. Along with his partner, Linus, and island sprite Zoe, they devote their lives to loving these children and making sure they have a safe place to grow and thrive. When the Department in Charge of Magical Youth threatens that safety and life, the family brings its collective powers and love to the fight.

The bond from Cerulean Sea strengthens even more in Somewhere Beyond the Sea—these characters form a devoted, loving, and ironclad unit who will go to the ends of the earth for each other. The kids are pure joy and the main reason I loved this book so much. Their quirks, their hilarious comments and actions, their quintessential kid innocence mixed with trauma they’ve suffered, the way they all have each others’ backs. The creativity and fun mixed with the serious themes of acceptance and fighting oppression, mixed with all the magic, made this such a delightful read.

I highly recommend the audio version of Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Narrator Daniel Henning is a master of different voices—each child had a unique and spot-on voice so I immediately knew who was speaking and feel like I got to know them so much more than I could through a print book.

Rating: 4.8
Themes and Tropes: Magical Realism, Fantasy, LGBTQ+ rep, Found Family, Acceptance, Good v. Evil
Steam: N/A
Pair With: Your favorite kids’ drink and an ice cream cone

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