annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the second book in the Cerulean Chronicles by TJ Klune. Released 10th Sept 2024 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 400 pages and is available in all formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.
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. It's often also poignant, but the support and growth are always there too.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 15 hours 48 minutes and is marvelously narrated by Daniel Henning, who does a great job with the wildly divergent character voices. His timing is perfect, and he manages to delineate the kids' and adults' voices perfectly. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Four and a half stars. Excellent series follow-up 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.