Somewhere Beyond the Sea Review

Posted on April 16, 2026

Arthur Parnassus is living his best life with his magical children that he’s planning on adopting with his wonderful partner, Linus, and his beautiful house where Arthur is the master of the orphanage. Together, Arthur and Linus can do anything they set their minds on when it comes to being the best parents to their soon-to-be adoptive children. But what happens when a new magical child is placed in their care, one that calls himself a monster? Will it bring the entire family closer together in time for the new caseworker sent to destroy everything Arthur worked for?

I put off reading this book for too long and I don’t know why I haven’t read it sooner as I gave the book 5 stars. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a great book about being a parent who’s accepting of their children and does not see their children as a product of their values. The biggest example and light spoiler is when Lucy discusses with Arthur about his frustration with how non-magical people see him and his family and wishes to fulfill his role as the Anti-Christ just so that his family is safer. Arthur, obviously scared of seeing that happen, but regardless, promises that he would still love Lucy no matter what he becomes. Because Arthur and Linus’ jobs are to love and guide their children so that they can make the right decision for themselves.

The author, T.J. Klune, wrote in the acknowledgements that he wanted to be the opposite of JK Rowling by showing trans folks that they are loved and deserve to be loved by their friends and families, and I believe T.J. Klune did a wonderful job of showing what an accepting parent looks like.

I give sequels to books a bit of grace since they are mostly used to introduce the next work in the series, but this book is a wonderful conclusion to the series that solved a lot of the problems in the first book. The lessons throughout this book don’t feel as forced as it did in the first, but still give a great delivery to showing acceptance and resilience for loved ones. Another thing I absolutely enjoy is how this book is set in Arthur’s perspective. I remember agreeing with Jack Edwards’ review on Youtube categorizing Linus to be the white savior in the first novel, but using Arthur to help understand the significance in his role not only as the head of the orphanage, but as a leader, a husband, and a father as well.

Please tell me what you think of this book, or other books written by the author. Have you read The House in the Cerulean Sea, yet?