Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Wie auch beim ersten Teil war ich Schockverliebt und habe das Buch innerhalb von 2 Tagen gelesen. Nur wenige Autoren schaffen es, dass ich mir die Umgebung und die Leute bildlich vorstellen kann beim Lesen, aber TJ Klune hat es aufs neue geschafft. Das Buch zu lesen, war wir ein nach Hause kommen. Trotz des ernsten Themas war auch der zweite Teil ein absolutes Wohlfühlbuch. Ich würde mich nicht über noch mehr Bücher über Linus und Arthur beschweren.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea von TJ Klune ist eine wunderbare Fortsetzung zu The House in the Cerulean Sea. Er bleibt seinem herzerwärmenden Stil treu und schafft erneut eine magische Geschichte voller Humor, Emotion und Tiefgang. Die Charaktere entwickeln sich authentisch weiter, während neue Herausforderungen und Geheimnisse die Handlung bereichern.

I like it even more than the first book. The charakters, the atmosphere. T. J. Klune at his best. Read them all! I´m not a queer person but I think his books are very important and I hope his storys will spread all over the world. Hope is the thing with feathers...

Back to Marsyas Island, where found family, magical children and government interference are once again at the heart of the story. I enjoyed this sequel about as much as the first book, especially the change in perspective from Linus to Arthur. It was lovely to see the children growing into themselves and the increasingly strong parent-child bond between Arthur, Linus and the kids. Lucy’s development was particularly touching, especially as he learns to channel his darker thoughts into caring for others. The themes of belonging, prejudice, identity and standing up against injustice are meaningful, and Klune clearly writes with a lot of heart. However, some moments felt a little too sentimental, even cheesy, for my taste. While I appreciated the ideas behind certain developments, their execution didn’t always convince me. The ending also felt rather crowded, with several emotional moments competing for attention. I had mixed feelings about the acknowledgements, too. While I appreciate the dedication to the trans community, the direct criticism of J. K. Rowling felt somewhat disconnected from the story and more confrontational than necessary. Overall, a quick, heartwarming read with characters I genuinely care about, but at times I felt the message was delivered a little too forcefully. I loved the ideas behind the story more than their execution.