Luciano Porta

Ate this one up tbh, historic queer stories always get to me. Beautiful and heartbreaking, it perfectly captures how fear and repression can slowly destroy relationships. Ludwik is such an unforgettable and deeply human character, and I loved all of the female characters here too. This is the type of book where I know I'll have the characters in my mind for weeks lol

I finished this book feeling a bit conflicted. There were moments that genuinely moved me, especially in how the book portrays friendship, childhood summers, nostalgia, and the way those memories become a refuge from darker adult lives. The connections between the characters felt real and meaningful, and some of them, especially Joar and Ali, stood out to me as deeply sympathetic and emotionally grounded.

At the same time, the book never fully captured me. The writing often felt overly verbose and too corny, with dialogue that seems artificial and constantly trying to sound profound or quotable. That exaggeration makes it harder for me to stay immersed. The humor also didn't work for me, it ranges from unfunny to just cringe.

Even with those issues, I still found the book interesting. It surprised me at times and avoided some expected narrative paths, which I appreciated. While the trauma could feel overdone sometimes, I liked that the story remained hopeful and reaffirmes the themes of friendship and love. In the end, it's a book I respect for its heart and intentions and I can see why so many people love it, but to me personally the style kept me at some distance

This book grabbed me right away and has stayed in my head for weeks. I loved the main character Lambert Simnel, moving from a simple farm life into a terrifying political role where he is declared the hidden Earl of Warwick and a supposed rightful heir.

The best part for me was the dimensional cast and vivid settings. Simnel is so easy to care about, there is a standout love interest, and the writing has a great historically flavored style with oldish English words that make it feel authentic. This book is also funnier than I expected and does not take itself too seriously.

I also loved how the book plays with identity and manipulation, and it creates a constant tension where I felt unsure who to trust. That uncertainty made the story more addictive because it pulled me into the same confusion and doubt that Simnel feels. The twists were genuinely surprising and kept me reeling forward.

My main gripe with this book is that the historical context and all the titles and families are not clearly introduced. There is a lot of talk about titles, families, and the lead up to major conflicts, and I felt lost at times because I do not already have that background.

Overall, I thought it was a very cool, very well written historical fiction novel with sharp humor, real emotional weight, and characters that stayed with me.

Reading Somewhere Beyond the Sea was a disappointing experience overall. Coming into it with high expectations after loving The House in the Cerulean Sea (which felt magical and tightly paced), I found myself feeling bored and disconnected from the story. Unlike the first book, this sequel felt much slower and dragged on, lacking the spark that made the original so engaging.

One positive aspect was the shift in perspective to Arthur's point of view. Seeing his relationship with Linus fully formed was heartwarming. However, beyond that, the book struggled to hold my interest.

A major critique is how the story felt like an unnecessary sequel. It didn't seem to achieve anything new or significant, and the political storyline (Arthur having to publicly declare to the government) felt kind of boring to read.

The dialogue often turned into long monologues, making the chapters feel sermon-like. Instead of the subtle, emotional storytelling seen in The House in the Cerulean Sea, this book repeatedly hammered home its messages (instead of trusting the reader to pick them up naturally). It felt like the same points were being reiterated over four hundred pages, making it a tiring experience.

Overall, while I really appreciate TJ Klune's body of work and his beautiful contributions to queer storytelling, Somewhere Beyond the Sea it just didn't resonate with me. It took me quite a while to get through it, mostly because it failed to keep me engaged.

It was a very entertaining book, though a bit challenging to read, especially as a non-native speaker. The story moves slowly at times, and there are sections where it's difficult to stay engaged. However, it really picks up in the last part, becoming much more exciting and enjoyable.

This is my first time reading a Percy Jackson book on release day, and I have to say this book was so much fun! I loved the previous book because, after the main series, we're getting these sort of lower-stakes stories about Percy heading to college. This book delivers more of that, and it's just perfect.