I could count on one hand the number I’ve books I regret reading. Actually I think it’s only two. The Troop by Nick Cutter, and Somewhere Beyond the Sea (SBTS).
The House in the Cerulean Sea is my favorite book. I listen to it when I’m stressed out because it makes me so happy. I adore the characters. It’s not perfect and it definitely has its moments that I feel are too corny and unrealistic, and he really beats you over the head with the moral, but I like the book. I was so excited for SBTS, especially bc I’m obsessed with Arthur Parnassas (is that how it’s spelled? I read the audiobook. Anyway).
I liked the beginning of the book. Arthur’s trial was exciting and dramatic, and it was nice to have some time between just Linus and Arthur without the kids. I even liked when they picked up David, even though I thought he was a little annoying and unnecessary, because I liked seeing the way Arthur interacted with him.
But as the book went on after Mrs. Marblemaw showed up, it was just so hard to keep going. The reader of the audiobook has been good in the past, but I kept having to turn down the volume bc I was embarrassed by the melodramatic reading. I can live with a bit of overacting on the dialogue, but being so loud and dramatic on narrative lines is just unnecessary and uncomfortable. It constantly took me out of the story.
Not that I was really dying to be in the story, because the story itself wasn’t great either. Every time the kids talked to Arthur and Linus they were giving some kind of profound statement or lecture to their dads. I thought Arthur must be dehydrated from all the times he cried or teared up at some beautiful thing they said. Enough! It’s not poignant anymore after 50 times. Can they just be normal for five seconds? I get that Sal is mature for his age, and I can appreciate that. But there’s only so many times a 15 year old can know more than his parents before I start to roll my eyes. Lucy was funny though, he always is.
The plot was all over the place. What is the deal with the mud people? That was so out of nowhere and weird. Zoe being a queen all of a sudden was preposterous. If she was the queen, why didn’t she do anything before? She just figured out now that she shouldn’t let the government try to take away Arthur’s children? And she never helped Arthur when he was being beaten and locked in a cellar, but no one ever gives her shit for that. But Arthur can demand of Linus “why didn’t you help the other kids you met before us?” If I were Linus I wouldn’t have just accepted that bs.
I think the worst for me is the corniness. The townspeople all got together and clapped for the kids no less than twice, probably more. It was literally the “and then everyone clapped” meme, except it was supposed to be in earnest. And J Bone is such a caricature. Why does he keeping coming into the story? I can’t take it.
And Mrs. Marblemaw and Mrs. Rowder were so one dimensional, even when you thought they might not be. Like there were hints that Marblemaw might turn into a decent person, but that just went away and wasn’t acknowledged. And Mrs. Rowder actually made some decent points (like, can we seriously acknowledge that Lucy being the antichrist is worth discussing? And she’s right, she wasnt alive for what happened to Zoe so why is Zoe blaming her for it), but there was no engagement with those ideas. We were just supposed to figure ah whatever she’s evil, let’s move on.
And I wanted more passion with Linus and Arthur. I know the books don’t have sex scenes and that’s fine. But what about some fighting, or making out, or sexual innuendo? I didn’t think it was supposed to be YA but maybe it was. I just wanted a little something more from them than acting like they’ve been married for 50 years and only care about their kids.
Ok thank goodness I got that off my chest.
by FoghornLegday