I received a copy of the first four chapters from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. As these are only the first few chapters, my review and rating will be updated as needed after reading the full book.

This story picks up from Arthur's POV almost exactly where House in the Cerulean Sea ends. Whether this book was originally planned as a sequel or not, the characters still all sound the same, and Arthur is a distinct voice from Linus, which isn't always true of POV shifts.

I do get the sense that this might be harder to read than the previous book. While the people are the same and the humor is still there, it's dealing with the aftermath of trauma and a government that minority groups know is often against us directly, instead of the indirect approach that Linus demonstrated.

Apart from a slightly confusing start (which I hope gets addressed more later in the book), this promises to be very good and I am looking forward to reading it when it comes out.

Edit: From chapter 5 on my reading of this book is not associated with NetGalley at all.

As stated in my original review, this book is harder to read than the original. It is much more direct about trauma and the role the government often plays in it. Sometimes, though rarely, I needed to put my book down because of it. As a trans American, it's possible this was exacerbated by the recent election, especially given that the author himself at least suggests this book is an allegory for being trans in this political climate.

This book does manage to stay happy. To be honest it almost feels too perfect and happy at the very end, but we need that sometimes. It is still just as worth reading as House in the Cerulean Sea originally was.