I was draw to this arc for its pretty cover and great title, and because I grew up reading The Lord of the Rings books and wondered if this author was any relation, though I did not know til I read the about the author section at the end of this arc how they are related. I really enjoyed this book. I have read a few novels set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, and quite a few set in the US during the Depression, but I am not sure I've ever read one that is set during the build-up to the Spanish Civil War, and this book does a great job of painting the growing tension and simmering violence of the not yet exploded war in Spain, within the context of what was also going on in the US and the UK during the interwar period. I am looking forward to book 2 to find out what happens with Theo and Maria next.

The Palace at the End of the Sea is a sweeping epic historical drama of a young boy, It is a coming of age story as Theo navigates his childhood through the Great Depression in New York City, then on to England attending boarding school and then on to a small town in Spain just as their civil war is starting to unfold. This was a well written book and one I enjoyed. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Palace at the End of the Sea by Simon Tolkien (book cover is in image) is the coming of age story for Theo Sterling. Set in 1929, New York City, it tells us of the turbulent relationship he has with his his Jewish Father and Mexican mother. Dealing with themes loss of a family members, identity and the Spanish Civil War, this book is the first installment of Theo Sterling's life journey, and I look forward to reading the next installment by the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The narration by Thom Rivera is the first time I have had the opportunity to experience Rivera and was great. I will be looking for more from him.

Thank you @brilliancepublishing, @amazonpublishing / Lake Shore Publishing and @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 01 2025

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I liked how this followed Theo from a young age. It allowed the reader to really understand the influence his upbringing had on his views in school. To me it was a little slower paced but I still enjoyed the writing style. It was descriptive and the characters’ emotions came through. Theo was trying to find his place while everyone around him was trying to tell him what to believe. The second half was probably my favorite part and I am curious to see where Theo is going after the way it ended.

This review is for both the audiobook and the ebook.

I'm super picky about audiobooks. If a narrator annoys me in any way, I can't get past it. I usually much prefer to read it myself, because I can get through it a lot faster. The Palace at the End of the Sea is not one of those books.

I flipped between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook. I probably listened to 50-75% of it (because, Thom Rivera!), and read the rest when I couldn't listen easily. I got both the ebook and the audiobook from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for my review. A big thank you to both Brilliance Publishing and Brilliance Audio for letting me use both!

I love, love, love, love, loooove this audiobook! Serious props to the narrator, Thom Rivera, for all the accents and voices that he does - it really helps sell the different characters, and I was able to easily imagine each one of them from a mixture of Thom's great accents and Simon's vivid descriptions.

There is so much heart in this book. Simon Tolkien really nails the absolute mixed bag of emotions necessary for a great coming-of-age story.

I took my time reading this one. I would read or listen for an hour or two here and there, and then just sit with it. It's that kind of book.

I turned 39 this year, and even though it's been a minute since I've been a teen, I have young adult children, so I've been through a lot of it from the parent side in the last few years. Having kids of your own really changes how you view your own parents. Things you used to be upset with them for suddenly make sense through the lens of a life lived for a few more years.

I enjoyed seeing the main character, Theo, go through a lot of similar changes. He is an observer. He is always paying attention to what's going on around him, and he wants to make a difference. He wants to be the change he wishes to see in the world. He also has a healthy-ish level of self-preservation, so he has a pretty good head on his shoulders. He does get pulled in different directions by various people, and I like that the book explores a character who's not the standard trope of "the chosen one." In this book, one could argue that pretty much everyone EXCEPT Theo are the movers and the shakers, and I kind of like that. This book is just about a kid. A kid whose life spans different social classes, races, religions, cultures, and regions. The Palace at the End of the Sea gives us a glimpse into all of these wildly different experiences, and shows us where we can draw parallels, where we can spot the differences, and what that can mean to us.

I really enjoyed learning more about the historic events mentioned in the book. They didn't overshadow the main story, but they clearly shaped it, and I think that's the perfect combination.

This book made me THINK. It made me think a LOT. I took my time reading, because it contains heavier themes than probably the majority of the books I read, but I like that. I keep them decently few and far between, but I do enjoy ruminating on the state of the world we live in now and how wonderfully this book draws the parallels without feeling preachy.

While this book didn't give me soaring high good vibes, like most of the books I rate 5 stars, it did give me a lot to think about. I would actually probably rate it 4.5 out of 5. The actual writing of the story was great - when I read it, I NEVER thought about weirdly-worded sentences, misspellings, or any kind of grammar. That's always a relief, because mistakes like those pull me out of the story, and that was NOT an issue here!

TL;DR:
Overall Rating: 4.5
Writing/Grammar: 5
Enjoyability/Fun: 3.5
Themes: 4.5
Audiobook: 5

The Palace at the End of the Sea by Simon Tolkien is a sweeping epic historical drama of a young boy, Theo Sterling. In this story Theo navigates his childhood through the Great Depression in New York City, then on to England as he attends a boarding school through his teens, and lastly to a small town in Spain just as their civil war is starting to unfold.

You can see by his writing that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as Simon (grandson of JRR Tolkien) beautifully captures the historical events of those days. His research is immaculate and I was easily immersed into each location that Theo found himself in.

I have the sequel ready to go of The Room of Lost Steps and can’t wait to jump in to see how young Theo Sterling’s story continues. I find the historical aspects of each location fascinating and I feel like I’m learning so much that I had absolutely no knowledge of, especially the Spanish Civil War. This is truly an eye opening tale.

*Thanks so much to partners Amazon Publishing and OTRPR for the gifted ARC!*

"The Palace at the End of the Sea" by Simon Tolkien is a historical novel that follows the journey of Theo Sterling, a young boy navigating adolescence between the two world wars. The story begins with Theo's family arriving at Ellis Island, a pivotal moment that sets the stage for his life's journey. As Theo grows, he faces various challenges, from living on the streets of New York City to attending an English boarding school.

This historical fiction saga provides insight into the life of a young boy as he first navigates his life during the Great Depression. He does not agree with the many decisionsmade by his parents. He is left navigating his world through the different experiences that are forced upon him by his parents. It is a coming of age story with the background of historical events. I am looking forward to the next book.

I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

This one had a strong start; a coming-of-age story set across continents, with some big historical moments and emotional depth. Theo’s journey from NYC to Spain is definitely compelling, and the themes of identity, family, and rebellion are powerful.

That said, I found it a bit too long and slower than I expected in parts. It’s the first in a series, and while I’m curious where it goes, I’m not totally hooked yet. If you’re into detailed historical fiction and don’t mind a slower pace, it might be your thing!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher!

This book transports you across time and continents, into a saga that will captivate you for hours. I loved seeing the clash of viewpoints unfold from the different generations in the book, although you can see it happen in real life, it takes on a whole new meaning watching it happen as an outsider. Watching Theo ping pong between cultures and continents, and struggle with the various faiths and customs, trying to find his place amidst everything. The characters are perhaps the most compelling part of the story, but the setting is vivid, and you really do feel like you’ve stepped through a portal back in time. It’s like watching a movie unfold before your eyes as you read. The pacing is good, not too fast, but it doesn’t lag or make you feel like you’re pushing yourself to finish a book that’s moving too slowly. Highly recommend for historical fiction lovers!

In 1929, New York City, Theo Sterling is caught between different worlds. His father is a Jewish businessman, and his mother is Catholic. Disaster strikes the family, and charismatic friends convince Theo he can fight fascism. Rebellion carries a high price, making him question other ideologies as well.

Simon Tolkien is JRR Tolkien's grandson and an acclaimed author in his own right. He put incredible amounts of research into the first part of this duology, and the second half will be released later this year. Chapters are a little on the longer side, since they outline a defining moment in his life at that period. We start when Theo is eleven, right before the stock market crash, and the divide between his parents and their worlds becomes more obvious to him. Children don't really think about parents or their lives, and he had no cause to question his father's optimism or his mother's deep religious fervor. Both are due to past trauma, and the silence they work with means Theo never really processes it before trauma of his own begins to take root. He's an impressionable teenager needing a parental figure to take notice and give approval. Theo sees how rampant capitalism leads to unscrupulous behavior and loss, and communism involves loss and death as well. The only thing he can be sure of as the 1930s progress is that he's against fascism and destroying people for his own benefit.

Through Theo, we see the wealthy and poor parts of New York City, the upper crust of English boarding school, and the Spanish countryside. Different points of view are presented, and Theo doesn't want to pick a side. He's told that this tactic is essentially still picking a side, largely because picking a side for certain means taking action and potentially getting harmed. He's a teenager and has already gone through significant losses that he's not willing to endure more. But at the same time, he sees the inequalities inherent in the world and is affected by it. "The truth was hidden behind the dishonesty of the picturesque." As the first half of a duology, we get his formative years in the 30's, when different ideologies are on the rise and in competition with each other. Desperation affects people in different ways, and Theo has always been apart from his surroundings, observing and trying to participate at times without true belief. It will be interesting to see in the second half what will push him to fully commit himself.

The Palace at the End of the Sea
by Simon Tolkien
Pub Date: Jun 01 2025

New York City, 1929. Young Theo Sterling’s world begins to unravel as the Great Depression exerts its icy grip. He finds it hard to relate to his parents: His father, a Jewish self-made businessman, refuses to give up on the American dream, and his mother, a refugee from religious persecution in Mexico, holds fast to her Catholic faith. When disaster strikes the family, Theo must learn who he is. A charismatic school friend and a firebrand girl inspire him to believe he can fight Fascism and change the world, but each rebellion comes at a higher price, forcing Theo to question these ideologies too.

From New York’s Lower East Side to an English boarding school to an Andalusian village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Theo’s harrowing journey from boy to man is set against a backdrop of societies torn apart from within, teetering on the edge of a terrible war to which Theo is compulsively drawn like a moth to a flame.

This was a tricky one for me to review, I enjoyed parts of the book and became engrossed but quite a lot of the book I was bored, it felt slow and stale, I didn't really get to know any of the characters well or care and so I can't really say this was a hit with me, I know its a series so maybe it will get better and this was building up a whole story for later books.

The Palace at the End of the Sea is a book that transports the reader to different cultures at different times. Using the book as a voice, the author very beautifully and meticulously approaches holy customs, lineage, and progressive thinking while keeping the storyline engaging and interesting.

Some parts of the book stand out more than others. It is like watching a tense and riveting movie scene unfold before you when the story's characters get confrontational, questioning customs and traditions linked to the faiths they follow. The author succinctly shows the points of view of three generations of the Stern/Sterling sons, each zealously defending their opinions and decisions about the old and the new.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Back to the review. There is a constant dialog or self-introspection about the dichotomy of one's beliefs, and the perennial dilemma about wanting to blend in (read when in Rome, do as the Romans do), or be steadfast about carrying the rituals and customs of our ancestors.

To quote the author, 'Michael Sterling was not a religious man, but he had an unswerving faith in his adopted country.'

Theo's father Michael rebelled against his parent's beliefs to accommodate his non-Jewish wife. The author handles this topic ever so gently, yet explains it with lucid and crystal-clear prose.

This book taught me many new things about Jewish customs. I have worked with Jewish people and know some basics, but this was different. For example, I learned about 'Silent Shiva.' I also discovered that the Jewish holy book, the Torah is kept in a container called a 'mezuzah.'

This book is also a 1930's travel guide to New York. From shimmering churches to Coney Island, and everywhere in between, the reader is taken on a first-class tour across the Big Apple. I'm sure those who live in NY would relate to these places much more. Yours truly took Google Maps' help to relate to the parts in the story to assimilate the picture in my head better.

The first Theo series novel was exciting, and I look forward to reading the next one!

Did not finish. The plot was not holding my attention. The writing was good and the time period was interesting, but I wasn't connecting.

Well written with compelling characters that feel true to life with nuance and heart. A depressing tale for me, though.

This is Theo’s story. It’s 1929 in NYC and his young life is about to be upended by the Depression.

His father, a non-practicing Jew, is almost giddy with his belief in the AMerican Dream. He wants nothing to do with the old life or his Jewish parents. His mother is a religious refugee from Mexico and holds fast to her Catholic faith.

Theo has no idea of any of this however, until his Grandfather shows up and tells him.

He will go on to search for his own identity.

I didn’t feel that the characters were believable. Very one not.

Very long and not that interesting.


June 01, 2025 Lake Union Publishing/ NetGalley

*Many thanks to Simon Tolkien, lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I enjoyed one of the Author's other novels, so was thrilled to have been granted a copy of his latest offering. Unfortunately, I did not find much that appealed to me.
Theo Sterling as a child finds out about his background that is denied by his father, and over next years he tries to define his identity. The story starts in New York just before the Depression, and continues in Europe where, thanks to his mother's second marriage, he is given an opportunity to observe different environments.
The novel is easy to read, but characters do not develop as the story progresses, and I found them rather unbelievable, for instance Theo's mother and his step-father's relationship or de Lisle's fascination for Bolshevik Russia seemed implausible, or perhaps as a reader I was not fully convinced by the Author.
This book is Volume 1, and I hope Volume 2 is more captivating.

i was not really a big fan of this book. it was too political and war heavy, and I know the synopsis mentioned it, but it was still too much in here where it was like a textbook at times. It was overbearing to the entire storyline'

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!