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A review by sunsetcity
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<b>5 stars </b>
<i>Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review </i>
Picked this one up because I've loved Klune's last two books and I was not disappointed! In this one, we follow Wallace who has recently died and is being taken to a tea house. This tea house is a waypoint for the dead, a stop before they move on to whatever comes next. Wallace isn't ready to move on, so he decides to stay for as long as he can. He soon meets the other residents of the tea house: Nelson, an elderly ghost, Mei, a reaper who helps bring people to the waypoint, Apollo, a ghost dog, and Hugo, the owner and ferryman of the tea house. Wallace soon begin to see that maybe you can learn more about life in death.
The tone of this book was very different from the previous ones I had read by this author, but I still really enjoyed it. It still had Klune's signature humour woven throughout the narrative, but it also dealt with topics of death, grief, murder, suicide, and what it means to truly live. There were some parts of this book that were pretty heavy but there were some important conversations had that I wasn't expecting to see. We also see themes of found family as well, which I loved. My one criticism of this book is that the ending, for me, was pretty predictable and I saw it coming from a mile away. That's not to say that I didn't like the end, but I would have liked to have been surprised more by it
As with most of Klune's books, it was the characters that made it. They all were super well developed, even the dog, and the relationships between them seemed very genuine. I loved the character arc that Wallace went through and how he realized so many things about what it means to be happy. Hugo was such a wise person for his age and I loved seeing just how big his heart was. Mei and Nelson we so great, and brought in comedic elements and serious elements. And don't get me started on the characters who would visit the tea shop! I could seriously sing the praises of every character forever, and still have more to say.
Overall, this was a really deep and heartfelt story about death, family, and what it means to be alive.
<i>Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review </i>
Picked this one up because I've loved Klune's last two books and I was not disappointed! In this one, we follow Wallace who has recently died and is being taken to a tea house. This tea house is a waypoint for the dead, a stop before they move on to whatever comes next. Wallace isn't ready to move on, so he decides to stay for as long as he can. He soon meets the other residents of the tea house: Nelson, an elderly ghost, Mei, a reaper who helps bring people to the waypoint, Apollo, a ghost dog, and Hugo, the owner and ferryman of the tea house. Wallace soon begin to see that maybe you can learn more about life in death.
The tone of this book was very different from the previous ones I had read by this author, but I still really enjoyed it. It still had Klune's signature humour woven throughout the narrative, but it also dealt with topics of death, grief, murder, suicide, and what it means to truly live. There were some parts of this book that were pretty heavy but there were some important conversations had that I wasn't expecting to see. We also see themes of found family as well, which I loved. My one criticism of this book is that the ending, for me, was pretty predictable and I saw it coming from a mile away. That's not to say that I didn't like the end, but I would have liked to have been surprised more by it
As with most of Klune's books, it was the characters that made it. They all were super well developed, even the dog, and the relationships between them seemed very genuine. I loved the character arc that Wallace went through and how he realized so many things about what it means to be happy. Hugo was such a wise person for his age and I loved seeing just how big his heart was. Mei and Nelson we so great, and brought in comedic elements and serious elements. And don't get me started on the characters who would visit the tea shop! I could seriously sing the praises of every character forever, and still have more to say.
Overall, this was a really deep and heartfelt story about death, family, and what it means to be alive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Terminal illness