Review by sparklefarm - Under the Whispering Door

sparklefarm 's review for:

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

3.5

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Here's the thing about reading TJ Klune books. The setting is so cozy and the characters so heartfelt that if I read quickly enough, I don't catch how preachy it is. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, but both books that I've read are just so dang earnest. In this book I think the charming setting distracted me from the fact that

I didn't actually see Wallace's transformation from asshole to great guy, or believe his growing connection to Hugo (also I definitely clocked their ages as like, 65 and 29 at first since it wasn't made explicit, which complicated things 😆). For me, a lot of telling vs showing.

That said, I really enjoy how his books make me feel when I read them! So I'll ~~probably~~ definitely read more.

Content Warnings