As a reader who was enchanted by Klune’s “In the Lives of Puppets," I’m disappointed to report that this book was a slog for me from the first chapter until the very end. I never expected it, especially given that “Under the Whispering Door” has garnered so many 4-star and 5-star reviews. Don’t get me wrong. The storyline employs a unique other-worldly approach to LGBTQ issues and is laced with important life-lessons (albeit served up in a somewhat cliché fashion). It also introduces readers to an eclectic cast of characters. But the book is glacially paced. Vignettes that could have been beautifully spun in a couple pages take three times as long to stage. For example, there’s only so much literary mileage one can rack up when describing tea-tastings. I almost stopped reading three times before deciding to trudge on. My disappointment has spurred me to delay my long-planned reading of Klune’s “Wolfsong,” which weighs in at 520+ pages. ( )

Synopsis: Wallace is dead. He is taken to a place where he must learn and grow so he can cross over to the life beyond.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wallace is an unlikable character but I didn't mind it. It was clear to me from the start of this book that this was going to be a redemption story so Wallace being horrible was just par for the course.

I liked the secondary characters but didn't feel like they were as interesting or as memorable as the secondary cast in Cerulean Sea.

This book feels a lot like Cerulean Sea and I think some people will love that. I didn't.

I often found the pacing of this book a little slow and wanted to shout at the book can we move along and get to the point?

While I did find this book entertaining I equally found it meandering.

I didn't feel that certain aspects of the story were explained as much as I wanted them to be.

Also, I felt like the end was a cop out. I think most people will really like the end but I was genuinely mad at how the book ended.

I think if you love Cerulean sea you'll at least like this book. ( )

un presunto brodo caldo per l'anima che invece è un brodo allungato di banalità ( )

Wallace is a seemingly heartless, career-driven lawyer who ends up dying from a heart attack while alone at the office. At his funeral, he meets a woman who can see him. She says that she is a Reaper and she brings him to a teashop to meet his Ferryman, who is supposed to help Wallace come to terms with being dead and help him prepare for the next step of his journey.

I loved a lot of Under the Whispering Door. There's a sweetness to the whole book, with likable characters, heartfelt moments and a found-family vibe.

The book didn't always work for me though. The pacing of the book felt off and it seemed longer than it was. Sometimes the dialog seemed unnatural, like there was a list of things that they had to say during each interaction.

I tried to read this last year but quit halfway through because of the issues that I mentioned. I'm glad that I gave this another chance and finally finished it. ( )

While a nice, hopeful, read this books overstayed it's welcome by quite a bit. It felt like there was a lot of repetition and the secondary love story plot felt forced and entirely unnecessary. ( )