Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a strong next novel after The House in the Cerulean Sea but sadly no where near as good as that fantasy read. This novel was not my cup of tea. It missed elements I craved regarding different viewpoints on the afterlife and contained an ending I was not content with. Despite my own personal disappointment with this novel, I still state this is a hit due to how highly received it was by others and the fact that it contains strong writing.

This can be a tough read as it tackles life after death and puts all that that can encapsulate into an awkward teashop, one from the cover I would love to visit. There are decent character relationships but like me, you may be frustrated as they are not developed as deeply as may be necessary for what occurs in the novel. This novel is about love and grief and Under the Whispering Door is a recommended read because of how many others enjoyed it. It was not for me but I hope it is for you and brings warmth to your body as it did for thousands of others.

What happens after death? That is all you need to know about the plot. Oh - and it's set in the cutest teashop in the world!

Wallace and Hugo are the protagonists. Wallace has recently passed and is currently stuck at Hugo's teashop way station (isn't that a mouthful) as he processes and comes to accept his passing. Wallace is a complex character whose time at the teashop leads to transformation.

Hugo is a soft gooeyball of love and is written as a character anybody could warm too. He also must be that type of character as he is a ferryman of souls and without his compassion and heart, he would not be a good ferryman.

These two characters are vastly different providing intriguing character interactions and once you throw Mei and Nelson in, you never know what is going to occur. These characters are solid and an enjoyable part of Under the Whispering Door.

The ending was not what I wanted but as a different reader, I think it will be exactly what you crave and expect. The whole interpretation of this novel is personal and I feel it can leave you with a new favourite novel or just a slightly decent read.

Under the Whispering Door is a solid read with gorgeous writing and in all, is worth an hour of your time based on what you want. I hope this novel is all you want it to be and that you sip a cup of tea whilst you read.

Is it terrible to say I did not enjoy this as much as I expected? I was looking forward to Under the Whispering Door for months; after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea, undoubtedly one of my favourite reads in 2020 along with these other seven, I was stoked for another magical world revolving around a tea shop!

It wasn't what I got though and again, that is my opinion. There were elements that did not connect with me and I found myself frustrated because I experienced no emotional pull despite the novel presented as an emotional and personal story. I recognise the beauty in the writing and interpretation of what life after can mean but it wasn't what I wanted.

I think my biggest upset was that I couldn't connect to Hugo and Wallace's developing relationship. How did they come to be together? How was Wallace after forty odd years able to change so quickly? Why did Hugo fall for someone who had been so cruel in life when he himself truly was a kind and passionate person? Because the novel was heavily based on their relationship, it was tough to enjoy this work and when the ending came, I was mad.

I wanted Wallace to pass through the door and for the epilogue to be a short description of Hugo's passing where they meet again. I was envisioning something like Nelson's "I'm home," as the epilogue but between Wallace and Hugo. Life does not always provide happy endings and it soured me a little that Wallace was allowed to return to the land of the living as death is permanent and I feel it should have stayed that way. I feel had Wallace happily passed, it would have been a powerful statement on how life cannot be what you always wish it to be, because that is what life is - it's short, it's sometimes frustrating, and it's not what you plan. But, what happens after you pass through that door - that's maybe what you can wish it to be.

Of course, that is my thought on the ending and I do think some of my frustration with the ending comes from my own beliefs on the afterlife but Hugo and Wallace's relationship, I didn't understand it. I didn't get how it developed and that made the novel tough to read because I couldn't connect with the characters or the "development" they made. It wasn't development, it was a switch and I wish there had been more evident growth and failure in Wallace that led to Hugo and him falling in love.

Although this novel was not for me, I will 100% be reading anything else TJ Klune publishes as there is magic in the writing and I didn't get the magic I craved in this novel. For the next novel, I am so so hoping for a mythical garden story with fairies - absolutely yes. And those are my probably unpopular thoughts on Under the Whispering Door.