Under the Whispering Door beat The House in the Cerulean Sea as the better Klune book. I did think House suffered from overhype in my case, and the fact that I usually don't read such positive material, which is definitely my own fault.

I think particularly the reason for my heightened enjoyment/ closeness to this story is because at the time of reading this, I had a family member go into hospice. I know hospice and death are two different things, but they are closely tied to the end of one's life in different ways. Wallace's journey helped me to come to terms with this impending familial death, and I'll be in debt to it for giving me that clarity. It gave me comfort honestly in a dark period/ headspace, so I have this deeper, more fulfilling connection. Klune is truly marvelous at weaving together tough stories of the human condition/ experiences. He finds a way to reveal the truth in an otherwise extremely complicated situation.

Update: My family member has now passed, and I have a bunch of quotes saved from this story. They are subject to change a bit since they're from an eARC, but I've been scrolling through them as a way to deal with my emotions. They really are helping me, so I thought I'd include a few below.

"Energy. Life. Death. All of it. We rise and we fall and then we rise once more. We're all on different paths, but death doesn't discriminate. It comes for everyone. It's what you do with it that sets you apart."

"Death isn't a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning."

"Death isn't always something to be feared. It's not the be-all and end-all."

"You're born, yes. You live and breathe and dance and ache, but you die. Everyone dies. Everything dies. Death is cleansing. The pain of a mortal life is gone."

And due to the fact that these previous quotes are depressing as f**k-- here's one to make you smile:
"Don't write checks your butt can't cash is what I always say."