⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

What Wakes the Bells is an immersive, fierce YA fantasy with fantastic characters, a beautiful romance, and lovely prose that hooked me from the first page.

Oh, I loved this one. The writing was beautiful and fit Mina’s character and the world perfectly. The story and magic system were fascinating, and the pacing and characters kept me entertained and eagerly awaiting the next chapter. I felt seen in so many aspects of Mina’s character, and I also appreciated the half-sibling representation, as a half-sibling myself.
The action scenes and twists were well-written, and I loved the dark, twisty atmosphere of the novel and the sentient city. The romance was so sweet, and the ending fit the book wonderfully. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

I really enjoyed this one. First download that I’ve finished off of NetGalley! I was a bit skeptical because it’s young adult but I really enjoyed the premise and world that was created. While I found it a bit predictable that doesn’t mean it was bad, just that you could easily see what was coming before our main protagonist. Overall a great fantasy YA book (especially if you’re tired of spice in your young adult books lol). Thanks again to NetGalley!

WHAT WAKES THE BELLS is such an intriguing debut!! I had a great time reading it and loved the vibes a lot. I’m looking forward to more books by Elle Tesch!!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch is a gothic tale about a city facing off against an ancient evil, bent on domination while leaving destruction in its wake. Its only saviors are in the form of Saints in hiding and the bell keepers tasked with keeping the evil from waking.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this story and the relationships flushed out by the author. I especially enjoyed that as the reader, you never knew where the story was going to end up and if your favorite characters were going to survive, it really upped the stakes. I feel like the author did a good job of wrapping up the tale into the perfect fantasy standalone novel.

Overall, I gave this book four-stars because I loved the setting of the story, the folklore and magic felt really fresh, and it was well-written. It was such an easy read without a ton of info-dumping or unnecessary world-building, which can sometimes be overdone with standalone stories. I definitely recommend this to fantasy fans and those just dipping their toes into the genre!

Perfect for fans of Hannah Whitten’s THE FOXGLOVE KING and Rebecca Ross’s DIVINE RIVALS. Author Elle Tesch creates a fully realized fantasy city with a rich saint-filled history. Mina and her family are in charge of the Vesper bells that keep the Bane from returning. But the bells strike 13 times and the Bane has chosen a new human host. In addition to finding and stopping an ancient bane set on destroying their city, Mina is navigating a relationship with her mother who has been critical of her since Mina’s father died. There is romance, but it is already established when the story begins.