A generous 3 stars from me. This book ended up being rather disappointing. The premise is phenomenal. A city that is alive and turns against its people when a dark magic is awoken in it's veins. I mean, there is so much potential in this! And some of it was explored, but it feels like we barely dip a toe in the water. There's essentially no world building, no back story, not enough build up between scenes and so on. The characters are fairly flat and there's really just no history (that's shared with us at least). The most painful part about it is that IT'S THERE. Like, we get glimpses of these elements, but they're just never elaborated on. This book should have and could have been twice as long from just world building and character backlog/dialogue. I can appreciate maybe the author wanted to keep this a stand alone, but you've got to have better meat on the bones if it's gonna carry all the weight of an entire, engaging story in one book. And there was just no meat on those beautiful bones. :( Elle Tesch is definitely a gifted writer and I did enjoy reading her work, but I just ultimately wanted so much more from this one. Also, shout out to the cover artist/designers, it's perfect.

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group & Elle Tesch for the e-arc!

✨✨Vibes the book has:
- Murderous Gargoyle statues
- A Sentient City! (YES the city is alive and has feelings)
- Gothic, mysterious atmosphere 🌫️
- Higher beings like Saints
- Magical Bells that needs to be looked after 👀
- Messy Family Dynamics 🥴
- A protective, cinnamon roll- brother 🥰 (might have been my favourite)
- An Established couple
- Demi Romance

Honestly, if this book ever gets adapted into a movie, it would be absolutely incredible! It’s packed with those vibes above. It felt like I’d stepped into a Tim Burton-esque dream world, but with even sharper edges. Elle, the author, deserves so much praise for her ability to paint this hauntingly beautiful world. The city of Vaiwyn came alive in my mind through her vivid descriptions—so much so that it felt like I was watching the scenes unfold rather than reading about them. I’ll admit the world-building was a bit overwhelming at times (as fantasy worlds often can be). But once I got through it, I was rewarded with something truly beautiful.

One thing I adored was how the story had an established romantic relationship. It was refreshing to see a couple who were already together, and their dynamic was so soft, kind, and sweet—a real balm amidst the darker tones of the story. I found myself rooting for them not just to survive but to hold onto their precious connection. And as I always say, a great story needs a compelling villain, and this one nailed it. He was menacing, mysterious, and undeniably captivating. I was a little disappointed we didn’t get more scenes or dialogue from him because, honestly, every time he spoke, I was like, “Please, just keep talking.”.

The family dynamics were fascinating & messy. The mom? Totally unredeemable for me. But the amazing brother more than made up for it—honestly, everyone deserves someone like him in their life.

The twists and turns were fun to follow, even if some of them were a bit predictable. What I enjoyed most was watching Mina piece everything together. She felt real, flawed, and determined, which made her journey satisfying. The ending took me by surprise—I didn’t see it coming—but I have to admit, I was expecting a bit more from the final battle. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but I wanted that extra oomph to make it truly unforgettable.

++++++ Elle also has her own playlist cured for this — it’s a must listen with the book!!

What Wakes the Bells has all the elements of a dark, atmospheric fantasy—an ancient city with a mind of its own, eerie lore surrounding the bells, and a creeping sense of dread as the city turns against its people. The premise is unique, and the concept of a slumbering evil tied to the ringing of the bells had me intrigued from the start.

However, despite the fascinating setup, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The worldbuilding, while immersive, felt dense at times, making it difficult to connect with the characters or maintain momentum in the story. Mina’s struggle to uncover the Saint’s host should have been gripping, but the pacing felt sluggish, and the stakes didn’t fully pull me in.

While this book wasn’t the right fit for me, readers who enjoy lush, intricate fantasy worlds with slow-burning tension may have better luck. The gothic horror elements and city-as-a-character premise are compelling, but ultimately, I found myself unable to push through to the end.

I have reviewed over 120 Netgalleys and this is my very first DNF. I stopped at 27% because the writing style/prose was annoying, the characters were uninteresting and the magic system/world made no sense.

This is the epitome of the "you had one job" meme in book form. The FMC and her family dedicated genrations to keeping a bell from ringing twice a day (I think? The world-building was so weak I'm not sure), and she failed after less than a year.

I really disliked the overly burdensome descriptions that made it feel like the author was trying too hard to set a gothic, atmospheric tone. "He knows I don't like it, and it sets starlings alight inside my rib cage", and the metaphors are so cringe, like the hymns sung in the cathedral sound like a "choir of ghosts" and "the last notes continue to haunt the ceiling". Ugh.

There is also a lot of passive action, which I don't care for: "...Our last talk resulted in a smashed vase", "a gentle tug undoes the bow". And lines like "I leap, reaching...with arms, fingers, and foolhardiness" were just so bad.

Also, basic things about the world don't make sense. The city is built on the skeleton of a fallen god so it has sentinent magic, okay. But it "mistakenly" turns its citizens to stone and randomly starts devouring them into its stone walls? Why is anyone still living there?

Anyway, when the FMC failed at her task, didn't take responsibility for her negligence and then after people died because of her failure, she was stressed out and noticed that in her reflection "without my usual red lip, I'm washed out", I couldn't take it anymore.

Although it seems many other reviewers seem to love it, this one is definitely not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the arc!

🌟🌟/5

A novel that had great potential but was ultimately bogged down because of a frustratingly brash protagonist, underdeveloped worldbuilding, predictable plot twists, and an unsatisfactory ending. I'd been excited for 'What Wakes the Bells' ever since it was announced. Unfortunately, this was a huge miss for me.

Here's the good: As a die-hard fan of gothic novels, you can expect me to be the first in line to read books featuring sentient buildings. What's better than a sentient house? A sentient city, of course! This gets 10/10 as far as vibes are concerned. I loved how, through tiny details, the author made Vaiwyn come alive- a character in its own right. The overall concept was very cool and something I've never seen before. I'm glad this didn't end up being yet another trope-heavy romantasy. We're introduced to an already established relationship and the author did a good job at making the romance convincing but not so prominent that it eclipsed the plot. The world is queernornative and I always appreciate that in a fantasy novel.

And here's the not-so-good: The author clearly put a lot of thought into making Vaiwyn come alive but did not think about its geographical location and the other places surrounding it. The 'world'building here is limited to the city and makes it seem like Vaiwyn exists in a void. That's why I was very confused that people didn't just leave the city during daytime if the murderous statues came alive only after sunset. The lore about the Saints was interesting on the surface level but not clearly thought out. I'd love to read a prequel set during their time because this book does not offer any explanation as to who the saints actually are and why they have the powers they have. There is one more aspect related to the saints that I thought was weird but I'll have to dive into spoiler territory and will not be covering it in this review. I couldn't care about any of the characters. Mina made stupid decisions one after another. The way she thought of herself as the chosen one and that she could fix everything was very annoying. The side characters were just...there. I don't know how to explain this, but the prose was elaborate and juvenile at the same time. The dialogue fell flat.

While presenting my critiques, I have to acknowledge the fact that this is a debut and these are mistakes debut fantasy authors often make. I definitely see the potential, though, and will probably read her next novel.

Rating: 5 ⭐️
An 18 year old Mina Strauss comes from a long line of bell keepers, as a bell keeper herself she knows that it is her responsibility to keep the bell from ringing or else an evil will arise. One day that bell rings…and rings… its breaks and the evil is awakened. It is now up to her, her family and the saints that protect the city to save the people of her city from the city itself.

I cannot believe how IN LOVE I am with this book, after chapter 3 I could not put the book down. Every chapter was like a cliffhanger for the next, the action, the love, the loss, the anger…you felt it all. It felt like you were the character and sometimes you’d feel helpless but other times you’d feel like you could do something to save everyone. It’s a completely new world, a world where an evil is inside of a bell and if the bell breaks all hell breaks loose (literally). GENIUS, this book is GENIUS. The writing, and the audiobook! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND LISTENING WITH THE AUDIOBOOK!

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this book, completely took me out of my reading slump!

I wanted this book to blow me away and it just didn't quite get to that for me. It is still well worth reading; it just isn't something that I'll be raving about.

Mina is part of a long line of bell-keepers, or people who have to ring a bell every few hours to prevent the apocalypse. I feel like the background of this book could have been made much clearer because even after finishing the book, I feel like I don't "get" the bells themselves. This is an ambitious book in terms of the worldbuilding, but it also falls a little short of a coherent world. Several of the characters had depth and creativity to their personalities, but unfortunately, Mina and her boyfriend lacked that spark. I felt uninvolved and thought their dynamic did not match the overall vibe of the setting.

3.5 stars rounded up

I’m absolutely obsessed with this gothic fantasy, and honestly, What Wakes the Bells has become one of my favorite reads of the year! Elle Tesch’s debut novel is a dark, atmospheric journey that will totally transport you to the eerie, sentient city of Vaiwyn. The world-building in this book is magnificent there’s something so haunting about a city that lives, breathes, and even bleeds, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Mina, our protagonist and Keeper of Vaiwyn’s bells, is thrown into a heart-pounding race against time when the bell she tends to peals thirteen times an ominous warning that unleashes an ancient evil hidden within the city’s walls. Suddenly, gargoyles and statues tear themselves free to hunt down the people, and Mina’s carefully controlled world spirals into chaos. Tesch’s writing is so vividly atmospheric that I felt like I was walking alongside Mina through the dark streets of Vaiwyn, bracing myself for whatever horrors lurked around each corner.

The stakes are incredibly high—Mina must navigate both the mysteries of her city and the shifting relationships with her loved ones, who may or may not be harboring dangerous secrets. The twists are relentless, and I won’t spoil anything, but the tension between Mina and the people closest to her had me on the edge of my seat.

If you're a fan of authors like Adalyn Grace, Margaret Rogerson, and V.E. Schwab, this is definitely the book for you. It’s got everything I crave in a gothic fantasy: intricate world-building, complex characters, and the perfect balance of danger and mystery. Elle Tesch is an author to watch—I can't wait to see what she does next!

What INCREDIBLE atmosphere - I’m in awe!! I loved the gothic vibes and the city as a whole, it sucked me in immediately. A sentient city?? Sign me up. Elle’s writing is lush and immersive, and I loved the Demi sexual representation. The worldbuilding is complex and twisty and kept me gripped from start to finish. I really enjoyed being in Mina’s head as she navigated both the city out to get her and her complicated family dynamics. The saints and the sentient city were my favourite parts, alongside Elle’s beautiful writing!

Holy shit what the hell was this? I was so intrigued by the premise but the execution was bad.

This was so badly paced and had zero worldbuilding until about the halfway mark and by then, I was checked out and was reading for the sheer denial that i have DNF'd everything that I had read this month. I could not tell you the first thing about the Saints or even the magical city that this is based in. A little conversation, or even an info dump, on the lore of everything really would have went a long way. It was also very obvious super early on who the evil guy was and I am not sure if it was supposed to be a plot twist or if we are supposed to believe that the MC is really that stupid, but it drove me crazy how she couldn't see the signs.

On that same note, the timeline is really weird. Like she talks about her dad dying and her grief with a very childlike viewpoint but it happened 8 months ago? She also talks about how she felt unprepared for her role, but she was supposed to start training at 16...which she was older than when her dad died? I don't know, the whole thing felt like the author couldn't decide what age she was supposed to be and was hoping no one paid attention to the details.

This will be popular with TikTok girlies and that tells you everything you need to know.

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tasch is a solid debut effort that showcases the author’s creativity. The concept of a sentient city is super intriguing, and the action scenes are packed with intensity and visuals that had me hooked.

However, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally. I wanted more world-building related to the city itself and more backstory for the supporting cast of characters. That being said, I still enjoyed reading this book, and I think it would be fun for anyone who likes:

- old cities with a gothic vibe
- family secrets
- the "old evil vs. new guardian" trope

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A gorgeous fantasy debut. The worldbuilding was immersive and every character felt so real. I loved it.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Hmmm, this book was a tricky one for me to rate. On the one hand, the premise is soooo fun! It reminded me quite a bit of Disney's Encanto, only instead of a sentient house, make it a city. Even the family dynamics were similar, down to a strong female lead who clashes with the family matriarch, and a diverse cast of siblings. Unfortunately, it was also extremely predictable. As in, I knew each and every twist well before it was executed. And while this can create tension for a reader, this particular instance only made me impatient.

The worldbuilding was a mix of fleshed-out and vague. The city itself was enchanting, and I so enjoyed the details of how it operated and worked with its occupants. But I was never able to understand how this city fit in with the rest of the world. More than once I found myself asking, if this city is literally hunting and killing its citizens, why doesn't everyone simply evacuate---at least until the threat is resolved? It was a question that was never answered, and not only left me feeling frustrated, but feeling like no one in this world/story was very competent.

The prose was beautiful, the descriptions lush, and Max, our main character's love interest, was absolutely adorable. Their relationship was a real highlight of this book for me, and I always felt like I understood our main character's choices, even if I didn't agree with them.

Ultimately, while this book didn't sweep me away, I thought it was good, and I look forward to the author's next work.

This book has a fascinating concept, with the rich lore of the Saints adding depth to the story. The worldbuilding is immersive, and the main character is compelling, making it a solid YA fantasy mystery. At times, I found myself needing to go back and reread certain parts for clarity, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience.
I truly enjoyed this one!

What do you think of the idea of a sentient city? I don’t mean like cyberspace or AI sentient, but organically sentient: masonry repairs itself, it puts out fires, it repairs ripped up grass...it requires you to inter all bones underneath it with no covering in a labyrinth-like catacombs…

That’s the city of Vaiwyn, built by saints who are now long-gone, and guarded by vesper bells manned since the saints’ departure by the Strauss family. Never once have they slacked in their duties, until one night thirteen tolls ring out from one of the bells and unleash what the saints had trapped inside.

What Wakes the Bells was less dark than I was hoping, but it was still an enjoyable book. I love the concept of a sentient city that isn’t sentient by some futuristic means. I’d read a whole book just about a sentient city. That aspect of this book didn’t get as much attention as I wanted, but that’s because it had other matters to attend to, so that’s okay. It also had an interesting take on saints and how they develop and the roles they play in the world of this book that I found really fascinating and would’ve liked to learn more about. I also enjoyed the world itself, which is very reminiscent of Prague (of course it is) and happens to be one of my favorite settings for fantasy novels.

So, what’s missing? The characters. The characters just weren’t clicking for me. I wish I could have dialed in more to who they were, what they were going through, and become more invested in what happened to them, but I ended up forgetting about half of them most of the time. In my opinion, the B cast was too large for a book with this many moving parts. It ended up crowding space the book needed for other matters. 4⭐️


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Action Adventure/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy/Romantasy/Standalone Fantasy Novel/Standalone Novel/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy/YA Fiction

I requested this because I loved the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix when I was a teen. With the bell lore and gothic undertone, it was definitely a good match. I know this is geared towards younger readers, but the villain and resolution leans on the obvious side. Even so, I continued reading because I loved the worldbuilding and atmospheric layering at work. Predictable but enjoyable and worth experiencing. Fans of Veronica Roth's "When Among Crows" will really enjoy this insular adventure. Mina is 18 with the personality of a 24 year old much like the main characters in "Divine Rivals" by Rebecca Ross.

Much like the magical Casita in "Encanto", the City of Vaiwyn is alive. Every day, the roads and buildings repair and reshape themselves into what the citizens need. Centuries ago, the magic was wild and vicious until five Saints trapped the evil into five bells. They left a warning that if the bells every rung 13 times, the evil would be released. When Mina's father tragically died, she took up his position as the fifth bell keeper. Twice a day, she cuts the clapper to silence the bell. But the magical city keeps healing the bells and so she must cut the clapper again.

I loved that this fantasy provides a complex family dynamic surrounding Mina instead of making her all alone. She had a siblings and nieces and ancestors rather than being some lone entity. Mina's also been hiding her romantic partner from her family for fear of disapproval. There's a lot of interesting emotions at play. When her bell rings despite her preparations, her mom treats her like a failure. She's desperate to prove herself and save the home she loves. The city's magic turns bad and starts attacking people. Mina unravels secrets and lore about the original Saints and goes head to head with the great evil.

“‘They were destined for ruin, no matter how much love existed between them.’”

The Strauss family has watched over Vaiwyn’s bells for centuries, never letting them ring the dreaded thirteen tolls. When Mina, the youngest of the family, slips up and fails to stop her Vesper from ringing, a sleeping evil begins to haunt the streets of Vaiwyn, seeking mass destruction. As the living city is quickly overtaken by malice, the many statues decorating the structures come to life at night and terrorize the citizens, spreading an incurable disease that turns people to stone. The only way to end the massacre is to find the person possessed by the escaped evil and destroy them once and for all. With the help of the divine and her need for revenge, Mina will have to track down the wicked and find a way to end them. The host could be anyone, and she will have to decide what is best for the safety of Vaiwyn—and for herself.

As someone who only skims through the summary of a book before reading it, not even memorizing the back cover could have prepared me for the intricacies within What Wakes the Bells. The storyline itself is intriguing, featuring a living city and a bell that harbors a divine evil, and the uniqueness of the setting made this novel a ground-shaking debut for Tesch. Mina is a very lovable character, and I found it easy to relate to her personal and familial struggles. Something I enjoyed a lot was the previously established connection between Mina and Max. I don’t think I have ever read a book where the protagonist was already in a relationship with their love interest, and I liked being able to experience the pureness of their love from beginning to end. There are so many complex details in this novel, and every page reveals new, juicy details to the reader. Although a bit predictable, I did not find that the end of the story was too cliché. It fits well with the rest of the plot, and at no point did I stop to criticize the way everything unfolded. What Wakes the Bells impressed me to no end, and I am excited to see what other creative stories flow onto Tesch’s pages.

This was a bit intense at first and I definitely think there was a lot more description than necessary. However I am blown away at the ambition of this novel and how well it was packed in. It flowed well and this was categorized as YA but I think this is a book that many would like. I think it lost some of its momentum towards the end but overall I really enjoyed this!

What Wakes the Bells was an absolute atmospheric delight, This was a vibe and a very fun read. I found the characterization to be a bit lacking, and the worldbuilding and magic system to be overly opaque, but I did enjoy the ride because of how Tesch writes and carries the atmosphere.

In the town of Vaiwyn, Mina and her family are the Keepers. They are tasked with making sure the city bells do not ring at certain hours of the day. These bells, if allowed to ring, would herald a long-slumbering evil. One afternoon, Mina's bell rings out of nowhere and suddenly, the town is thrown into darkness with stone gargoyles and statues coming to life to attack the citizens. A slumbering Saint has been released from the bell and is out to wreak vengeance. Can Mina continue to keep the townspeople safe?

This book was an interesting concept for a YA novel with a town turning against its people to attack them and centuries-old beliefs in Saints and traditions to protect them. The world-building felt very tell not show, and the female main character is painted as a punching bag for both her town and her family. It's a decent standalone good vs. evil for teens, but it's lacking substance. I wish there had been more development of the main characters especially.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***