{"id":2330,"date":"2025-03-20T05:37:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T05:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=2330"},"modified":"2025-03-20T05:37:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T05:37:43","slug":"what-wakes-the-bells-by-elle-tesch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=2330","title":{"rendered":"What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Elle Tesch\u2019s mesmerizing debut novel What Wakes the Bells<\/em>, readers are transported to Vaiwyn, a sentient city where stone breathes, metal weeps, and the ancient legacy of the Strauss family stands between order and chaos. Inspired by Prague legends, this young adult gothic fantasy offers readers a uniquely atmospheric tale of duty, sacrifice, and redemption<\/a> that lingers long after the final page.<\/p>\n

Eighteen-year-old Mina Strauss is the youngest in a long line of Bell Keepers, tasked with silencing the Vesper Bells before they can ring thirteen times and awaken an ancient evil known only as the Bane. When Mina\u2019s bell shatters this thousand-year peace by tolling its forbidden thirteenth note, she finds herself at the center of a crisis that transforms her beloved city into a nightmarish landscape where gargoyles hunt citizens through lamplit streets and the very buildings turn against their inhabitants.<\/p>\n

A City With a Pulse: Worldbuilding That Lives and Breathes<\/h3>\n

The true triumph of Tesch\u2019s novel is Vaiwyn itself. Not merely a backdrop but a character in its own right, this sentient city pulses with a unique magic that manifests in subtle and terrifying ways:<\/p>\n

Buildings that heal themselves when damaged
\nMessages that travel through stone walls
\nA heartbeat that can be felt through the cobblestones
\nA history written in metals that weep down facades<\/p>\n

The author\u2019s rich sensory descriptions immerse readers in this unusual urban landscape. You can almost smell the dust of Lyndell Hall, hear the grind of clock gears in Mina\u2019s belfry, and feel the city\u2019s unnatural chill creeping through the pages. Tesch creates a lived-in world with a complex mythology that unfolds gradually, allowing readers to discover the dark secrets of Vaiwyn alongside Mina.<\/p>\n

Character Dynamics: Family Ties and Romantic Entanglements<\/h2>\n

At its core, What Wakes the Bells<\/em> is a deeply personal story about family relationships and identity<\/a>. Mina\u2019s strained relationship with her mother Imogen forms one of the novel\u2019s most emotionally resonant arcs. Their interactions are painfully authentic\u2014filled with misunderstandings, stubborn pride, and the raw, complicated love that defines many parent-child relationships.<\/p>\n

The romance between Mina and Max develops with refreshing authenticity. Their relationship grows naturally from friendship to romance, with Tesch including thoughtful representation of demisexual attraction that feels organic rather than token. The relationship is characterized by:<\/p>\n

A foundation of genuine friendship and understanding
\nMax\u2019s patience with Mina\u2019s boundaries and comfort levels
\nAn emphasis on emotional intimacy over physical romance
\nA quiet strength that becomes crucial as the story progresses<\/p>\n

When the romance takes a horrifying turn with the revelation that Max has been possessed by Bastian (the escaped Saint), the emotional stakes become even more wrenching. Mina must face the impossible choice between saving her city and saving the boy she loves.<\/p>\n

Saints and Sinners: A Complex Mythology<\/h3>\n

Tesch constructs a fascinating religious mythology around the Saints who built Vaiwyn\u2014divine beings with powers over specific elements who ascended to godhood but still walk among mortals in disguise. The gradual unveiling of this mythology provides satisfying layers to the narrative:<\/p>\n

The existence of a sixth Saint (Bastian) whose history was deliberately erased
\nThe tragic love story between Bastian and the Lost Alchemist (Elora)
\nThe connection between the Vesper Bells and the Saints\u2019 relics
\nThe true nature of the Talus Pox as Bastian\u2019s corrupting influence<\/p>\n

The revelation that Elora\u2019s soul has been residing within Mina creates an intriguing parallel to Bastian\u2019s possession of Max, adding symmetry to the narrative and raising thought-provoking questions about fate and free will.<\/p>\n

Gothic Atmosphere and Visceral Horror<\/h2>\n

Tesch excels at creating genuinely unsettling moments that lean into the novel\u2019s gothic aesthetic. The set pieces featuring animated gargoyles hunting humans through mist-shrouded streets are genuinely chilling, and the descriptions of the Talus Pox turning victims to stone from the inside out are viscerally disturbing.<\/p>\n

Particularly effective horror elements include:<\/p>\n

The catacombs beneath the city, where Bastian reveals himself
\nThe animated bones of the dead rising to attack the living
\nThe moment when a constable is absorbed into a building\u2019s stone fa\u00e7ade
\nMina discovering her bell has cracked and cannot be silenced<\/p>\n

The atmosphere remains consistently eerie throughout, with Tesch balancing moments of intense terror with quieter, dread-filled scenes that build tension masterfully.<\/p>\n

Narrative Strengths and Weaknesses<\/h3>\n

Strengths:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The prose is richly descriptive without becoming purple, creating vivid imagery
\nMina\u2019s first-person present tense narration feels immediate and engaging
\nRelationships between characters feel authentic and complex
\nThe pacing maintains tension even in quieter moments
\nThe worldbuilding is unique and atmospheric<\/p>\n

Where It Could Be Stronger:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mythology can occasionally feel overwhelming in its complexity, particularly in the second half
\nSome secondary characters like Aida and Emiko would benefit from more development
\nThe rules of Vaiwyn\u2019s magic system sometimes feel inconsistently applied
\nThe final revelation about Mina\u2019s new powers comes somewhat abruptly
\nA few plot threads resolve too neatly in the final chapters<\/p>\n

Themes of Legacy and Finding One\u2019s Place<\/h2>\n

Throughout \u201cWhat Wakes the Bells\u201d, Tesch explores the weight of inherited duty and the struggle to define oneself beyond family expectations<\/a>. Mina\u2019s journey is ultimately about reconciling her duty to protect Vaiwyn with her desire for personal identity and freedom.<\/p>\n

The theme of legacy plays out through:<\/p>\n

The thousand-year commitment of the Strauss family to protect the bells
\nMina\u2019s complex feelings about taking over her father\u2019s position after his death
\nThe revelation that the Bell Keepers\u2019 true purpose was partially built on lies
\nThe cyclical nature of the Saints\u2019 conflict playing out across generations
\nMina ultimately forging a new legacy as she becomes something unprecedented<\/p>\n

Final Verdict: A Resonant Debut<\/h2>\n

What Wakes the Bells<\/em> announces Elle Tesch as a promising new voice in YA fantasy. While the mythology occasionally threatens to overwhelm and some character arcs could be more fully developed, the novel succeeds on the strength of its atmospheric worldbuilding, emotionally resonant relationships, and genuinely unsettling horror elements.<\/p>\n

Readers who enjoy sentient settings like V.E. Schwab\u2019s A Darker Shade of Magic<\/em> or the gothic atmosphere of Leigh Bardugo\u2019s Ninth House<\/em> will find much to appreciate in Tesch\u2019s debut. It\u2019s a novel that balances darkness with hope, horror with heart, and creates a world that feels at once familiar and eerily other.<\/p>\n

Who Should Read This Book?<\/h3>\n

Fans of gothic fantasy with atmospheric worldbuilding
\nReaders who enjoy complex family dynamics in their stories
\nThose looking for authentic queer representation in fantasy
\nAnyone who appreciates cities that are characters in their own right
\nHorror enthusiasts who enjoy supernatural and body horror elements<\/p>\n

Tesch has crafted a debut that lingers in the mind like the echo of a bell\u2019s toll\u2014haunting, resonant, and impossible to ignore. Despite some first-novel roughness around the edges, What Wakes the Bells<\/em> marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in fantasy, and I\u2019ll be eagerly waiting to see what stories she tells next.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Elle Tesch\u2019s mesmerizing debut novel What Wakes the Bells, readers are transported to Vaiwyn, a sentient city where stone breathes, metal weeps, and the ancient legacy of the Strauss family stands between order and chaos. Inspired by Prague legends, this young adult gothic fantasy offers readers a uniquely atmospheric tale of duty, sacrifice, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}