What Wakes the Bells

by Elle Tesch

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Atmospherically haunting and set in the kind of world that comes to life on the page, this dark fantasy is dangerous, deadly and downright thrilling.

Inspired by an ominous Prague legend, What Wakes the Bells is a lavish gothic fantasy by debut author Elle Tesch that is perfect for fans of Adalyn Grace, Margaret Rogerson, and V.E. Schwab.

Built by long-gone Saints, the city of Vaiwyn lives and breathes and bleeds. As a Keeper, Mina knows better than most what her care of Vaiwyn’s bells means for the sentient city. It’s the Strauss family’s thousand-year legacy—prevent the Vespers from ringing, or they will awake a slumbering evil.

One afternoon, to Mina's horror, her bell peals thirteen times, shattering the city’s tenuous peace. With so much of the city's history and lore lost in a long-ago disaster, no one knows the danger that has been unleashed—until the city begins to fight back. As the sun sets, stone gargoyles and bronze statues tear away from their buildings and plinths to hunt people through the streets. Trapped in Mina’s bell, the soul of a twisted and power-hungry Saint festered. Now free of his prison, he hides behind the face of one of Vaiwyn’s citizens, corrupting the city and turning it on itself.

As the death toll rises, the only chance Mina has to stop the destruction and horrific killings is finding and destroying the Saint’s host. Everyone is a suspect, including Mina's closest loved ones. She will have to decide how far she’ll go to save her city—and who she’s willing to kill to do it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250322807
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Elle Tesch has lived just east of Vancouver, British Columbia her entire life. Surrounded by forests and mountains, it was inevitable that she would daydream about what might lurk in those trees. She twists places she loves and writes what she knows best: hungry monsters, casually cruel villains, and ace-spec girls in the stories they deserve. When not writing, Elle can be found reading whatever she can get her hands on, wrestling with her current cross-stitch project, or re-watching Pride & Prejudice (2005) for the 72nd time. What Wakes the Bells is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for What Wakes the Bells:

"Set in a sentient city built upon the bones of a dead god, What Wakes the Bells is a wonderful exploration of complex family dynamics, self-determination, and first love, all set against the backdrop of an ancient battle generations in the making." —Kalyn Josephson, New York Times-bestselling author of This Dark Descent and The Storm Crow

"An action-packed debut about duty and divinity, with layered family dynamics, a lovers-to-enemies romance to sink your teeth into, and a setting so vivid, you can feel the cold—and the toll of the Vesper Bells—in your bones. Moody, fun, and wholly original." —Allison Saft, New York Times-bestselling author of A Fragile Enchantment

"An utterly fresh tale you'll want to read over and over again, What Wakes the Bells stuns from the first page to the last, reverberating through your heart like a vesper bell—without the doom, of course. Mina is the demisexual heroine of my dreams, whose love—for her family and friends, for her duty and her heart—creates its own powerful, world-shaking magic." —Kamilah Cole, bestselling author of So Let Them Burn

"What Wakes the Bells is a haunting, page-turning mystery set in an exquisitely wrought gothic city, where ancient beauty and eldritch horrors walk side by side. The lush prose, immersive world building, and ominous atmosphere make for a thrilling and unique YA fantasy debut." —Nicki Pau Preto, bestselling author of Bonesmith

"Tesch’s debut is rife with imaginative worldbuilding that renders Vaiwyn with as much humanity as headstrong and likable Mina. ... There is much to love in this inventive adventure, including the clever setting, ominous atmosphere, and complex character relationships." —Publishers Weekly

"In this gothic, gory story, the central conceit of worldbuilding is the core attraction. In a metaphor made literal through strong writing, Vaiwyn is a living, breathing, changing city with a mercurial personality. ... A fun, creepy read with a surprisingly gentle end." —School Library Journal

"Darkness abounds in almost all directions here, as issues of grief, consent, addiction, and toxic love are explored, and readers looking for some action with their melodrama will be delighted by expansive fight scenes. A love that is anything but instant (Mina is clearly described as demisexual) and a setting that comes to life around characters with complicated relationship dynamics all combine for a satisfyingly atmospheric fantasy." —Booklist

"Riveting ... Teen readers hungry for dark academia and complex magical lore are sure to devour What Wakes the Bells. —Cristina Iannarino, Books on the Square, in Shelf Awareness

"A stunningly atmospheric debut that is both wildly imaginative and wholly unique. Tesch crafts her world with utmost devotion and delivers a sweeping fantasy brimming with dark romance and infused with gothic flair." —Skyla Arndt, author of Together We Rot

"A can’t-miss debut! With What Wakes the Bells, Tesch has created a fantasy world that is both completely absorbing and utterly new. Your heart will race as her winning cast of characters navigate a maze of city streets shadowed by enigmatic gods, terrifying gargoyles, and intensely personal stakes.”—Christine Calella, author of Liar’s Kingdom

"What Wakes the Bells is stunningly atmospheric and wholly original ... a clever, intricate gothic fantasy that’s as brilliantly built as the sentient city where the story takes place." —Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge and Tenderly, I am Devoured

"Gripping and atmospheric, What Wakes the Bells resounds with action and angst and echoes with the complexities of grief, family, connection, and belonging. Tesch’s epic storytelling of a living city seized by fear of murderous statues, ticking clocks, and waking saints delivers the demisexual love story we’ve been waiting for.” —Leanne Schwartz, author of A Prayer for Vengeance and To a Darker Shore

From the Publisher

2025-01-18
When an ancient evil descends on her city, one girl considers the sacrifices required to thwart it.

The city of Vaiwyn is alive; the streets are its veins, and its heart beats like a clock. Mina Strauss’ family has a long history of protecting both the sentient city and its inhabitants. The city’s five Vesper Bells were forged by the Lost Alchemist generations ago to hold back a great evil—if a bell tolled 13 times, that evil would be revived. A Strauss stands guard at each bell, cutting the clappers that grow back every night. Mina inherited her bell earlier than anticipated when her beloved father died of the Talus Pox. Now she contends with the weight of that responsibility—and her cold, distant mother’s persistent disapproval. Mina finds solace with Max, the boy she’s slowly been falling in love with, and she’s with him the night her bell tolls 13 times and unleashes terror upon Vaiwyn. Mina is desperate to save the people she loves from imminent destruction, but there’s more to Vaiwyn’s history—and her own—than she knows. Despite strong prose, the exposition-heavy beginning and a few overly telegraphed plot twists hamper the narrative’s pacing. Still, readers will likely be drawn to the original concept, complicated family dynamics, and well-articulated depth of demisexual Mina’s developing relationship with Max. Most characters read white.

Though this debut feels unevenly paced, the writing is strong, and the author shows promise. (content warnings)(Fantasy. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews