In her remarkable debut novel What Wakes the Bells, Elle Tesch crafts a mesmerizing gothic fantasy that strikes a delicate balance between tender romance and bone-chilling horror. Set in the sentient mountain city of Vaiwyn, where metal tears slide down buildings and living stone breathes beneath the feet of its inhabitants, Tesch’s story is both a love letter to classic gothic literature and a fresh reimagining of what the genre can be in young adult fiction.
The Tolling of Fate
At the heart of this atmospheric tale is eighteen-year-old Mina Strauss, the youngest Bell Keeper in a family whose thousand-year legacy is to protect the city from an ancient evil. Each day, Mina must silence the Vesper Bell in her tower before it can ring thirteen times and awaken “the Bane.” When her bell shatters this centuries-old peace, Vaiwyn begins to turn on itself—gargoyles tear from buildings, statues hunt citizens through the streets, and the bones of the dead rise from catacombs below.
What truly elevates this premise beyond standard fantasy fare is how Tesch reveals the layers of hidden history beneath Vaiwyn’s surface. As Mina discovers the truth—that the Bane is actually Bastian, a fallen Saint whose soul was trapped in her bell—the novel transforms from a straightforward good-versus-evil tale into a complex meditation on how history is written by the victors, and how legends can obscure uncomfortable truths.
A Layered Character Journey
Mina’s character development forms the beating heart of the narrative. Struggling under the weight of expectations and her strained relationship with her mother after her father’s death, she harbors both insecurity and fierce determination. Her secret romance with Max—a relationship she hides from her family—provides her only respite from the pressure of her duties.
Tesch excels at depicting Mina’s complicated feelings about her responsibilities:
“I’m the family’s biggest failure, after all.”
This blend of self-doubt and stubborn resolve makes Mina a compelling protagonist whose growth feels earned rather than convenient. When faced with the ultimate choice—between saving the boy she loves or the city she’s sworn to protect—her internal conflict resonates with genuine emotional weight.
The secondary characters are equally well-crafted. Mina’s fractured relationship with her mother evolves with heartbreaking authenticity, while her brother Isaac provides warm, steadfast support throughout. Max’s gentle nature contrasts beautifully with the corrupting presence that eventually possesses him, creating a villain who is both terrifying and tragic.
A City with a Pulse
The worldbuilding in What Wakes the Bells deserves particular praise. Vaiwyn itself is a character—healing its own cracks, passing messages through its walls, and eventually turning against its citizens under Bastian’s influence. Tesch’s descriptions sing with precise, evocative language:
“A city still learning to stand. Cleaner and brighter, with crisp edges and textured details that time has not yet worn smooth.”
The lore of the Saints who built Vaiwyn unfolds gradually and organically, avoiding the information dumps that plague many fantasy novels. The history of the Lost Alchemist and her complicated relationship with Bastian adds layers of nuance to what initially seems a straightforward tale of good versus evil.
Strengths That Resonate
Tesch’s debut novel shines brightest in several key areas:
- Atmospheric Prose: The writing is lush without being purple, creating a tangible sense of dread and wonder. The descriptions of Vaiwyn’s streets, the Cathedral, and the bell tower are particularly vivid.
- Complex Relationships: The mother-daughter dynamic between Mina and Imogen evolves in a way that feels painfully authentic, with their reconciliation scene offering one of the book’s most emotionally resonant moments.
- Gothic Elements: From sentient architecture to uncanny monsters and ancient curses, Tesch honors gothic traditions while giving them fresh life. The scene where the gargoyles come alive is genuinely terrifying.
- Representation: Mina’s demisexuality is woven naturally into the narrative without becoming her defining trait. The care with which Max respects her boundaries offers a positive model of consent and relationship growth.
- Thematic Depth: The book explores themes of legacy, sacrifice, and the tension between duty and personal desire with surprising subtlety for a debut novel.
Areas That Could Be Strengthened
While What Wakes the Bells is an impressive debut, a few elements don’t fully resonate:
- Pacing: The middle section occasionally drags, with repetitive scenes of research and planning that could have been condensed.
- Predictable Turns: Some plot twists—particularly regarding Mina’s connection to Elora—become apparent well before they’re revealed.
- Conveniences: Mina’s final transformation and the ease with which she masters her new abilities feels somewhat rushed compared to the careful character work throughout the rest of the novel.
- Worldbuilding Gaps: While Vaiwyn itself is beautifully realized, the world beyond the city remains frustratingly vague, limiting the sense of scope.
A Voice of Distinctive Power
For a debut novelist, Tesch demonstrates remarkable control over her prose. The writing shifts seamlessly between the formal, almost archaic cadence of the Saints and the more modern, emotionally raw voice of Mina. This duality mirrors the novel’s themes of ancient powers colliding with contemporary emotions.
Particularly effective is how Tesch uses the physical architecture of Vaiwyn to externalize Mina’s emotional state. As the city fractures under Bastian’s influence, so too does Mina’s sense of self and purpose fragment. When she finally embraces her connection to Elora and her true potential, the description of her repairing the bell tower parallels her own emotional healing.
For Fans of Gothic Fantasy
Readers who enjoy Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy, Samantha Shannon’s Priory of the Orange Tree, or Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House will find much to appreciate in Tesch’s work. The book also shares thematic and atmospheric DNA with V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series, though Tesch’s voice is distinctly her own.
What sets What Wakes the Bells apart from these comparable titles is its intimate scale. Rather than saving the world, Mina fights to save her city—one whose streets and spires she knows intimately. This narrower focus allows for deeper character work and more nuanced exploration of themes.
Representations and Relationships
One of the novel’s strengths is its portrayal of diverse relationships and identities:
- Mina’s demisexuality is handled with authenticity and care
- The relationship between Aida and Nikole (Mina’s sister and sister-in-law) offers a positive portrayal of lesbian marriage
- Isaac’s asexuality is mentioned naturally in conversation
- Family relationships—both healthy and strained—are depicted with nuance
These elements never feel tokenistic or performative; they’re simply part of the fabric of these characters’ lives.
Final Reflections
What Wakes the Bells is an impressive debut that blends gothic horror, fantasy, and coming-of-age elements into a cohesive whole. Despite some minor pacing issues and predictable elements, the strength of Tesch’s worldbuilding and character work carries the novel to a satisfying conclusion.
The final act, where Mina must literally dive into death to save both Max and Vaiwyn, delivers emotional payoff for the themes established throughout. Her transformation into a new kind of Saint—one with power over time itself—feels both earned and open-ended enough to leave readers wondering what might come next.
Verdict: A Resonant Debut
For readers who appreciate:
- Gothic atmospheres and sentient settings
- Complex family dynamics and emotional depth
- Queer representation that feels authentic rather than tokenistic
- Moral dilemmas with no easy answers
What Wakes the Bells marks Elle Tesch as an author to watch in YA fantasy. Her ability to blend horror elements with tender moments of connection demonstrates a maturity of craft that promises even greater things to come. Though not without flaws, this novel rings with distinctive voice and vision—much like the bells at its center, it will continue to resonate long after the final page.
