I'm a sucker for an interesting premise, though this often means I'm let down by authors who don't manage to follow through - unfortunately, this is one of those occasions, where a promising idea was lost in a morass of poor pacing and uneven characterisation.

In a setting clearly influenced by Eastern European folklore, the inhabitants of a small town fear one thing the most, a baby being born with two heartbeats. This indicates that the child is a striga, so the usual procedure is for the baby to be left in the forest - on this occasion, Miriat decides to leave with her baby and seek refuge where the other strigas live. There's a whole element of why these striga are so dangerous and how that striga community also self-polices but to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed by it all.

Anyway, the child (Salka) gets involved with some other teenagers in the striga community and ends up being blamed for the misdeeds of the chief's son, who can do no wrong in her eyes. Dran is a moustache-twirling villain of the most two-dimensional kind with the added bonus of being disabled, partly by his own actions. Spending a couple of months in the mountains as her punishment, Salka survives by drawing on the forbidden part of her heritage and then struggles to cover it up when returning to the community she left behind.

That's enough of the plot, to be honest. This was one of those books where I wouldn't have even finished it if I hadn't been due to review it for Netgalley and I found myself flicking through the last half or so. This may be the best book ever for someone but that someone clearly isn't me.

I received a copy of this book for free from the publishers via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of the book delving into the Eastern European mythology about Striga. Unfortunately, the mythology was never fully fleshed out. In the novel striga have a second heart that gives them the power to do things like heal or kill, but exactly what they power is and why everyone fears it is never really explained.

Still I generally thought it was an interesting concept and would have rated it a little higher if not for the novel's main villan. Dran is the only disabled character in the book, and all of his cruel actions drive from his desire to get his disability healed by whatever means necessary. It was disappointing, and the character as a whole didn't feel necessary for the more interesting story about striga and a society that fears them.

What an interesting reading. A story where people can be born with two hearts-striga- and they're considered abominations. WHAT?! I can't remember the last time I've read something like this. Miriat and Salka are an interesting pair. They each need each other in other ways. The plot held my attention, so I didn't have an issue reading this book in one sitting. Characterizations were well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!

I’m still undiceded really...I’m not sure wheter I liked ythe Second Bell or not.

The premise? Unique and absolutely captivating.

The characters? I liked Salka (most of the time), and Dola (most of the time) and the book has negative characters as well, Kalina and has characters who are in-between like Alma and Dran. All of them have their ups and downs but that just makes them more belivable and likable.

The world-biulding is amazing and detailed.

The folklore behind the story caught my attention with the great cover.

What I didn’t like or miss, really is the explanation why people are afraid of strigas. There is absolutely no mention of that and I think it would add a lot to the story.

I’m giving 3 stars becuase of the missing explanation and because the story flowed a little slow for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for my copy.

In Heyne Town babies are sometimes born with two hearts. Two hearts mean that the baby is a Striga. The mother faces a choice then. There are three options: to kill her baby, to abandon her baby by the hope tree and hope that others of its kind will find it, or to take her baby and leave the town forever. Miriat is one such mother. She makes the choice. She names her baby Salka and leaves Heyne Town behind to take Salka to the Striga village hidden in the forest. There they receive an uneasy welcome and live an uneasy life; for the Striga’s trust no one, not even themselves. Because if a Striga gives in to the power of their second heart then they become a Stigoi and everyone knows that Stigoi are evil demons who feed off life itself.

Exile stemming from a distrust of magic is an age old trope, but Gabriela Houston manages to make it feel new. As a concept the idea of the Striga and Stigoi is simple, but with an overwhelming potential which at times is only hinted at. Having them live together in a village of destitute exile makes for a tense and rewarding setting. The Striga tribe is both elite in its community togetherness and regressed in the ease with which they turn against their own at the first hint of trouble. It makes for an interesting conflict where the ‘fight or flight’ instinct is constantly warring.

All of Houston’s characters are impressively distinct; from Miriat’s overprotective loyalty, to Dran’s harsh desperation, to Salka’s stubborn restlessness. Even characters introduced only briefly have easily recognisable personality traits to define them as realistic individuals. In fact one of my favourite characters was Salka’s pet falcon, Munu, whose behaviour towards Salka and others, driven by almost human seeming emotions, made for an endearing character.

The pace of this novel was perfect, with a slow building momentum, until the very end events which I felt were a bit too rushed for me to fully appreciate. I would have liked more time to process the consequences of one large conflict before moving straight on to the next one. The speedy pace did keep me hooked on the narrative and unable to put the book down, although I did find that I had to keep backtracking and rereading parts to make sure I was fully understanding each event as it unfolded. In contrast, the earlier events in the book bled into one another with an easy progression which made for easy reading.

Overall, it was the characters and the anticipation of magic which kept me gripped as I read this book. Mostly it was Salka’s very human choices, paired with her very inhuman struggle, that made me love this book

The Second Belly by Gabriela Houston is a fascinating book that offers a quick glimpse into the mythology and legends of a culture that, other than the Witcher series, has been largely passed over in traditional SFF. Her writing has almost a spoken word sensation; there were times that I felt like I was being told a story or fable that had been carried down from my grandparents. However, this style does evoke almost a child-like quality to the story; that isn't to say the topics are immature or not full formed. Houston's characters deal with loss, betrayal, and the threshold of adulthood and maturity, with their growth evident as the tale progresses. All in all, The Second Bell is a great "dipping in your toes" SFF book - the supernatural, while important to the story, isn't explained to death, and the characters and their interactions are allowed to shine the brighter for it.

This will be a weird metaphor, but bear with me. I'm gluten-free, and have been for a while now. My fellow gluten-free pals will probably get this better than most, but this book felt like finding the BEST and most beautifully packaged gluten-free brownie substitute you've ever seen, taking a big bite out of it, and having it taste, tragically, bland as dust.

The premise of this novel had so much going for it! Our protagonist Salka is a Striga, born with two hearts and exiled with her mother to a remote mountain community made up of fellow rejected Strigas, due to villagiers' fear of the "mystical dark powers" granted by their second heart. Why do these villagers and the strigas themselves fear the second heart? What history or precedent exists that causes this violent hatred and xenophobia? Don't ask me, because even after finishing this novel I haven't the slightest idea.

While there are some good moments, particularly between Salka and her mother Miriat, much of the books feels aimless. It is as though Houston had many different ideas for where she wanted to take the story and tried to pursue all of them while not really providing closure for the ones she abandoned, leading to a very uneven pace and a rushed, disjointed ending that stretched the limits of my belief. Furthermore, nearly all of the characters were profoundly unlikeable, and those that were like-able were forced into narrow stereotypes. Dola is "fat and nice". Miriat is "a mother". Kalina is mean, Emilia is jealous, Alma is blinded by her love for her son. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves in novels is when every woman of the protagonists age who is NOT the protagonist is pit firmly against them and subsequently villainized. If this trope hadn't been everywhere my entire childhood my "not like other girls" phase probably wouldn't have lasted nearly as long. I also really did not like how we were forced to sympathize with Dran, who begins the novel with an appalling act, proceeds to manipulate Salka for his own ends, and is still meant to be vaguely romantic and tragic? No thanks.

There are still some elements of a decent story here. My favorite parts were actually those the dealt with the harsh life of living in the mountains: descriptions of Salka and Miriat's daily life, routines, and survival strategies show that the author has clearly done her research. My favorite section of the novel was when Salka was wintering in the mountain pass and exploring her powers. If the novel had taken a different direction from that chapter forward, I think I would have liked this book a lot more than I did.

This book world is so rich, it not heavy on plot. But the story telling is amazing and you will get lost in the story.

The characters are not completely developed for me to be fully invested in, but their bonds are. The connection that flows between the villagers, the lore, the strigas is so rich. You just feel like someone is telling you a story when reading this.

Despite a lot of rough edges, I found 'The Second Bell' to be very readable, and I finished it in no time!

The central concept of the striga is from Slavic mythology, and Houston does it great justice. It's a simple, almost beautiful creation - sometimes people are born with two hearts, and two souls, one of them a shadowy magical being that must always be kept in check lest the person become an evil stigoi.

The story begins in the most intriguing of ways - a woman being exiled from her village with her baby. I loved the pacing with which the author answered my questions as I read, smoothly introducing the world of the strigas piece by piece.

The plot itself is more uneven. While the striga concept and the characters Salka and Miriat (Miriat most of all!) compelled me to keep reading, the author's hand was all too plain to see in the events and characters' actions. Dran serves as one villain, though the addition of another in the form of Kalina didn't work, and neither did Alma's choices/introspection. Salka herself, at one point, suddenly and quite randomly gives in to her second soul despite all her previous determination not to. There was also a total lack of foreshadowing of the natural disaster that sets the stage for the final act; it really came out of nowhere, and would have felt a lot less convenient if characters had discussed the possibility of it.

Criticism aside, I am glad to have read the book - Houston has a huge amount of promise (but could probably do with a better editor). And the final sentence was simply exquisite!

(With thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)

'The Second Bell' tells the story of the 'strigas'. It are creatures born with two hearts. Whenever they are born in a certain village, the citizens put the baby's outside the town. Mothers can choose to go with them or leave the child behind. Many strigas end up in a closed community, somewhere in the mounts. Where they live in a very strict community.

When I first read the synopsis, I was interested right away. I remember a few old Slavic and Polish tales which talk about the strigas. Since it are my roots, I really wanted to read this modern fairy tale - like story.
The creatures are a mix of witches (not pagans but the fairy tale non-fiction witches) and vampires. Yet, I didn't notice much about that in the story. The striga creatures were very flat and not explained that well. I also missed the curse which makes a human a striga. They seemed to only be born that way which is not fully what stories say. The creature is nowadays mostly used in games and movies, so people know about them. Yet they are so different. I'm not sure if the author intended to creature a somewhat different type of creature, of if they were way too flat explained.
Overall, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea. The author is technical very strong, but the way of telling a story didn't grab my attention unfortunately.
For me, the story also went a bit slow. I expected more action, but it takes a while before something happens and even then it gets a bit boring after a while.

The setting and atmosphere in the book was great. I loved the world building because it was subtle and not over the top. The author gave it some sort of historical feeling. As if it took place hundreds of years ago somewhere in East-Europe or the Islamic world. The setting suits the story and shows off the best qualities.
Daring to put such old tales in a modern coat is truly amazing. Even when I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, I believe there is an audience for this book. Simply because others might recognize it as one of their childhood stories.

I think it's clear that it wasn't my cup of tea after all. Yet, I do believe that the author has talent. There is an audience for the story.

This is a really beautiful, harrowing, and magical book. I could read an entire anthology of stories akin to this!

The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston takes some inspiration - at least namewise - from Balkan folklore, which to me was very interesting as I'm very interested in folklore (I have a BA in ethnology, after all), but I felt storywise the strigas were not very explained or explored enough to make any sort of inpact on the reader. We're told strigas are people born with two hearts and that normal people shun them becuase of this, because the second heart tend to make the striga go evil (or something?).

Our main protagonist, Salka, is a striga and just after her birth her, and her mother, are forced to leave their home becuase of Salka being striga. They find another settlement were the inhabitants are striga and are allowed to stay there. However, this settlement of strigas also tries to force the people not to "listen" to their second heart - why? - I have no idea. Things happen and Salka is again forced to leave her home, and she comes to act on her second nature in order to survive.

It felt as if Houston tried to put in to much into the book, and it just fell kind of flat - at least for me. I did not find the story or the characters particulary interesting, sadly enough, and therefore the rating will be low.

⭐ 2.75 / 5 ⭐

A unique fantasy tale inspired by Slavic folklore about a young girl cursed with two hearts, and the mother who will stop at nothing to protect her.

The entire concept of this was so new to me, and I was really excited to dive into this one. I had never really read a story inspired by Slavic folklore before, and while I was disappointed by this one, it provided me with a nice entryway into reading more books like it.

“In an isolated mountain community, sometimes a child is born with two hearts. This child is called a striga and is considered a demon who must be abandoned on the edge of the forest. The child's mother must then decide to leave with her infant, or stay and try to forget.

Nineteen year-old striga, Salka, and her mother, Miriat, made the choice to leave and live a life of deprivation and squalor in an isolated village. The striga tribe share the human belief that to follow the impulses of their other hearts is dangerous, inviting unspoken horrors and bringing ruin onto them all.

Salka, a headstrong and independent young woman, finds herself in a life-threatening situation that forces her to explore the depths of her true nature and test the bonds between mother and child…”

^ Amazing concept, right? And it was! But it lacked that magic spark in the execution. The writing was well done, but something that I really vied for was the characters. And unfortunately, they had no depth in this book. They fell flat. Like a pancake. I hate to say it, but I was really bored. Sherlock-level bored.

Also, a moment of silence for the complexity of a certain villainous character that was done wrong. Dran would have been such an amazing grey character had he been fully built.

All in all, I just found the characters, as well as the world, to be not as compelling. The one thing that did shine in this book, however, was the relationship between Salka and Miriat. That was really the only thing that kept me glued to the story. If not for them (if not specifically for Miriat) I would have given up.

Big thank you to Angry Robot for giving me an ARC copy of this book!

3.5/5

The Second Bell follows Salka, a young woman born with two hearts. That makes her a striga, a monster her townsfolk fear and try to kill in the cradle. Except, her mother, Miriat, won’t let it happen. They flee the town and find shelter in a community of outcasts high in the mountains. Nineteen years later, Salka finds herself in a life-threatening situation. Accused of endangering others, she’s banished to a remote place. To survive the harsh winter, she must embrace her second heart’s power. And this can turn her into a monstrous stigoi.

I loved the story’s setting! Houston has a knack for creating vivid images of desolate landscapes, dangerous forests, and showing the raw beauty of nature. I could breathe the cool mountain air and feel the icy wind sting my cheeks. I found the descriptions excellent, and the imagery evocative. Houston reveals the world as the characters interact with it, and presents it through the lens of their mood and current situation. Plus, you can’t get enough of fantasy inspired by pre-Christian Slavic folklore.

The story goes small in scale; it revolves around a group of characters, their relationships, beliefs, and moments of truth. Petty behavior and small people acting small out of jealousy, greed, or fear move the plot forward. I found it frustrating. I understand the author wanted to show how much we can sacrifice for blood ties and that passionate (be it romantic or maternal) love blinds, but I found story drivers unconvincing and cliché.

Salka and Miriat’s story is nuanced and satisfying. Miriat stood up to her community (more than once) for her child, despite her society’s conviction all two-hearted children carry evil inside. She sacrificed her life for her daughter. Salka, while independent and headstrong, loves her mother and listens to her in crucial moments. Their relationship felt true, mainly because we follow the story mostly through their point-of-view. Unfortunately, other parents/child duos fall flat. We don’t get to know them, but their petty and egoistical behavior moves the story forward. Were they more nuanced and fleshed-out, the events would have played out differently.

And this leads to my biggest gripe about the story, namely inconsistent narration. The point of view switches between omniscient, third-person objective, and third-person limited deep POV, frequently in a single chapter. Sometimes, more than once in a single chapter. To make matters worse, the POV slips from one person to another in the space of a few paragraphs. I assume it’s a deliberate choice - the book is traditionally published and, as such, underwent at least a few editorial passes. I found it jarring. Sure, it gave us glimpses of the train of thought of secondary characters (Dran, Kalina, Emila, villagers) but such glimpses showed them as individuals lacking complexity and with shallow motivations. For me, it weakened the narrative instead of making it more nuanced.

Listen, I know that rules are for fools, but I can’t help it. I crave a consistent point of view. I dislike when writers drift from one point of view to another. If you, as a reader, have no issue with it, disregard the paragraph above. I won’t judge you.

Despite everything, I enjoyed the story. It takes shortcuts, but remains intriguing and heartfelt. With its immersive setting and relatable protagonists, The Second Bell offers enough to maintain readers’ immersion.

I requested this one to see if I was interested enough to request a review copy because I'm trying to only request books I'm very likely to give 4 or 5 stars. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book is my tastes. It's actually quite a interesting story, but I have very particular tastes in SFF so I know I could only give this one an average review.