If you wish to read a witchy gothic YA novel with some romance and an interesting family dynamic look no further!

"The Bell Witches" is about Emily who's taken from Wales, UK to Savannah, US to live with her only living relatives - her grandma and aunt who she didn't know even existed.

I loved the vibes/atmosphere of this book. While reading it my brain kept on telling me that the book reads like a southern witchy Gilmore Girls YA book. The characters and the dynamics between them were so well written and the book kept me entertained for the most part. But I felt like Emily was made a bit too clueless in some situations and then in others she's super smart. I felt like there should be a bit more consistency with her character. And then the other aspect that I didn't like at all...the insta love. Yuck! I understand the book is about a teenager, but for the love of god...even teenagers take a bit of time before they claim their undying love for a boy they just met last week. If the book didn't have the romance in the way it was written it would've been a 4-star read for me.

The overall score from me is 3.25 stars.

Rating - 4⭐️

Well this was an amazing surprise!

This book follows Emily, who sadly looses her father and therefore has to go and live with her grandmother in Savannah (who she thought was dead…). She has no memories of her grandmother or any of her other relatives, so she is shocked to know that she has a proper family and not just her dad. She quickly finds out that this is not a normal family, and that she is a bell witch with a prophecy to complete: will you save the world or end it..?

I didn’t know what I would think of this, but I loved it. It did feel very YA at times but I still enjoyed it. I loved the world building and the description of the magic systems. I also loved how it was set in modern times, with lots of references to modern day life, with times that made me laugh and cry. I did guess some of the twist, but the last did shock me to my core.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The narrator was great..I loved her southern accent she did for Katherine. It was excactly how I would expect an elegant and wealthy woman from the south to sound! She sounded great as all the other characters as well! The storyline was well paced and kept my attention! I thought it was interesting and full of mystery and magic, mixed with modern and historical Savannah. Emily and Wyn were sweet, but definitely a little bit of Insta love happening. I guessed the twist about Wyn and his brother from when she first met him, but it was still enjoyable and I can't wait to see what happensto the sequel!

An interesting premise and world but this was rather young YA.

The plot was light-hearted and didn't rely too much on world-building, but I still found it enjoyable. Some parts were more slow but the last 20% was super fast paced.
It’s a super easy story to understand & also to know about the background of the Witches & their past. The characters are super easy to like throughout. I really enjoyed the connection between Emily & Lyds - their friendship really did blossom.

Thank You to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Disclaimer: I did not finish this audiobook. I gave up at the 55% mark.

The Bell Witches by Lindsey Kelk is a novel that, despite its atmospheric promise, ultimately left me wanting much more in terms of story progression, character dynamics, and overall pacing.

First, I have to give credit where it's due: the voice acting and narration in the audiobook are superb. The narrator brings a vibrant energy to the story, with each character voiced distinctly, enhancing immersion and giving the book a rich quality with a vibrant backdrop. This made it easier to stick with the book up to the halfway mark, even as the story itself lagged.

However, the plot and character development just didn't hold up. Much of the first half is heavily dedicated to descriptions of the book’s setting, particularly the mansion, which—while interesting at first—soon felt overwhelming and repetitive. The focus on place rather than pace makes it feel as though the mansion itself is the real main character, and unfortunately, that leaves everyone else underdeveloped and unengaging.

The main character seems thwarted at every turn by people who clearly know more than they’re letting on but choose to keep her in the dark for no apparent reason. Instead of giving her information, they seem content to "drug" her into compliance with herbs, a baffling and uncomfortable tactic that doesn’t serve the story well. Having the characters declare "It's for your own good" only made it worse. This reluctance to communicate creates an artificial, frustrating barrier that makes it hard to connect with the plot or understand the stakes - if there are any; it certainly never felt like there was anything on the line.

Adding to this frustration, the dynamics between the teens in the story felt confusing and unnecessarily focused on wanting to date someone. The characters are constantly wrapped up in romantic thoughts about this guy and that guy, with older characters strangely adamant about keeping everyone FROM dating—yet again we never understand why, because no one is telling anyone anything. There’s also a bizarre romantic contradiction: the protagonist "falls in love" with a stranger she met three days ago while dismissing another potential romantic interest she met four days ago on the grounds that he’s also a stranger. This inconsistency is never addressed, and it made it hard to take her (very intense) emotions seriously.

At some point I was ready to accept it as a slow-burning, character-driven setup—perhaps leading to bigger things in a sequel. Then, out of nowhere and almost completely unprompted, a semblance of plot appeared around the 54% mark. A rather jarring switch of tone. The so-called “mystery” (the suddenly appearing plot) involving a wolf attack and a missing brother doesn't just feel completely random, but seems also overly transparent; I felt confident I had already guessed the outcome well before I put the book down at 55%. Of course, I don't know if I'm right, since I never got to the end.

Overall, the pacing is unbearably slow, making this reading experience feel like watching a glacier move. It’s unfortunate, as the eerie southern setting and high-quality narration set the stage for a compelling tale, but the story itself seems bogged down by its own reluctance to advance.

I wanted to love this book, but with such little payoff in the first half, I couldn't bring myself to finish. For readers with a lot of patience and a deep appreciation for atmosphere-heavy prose who don't mind dating-crazy teens, The Bell Witches may still hold some appeal, but it was ultimately a DNF for me.

A mysterious, enchanting and spellbinding story that is perfect for spooky season. I was captivated from start to finish and couldn't recommend this enough.

This is the first book by Lindsey Kelk that I have read, and is the first in her new Savannah Red series. I listened to the audiobook which is very well narrated by Ashleigh Haddad.

The plot moves along quite quickly, with enough backstory to set the scene. In my opinion, the female characters are much better developed than the few male characters, and the romance is shallow and unbelievable, even given the "fantasy" element. However, although I became hooked, and wanted to know how "The Bell Witches" ended, I'm not sure that I connected well enough with the characters to want to continue reading about them.

The Bell Witches had an interesting premise, and it was built delicately around the plot. Since it was an audiobook, the narrator delivered a brilliant performance, earning a solid five stars for that aspect. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the character development; it felt a bit rushed. If this is the first book in a series, I can understand that we might see Emily grow throughout the saga, but for now, it simply felt too quick, and the instalove didn't help either. While the twists were somewhat predictable, that didn’t really diminish my enjoyment of the read, especially considering that I'm well beyond the target age for young adult fiction. Overall, I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this advanced listener copy from Harper Collins UK Audio.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator was very good and kept you hooked.
Emily moves in with her grandmother and grumpy aunt after her dad dies unexpectedly. A move from rural Wales to Savannah. Here she learns that she, like her grandmother is a witch.
A fast pace story with a few twists and turns, tension and a little romance thrown in for good measure.
Enjoyable holiday read.

I loved the narrator
I love the author
I love a good romantasy
This book has it all for me but it had one thing I didn’t love…..instalove!
The narration was so easy to listen to and really added to the absorption into this world. She was exactly what I wanted for this book.
Lindsey Kelk always writes well in my opinion and this was no different. It wasn’t too complicated and held a little mystery in there. I found this book also balanced the fantasy world building with a YA feel so wasn’t overly complicated nor something overwhelming.
I really not a fan of instalove so this is the only reason I wouldn’t give 5 stars

I received this audiobook as an ARC and provide an honest review

I’m a huge Lindsey Kelk fan so I knew I would absolutely want to read this one. The narrator is easy to listen to and I really found her voice matched the character and the story.

The story follows Emily who moves to be with her distant relatives after her dad dies. She soon finds out her family has a witchy heritage and that she herself is a witch. The story focuses on her witchy coming of age and the rituals which come with that. But all is not as it seems.

This really made me want to watch The Vampire Diaries after reading this so you’ll know I’ve barely read anything since.

The Bell Witches had an interesting plot, it was fast paced and fun, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the insta love, it just felt too rushed to me and the story felt a bit too predictable. I loved the narrator, she was fantastic and made the listening experience that much better!

I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for a review and it did not disappoint. A quirky, YA witch story which held my interest throughout.

The story follows Emily who discovers she is a witch following the untimely death of her mother and father. Emily moves from Wales to Savannah to live with her long lost family and quickly falls in love with Wyn. The story centres on Emily’s relationship with her Grandmother and her “Becoming.”

The descriptions of the Deep South effectively transported me there and the descriptions of the Bell house were good.

The characters were interesting and varied though some could use some further development particularly Wyn. Some characters felt like they were included in order to tick a box such as Lydia the mixed race, lgbt, quirky best friend however she was perhaps the most interesting and likeable character in the book!

I do have one particular grievance and that is the use of the word “unalive.” Maybe it’s just a pet hate of mine but to me it sounds extremely childlike and isn’t a word I’d expect to stumble across in a book and perhaps would be better left on TikTok and other social media platforms.

A generally enjoyable read though I don’t think I’d be quick to reach for any sequels released.

Finally, can we take a moment to recognise the narration?!? Perfection! It was helped transport listeners to the deep South and really brought the characters to life.

Thank you, Harper Collins UK Audio, for this ALC! 🎧🧙‍♀️

The Bell Witches is a YA fantasy romance with immersive worldbuilding and intriguing characters! 🌌✨

What I loved:

The magic system is unique: the witch’s power skips a generation, passing from grandmother to granddaughter. This made the dynamics between Emily and her family so interesting!
Emily, our protagonist, gets thrown into a whirlwind of chaos, grief, and mystery, and her confusion makes her journey feel authentic and relatable.
Two major plot twists? 👀 I guessed them early on, which was a bit of a letdown, but the surprise factor with Ashley’s character made up for it! He was quiet but ended up being super intriguing.

Why it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5:

- The insta-love between Emily and Wyn felt excessive. They’re teens, but three meetings and an “I love you” needed more context or backstory to feel believable.
- The use of “unalive” instead of words like “kill” or “torture” in a YA fantasy made some scenes feel off. It’s important to have a tone that matches the dark, high-stakes storyline. I understand ´unalive´ is now the hit world on social media now, but for different media there is the need of different vocaboulary. Also what one of the character did, was pure and egoistic killing, even torure by the end... idk the use of this word gave me a huge ick.
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Overall, a solid read for fans of YA fantasy with dark twists and witchy vibes! 🧙‍♀️💫

I enjoyed this book, however I did find it quite slow in parts.
It’s very YA which I didn’t expect it to be.
There wasn’t as much character development as I would have liked so I don’t dwell on like I could connect with them as much as I wanted to.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
I’ve read the book and also listened to the audiobook on a separate occasion. The narration was really good and draws you into the book and the world you are entering.
I really loved Lindsey’s first YA fantasy novel. I enjoy reading fantasy, however, I struggle with fantasy that is extremely in-depth with world building with lots of things to get your head around and remember. So I felt The Bell Witches was perfect for me. Seeing Emily develop throughout the book and learning more about her parents, and her family history was a good journey to be part of. I would love to get to know more on Lydia and Jackson. Lydia, especially had a great personality that I hope we see more of in book two.
There was a lot of family drama with her grandmother and aunt, which Emily starts to uncover when she moves to Savannah Georgia.
I feel like the book was well done and I look forward to seeing where things go with Emily and Wyn in the sequel, and seeing how they move forward with what’s happened in book one.
There were some lovely quotes throughout the book with a lot of messages that you can take away from the book.
The one problem with reading an ARC of a book you have fallen in love with is that you have even longer to wait for the sequel.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio | Magpie for providing access to the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blessed be the narrator; she was probably the best part of the whole experience, mostly because the book itself provided nothing memorable. We have Insta-love, we have a main character that's lacking any interesting traits, and an MMC that's so perfect he seems made out of cardboard. If anything, I found some of the side characters (Ashley, Jackson, and Lydia to be exact) to be better fleshed-out and engaging, even if they also turned into caricatures at times.

It's not a bad book by any means, but I found myself not really caring about any of the plot or character developments. So I'll probably pass on its sequel unless something tempts me to a solid enough degree.

I did not see the plot twists in the one coming at all. I was shooketh!

I loved this story and how it all came together, experiencing tense and strained relationships blossom into love, the plot developments. Everything was truly wonderfu;

Firstly I would like to thank Lindsey Kelk, HarperCollins UK Audio | Magpie , and NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of ' The Bell Witches ' to listen to in exchange for an unbiased review.
The book follows the life of sixteen year old Emily whose world is turned upside down when her father tragically dies in an accident and she is sent to live with her estranged grandmother and aunt whom she has never met. She soon discovers that her family have been keeping a massive secret and life will never be the same again.

The book is narrated by Ashleigh Haddad and I loved the pace and the style. The tone kept me engrossed and gripped to the story and I was eager to listen to more at every opportunity. Whilst stories of adolescent witchcraft have been told many times over and over although the storyline was quite predictable at times, it still felt fresh and was a pleasure to listen to.

The story connects fantasy and magic to the everyday real struggles of a teenager in a new town who is still grieving from such an overwhelming loss. I loved the friendships and bonds which were formed throughout although I struggled at times to relate to the almost instant romantic connection with Wyn . I feel there should have been a more slow burn depth to it .

Overall this novel would make an amazing film or tv adaption and I am so happy to learn that it is book one of a set . I am eager to continue with the series going forward. I recommend it to all readers who love paranormal stories that are easy reads . Its an ideal book to read on the cold Winter evenings

#TheBellWitches #NetGalley.

The narration will take you right into the bell’s world. The Bell house is full of secrets and mystery. This is a young adult witchy book. Author’s writing is absolutely beautiful. This is filled with tragic loss, magic, awakening, secrets, mystery, family bonds and buried truths.

Emily is sixteen year old. After her father’s tragic death, she begins to live with her grandmother and aunt. But they are not what they appear to be. There she truly discovers her true powers and herself but secrets, rituals, prophecy and mystery also unveils. Unexpected friendships and unexpected love happens. The book is whimsical, it has secrets, choices to be made and magical allure but it has clean romance or few romance moments. The Bell Family is beautiful, mysterious and charming. Author has shared great insights about magic, witch’s abilities, ritual and witches world. I love the atmospheric setting. Wyn’s character is interesting. This is a cosy YA magical witchy book. This is a great beginning to Savannah Red Witchy series.

Thanks to the Author, Narrator and Publisher