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

Some books translate YA to older readers as well as young adults but The Bell Witches was not one of them. I know that if I was a teen reading this, I would have gobbled this up but older me could not gel with the immaturity of the main characters and all the instalove. There were so many "I love yous" and after no time at all. All this detracted from the plot which was pretty solid.

I can't see myself reading on because of this.

Audio wise, the narration was single POV with good narration and characterisation.

Thank you to Magpie for the audio review copy.

While this book didn’t 100% work for me, I think new fans to YA gothic/witchy stories are going to eat this up.

This books followed our protagonist Emily who moves to the town of Savannah following her fathers death, to live with her grandmother in the home she was born in but stolen away from by her father as a child. Very quickly, strange and unexplainable things begin to happen to Emily. Perhaps there’s more to her family than she thought! She also meets a young man named Wyn who she can’t help but fall for.

My biggest issues with this book were that I personally struggled immensely with the naivety of the protagonist. It was almost painful how these hugely strange events kept happening around her and she just brushes over it all.

Not to mention the very pointed millenial / Gen Z references like the “I can’t live without Starbucks” quotes that did my head in.

I also did not love the relationship, I wasn’t invested, I didn’t feel the tension. It was Insta love to the max.

I felt like this book was a combination of so many other “witchy” or other paranormal books I’ve read in the YA genre, I wasn’t particularly interested to see where the plot went as I felt like I’d read this book before.

In saying that, I felt like the characters did have depth and I enjoyed the storyline. I also wasn’t bored reading this at all.

I think if you are new to YA gothic witchy books, and you’re not a big romance reader, this book will defining float your boat

This book is perfect for witchy autumn season, and a real fun and easy read.

Emily has suffered great loss and moves to Savannah to a family she doesn't really know. And that has secrets that are of the witchy kind.
In the course of the story she finds herself, friends and love.

This is basically the plot, so don't expect too much. This book is all about vibes and atmosphere. Which it does real well.

There's insta-love with a (foreseeable) twist and everything is really YA.

Not much has stuck with me after a couple of days of having finished the audiobook, so I'll not go into analysis. The audiobook, however, is really well done. The narrator gives life to voices (some with a heavy Southern accent as is fitting) and the production value is great.

3/5 stars and some extra fallen leaves for autumn vibes.

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#TheBellWitches #Netgalley #Bookstagram

I enjoyed listening to this book. This young adult fantasy novel touches on the universal themes of loss, love, family and identity.
I felt sad for Emma after the death of her father left her an orphan. She also had to move from Wales to America to stay with an aunt and grandmother whom she believed to be dead.
The young characters will appeal to young adult readers as they sound contemporary with references to pop culture, and phrases and trends typically found on social media.
The narrator does a great job of performing the characters and the Southern accent.
There are plenty of entertaining characters. Catherine and Ashley may be Emma's only surviving relatives that she knows of but it is clear to the reader that they are not to be fully trusted. Emma also makes friends her age. Lydia and Jackson are fun and full of mischief. I enjoyed all their interactions. Wyn is somewhat less developed but has an intriguing story that I'm sure will be fleshed out more as the series progresses.
There is just enough witchy magic and goings-on to keep me entertained and looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thai was so similar to so many other YA fantasies and doesn’t add anything new to the genre. Insta love between teenagers and a boring, forgettable plot.

Audio narrator was good.

3.5 stars

A dark YA witchy read. It felt too teenager than YA to me. I think the cover seems YA or adult, but I would recommend this for 12-18 years. I enjoyed the first 40% but it seemed to drag on in the middle.

So many times I wanted Emily to stand up for herself or open her eyes. I was getting frustrated at some points!

The plot was interesting and unique. I loved the narrator and the atmosphere of the book. I felt like I was in Savannah.

I am OBSESSED with Lindsey Kelk everything she touches is gold and this is no different I loved it .. even when dipping her toes into something slightly different she still hits the mark everytime !!

The Bell Witches is the first novel in a new witchy-focused, young adult novel from popular author, Lindsey Kelk.
Our story begins with the return to Savannah, Georgia by Emily, after the recent death of her father. Until his sudden death, Emily was unaware of the existence of her paternal grandmother and family, so you know that there are lots of secrets to be uncovered.
And the best part? Emily will uncover some painful and potentially, hazardous truths about her family history.
As mentioned, this is a young adult novel which has a gothic atmosphere and builds up the feeling of danger nicely. It's not difficult as an adult reader to guess where the storyline is headed, but it is a fun journey, filled with brilliantly descriptive paragraphs of magic and nature. I enjoyed the storyline and I look forward to seeing what challenges Emily and co., will face in book two.
The narrators add an extra dimension to the storyline by bringing the characters to life.

If you’re craving an easy and witchy audiobook to enjoy while stomping on some crunchy leaves, this one’s a pretty good shout. It’s southern gothic vibes with lots of family drama, but even for someone as chronically online as I am, the constant amount of pop culture references is pretty jarring.

It is very YA, and it took me a moment to get into it but settled in after a while. Emily’s journey is entertaining (albeit a little cliché), and introduces the characters pretty well, but there’s not a huge amount going on story wise, and you should definitely be ready for some instalove that moves faster than you can say “Spanish Moss.”

Kelk’s atmosphere really is brilliant, but beware: SpongeBob references, Taylor Swift shout-outs and coffee chain-esque lingo might break the immersion. Still, the narrator (Ashleigh Haddad) is great, and the accents make it a fun and highly bingeable listen,

Story: ⭐️⭐⭐.5
Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thanks to #Netgalley, the author, magpie and HarperCollinsUK Audio for the Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.