Posted by Guest Reviewer

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/for-whom-the-belle-tolls-by-jaysea-lynn/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=164855

This guest review is from Friday! Friday is a long-time fan of romance stories and adventure films, lurking on this website for many years. Currently living in North Queensland with an alarmingly large library, and no plans to stop buying and reading interesting books. She has travelled extensively with varying degrees of satisfaction and would like to do more. Friday is a woman who wishes that ballgowns and armour were in fashion for daywear, but laments the lack of wardrobe space for both. She demands a happy and enjoyable ending in all her stories, and if something explodes, all the better. 

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I’m giving it an A, I adored it, it contains bucketloads of my catnip, and I will be recommending it to every single person I can, keeping in mind that it may not be for everyone. I loved it so much I bought the ebook, the paperback, and the hard cover, and I hear the audiobook is excellent. (Also, the sequel is in the works 😊.)

This book only exists because of a fanfic (yes, I know) based off of a TikTok series (I KNOW), all written or performed by the same person who goes by Sea.ya.later. As the title and blurb suggest, this is not a book that is going to be dark and gritty, but you should absolutely, 100% be prepared for some tough scenes ahead. I’m going to try so hard to be objective about this, because I was introduced to the characters via the clock app, and have been following along with the ‘show’ for a couple years now. It’s safe to say I’ve formed an attachment.

The author is one of those Americans that you can tell has personally suffered the effects of Christian extremism, and has a significant amount of religious trauma because of it. It’s really not subtle: you are bludgeoned over the head with it throughout the entirety of the book.

But for me, it never felt like hate; it never even feels anti-Christian. Don’t get me wrong, it absolutely tears strips off the people who have weaponised their faith as a tool to excuse their bigotry, racism or lack of character, but there’s no hate for the faithful. (Our main character does spend a lot of time in Hell, so you can guess what kinds of people get sent to that place)

We’re introduced to main character Lily on the worst day of her life. Diagnosed with late stage cancer, she forgoes treatment because of the enormous financial burden it would place on her family, choosing instead to leave them with memories instead of crushing debt. The disease takes her in the second chapter, Lily feeling her own death approaching and slips away in her sleep. She describes the entry to the Afterlife as efficiently bureaucratic which…actually makes sense in the way that humans have put spirituality in a hierarchy almost universally.

On her way to Judgement (which determines where she will end up, in one of the paradises, or in a punishment realm) she and her guide Seidah, bump into Moura, one of Hell’s demons and they commiserate on enduring what is essentially a customer service job, thus making her first Demon friend. That leads to game nights, which leads to more demon friends and the first connection to what will eventually become our romantic hero Beleth (Bel to his friends).

Even though she passes Judgement into her own personal Paradise, Lily still feels a little adrift. Being able to relax is nice and all…but she’s so used to being busy she has no idea what to do with all this free time. A lifetime of being told she’s going to Hell for her behaviour, Lily takes herself there by choice and on her own damn terms. What she sees there is shockingly familiar.

Hell is basically hospitality. Service workers of the world will see the great irony of that.
Lily shocks them all by offering to help, and thus the Hellp Desk is created. (see? Puns) Only with this customer service job, she’s allowed to retaliate when a soul misbehaves. Which for Lily, is so satisfying. Have you ever worked a retail gig and been restricted by company policy, society and the law from doing what you really, really want to? Well, at the Hellp Desk, you can visit violence upon those who displease you as much as you desire. What a fucking dream, amiright?

We spend the rest of the book in the Afterlife, exploring the various realms, meeting and making friends with beings and deities of various cultures, and generally enjoying existence after a lifetime of retail work and personal struggle. There’s Trivia nights! Valkyrie workout sessions! Hacky sacks and dance offs at the gates of hell!

For a book that started as a series of skits for a lark, it’s not terribly surprising that main character Lily is a bit self-insert-y. As a result, some of Lilly’s internal examination feels a touch raw and personal. Like I’ve accidentally read a diary entry, or walked in on someone else’s therapy session. There are some truly horrifying depictions of what can happen because of religious fanaticism, and the consequences of it. In the earlier chapters, a teenaged Lily confides in her youth group leader for help, an adult she trusts, and is told it’s her own fault, it wouldn’t have happened if her faith was strong. This sets Lily up for what will become a core part of her personality for the entire book, something she has to unpack and deal with over the duration of the narrative.

For anyone who has felt, or is feeling invisible or forgotten about, anyone that society says is somehow simultaneously too much and not enough, you will feel both called out and recognised not only in Lily’s thoughts, but in her reactions, and her learned behaviours. Lily is someone who desperately longs for deep connection, who loves fiercely, but brushes off uncomfortable things like sincere compliments with self-deprecating humour. If anyone else bottled up their feelings the way she has, Lily would see how unhealthy it is – so why does she do that to herself?

In the safety of her Paradise, she realises that being a disappointment on purpose is safe: if people’s opinions of her are so low, why should she care about their opinion? Why should it matter?

However, being her genuine self, and disappointing someone whose opinion and respect she values? Devastating. She’s so accustomed to being unimportant in so many people’s lives that when her trust is reciprocated, it’s terrifying. She reacts like a cat confronting rain. Because now there are stakes, now there’s the chance that she will fail them – and that wound would cut deep.

There were times I had to stop reading for a minute, and just stare at the far wall, because having an ebook psychologically bitch slap me at 1AM was not something I was prepared for.

Mind you this is also the woman who unthinkingly tells sex jokes to deities she meets for the first time, sooooo I guess it balances out?

For Whom The Belle Tolls is refreshingly unique compared to current trends in romantasy. I found the world-building in this book so enjoyable because it’s an interesting take on the afterlife and all it entails, managing to incorporate a universally human experience like death with the numerous and varied ways in which humans describe the hereafter across cultures. These cultures are only touched on, as most of the book is from the Christian perspective, unsurprising, considering that was the culture in which the author was raised.

But I liked that the Afterlife is considered one whole, with many department branches, as opposed to different realms unrelated to one another, as has been depicted in other media.

Along with that, both our main leads are not hormone driven teenagers, but fully mature adults, with adult responsibilities and perspectives. That being said, they are hormone-driven adults, but they have a layer of emotional maturity that a character in their late teens or early 20s might not be realistically capable of.

There are two plots that exist equally side by side, with the subplot of the Big Terrible Thing (no spoilers!) lurking in the background. These are, respectively, the romantic relationship that Lily develops with Bel, and the familial relationship that Lily accidentally stumbles into with Sharkie, both of which are important.

Because Lily died as young as she did, one of her life dreams or goals was to be a mother, and due to circumstances, this never eventuated. The arrival of Sharkie, a little girl who dies in tragic circumstances, gives them both an opportunity to create something in death that they dreamed of in life: a family. Sharkie (a nickname she chose) is a secondary child character, thankfully not just some plot moppet to add colour to the story. She is a fully fleshed out, three-dimensional person within the scope of the story, with her own struggles and growth within the narrative. This is one aspect of the book that may be difficult for some to read, as the story gently explores what it’s like to care for a child who has been abused emotionally, physically and sexually. It doesn’t get too graphic, the details are glanced over, but it’s enough that some may be triggered by such content.

Lily’s interactions with Sharkie, from their very first meeting, force her to confront, and examine some of her own learned behaviour and reactions. As I said, lots of introspection. Never fear however, that this book ever feels like a preachy, feel-good, self-help memoir – there’s far too much smut in it for that. Speaking of…

Our hero is Beleth a seven-foot tall, winged, purple demon prince that has the personality of an anime himbo (Goku springs to mind). Do you remember Goliath from that old Gargoyles tv show in the 90s? Picture him, and you’re close. This is a man who matches Lily in personal strength, emotional intelligence, and love of terrible puns. Bel might be a himbo demon Prince and General in charge of 75 legions, but don’t make the mistake of thinking he’s a beefed up, shallow goofball. This hero takes pride in his military achievements for the safety of the realms, takes care of his family, supports and uplifts his friends, and has a lovely life philosophy of ‘find the beauty’.

Our main characters both have their baggage, as people who have lived for a while usually do, which puts some minor bumps in the burgeoning relationship. It’s mild angst (thank fuck), but there are hurdles that need to be addressed not just for the relationship itself, but for each of them to heal from past pain. Bel struggles with being left behind, and Lily has issues with being nothing more than a sexual partner, or surface-level friend.

But the pining. The LONGING. The yearningggggggg! They don’t even kiss until 260 pages in! This book is a chonky boi at 624 pages. You’d think it would make the romance drag on, but noooo! This is a slow burn, the sexual tension ratcheting up just a teeny bit more with every single encounter. It gives them time to become friends first, and they genuinely like one another. This is a relationship built on mutual respect, friendship, trust, and puns. Boy do they love their puns. I sincerely believe it’s their love language.

And the payoff after all that pining? Fucking magnificent.

Something I really liked and enjoyed was that Lily and Bel not only recognised that they both needed to be safe and comfortable in the relationship before proceeding to the next step, but to take those baby steps slowly and with lots of communication. They treasure their friendship, and treat the change in their dynamic with the greatest respect. They’ve got eternity, the last thing they want to do is mess up something so precious. Even if every hormone is screaming at them to do the mattress mambo – for them to actually pursue this as a relationship, the last thing they should do is give in to their horniness. And they stick to it. Chef’s kiss, top tier relationshipping. We should all be so damned noble.

But they are so horny for one another. There’s several chapters that really should be classed as foreplay, because my god the build-up of anticipation is so good.

I know I’ve banged on (heh) about the amount of sexiness in this book, but to be honest, it’s a very small part of the story. It’s the emotional connections that Lily makes with the people around her that really makes this book shine. This is slow burn love, found family love, platonic love, self-love, and it’s wonderful.

Given that this is a book that is set in, and depicts the Afterlife, one of the biggest themes (surprise!) is grief. Grief in all its forms. The grief of a life lost, a life with unrealised dreams and hopes, of missed opportunities. The grief of leaving loved ones behind is as acute and sharp as the grief felt by those who have been left behind.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but she made me cry about socks, you guys. SOCKS!

If you are a person of deep faith, this may not be the book for you. It does, at times, criticize the church, or at least, the people who run it, here on earth, but never the faith itself. I thought it was pretty fair to those who are of faith – but I am not part of that community so it is just a guess.

I’m not personally a particularly religious person, as I never found one that resonated with me, and have always been a little envious of those who have found peace in religion…but this has me hoping that a version of the Afterlife as Jaysea has described is real, and what we can expect when the time comes. With two recent deaths in my family, death, mortality, my own advancing age, and what it means to be human has been on my mind a lot of late. The comfort I found reading this book makes me wonder if this is what it feels like for those who are religious, and have faith. If it is, I’m glad I finally understand that feeling.

This is a book that regularly hits comedic absurdities, whilst balancing the emotional punches that come from discussing the hard and difficult topics. There are puns and horniness, but underneath it all is a warm hug from an author who has worked hard on herself, and come out with a healthier attitude to life in general.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/for-whom-the-belle-tolls-by-jaysea-lynn/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?post_type=reviews&p=164855