3.5 stars.

So, this book wasn't particularly unique, but it was quite enjoyable, nevertheless. At least to me. I saw one bad review saying this was like Barbie Princess Charm School meets City of Bones and Shadow and Bone, and honestly... ngl, I feel the same way - only the first S&B book, tho, yk, with the whole magic school type thing and a bunch of drama? - except I like it. There was literally a scene or two that felt straight out of Barbie, but that is fine, I am not docking anything for that. :)

SPOILERS


The romance was also nothing new, and I feel like the whole thing with Jordan trying to kill her after he finds out about her toushana - which is forbidden dark magic - and then telling her he loves her a few days later could have been handled a bit better... I mean, even if it weren't for the whole trying to kill her thing, I would think they were going a bit far with saying they loved each other. But I'm used to that at this point.

I sort of called that Octus was Yagrin. I wasn't sure, but I considered it a possibility. Also, I totally called that <spoiler>he and Jordan were brothers</spoiler> about halfway through the book. No complaints on that count tho. Sibling relationships in book are the best, whether they're strong healthy relationships, or... well... Anyway, I would like to get to see more of them as brothers in the next book, but who knows how likely that is.

END SPOILERS

There were some plot twists that I didn't call too, tho. And overall, I just found this really enjoyable for some reason. *shrugs* Anyway, I suppose I'll be reading book 2 at some point.

Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me. It felt like there was not as much plot development as I wanted. I ended up DNFing about halfway through.

Dark academia with more promise than payoff. Every now and then when I'm reading these books, I feel like I'm reading fanfiction - decent quality, but sometimes wild mood swings and plot points that feel insufficiently developed. It's an easy read, but not necessarily a worthwhile read. And honestly, the romance in this book drives me up the wall (and gets worse in the second novel).

Also, I'm supposed to think the main character is in danger all the time but I never actually think she's in danger - the states feel low, even when I'm told they're high.

But for what it's worth, I'll probably end up reading the series through because I'm so confused about where it's going, and I want to know the answers. So there's that.

I really wanted to love this book but I think it just wasn’t for me. Dark Academia is very hit or miss for me and unfortunately this one was a miss.

This book was starting to read. I enjoyed the world development. The way the author just created all of the magic and mystery and suspense. Really enjoyed the Caswell. The main female was the one that really captured my attention while reading. I enjoyed the growth of the revelations that she had to over come and see you in this book, and I also enjoyed the story lines and how they kind of convergent and divergent at different times to add element to the plot that were either shocking or surprising.

This was a really cool start to a series. When it came out I did make a display for it, which sold well. I was recommending it to fans of The Selection!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC I received of House of Marionne!
What an amazing read - it has everything I was currently looking for in a read, dark academia, enemies to lovers. The main female character is fierce and I love her for that. The writing in this book is excellent and I cannot wait to see where the next book takes us to.

I really tried to like this book. It feels like it has aspects to be a good original story, but many of the prose this novel had going for it fell flat by the end. For a book of this length, especially the start of a trilogy, it feels like most of the events could have been summed up to make the book just about half its length. Quell and Jordan, the two main characters are about as on the nose for stereotypes as it goes for a romance fantasy series. The girl who discovers a magical world where she is an heir and the brooding bad boy in said world who acts like he hates her until they randomly fall in love. I thought the romance would make a turn for the better since the tension established, to begin with, wasn't the worst, yet it really fell flat when they both decided to randomly admit they love each other after barely any development towards their relationship. Mixing this with the fact that the two are some of the most unoriginal characters I've seen, to the point where it could even be called plagiarized, it made the romance completely unenjoyable, which is not what you want for a series being marketed as a romance series.
Along with this, I feel like we don't get nearly as much romance between Quell and Jordan as there should have been for this being a romance series. Not that I wasn't more from these two bland characters, but we spend so much filler time in Quell's shoes learning about our side characters who are even more bland than Quell, that I felt like I forgot this was supposed to be romance. There is barely any plot development. For some stories, this could work if the worldbuilding is done in a complex and intriguing way, but I feel like we learn so little about the world and magic system that I ended up more confused than anything else. We learn about Quell and her Toushana but are only told about the other magics, the ones that are normal for the characters in this world to have and bind with. We are only once shown another magic in action, which is such a shame because I was super interested in learning more about them.
This book did have two redeeming qualities which is why I have it two stars. Although the characters are bland and the world is severely underdeveloped, J. Elles's prose while telling us about these boring things slapped. I feel like she could write action scenes as well as intense moments so well with this skill, but alas we see none of this in House of Marionne. The second thing I enjoyed was only the last chapter when we saw the plot finally move. I do think it was an engaging hook to set up for the next novel with a few plot twists I did not see coming, but it is not enough to sell me on the second book unfortunately.
All in all, 2/5 stars.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book’s execution. Truthfully, I believe that House of Marionne had a lot of potential, however, I don’t quite think it was realized in its entirety. To start, it’s somewhat evident from the beginning that this novel was inspired by other cult-classic young adult fantasy books such as The Mortal Instruments, Fourth Wing and The Grishaverse. This, too, is apparent based on the general syntax of the book, the pacing of the story from the first few pages and the flashiness that was attempted to lure the reader into, what appeared to be, an elaborate and expansive world of dark academia-like schools, secret societies and magical bloodlines.

Fast forward to the actual “plot” of the story, we follow Quell Marionne, who has been through fourteen schools over the span of twelve years because she and her mother are always on the move. We, initially, don’t quite understand why this is, until we get a bit of light exposition that explains that Quell possesses what is called a toushana, which is allegedly a dark form of magic that is rarely allowed to exist in the world for some reason or another. I couldn’t quite tell you the particulars, because I’m not even sure I know after four-hundred pages.

Eventually, Quell comes under the guardianship and tutelage of her Grandmom, who is the headmistress of a finishing school, or house (the terminology isn’t entirely consistent with what it is the House of Marionne is supposed to be), where the student body learned both how to control their magical talents, as well as etiquette and how to be proper ladies and gentleman of society.

The plot, by and large, however, gets put to the wayside after Quell meets Jordan, our dark and moody love interest. Think something akin to the Darkling from the ACOTAR books, or the Darkling from the Grishaverse, only with far less motivation and character depth.

This whole novel was sort of a whirlwind of “What is happening?”, and though it found some culmination of plot explanation and development towards the end, it doesn’t excuse the lack of it throughout the course of the book. Particularly so when you’re attempting to present a setting that is both within and without the real world. Separated and yet intrinsically linked.

Beyond that, the spelling and grammatical errors seem to be multitudinous, though I will largely chalk that up to this being an Advanced Readers Copy.

Despite the shortcomings of the novel, however, I am remiss to give it lower than 3-stars on premise and potential alone. Will I read the sequel? Likely, just in hopes that the story feels fully fleshed out and completed as we move into book two. Will I revisit this book prior to its sequel, absolutely. I’m hoping with one complete read under my belt, I’ll notice more of the foreshadowing and nuance that I hope was there and missed simply because I wasn’t engrained in the story.

I would also like to thank Netgalley, J. Elle and Penguin Teen for the opportunity to read this book in advance, in exchange for a fair and honest review of opinions.

Rating: ★★★ | 3/5

☠️

Magic, Mystery, and Morally Gray Characters in "House of Marionne"

If you're a fan of YA fantasy with a magical school setting, complex characters, and a dash of forbidden romance, this might be the book for you. The story follows Quell, a 17-year-old girl who has spent her life on the run with her mother to hide her deadly magic. When her mother goes missing, Quell seeks refuge at a prestigious school for those with magical abilities. But this school is full of secrets and danger. I loved the introduction to the different houses and the magic system. The themes of family, power, and the struggle with one's destiny really stood out. The characters are complex, with morally gray areas that make them interesting. The pacing is fast, with plenty of action and twists to keep you guessing. The romantic subplot adds an extra layer of tension. Overall, "House of Marionne" is a captivating read with a unique magic system and intriguing characters. It's perfect for fans of "Crave" and "A Court of Thorns and Roses." I'm excited to see where the next book takes the story!


Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC and allowing me to provide my honest review

Magical, Romantic, and Relatable
This is a story about a girl, Quell, who has been on the run for as long as she can remember, with her mother, attempting to hide from the Dragun hunters, those who want her dead, because of the powerful dark magic, called Toushana that flows throughout her. Upon being found she has to split up from her mother and travel to the only place she can think of where she might be safe, her grandmom’s at the House of Marionne. In order to be reunited with her mother and possibly live a normalish life, Quell decides that she must learn to harness and use her Toushana, but there are many roadblocks such as her trainer, Jordan, who is a Dragun in training, and Quell doesn’t know if she can trust him, or the feelings she is developing for him. Just who can Quell trust.

This is quite a long story at 429 pages, but that’s what I like. I’m not a fan of short stories that lead to 20+ books in a series, and this is not one of those. I stayed interested throughout the entire novel, laughing, screaming, and crying internally, so as not to make those around me wonder what the heck is going on.

This was my first book by the author J. Elle, and now I know what her fans are talking about. If you want to immerse yourself in a magical world full of wonder and romance, and that you can relate, somewhat, to the MC, then by all means, grab this book and a cup of your favorite beverage, and dig in, you won’t regret it.

I received an advance review copy for free courtesy of NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This read younger than I thought it would. It’s always a it or miss for me when I dive into a young adult book. I think my daughter would really enjoy this. Solid YA fantasy with some romance, which I wasn’t personally a fan of. I just didn’t connect with the characters sadly. Loved the magic aspect of it though.

Thank you so much for the approval, but this book just was not for me.

So, I will be leaving an average rating since I did not finish the book.

I wanted to love this, I did, but I just…. I couldn’t keep my attention on it, it dragged. There was just too much going on. Maybe it would be a better read for me at another time?

I enjoyed how the author talks about being a debutante and how that world is not for everyone. Sometimes you have to break the rules to break tradition.

I really enjoyed this book!
It was refreshing in the aspect that it didn’t heavily resemble other fantasy books or ideas.
It felt like a brand new world with magics and it held my attention. It is a slow and steady but you could pick up on the twists if you really paid attention. It wasn’t thrown in your face though to be predictable but allowed the reader to guess at it.
It’s a great enemies to lovers in the background- it is an intriguing and well thought out plot. It incorporates magic, fantasy, and plot twists while holding your attention.
I am excited for the next one!

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. It just was not for me, and I feel like I have read this plot many times. Will give it 3 stars though for the writing being well done. If you like YA urban fantasy you might enjoy this one!

This is a book that I liked okay. It followed a very similar style as other YA books. I feel like it has all the important YA aspects and is on the right path to be a good seller for certain fringes of the YA market.

The main character Quell must struggle to control her fears if she is to succeed at banishing her magic. After narrowly escaping her most recent assassination attempt, Quell must visit the only person who can keep her safe, her grandmother. The only thing is she does not know her. But Quell must conform to her Grandmother’s reign in order to protect and save her mother.
I enjoyed the originality of this book. Filled with fantasy, secrecy and the ever changing relationship between family and friends. This book would be perfect for YA or coming of age readers. Having a great deal of heart and little to no spicy this story is perfect for transporting readers into a world filled with dragons and magic. The character development and settings in this book is wonderful and keeps the reader intrigued until the very end.

*Thank you to J. Elle, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Razorbill and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

This is my first book by J. Elle and it did not disappoint. I loved the world building and magic throughout. This is a dark academia, enemies to lovers, forbidden, YA romance. This also has a bit of a Bridgerton vibe.

It was a tad confusing at time, but I did really like it. I'm excited to read the second book in this series as it did leave off with a cliffhanger.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for this free eArc in exchange for my honest review.