I really enjoyed reading House of Marionne and getting to know Quell, our main character. Her backstory and the magical elements immediately drew me in. J. Elle did a fantastic job of hooking readers from the beginning! Although there were some slower parts in the middle, which is often the case with the first book in a fantasy series, the ending was worth it. I’m eagerly looking forward to the second book!

The young adult fantasy blends dark magic, an enemies-to-lovers storyline, and a regency setting. However, it sometimes relies too heavily on info dumping instead of letting readers uncover details naturally. Despite this, Quell and Jordan’s relationship shines, highlighting the tension between duty and personal desire.

Overall, House of Marionne is a strong start to what promises to be an exciting series.

Rating: 3⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book was trying to do to many things at once 😅 I think the premise was super cool and I enjoyed the magic system but the execution of the plot was clunky.

Quell was an interesting FMC and I liked how she worked through her problems but besides her, no other characters felt developed. There was so much potential to develop a couple of the other debutantes but it just wasn’t there. And Jordan was a boring love interest. It felt forced and he was barely there anyways.

I think the idea of the different houses is an interesting concept but it has been a bit overdone in YA fantasies. I think if they were explained more in the store rather than in an appendix at the end, I would’ve had a better understanding and would have seen their importance to the story.

I liked the idea of the assassins but it just wasn’t prevalent enough to meet my expectation.

I will say that the ending was interesting enough to make me check out the sequel and hopefully it’s a little more developed than this one. Overall it’s a fine fantasy for anyone who wants to ease into YA fantasy but I think I had too high expectations.

I received an ARC for my honest opinion. The book started off with a bang, but it took a few chapters to draw me into the world and hook me. Once hooked though, I devoured the story. The setting is a dazzling world of etiquette and tradition with a visible display of power in their physical appearance. That was my favorite part of the story and was such a fun, unique twist! The world building was intriguing and I like the bits of lore we’re introduced to. The main character, Quell, really grows into herself and I cannot wait to see where she goes!
**Review was submitted on Goodreads and StoryGraph on August 28. 2023**

This book is perfect if you enjoy stories filled with fantasy and academia. I grew to love the main character - her courage, her curiosity, and her ability to navigate an unknown environment. I will be keeping an eye out for the next book.

The overall premise of the book was intriguing and held great promise however the changing point of views between first and third detracted from the story and reader immersion. The world building and magic system felt forced and unclear from the very beginning creating an air of confusion the further into the novel the reader gets. J.Elle is a talented author and even with the pitfalls of the novel she still created an enjoyable read when not focusing on the technicalities of the word.

This book was a fun read. I loved the magic and darkness of the book. I love a good YA book and this one wa good, just not the best. I wish it flowed a little better. That being said I really enjoyed the characters.

Such a fun read. I really enjoyed this book and think it will find a wide readership. The cover is fabulous.

As I delved into the pages of "House of Marionne," I found myself transported to a realm of intricate intrigue and timeless romance. This compelling narrative, penned by a masterful storyteller, weaves together the lives of captivating characters against the backdrop of a majestic estate.

The author's meticulous attention to detail not only brings the grandeur of the House of Marionne to life but also breathes authenticity into each character's journey. From the enigmatic matriarch to the resilient protagonist, every individual is imbued with depth and complexity, making them utterly relatable despite their flaws.

One aspect that truly stood out to me was the seamless interplay between past and present, gradually unraveling the secrets that shroud the Marionne family legacy. Each revelation felt like a carefully crafted puzzle piece, culminating in a satisfying climax that left me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

House of Marionne is a total VIBES books. If you're into dark academia/magic, magical boarding schools, mystery, and magical societies, this book is for you. While the initial plot of the book did entice me in, I felt like the writing left a bit to be desired. I felt like the pacing was a little off and the plot dragged for sections, leaving a lot of unanswered questions. The story had a lot of potential but I was left a bit dissatisfied with it which led me to my 3 stars reveal. That being said, if there is a sequel, I'd definitely give it a try as that may answer more of my questions!

After her father is murdered Quell is in danger, and goes to magical school to hide out?
Honestly debuting publicly in society and going to a magical school doesn't necessarily seem like the best way to hide from assassins in my mind, but I guess it works? Protected by guards and what not is better than running from town to town on your own.
I never really felt a connection with Quell, outside of who her family was and the secrets she is trying to uncover, she's never given too much of a history or personality. I was never really rooting for. In fact, none of the characters really seemed to have too much of a personality, I didn't particularly care when anyone was in danger or romantically involved because I could barely even remember who was who.
I also wanted so much more from the magic system. The book explains some different types of magic, where they come from, what they're used for, but its really only a surface level explanation, theres also no real explanation as to why the feared toushana is a bad thing. Her magic didn't necessarily seem any worse or more dangerous than any other magic in the world, but it was treated as if it was the worst thing to possibly exist.
I did really like the school however and enjoyed going to the different classes with Quell and the lead up to the ball.
A fun story overall but it seemed like it was trying to hard to be the next shadow hunters, and I don't think this is a series I'm going to continue reading.

I really enjoyed reading this book.
I read it over a few days, and couldn't wait till I got free time to read it more.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really thought this would be right up my alley. It contained a lot of elements I enjoy in other fiction, but somehow it failed to come together in a way that was enjoyable for me. I'm sure other people will like this book, however!

My biggest regrets about finishing this amazing first book in a new series, are: (1) that it hasn’t published yet; and (2) that I have no idea how long I have to wait for book 2 to come out. If you are looking for an absolutely enchanting world, breathtaking magic, a generations-long battle between light and dark, and a star crossed romance that will leave you swooning, this is your book. After 3 days of non-stop reading in my free time (and dreaming about reading when I wasn’t able to), I finally finished this incredible story. I am blown away.

This story is packed full of magic and fantasy. There is darkness, secret societies, enchanting academics, ongoing and unspoken war, forbidden magic, rivalries between magical houses. J Elle takes what you think you know about protagonists and villains and turns it on it’s head. Quell’s story, in ever aspect, is the birth of a villain, yet she’s the perfect hero. Lost in the world, she’s had to live in hiding for as long as she can remember. Her mother’s protection has reached its limits as Quell reaches the cusp of adulthood. When a surprising safe haven arises in the form of her grandmother’s estate, Quell jumps at the chance for stability and the comfort of family that she’s never know.

But the darkness that’s plagues her cannot be pushed away forever. As dark and hateful secrets begin to surface, Quell begins to see the gilded cage for exactly what it is. She questions what it means to be free and searches for a way to forge her own path. She’s an incredible strong with a fire within her that even she doesn’t understand. I imagine that her strength and power will only grow as this series progresses and I know I can hardly wait to see how she transforms and how her path develops in books to come.

I was not able to finish this one in time to give a full review by the publish date. However, I gave this book 2.5 stars

It took me a little while to get into it--I didn't connect with the narrative voice, so it took a bit to find another access point to make me keep reading. But once Quell found her grandmother (trying not to give spoilers more than you'll find in the first few chapters!), that marked a turning point where I NEEDED to know what was going to happen!

Going to add this one to my classroom library for my students who love intrigue, magic, and dark academia vibes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review!

A good YA fantasy book, that I would definitely recommend to those who think it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

Wow - what a great novel from J Elle! Mystery, magic, love, finding who you truly are and accepting the parts of yourself that have been called bad and dark all wrapped up in a glittery world where not everything is as it seems. This is going to be a best seller for sure and I hope this series continues so we can find out more about Quell’s journey (and Jordan’s too!)

This premise has everything: forbidden powers, magical debutantes, and a complicated enemies-to-lovers dynamic. However, despite all the promise within the synopsis, I struggled with this one for months, nothing within its pages managing to pull me in or keep my attention and oftentimes only serving to further confuse me.

Though often quite lovely, the prose more often felt stilted somehow, and I found myself rereading passages multiple times to make sure I was following the action of the story. There’s an odd balance of too much information and too little explanation that resulted in the sense that there was a mystery intended for the readers to solve within the dregs of distraction by superfluous details. No matter how intrigued I was by the promise of the premise, the writing kept me at arm’s length, frustrated, and unable to grip my attention.

I’m sure this book has its audience but the narrative voice did not agree with me.

DNF at 20%.

Entertaining, but I wanted more from this story and from Quell as a character. Still, would recommend!

#HouseofMarionne #NetGalley Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel. Young adult novel readers will enjoy this fantasy novel.