YA Fantasy lovers, do I have the book for you! J Elle’s newest novel House of Marionne comes out on August 29th and it is definitely a book you don’t want to miss!

I really appreciated the world-building in this book and found myself wanting to keep reading or try and figure out what the heck was going on and how the different plot points were connected.

And then I got to the last chapter and holy goodness EVERYTHING MADE SENSE AND I LITERALLY GASPED 3 TIMES WHILE READING.

But aside from the fantastic plot, I really enjoyed Quell as a character and her journey was really great to read about. I also loved the supporting cast of characters and how they rounded out and connected to certain plot points.

I am very excited to see what will happen in the next book and highly recommend this book for all YA Fantasy lovers!

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

Magic and a regency setting? Count me in! J. Elle's House of Marionne delivered for me on all fronts.

I spent most of this book being so frustrated with the main character because of her poor choices. The love interest was also lackluster in his devotion to following the rules. The progression of their relationship didn't feel organic. I did like the little twist at the end. I would probably read the sequel, because I feel like most of what I didn't like about the book, shouldn't be an issue in the second.

5 stars!! I loved this book right from the start. The twists, turns, relationships, heart hurts, and magical world building were all amazing!! I literally gasped aloud at the reveal in the last chapter, and I immediately knew I was going to buy a copy of this book for myself and need the next book in the series!

I’m, this book was incredible. I thought it was beautifully written and it was exactly what I was looking for. This did remind me a little of the Broken Kingdoms series, which I enjoy immensely. Just superb.

Thank you Penguin teen canada and NetGalley for providing me this e-arc for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

I originally had a bit of a hard time getting into the book, and i found the magic system to be a bit confusing. However once i got further into it I actually started to enjoy it more.

I think the magic system needed to be better explained because it was really cool but initially hard to understand and the book did become a bit slow at the 40% mark.

I enjoyed the plot, and I definitely did not see the ending coming (like what happens in the very last chapter), but, i think the characters were a bit flat and there really wasn’t much chemistry between Quell and the love interest (Jorden)

I think the writing, and plot were good, i just wish we had a better explanation of some things and that the characters were written better. Still, overall it wasn’t bad and I might read the next book.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Quell is seventeen years old and she has always lived on the run with her mother, fleeing from city to city to hid the deadly magic in her veins. Until someone discovers her secret. In order to hide from her assassins, Quell decides to inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order. If she can pass their tests and master the magic, she will be able to hide her deadly magic for good. But hiding her true nature is hard into a complex society like the Order, mostly because of Jordan, her tutor and what's happening between them. Discovering what's the Society is ready to do for power, push Quell to a complex choice: embrace the dark magic she's always running from or losing everything she learned to love.

In a glittering world of ballgowns, rules there's darkness and magic and Quell is a brilliant MC ready to do anything to save herself and those she loves. In a story filled with secrets, lies and betrayals, House of Marionne is a complelling YA set into a world of elites, filled with drama, forbidden love and magic, tests and mysteries.
House of Marionne casts wonderfully complex morally gray characters, a new and original world, a dark academia mixed with forbidden love and dark and deadly magic, in a mix impossible to resist. If you aren't captured by the gorgeous cover, you will be involved with Quell and her magic, Jordan and their story. I loved everything.

Thanks to Netgalley for this eARC! If Harry Potter and Bridgeton had a baby it would be this book. It was an interesting read, fun, and with the dark academia vibes I really love, but I felt like I just didn't connect that well with the characters. Overall I enjoyed some aspects of the story but not all of it..

I really enjoyed reading House of Marianne and getting to know our main character Quell. I was really intrigued by the Quell’s backstory and the magical elements in the book; I thought the author did a really great job of pulling in readers right from the start! There were parts in the middle that slowed down a bit for me, but understand this is the challenge for many books in fantasy when they’re a first in a series. I did love the ending though and I’m really looking forward to the second book!

A modern-day YA romantic fantasy series opener about a glamorous magical world of social elites, forbidden love, and a dark magic that could destroy it all.

This book was fantastic. Our FMC, Quell, has a secret. One she must hide as she's thrust into high society at a prestigious new school. This was a new take on magical schools and how to find one's magic. Quell struggles to fit in and learn everything she can while also balancing a budding new really good friendship. The storyline ran very smooth and kept wanting more. Just a very excellent read.

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinbooks for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

A young adult fantasy featuring magic, an enemies to lovers story and regency setting this novel was presented like an absolute knock out. However this book suffers from the tragic tactic of info dumping rather than showing the reader things or allowing the reader to uncover things in time. Quell and Jordan’s relationship is strong in showing the struggle that comes from weighing your responsibilities and duty to your own personal desires.

Dark Magic
Enemies to lovers
Forbidden Romance

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This novel was a little slow in the beginning but turned out to be pretty fantastic. There were a lot more twists and turns then I expected and then we have the cool aspect of the school. I wish there was more details in certain areas of the novel, but overall this was quite enjoyable. The actual magic powers and so forth were a little confusing at times and I could not fully understand them, but I read this quickly, so maybe that had something to do with it. I am VERY excited to continue this series in the future!

For me, this book felt very much like a 2010s fantasy novel with the setting and plot.I liked reading House of Marionne, but it seemed a bit simplistic in terms of the magic system and Quell’s struggles with the two versions of magic she has. I really liked the characters, but it would have been much easier to read if there was more background information given at the beginning when we were introduced to the House world with Quell; it was hard to follow what was going on. Other than this, it was a fun and easy read that was very atmospheric.

This book was well paced with an intriguing plot and interesting characters! I really liked the MC and her love interest. I can’t wait to read more books from J Elle!

Oh my goodness this book has all of my favorite things! Dark academia, a magical world and morally grey characters to become obsessed with. This book was such a fun ride and Quell is a strong, powerful FMC. This book is for fans of Gossip Girl meets Harry Potter, which goes together seamlessly.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Razorbill for a digital ARC of House of Marionne!

Quell, a girl with dark, forbidden magic who must keep it a secret, joins a secret society called the Order to protect her mother. She must learn to control her magic and pass three deadly trials to join the society.

I really liked the side characters, dark academia vibes, and the system and differences of magic.

Another aspect of the book was the slow burn enemies to lovers romance that will hopefully flourish more in future books.

This YA fantasy was very difficult to get into... it just felt very young and like it was missing something. I really hoped to enjoy this, I even purchased this!

This was completely out of my wheel house so I don’t even feel like I can properly rate it but for what it was worth. I liked it. Just didn’t understand some parts.

First, I want to say thank you for my review copy. I really enjoyed the setting of the book. The main character who was taught to run rather than to find her family I wish there wasn’t so many family secrets that really impact her as a character but I get that’s the point of the book. The romance was OK I was hoping for a lot more magic, but I understand that this is not a full fantasy book and I went into it with the expectation of heavy romance I enjoy the magic the book cannot wait for the next one

House of Marionne by J. Elle was a highly anticipated fantasy read for me and a #fantasyfrenemies pick so I was excited to dive in.

In order to protect her mother, Quell joins a secret society called the Order. She must master the three rites of membership and deal with her feelings toward Jordan, her mentor and an assassin.

I wanted Quell to be a bit more badass and I needed more explanation of the magic system and the Order.

My issue with the story was that it started with a lot of excitement and then not much happened for the next 200 pages while we followed Quell around her classes. Then bam we get action and a cliffhanger at the end to set up for book 2.

If you’re a fan of YA dark academia, give this one a try. I will wait for book 2 because that cliffhanger gets me every time.