Agh, I'm just so frustrated with this book! It takes SO LONG to get going and really only feels like it hits its stride at 75% or so. My frustration is honestly that the last twist of the book is so good that it almost makes me want to read the sequel.

*Thank you to Razorbill and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

4.5 ⭐️

Wow! This book really hooked me in at about 25%.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

House of Marionne is a bit of a dark coming of age story. It is mostly set on the grounds of the house of marionne. The way the author describes all the elements in the book, you feel as if you are there.

Quell has a life set out for her (by no choice of her own), but she’s been pushed enough to want to fight back against what that means for her future life.

I do hope a second and third installment come out soon, because that ending left me with so many questions.

2.5/5

I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, the beginning was extremely confusing and kinda difficult to get though, imo. I felt this way with Wings of Ebony, too. J Elle likes to start right in the action, but she does so in a way that feels hard to get your bearings. I think a part of it is that her characters are a part of a magical world they know nothing about. So we’re just as confused as they are, and Quell’s story is no exception. I’m not a fan of narratives that like to keep you in the dark about crucial world building just for the heck of it, which is a bit what it felt like.

To make matters worse, no one explained anything to Quell! She was thrust into a magical new world with tons of rules, and no one bothered to sit her down and explain anything??? The characters knew she was in the dark, but just expected her to fall in line. So important lore about the world and the magic system were sprinkled in haphazardly, and I kept wondering “who taught her that?” Because Quell seemed to suddenly know a lot for a person who knew nothing about magic.

That being said, after the first part or two, the book settles into the main story, which is Quell trying to fit into this magical debutante society. I loved this part. I thought the academy concept was great, the magic (when it made sense) was really compelling and special, and I enjoyed the academy vibes. I think some of the characters could have been explored on a deeper level, but overall I really enjoyed them.

The end kinda threw me for a loop, but it definitely made me interested to know what happens next.

I don’t think the comp to Bridgerton is a good one—it’s not a historical romance at all. It would have been better to comp to something like The Selection and maybe…Vampire Academy? But I know those are much older series so maybe not the most relevant.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Needing to hide her dark powers from everyone all her life, Quell pivots from the non magical world and her mother to the only one that can be safe for her or so she thinks. She is propelled to an elite school with her grandmother in charge who is more than happy to include her in this exclusive and rich academy. However, danger lurks in every corner either in the form of assassins or the magic that threaten to take her will over. Also, who can she trust?

The story with its characters and plot line reminded me of Harry Potter as Quell made some friendships and enemies and needed to adjust to a different life, but there were also some nice surprises that made you forget the nonsensical (how can Quell succeeds so easily in mastering the art of magic when so many fail).

It was a good read and I look forward for the sequel.

I have mixed feelings about the House of Marionne. On the one hand, I appreciated the aesthetic that the story was going for. The dark academia boarding school, magic showing itself via crowns and masks, the dark undertone to wealth. Unfortunately, the characters fell a bit flat for me. The main character Quell has dark magic that is forbidden, making her and her mother constantly move to evade those that would kill her because of it. One day she is discovered and forced to flee and ends up at her grandmother's house, who just so happens to be in charge of a magical boarding school. Once there Quell gets swept up into a new magical world that may be more rotten than pristine. Quell continually makes poor choices through the story and yet everything seems to work out for her. Jorden is her mysterious love interest and I would have loved to have more backstory for him. In fact, I would have appreciated more world-building overall. This may not have been one of my favorite reads this year, but I did enjoy it overall and will read the sequel because the last few chapters did lead up to a completely unexpected twist that does make me curious about where the story will go. I would recommend House of Marionne to those looking for a young adult Dark Academia fantasy. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll read this book and trust absolutely no one. Whenever a story involves high society types I just know everyone is raising their chin with a smile to your face, waiting to pull off a betrayal behind your back. House of Marionne is full of mistrustful people who dress fancy and hold their teacups just right. After all, The House Marionne is one of the oldest and most prestigious houses in magical society. Quell is not excused from the strict house rules and the ruthlessness of the head of house, her grandmother.


Quell is far beyond what House Marionne was expecting as its heir.
Quell has been on the run with her mother for most of her life. She has vague memories of House Marionne and growing up their with her grandmother; however, she knows they’ve ran away to keep her safe. Quell holds a forbidden type of magic. She has never known how to control it, and has grown to fear it. Desperate to keep Quell alive, her mom sends her off alone to escape those tracking them. With no better place to turn, Quell hides within House Marionne. After all, she remembers a loving grandma inside those walls.


To remain in good standing as her grandmother’s heir, Quell is required to play the part of a high-society lady. She endures challenging classes that teach her to use “good” magic while she is secretly suppressing the dark magic. Throw in an attractive yet mysterious mentor for good measure. Afterall, what is life without a confusing love interest to keep you off balance?

I agree with my friend Andonnia when I say that this is J. Elle’s best book yet!
I can’t fully explain why this book is such a jaw dropper because it’s tied into the very end of this book. Throughout House of Marionne there are uneasy allies, and surprising enemies. It’s impossible to know who is telling the truth, mom or grandma. Everyday, Quell is on the precipice of being exposed and executed for a magic she didn’t ask for and can’t change. Quell’s story is unraveling simultaneously to an unnamed villain’s POV and you’ll be surprised when you start to sympathize with him. That is the brilliance of J. Elle’s story telling in this book.

Andonnia and I both are loyal readers of J. Elle and were blessed to read House of Marionne. Check out what she has to say about House of Marionne on booktok!

DNF 30%

First, I thought this book was set in a historical setting with a boarding school, etiquette lessons, magic and secrets to be revealed. First scene sets the tone in an urban setting (stupid girl follows guy she just met into an alley). Then we have Quell and her mom that has moved a bunch of times due to Quell’s uncontrolled magic, toushana. I don’t get why they didn’t change her name when they were on the run. Like Quell is a bit of a standout. Don’t ya think?

Anyways, she gets attacks like Clary in City in Bones and ends up at her Grandmom’s school. She sees this is her chance to control her magic or be able to learn a different and safer magic. I knew right away her Grandmom (not a typo) was sketchy. I’m seeing Baroness in Cruella. Like she has to be a villain right? I find Quell to be way too trusting. Like on the run all this time, why are you not more paranoid?? Also the teenagers sounding like teenagers was actually kind of annoying. Character maturity wasn’t to the level I was hoping for.

Love interest Jordan is incredibly hot. The amount of times in the first 30% she described him as hot or just stared at him…yeah I’m done. No depth to their romance or his character from what I had read.

I’m absolutely and totally lost on the magic system and world building. I have read lots of fantasy books before and haven’t had this hard of a time trying to follow along. It takes away from the book every time they mention something related to how magic works and they are in a school to practice and learn about their magic!

Concept sounded interesting but I can’t get into this book as have spent two weeks trying.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.63 | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=2 | ⚔️=3 | 13/14+

summary: girl has magic powers and has been on the run her whole life but now is taken to a magic school that her grandma runs and there’s tests and rites and a handsome boy mentoring her bc of course there is

thoughts: this was kind of a roller coaster lol. like at first I thought it was good and then I thought it was meh and overall I’d have to rate it 3.63 stars. like I know that’s very specific but it’s the only honest answer. this was fast-paced and fun I guess but not really anything new?? the last twist was pretty good though

I loved the magic system used - how masks and crowns were an outward manifestation of their powers and I was so invested every time the magic was brought up but I really wished that Elle pushed deeper into the discussion cause the scenes would change too quickly before I could find myself truly invested in the world.

I don’t feel like that does the book justice as Elle’s writing style reads extremely young and the kind of readers that pitch would pull in are the older YA crowd.

Beautiful prose, and wonderful writing. The characters felt as if alot of thought went into it. One of my favorite e arcs so far.

Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🗡️House of Marionne by J. Elle Review!🗡️

Um. I liked Jordan? And Yagrin?

I’m not sure what I subjected myself to with this one. I was very excited for this book but it kind of fell flat for me. My favorite chapters were Yagrin ones because at times I truly didn’t understand Quell. Or what was happening in her story line. (Though I do like her name.) The last chapter I fairly enjoyed, it was definitely a surprise. And if there is a sequel I may be inclined to read it because of the final twists. But the rest of the book was confusing. I finished it and was kind of just like ‘eh’. You know? I didn’t hate it. I didn’t like/love it though. Part of the world building was confusing but my heart was also pounding in portions.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of magic societies or dark academia, it just wasn’t for me. It’s also marketed as a dark romantic fantasy and it wasn’t all that dark. The romance wasn’t really there enough to me marketed as a romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available August 29,2023!

Ballrooms and Betrayals, Magic and Mystery. Decadence and Darkness. Morally grey characters. Irresistible romance and Dark Academia.

That pretty much sums up this book. It was a fast paced thrilling ride. Quell has forbidden magic so she and her mom have lived a life on the run. If she is caught she will be killed. To hide from the assassin that is hunting her they come up with the brilliant plan to masquerade Quell as a debutante in the society of magical elites known as the Order. If she can pass their 3 rites of membership she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic.

Naturally becoming a proper debutant is hard because if it was easy everyone could do it. But enter her mentor and assassin in training Jordan. Dude made me want to hurt him and swoon at the same time.

If you can’t tell I really enjoyed this book. I loved the nuances, the silly teenage girl crush, the danger. It was a fun read.

When House of Marionne begins, Quell and her mom are on the run hiding from the magical world. This opening sequence was exciting and I honestly preferred it to practically the remainder of the book.

I found it difficult to root for the main character, who repeatedly made terrible decisions that had me questioning her intelligence. I can’t say it mattered though because everything magically just continued to fall in place and work out for her. Nothing felt earned. And while I typically make allowances for teenagers being teenagers when I read YA, this felt beyond that. It’s one thing to have a strong character that errs, it’s another to have a character whom is entirely gullible.

I struggled with the world-building and magic system. They raised a lot of questions for me, but from a place of confusion and not mystery. 400 pages later and a lot was left unexplained.

The side character Octos was my favorite part of the book, I wish we got his story!

I knew I wanted to read this based on the cover alone, but alas, this was a difficult book to embrace. Quell should be an easy character to like. She’s the underdog, unaccustomed to magic or money, and now she has access to both. But she’s a weak pushover and lacks critical thinking skills.

If someone goes from being your friend to being downright rude, as Shelby does, why wouldn’t you question it? Also, if someone keeps pushing you, setting a deadline for you to master certain things in a week, when this was all new to you just under 2 weeks ago, why wouldn’t you speak up? Especially when you failed miserably. Put the blame where it is, on the boy you claim you love who rushed you along. Too often, she did what her grandmother or Jordan wanted, never speaking up for herself.

Which brings me to the relationship between Quell and Jordan, which was shallow, based on not knowing anything about each other, about Quell’s continuing mountain of lies, and I just didn’t feel what I think we were supposed to. The insta love undid any sort of enemies-to-lovers trope that the author was going for.

The use of Quell’s toushana got to be too much. It was never really explained, and suddenly it became out of control. It was repetitive and didn’t move the story forward. Lastly, it would have been nice for the varying magical systems and abilities to be explored, but they needed to be explained better, and details were lost amidst the rush of learning and the toushana use.

This had all the elements of being a superb 5-star read, but it fell short in too many areas. The pacing was slow, and it bogged down what was already a complicated situation going in. I think the plot was ambitious, but there was too much going on to really flesh things out. I didn’t hate this book, but I just didn’t care about it, and had this been a library book and not an advanced copy, I would have returned it.

House of Marionne by J. Elle is a solid read, though I feel like the marketing pitch did it a disservice. I wasn’t able to see the Bridgerton vibes, nor Game of Thrones. While yes, it’s technically a romantasy, I didn’t connect with that plot thread. I feel like I would’ve enjoyed this more had it been pitched as an upper middle grade/young YA. There’s a lot to explore and love and I wish we had a deeper dive into the world, and more clarity on some confusing conversations.

I was very excited for this book once I read the synopsis but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

In this book we meet Quell. She and her mother have fled from city to city, in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell's veins. Until someone discovers her dark secret. To hide from the assassin hunting her, and keep her mother out of harm's way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she'll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever. If caught, she will be killed.

The beginning of the book was fast pace and I was excited for the story but as it went on I became bored or confused. The confusion came from the world building/magical system. I couldn’t grasp what magic did what. I also couldn’t connect with the main characters. I didn’t find them interesting and wasn’t rooting for anyone.

I really wanted to love this book and I’m really sad it didn’t work for me. Thank you to the publisher for the eARC!

Overall I felt like the book had a very interesting premise with characters that I enjoyed learning about as time went on. The pacing seemed a little strange at times but it wasn’t distracting enough for it to be an actual issue. There were a lot of unanswered questions and it seems like there really needs to be a sequel in order to completely flesh out the world. I do feel like the book being compared to Ninth House and Harry Potter was pretty inaccurate beyond bare bones of similarities.

4/5 stars, I was obsessed with the magical school aspects

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group & Razorbill for the arc through netgalley, a physical arc, and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review!

There was so much that was amazing about this book and I'm really happy that I was granted so many copies of this book, especially the final copy because it was absolutely gorgeous. Especially the map, which detailed a map of the grounds that this book takes place on, which I think would have been helpful in the advanced readers' copy, though I know it takes time to finalize a map. I will be eagerly awaiting a continuation in this world because everything was pretty interesting.

My favorite part of this book had to be the setting of the magical school, I feel that this is an underrepresented trope in modern books, or at least I haven't been able to find too many of them. I really enjoyed seeing into the classes these people took, though I wish there had been a bit more emphasis on that and what they were learning. Especially in the context of the magic system, which I found to be interesting but confusing, I could not explain to you the magic system of this book by the end. But the Draguns were the most interesting magic users as they were able to pull from a few different types of magic and I hope to see and learn more about them in coming books. I also really enjoyed the aspects of secret societies, assassins in an order, ballgowns and high society, and other things in relation to that.

Quell was the main character of this book, a girl with shadow-like magic who has been on the run almost her entire life with her mother so that people who will hunt her won't catch up with her. Despite this, I didn't feel she really fit the part of someone who had been running for so long. She claimed to be super observant, but then there were moments she was oblivious to some things. I also just don't feel she was as fleshed out as she could have been, she felt flat at times that she really should have shone. Jordan was the male main character who fell into the "dark-haired broody" trope, which I didn't mind because they're usually my favorite, but at times it felt like that's all he was as well. He did have more personality, but I couldn't exactly pinpoint what bothered me a little about his characterization.

The enemies-to-lovers romance was also fairly quick to develop in this book, which I prefer there to be a slow burn in my books. I do think Quell and Jordan make an interesting pair considering their respective positions in society, and I always enjoy seeing the protector (Jordan in this case) fall in love with who they're supposed to be protecting. While I think it could have been fleshed out more, a lot like other parts of this book, it was still interesting enough for me to want to see more of them.

Overall, this was an interesting magical school book that definitely has some great things going for it. There were things lacking in my opinion, but it does set up for an interesting series or duology, and the cover is also so gorgeous. I think this was a pretty solid story that makes me desperately crave other books with magical schools in them.

[TW: death and murder, teen pregnancy mentioned, attempted drugging, kidnapping, missing persons]

Similar to Quell being stuck between wanting freedom and a brooding, mysterious boy...I am stuck between enjoying this book and disappointment.

Quell, on the run her entire life due to a dark magic within her, escapes capture by returning to the secret high society of magic her mother has kept from her. A magical Bridgerton (though I haven't seen/read so no idea how accurate it is) with dark secrets, an adorable romance, and a final plot twist that tied the two POVs together.

This book (to me) felt and fell flat. A lot of tension felt very surface level, the romance was cute but Jordan will not be joining my list of irresistible book boyfriends (he certainly wasn't morally grey), and much of it read more like young YA than older YA. I think the biggest issue is the marketing, which will set the readers up for disappointment.

I loved her battle with hiding her dark magic and her grandmother, whose secrets and plotting are as devious as I expected from the head of such a powerful house in a secret high society. The magic system, while lacking a bit, was super unique with the manifestation of the tiaras and masks and binding enhancers into their blades, then blades into themselves.

As someone who isn't into big regency era literature, the preparations for the showing weren't particularly interesting, and there wasn't enough political intrigue with the other houses to make their tea parties exciting for me. I wanted more world building as we were told everything during season would affect their reputation beyond the school but then we see very little of the rest of the world (except for when she ran for cake, which felt very out of nowhere).

Especially bad were the time skips, Quell running from conversations (especially with Jordan) and lack of clarity. Unless I read this super wrong...she misses a ton of her classes and is able to debut after only a few weeks when it takes other two seasons to do the same. Just felt like it needed another pass by an editor.

Despite finding out why we have two POVs at the end (I hated Yargin's - especially since it's in past while the rest is in presence tense), it just felt like too little of a plot twist, too late.

Would I recommend this? Yes, to those who love Bridgerton and magical societies but aren't expecting Atlas Six level of dark academia.

Thank you to netgalley and Razorbill for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

House of Marionne is a unique fantasy for lovers of dark academia and high society vibes.

House of Marionne follows Quell, a young girl who, along with her mother, have been moving around for years trying to stay hidden. Because Quell has a secret – she has a form of dark magic that is forbidden. When the past finally catches up to them, and with no where else to go, Quell seeks out her grandmother, the Headmistress of the House of Marionne, a school that is part of secret society of magical users. Quell is amazed at the world of magic that she has been kept away from, but knows that in order to survive, she must learn to fit in and keep her dark magic hidden. This becomes a challenge as Jordan, her mysterious and alluring mentor, seems to be getting closer to her. While she wants to fall for him, doing so is a risk because Jordan is a Dragun, a member of the group of assassins that hunt dark magic users. Will Quell take her place as heir of House of Marionne, or give up everything?

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book has a lot going on – secret societies, magical schools, light and dark magic, assassins, a budding romance, and lots of secret twists and turns. House of Marionne also has high society debutante themes, which I found really unique and intriguing. It was interesting to see an entire world of fancy dresses and magical balls happening in secret in our modern world. I really enjoyed following Quell’s growth in this book as she adapts to her new environment and learns more about the dark magic she’s kept hidden for years. The romance between Quell and Jordan was also really sweet, and I loved the tension between the two characters who want to be together but know there are forces keeping them apart. We also get some chapters in an alternate POV from Yagrin, a Dragun assassin who is questioning his role in this secret society. Through these few chapters we get a different perspective on the Houses and the political machinations of the leaders, which expands the world beyond Quell’s story.

Also, the main character Quell is a powerful young woman of color, which is so important and refreshing. I think we are seeing more diversity in YA fantasy, and this book is a great addition to a growing list of titles featuring main characters of color.

My only comments are that I wish the book was a little longer. I felt that the world building happened very quickly and would have appreciated more detail and information. We as readers are learning along with Quell, who has very little knowledge of magical society, and at some points it felt a little confusing, though by the end of the book I felt pretty solid in the different types of magic and the different Houses. I went into this book thinking it was a stand-alone, but the ending leaves it open enough that I hope a sequel is coming soon! I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to see where the author takes Quell’s story next.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group for granting me access to the electronic Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.