Another fantastic urban fantasy. Love the premise— super inventive. This will be popular with my readers. I will be buying for my library system.

Ok, so I requested this based on the cover and the buzz on social media, so I figured it would be good.

Good is an understatement!

Qell and her mother moved around a lot due to her curse. They finally stayed put long enough for Qell to actually able to graduate. 3 weeks away from graduation and the dreams of living with her mom by the beach in view, what should have been a simple trip to pick up her check, turned into her finding out family secrets, running for her life, and possibly tearing down the entire legacy.

This book was a page turner for me and the ending was a lead up to the second book.

When I saw Ali Hazelwood promoting House of Marionne so heavily, I knew I wanted to get my hands on a copy. The blurb sounded right up my alley, too -- enemies to lovers romance, dark academia, and a girl with deadly magic who desperately wants to live a normal life. Add in some ballgowns and high society hijinks and I was ready to fall head over heels.

So, why the three star review?

I'm still not sure. On the one hand, I fell in love with Quell and the worldbuilding. 17 year old Quell has lived a life on the run due to being cursed with the deadly magic called toushana; an ancient order of hunters known as the Draguns want to eradicate all those with toushana out of fear of them rising up like they did centuries ago to destroy magic. But Quell's got another secret: her grandmother is headmistress of a school for legitimate magic users, and if Quell can hide out there and learn to strengthen her other gifts, maybe she can banish her toushana for good. Quell is smart, savvy, and easy to root for. I love how strongly she connects to her mother, as well as how driven she is throughout the novel. I also adored the magic system and the school itself. If you like Zodiac Academy, think of The Order as a lite version of it. I also appreciated that this felt more akin to the YA of my teen years -- the romance is more sweet than spicy, and even though it's definitely romantasy, there's an unexpected twist at the end that I greatly enjoyed.

But I think the romance is actually where it fell flat for me. While Quell, roommate Abby, and Quell's grandmother Headmistress Marionne all feel like well-developed individuals, Jordan is less so. He feels very generic broody YA love interest during the first 3/4. What kept me reading was not at all the enemies to lovers dynamic, but my love of Elle's magic system and worldbuilding, plus the strong female friendship between Quell and Abby. I also enjoyed many of the side characters, including a sketchy potion trader named Octos, the Dragun Yagrin, and Nore, the granddaughter of the rival house's headmistress.

In the end, I didn't fall in love with House of Marionne as much as I had hoped, but I do think this may be a case of every sequel getting better and better. The final part of HoM was nail-biting, page-turning, popcorn-ready goodness and I stayed up well past midnight to find out whether Quell would follow her head or her heart.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and J. Elle for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'm very excited to see where Book 2 takes Quell after that exciting finale!

17-year-old Quell is a senior in high school, only 3 weeks away from graduation. She has spent her life on the run with her mother because people want to murder her for being born with forbidden magic. When she stumbles across something she shouldn't see, she is forced to seek refuge at her grandmother's school without her mother. This school is a new world of magic, cotillions, diadems, and masks for Quell. She is forced to embark on her journey to "come of age" in society so she can assume her role as heir to this magical house. She is assigned a mentor who has already gone through the rites and is a member of the faction trying to kill Quell. She must keep her forbidden magic a secret while fitting into this new magical world. Additionally, there is a second point of view by Yagrin, the guy trying to kill Quell.

This is a fantastic YA fantasy with a unique magic system. The idea of having a cotillion to come into your magic is cool. It also introduces a class system where only well-to-do magic practitioners can have magic. I love the idea of the masks/diadems that showcase the power of the magic user. It gives the world charm and grace despite the darkness within. There is some romance, but it is minimal. The focus is mostly on Quell learning about who she is and adapting to the world as if she were born in it. Overall, this is a beautifully written YA fantasy with tropes including a dark academia setting.

House of Marionne by @authorjelle is a YA fantasy romance that takes place in a school with modern day debutantes and cotillion, but their debut is a showcase of their magical ability, with the crowning jewel being their diadem - a crown that grows from their heads as their magic develops and grows (terrible pun fully intended).

'Full of magic and intrigue... the perfect escape for fans of fantasies that straddle the edge of our world and transport readers to dazzling, deceptive, and unexpected places.- Stephanie Garber

The plot is really good. I especially enjoyed one twist that I did not see coming. I felt the pacing was good, medium until around 75% and then it took off. Not so much it felt rushed, but enough that you didn't want to stop reading.

World building is really good and the magic system is well developed and explained. I really loved J Elle's take on magic.

The characters are good, pretty well developed and nuanced. Most of the dialogue is great, but a few places didn't read as natural to me. But then I'm middle aged and it's YA, so I'm not knocking it. 😄

I liked and enjoyed the book, found it to be an easy, interesting, and enjoyable read. Then at about 60-75%, it took off and I was enraptured. I feel like I'm going to love book 2, Shadows of Perl. The groundwork is now laid for this series to really shine.

I love that J. Elle subtly works in a study on privilege, especially since it's in a work that takes the traditional debutantes and cotillion and puts a fantasy spin on them.

I love the use of diadems (👑) that develope and grow as a sign of magic. An interesting and unique twist I haven't encountered before.

Years worth of magic study are crammed into mere weeks, so there is a bit of suspension of belief that I don't love (but don't hate either). I would've liked to see more on some characters, their abilities, and the different houses, which I'm sure will come in future installments. There was one area that was a bit confusing to me, but being that it was an eARC has possibly been corrected prior to publishing.

If you like The Selection, Ninth House, Caraval, Bridgerton, and/or Fourth Wing (YA versions of those) - check this one out.

Thank you to @authorjelle and @netgalley for the eARC. I'm choosing to leave this unbiased review.

House of Marionne is a lush whimsical fantasy that whisks readers onto a journey of opulence and danger.

J. Elle’s "House of Marionne" is a gripping fantasy that immerses readers in a richly imagined world of magic and intrigue. The novel’s strong world-building and complex characters are standout features, though the plot can sometimes feel convoluted. Overall, it’s a compelling read with plenty of twists and turns to keep fans of the genre engaged.

this was such an interesting concept: dark academia with magic and debutantes. but it was just kind of bland? there wasn't really any worldbuilding, which had so much potential! i wanted to learn more about the magic system and the world. and i couldn't really connect to the characters, which is always what makes a book for me. I feel like younger me would've enjoyed it.

I got into this book but then it just fell flat. I had a hard time caring about the main character. I got about 1/2 into the book and had to DNF. I just couldn't connect or care about the story line. It has potential I'm sure

Wow just wow!

This book follows Quell who is on the run with her mom because of a terrible power she has. The power she has is not accepted by the magical community and anyone with this power is hunted down. She gets traced and has to run again while her mom stays behind and the only place she can think of going is to her grandmother. Turns out her grandmother runs a magical school of sorts and she is thrust into it and the magical world and have to hide her bad magic to keep herself safe.

I am blown away by this book. I absolutely loved it! I love all the magic and how it’s described so easily. The whole book was a roller coaster. I love how her character evolves. My heart was ripped about with what happens with her and Jordan! And the last chapter!! OMG!! I was gasping in shock! Definitely had me on the edge of my seat hanging on to every word. The story is left on a jaw dropping cliffhanger.

{4.5/5}

Read via NetGalley.

A little confusing and slow to start, but then a really interesting read.

Quell has only ever known a life on the run. With just 3 weeks left before she graduates, just 3 weeks until she and her mom can settle down somewhere and hide permanently, everything comes crashing down. Separated from her mother and hunted by men who can wield shadows, Quell seeks refuge with her grandmother. Finding herself at the equivalent of a magical boarding school, Quell devises a plan. A plan that hinges solely on one thing—Quell’s ability to hide her curse.

I should clarify my initial statement— the story starts off with some confusion, but it makes sense for the character. Quell knows nothing about this world, she really doesn’t even know anything about her own curse, and she gets a crash course in the history, structure, and culture of an entire group of people she didn’t even know existed. If you can overlook one relatively minor instance of info dumping and just go with the flow, learning alongside the character, the story rapidly evolves into something really magical and fun. The lack of more information isn’t so bad that it impedes the story, and by the end of the book there’s enough relevant content to sort through the events.

With all of that in mind, it’s also fair to note that the world building is deceptively immense. At first glance it seems like we’ve just got a secret magical society doing their own thing and that’s all there is to it, but that would be a false impression. The further you go and the more you discover, the more it becomes apparent that the author has done a *lot* of behind the scenes development. Between the depth and the actual descriptions, the whole setting just feels magical and sort of ‘other’ in an almost creepy way. It’s something I’m really hoping to see more of in book 2.

Quell as a character is an odd blend of traits. She’s mature for her age, presumably since she’s had to be hyper vigilant and overly responsible for basically her entire life, but, at the end of the day, she’s also only 17. She makes some really questionable decisions and takes some really big risks that sometimes make you cringe just a little bit. Interpersonally, she’s both incredibly stunted (because it’s kind of hard to get a good foundation for friends when you keep moving all the time) and really aware (because when you need to blend in all the time you get really good at it), and it makes for an interesting, if sometimes frustrating, set of interactions. Fortunately for our character, she’s likable and clever, so it’s easy enough to root for her and overlook some traits that would be borderline unforgivable in an older character.

The plot itself was an odd mix of character growth and action, so I don’t really know what to label it, but it held my attention pretty solidly the whole way through. This is definitely one of those books where you’re just going to have to be willing to go along for the ride and see where it takes you, but it’s got some intriguing twists along the way that I felt made up for the end goal being a little abstract at times.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s definitely in that upper-YA/lower-NA age category, and we can see that reflected in our MC and in some of the depth of interactions. Keeping that in mind, it still manages to present a plotline that gave plenty of fun twists and surprises with a subtly creepy undertone. I’d call it ‘high society magic’ crossed with ‘dark academia’ and sprinkled with just a smidge of ‘creepy groups that feel almost like a cult.’ If that sounds like a good time to you, then you’d probably enjoy this book

I tried picking this one up a few different times between different books but I just could not get into it. The synopsis sounded great. I’m not sure what it was I just had to accept it as a dnf. :/

Wow! The ending of this book was so good! I have to admit that I struggled to understand the world building and the magic system. Even as I progressed in the book, I understood more but I never quite had a full grasp of the magic system. Overall the story was intriguing. The ending was the best part. Questions that I had were answered but I’m still left with wanting to know more! I’m excited for book two, The House of Perl!

Dark grey academia with a glittery cover.

Quell has been on the run with her mother since she was a young child, mainly because her toushana (magic) is dangerous. But when she and her mum get separated, Quell crashes her grandmother's place, only to find out that it's a school for magic.

I really enjoyed this story both reading with my eyes and listening to the audio book. I enjoyed the characters, the thought processes that Quell goes through in making decisions and also the uniqueness of the magical system with all the different flavors of magic (from the surface to the deep). I appreciated the guidance and history about the different magical schools (Houses).

I am super excited for the next book in the series.

Highly recommend if you want a magical school series that has a little more teeth than a series about an 11 year old.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

House of Marionne by J. Elle is a mixed first and third person dual-POV YA contemporary fantasy blending magic schools and debutante culture. Quell has been on the run with her mom for most of her life, hiding Quell’s magic from the world around them. When someone discovers Quell’s magic and comes to kill her, she goes to stay with grandmother, who is a headmistress of a magic school and expects Quell to become an Heir.

The diadem and dagger aspects of the magic system are very cool. Physical representations of where someone is in their journey to learn magic but also take beautiful and unique forms for each person is a great worldbuilding detail that allows the main characters to feel their magic getting stronger. The daggers also give an element of choice as the magic debutantes choose which stones, and which aspects of magic, to strengthen.

Quell is in the dark about a lot of things happening in the magic world and relies on her friends, grandmother, and love interest, Jordan, to fill in the gaps. It shows that Quell is quite trusting but also guarded; she doesn’t reveal a lot about herself and will observe other people to the best of her abilities, but she will also trust that someone who she doesn’t really know will tell her the truth.

I really liked the use of Cotillion culture for magic schools and debuts. It is European but it’s also very Southern American that does still happen in some corners. Cotillion allows every girl to be a princess for a day and reading teenage girls get to be genuinely excited about getting to wear beautiful gowns and have cake and send invitations was a nice change of pace from some of the YA fantasies I’ve been reading lately.

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy looking for something that uses Cotillion and debutante culture and readers of YA fantasy who want a magic school with a twist

I really enjoyed this book. A magical school setting with exceptional world building. A mostly strong FMC. I can't wait for the second book in this series.

🖤From the moment I opened House of Marionne, I was completely captivated by its richly woven world and intriguing characters. J. Elle has crafted a spellbinding story that blends magic, mystery, and heart-pounding secrets in the most enchanting way possible.

🗡️🌺The FMC, Quelle, is trying to hide from the intense stakes of a world on the brink of chaos. She leaves the protection of her mother, but looks forward to seeing her mother again. Learning to hone magic, passing trials, and preparing for cotillion has consumed her time. Will Quelle pass and see her mother again? This book will keep you turning the pages late into the night. This is a must-read for fans of Romantasy!🌺🗡️

🖤If you haven’t picked this one up yet, you’re seriously missing out! I can’t wait to see what J. Elle has in store for us in book 2! Shadows of Perl will release September 3rd, 2024.

This was a great start to a series. Quell was a great strong FMC although at times I did find her a little annoying. Even then I could understand and see why she was making certain choices. Gave me vampire academy x Bridgerton vibes.

House of Marionne by J. Elle is a captivating YA romantasy that weaves together dark academia, magic, secret societies, and action into an enthralling narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this story; J. Elle's vivid writing and well-developed characters make it a standout read. The blend of intricate plot elements and engaging world-building ensures that this book will remain a comforting and cherished favorite for me.

House of Marionne by J. Elle is 3.5 stars (rounded up) for me.

Quell, a 17-year-old girl with a dangerous forbidden magic, has been on the run with her mom since she was five, always staying one step ahead of The Order, a powerful magical society hunting those like her. When they’re finally tracked down, Quell seeks refuge at the House of Marionne and reluctantly enrolls in a debutante-style magical training school. Here, she tries to strengthen her "proper" magic while suppressing the dark power that threatens to consume her.

I found this YA fantasy to be a fun, easy read. It’s filled with magic, ballgowns, slow-burn romance, betrayal, secrets, and social elites, all wrapped up in a unique magic system that kept me turning pages. The author’s writing style is beautiful and intriguing, making it hard to put the book down. While it leans very young adult, capturing all the awkwardness and emotions of teenage life, it’s an enjoyable escape into a magical world. The last 100 pages really picked up the pace, and I’m definitely looking forward to where book 2 takes Quell's journey next!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the read-along experience.