I feel guilty for saying this, but I started reading the book last weekend, didn't find myself gripped, put it down around 5%, started new books, and... well, I don't remember a single thing I read. It's not gripping, and it wasn't very memorable. I did a quick skim and it was exposition heavy. Also, the formatting was way off on my kindle file, making it hard to follow. That certainly didn't help.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

HOUSE OF MARIONNE is what i need all teens to read! i adored it! it was a unique twist on magical schools, assassins, and dark academia. it was pure escapism, while also being something that explored our main character's very real hopes, fears, and emotions. j. elle is a master at writing that is invisible, that acts as a vessel for storytelling without overshadowing it, while also being lush and expansive. house of marionne is my favourite of her works!

Thanks PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill/Netgalley for the ARC

This was probably one of my most-anticipated ARCs for this year... and it was, ultimately, a huge, huge let-down. Seeing so many five star reviews for HOUSE OF MARIONNE was hugely surprising, and I generally feel like I didn't really get what is so appealing about this book (apart from the hype, which we all know is contagious.) The premise was fun, but that was where the positives ended. This is difficult to review because I feel like J. Elle is very beloved, but there's something about her work that I'm starting to think doesn't jive with me at all. Sort of a dark academia fantasy, I found the plot in line with the slow-moving premise that DA seems to have, so that was fine, but the biggest letdown had to be in the writing style. It was... boring. The prose was stilted, uninspiring and just felt very unpolished all around. Additionally, the enemies-to-lovers romance wasn't doing it for me (another letdown.) The characters, at times, felt vaguely entertaining, but not enough to make me really...care, I guess?

A "meh," book, unfortunately, and I really wished I'd loved it more!

(Two stars instead of one, because I can't bear to mark it one-star, and I did enjoy the concept, even if I found the execution lacking. Oh well.)

I loved this ARC so much that I pre-ordered the hardback; the first time I've done that with an ARC. House of Marionne hit all my boxes and executed them to perfection. I haven't read much YA in my past but some of the new releases, like this one, are so exciting that I am starting to change my mind on the genre.

House of Marionne is dark academia done right, a magic school that's fresh and far from the usual derivative takes. Quell Marionne has spent her childhood on the run with her mother from the opulent, hidden-in-plain-sight magical world that sired them. That's because Quell has forbidden death magic running through her veins, called toushana, which turns everything she touches into ash, or so she thinks, at first. There is more to toushana than the Order wants their members to believe.

People found with toushana in their blood are marked for death, stalked by a sect of assassins known as the Dragun. One such assassin is on Quell's tail. When he finally catches up to her after years of poverty and countless moves, Quell separates from her mother and does the only thing she can think of - hide in plain sight right in the dragon's den.

She enrolls at a school that trains people how to use their magic, a veneer of wealth and power interlaid with our real one. It's run by her grandmother, who expects her to become her heir when she finishes her training, but all is not as it seems. After her life on the run, she's thrust into this luxurious academic world full of secrets and betrayals, all while fighting a growing attraction to her mentor, a brooding, grumpy Dragun who is duty-bound to kill her if he discovered her true secret.

The characters in this were all wonderful, the writing style vivid and engaging. I loved the growing chemistry between Quell and Jordan, her mentor; enemies to lovers with a very satisfying slow burn arc full of smoldering glances, stolen kisses and intrigue. I was most intrigued by the universe that the author created; fresh, different, rich and visceral. A mix of urban and high fantasy blended together, a twist on the usual tropes.

Definitely one of my favorite books of the year; I highly recommend this one. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series already.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved this book. Feels like Dark Academia meets Bridgerton!
Quell did everything right in my opinion, and it was nice to see her battle between “good magic” and the Toushana that seemingly burdened her. The enemies to lovers with Jordan was great. The setting, characters, their outfits, diadems and daggers were all described with enough imagery that you could easily picture them. There are so many reveals and revelations in the last couple of chapters, I was so shocked and I cannot wait for the (hopeful) next installment. Perfect for fans of magic.

I must be honest, when I first downloaded this book onto my Kindle, I was IMMEDIATELY turned off by the formatting. It was actually heinous, with broken paragraphs, sentences, and WORDS. There were sometimes no paragraph breaks between the dialogue which left me confused as to who was speaking. However, I only took off half a point from my review because I feel like this is not Elle’s issue but rather an issue with formatting.

I AM so excited for this to be published so everyone can experience the same joy that I did reading it. This book reminds me of the ones I was obsessed with in elementary, middle, and even high school, but I must admit that I am OBSESSED even now as a full grown adult. I can definitely see that this is going to have IMMENSE hype around it. It is one of those well written, well thought-out stories that has you hooked from the very opening. The world building was INCREDIBLE and done beautifully, it was a genuine pleasure to read this book.

I LOVED Quell and there was never a moment when I was frustrated with her or her actions. I can totally understand why she made the choices she did, and she made them in such a logical fashion that you can’t help but completely empathize with her and her struggles. I also absolutely adored Jordan and was completely CRUSHED to the bone when I realized the direction that the story was going in. JUSTICE for Quell and Jordan, I AM BEGGING FOR JUSTICE.

This was a fun read. House of Marionne follows Quell, a girl with poisonous magic who finds herself joining a magical debutante society to hide from assassins who want her dead for her abilities. There was a lot to like about this book. I loved the secret society meets Bridgerton vibe, and Quell herself is a joy to follow, I was rooting for her the entire time and felt myself becoming really emotionally invested in her character growth. There were also a few things I didn’t love about the book. While I typically enjoy an enemies-to-lovers storyline, this one didn’t quite hit the way I wanted it to, something felt a little off with the chemistry. I also didn’t love the writing style, I feel this world could have benefitted from a more flowery prose.
That being said, this was an enjoyable read, and I can imagine the next book in this series will be even better. While I liked it, I could see someone else loving this.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

If you enjoy enemies to lovers, dark academia or a unique magic system you're probably going to want to add "House of Marionne" to your TBR.

The author crafted a very interesting world with a dark and mysterious premise. I thought the characters were well developed and showed growth throughout the storyline, especially the FMC Quell.

I will definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you J. Elle , Net Galley and Penguin Group-Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for providing me with an ARC of this book.

House of Marionne is all about falling in love with the darkest parts of yourself. Taking those hidden bits deep within and polishing them until they shine. Dark academia, magic, enemies to lovers, debutante culture - this book has it all.

The plot was a bit slow for me at first and I found myself confused about the House Structures (headmistresses, draguns, electors, primus, secundus, etc.), but once Quell emerged things started to pick up and the world building and magic system became clearer. This is an extremely unique concept and I got caught up in this glittering, dangerous world. I adored the blossoming romance between Quell and Jordan and watching Quell learn to embrace herself fully. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an e-arc of this book!

I wasn't jiving with the writing style, but the concept was VERY cool, and it definitely had dark academia vibes. This book was about complicated family relationships just as much as it was about magic.

It had an atmosphere to it, dark and alluring. And mysterious. You definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next.

I was very middle of the road on this one, I wasn't exactly buying the romance, and it has my favorite trope, enemies-to-lovers, but their romance wasn't sparking anything for me.

I enjoyed the plot of this one -- I like how we learned more and more as Quell did. Jordan as her mentor was fabulous, I did enjoy some of their back and forth, even if I wasn't totally engrossed with their romance.

Abby was another bright spot, and I liked all of Quell's interactions with her.

Overall, I think I was very middle of the road on this one, in which I enjoyed it, but isn't one that I would necessarily pick up again. (Okay, I lie)

At first, I found it challenging to get into this book. I wasn't expecting an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but I was pleasantly surprised by the well-written transition from friends to lovers between Jordan and Quell. Jordan's sweetness made the ending all the more heart-wrenching, and the book reminded me of a mix between The Belles and Of Cages and Crowns.

I particularly enjoyed Quell's character growth and how her magic allowed her to come into her own throughout the story. Her character arc was well-developed and satisfying. As for Yagrin, I empathized with him as a soft boy. Though I didn't like him at first, as we learned more about him, he grew on me. The only character I disliked was the Grandmother - she can go to hell!

The way each reveal was executed was masterful, leaving me gasping and reevaluating certain scenes with particular characters, such as "Octis." I adored everyone except the Grandmother and cannot wait for the sequel. I am glad that I persevered with this book.

It took me a while to get into it and there were times I was very much close to DNFing but I am so glad I didn't! I was not expecting such enemies to lovers, the relationship between Jordan to Quell from friends to lovers was so well written and Jordan was so sweet which made the ending so much more hurtful of course. The book was giving me The Belles vibe mixed with Of Cages and Crowns. I love Quell's growth as a character and with her magic, she definitely comes into her own throughout the story and I really like her character arc within the whole book. Now Yagrin, I feel for him. Soft, soft boy. I didn't like him in the beginning but as we got to learn more about him, he grew on me. I love everyone, except the Grandmother like she can go to hell lol. I love the way each reveal was done, it left me gasping and seeing certain scenes with certain characters(*cough* "Octis" *cough*) in a new light. I can't wait for the sequel, so glad I stuck with this one!

Dark academia, fantasy, romance… aka three of my favorite genres! Elle’s writing was so captivating and the world was so fun to imagine and read about. Would definitely recommend to people if you love these YA genres and would love to read more of this author’s books!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Ended up reading this entire thing during a shift at work cause I was really bored on a slow day. This was a really fun read! It felt quick for 400 pages, it never dragged. It did have a few basic elements, mom goes missing, three challenges and a magic school, but the magic was unique and I liked the characters a lot! I liked the fantasy and romance aspects, there was kind of enemies to lovers but honestly I am already shipping the main character with someone else. There was a POV the entire book I couldn't figure out and I loved the twist with it at the end.

This is quite possibly one of the most magical, romantic, thrilling fantasies I've ever read in my life! I'm so ready to dive into the rest of this series, declare my House, and duel with magic. Dark academia meets Bridgerton with magic has never hit you so hard with as many secrets and betrayal as you can handle! But don't worry, it also perfectly balances the shock out with a beautifully crafted story about freedom and how higher powers keep you down. An extremely relevant read today, this is the kind of gorgeous worldbuilding that every fantasy fan needs in their life.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an arc of House of Marionne in exchange for an honest review.


I loved this so much. a dark academia fantasy read with a gothic feel to it? I didn't know i needed a read like this. the magic system was probably the most interesting part of the story. the writing was beautiful and the world building is fantastic. I HOPE there is a sequel because that ending!