I really struggled with this one but not at the fault of the author! The concept is fun and I did like the characters, but I think it just wasn't the best match for me personally. I do appreciate the opportunity to review it though!

A great first book. I enjoyed the storyline and world building. The magic was harder to grasp on understanding.

Quell knows she's has dangerous magic, magic that would get her killed. After finding no where to go she reaches out to her grandmother who is the headmistress of a magical academy. She manages her new world with a grumpy mentor. Twists and turns, backstabbing and secrets, Quell navigates it all.

Unfortunately this was not for me

thank you netgalley for the arc !

2/5 stars

read if you like:
♡ dark academia
♡ enemies to lovers
♡ slight bridgerton vibes

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Okay, I am so happy that I had the chance to review this book and the next one. Where have these books been! I really enjoyed this book, and I can see the greatness of where the plot is going, as well as the characters.

The plot was something different from what I have read before when it came to a new magic system. I do wish we could have gotten a little more information on the history of magic, and hopefully we will get more info from the next book. I liked that the author didn’t give you an info dump in the first book and it does start off strong and it was consistent throughout the book. I found the pace to be steady throughout the book because you’re really just getting to know the characters and see where the plot is going in this book. I liked that this book was like a mystery, fantasy, romance book all wrapped into one. The world that the author created was done well, and so intriguing. I loved that it was dark academia, secret societies, that was packed with action.

The characters in this book were well done as well. You will meet the MFC Quell and learn that she possesses a deadly magic that is known as toushana, and anyone that is found to have that dark magic is subject to death so she has been on the run with her mother since she can remember. All she wants is to live a normal life without the fear of being hunted. So, when she gets the chance to learn more about magic, she comes up with the idea to learn more about the light magic and see if she can hide her darker magic away forever. I liked that she was determined to learn, but at the same time she is determined to make sure no one ever finds out about it. However, the moment she meets her grandmother she knows something is off and she can’t tell what it is until the end and let me tell you it’s a big secret. I liked that she is friendly to others and that she does care about others feelings, but she is on a mission to understand more about magic and the kind that is running through her veins then get back to her mother. She does meet a handsome young man named Jordan and even though their relationship starts off as more friendly enemies that grows into something more. I liked that he was tough and a little standoffish right away, then the more that you get to know him you will see a different side to him. He is a rule follower, but you will slowly watch him come out of his shell the more that he is hanging around Quill.

That ending though!!! Like I am so happy that I have book 2 so I know what is going on and let me tell you WOW!! You need to read this series if you love books with magic, great plot, fun characters, action and mystery.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to review this book.

This book was a little confusing as there was a whole new world that was being developed there were many things that I did not understand. Also I felt like parts of the book kind of dragged on but the ending was wonderful. There were so many things that came to light in the end that I was not expecting and I am looking forward to picking up the next book to see what happens next.

DNFing at 22%. It's been three (3) weeks of reading this and I have no desire to pick it up again or any investment in the characters or plot. Which says a lot because there's an assassin's POV and I'd usually eat that up, but I just cannot find the motivation to read more because everything fell so flat.

The House of Marianne is an interesting mix of Mortal Instruments, Fourth Wing and maybe some other YA fantasy novels, but made regal? The concept of the book and the magic system were intriguing, but maybe I’m just not into these types of books anymore. I’m interested to see what other novels the author writes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On the run and trying to stay alive, Quell ends up isolated from her mother. With nowhere to go, she runs to the only place she can think of to hide: her grandmother’s. Her grandmother just happens to be the House of Marionne, an academy that teaches witches how to harness and use their powers. The problem for Quell is that she is hiding within her a dangerous entity that everyone wants to kill…including her Grandmother.

J. Elle puts a lot into building the world of Marionne and its students. There are lots of details from the students, to the building and halls, to the world it encompasses. It is filled with intrigue, magic, and betrayals.

I think I’m going to give a spoiler here, there are no true friends here and that is what the story needs. For all of the world building, Quell is on her own. Huge stories like this do better if they have at least one do or die friend even if that friend gets killed at the end (chuckle). It’s just heavy on doom and gloom. Then it ends on a cliffhanger. I’m not a huge fan of reading over 400 pages and then not even having a “happy for right now” just blackness for the whole story. It makes me not even want to read the next book. There are people who love this type of story though so don’t take my word for it. If you love constant darkness with no light, then read this.

Quell is a great character. She is strong, smart, and a fighter. She’s loyal and sarcastic. If you are in a dark alley and trapped, you want her by your side and that’s without her magic. J. Elle has created a great character with Quell.

Angst. Action. Magic. Doomed, dark, and forbidden romance - check. If you like all of these genres, then the House of Marionne is for you.

Originally I tried to read this book AWHILE ago and it just wasn’t working for me so I put it down. Recently I decided it’s been some time, I’ll give it a whirl again. Sadly I DNF’d it again. I just couldn’t get into the story. The writing felt very choppy and inconsistent, which kept taking me right out of the story. Also I just ended up confused a lot of the time. I couldn’t tell you anything about the story. I didn’t get far enough in but also spent the whole time I was in the world, a bit confused. I’m sad about this one, it sounded perfect for me!

This was a pretty good start, but the FMC spent a lot of time in internal dialogue hashing and rehashing what she wanted vs what was actually happening and it made the book drag a little. It reminded me of that saying, Wish in one hand, xxxx in the other....and I wanted the plot to move along faster. I was intrigued with the diadem concept and Emerging, and would love to see one of those booktok videos on it! I enjoyed this enough to carry on and see what Book 2 has in store!

I love YA fantasy and this was a really good. I was entertained the whole book and I felt There was really good world building and character development. I made me want to read the second one right away!

Such a good storyline. I love the different take on magic in this book. I will have a more in depth review on my instagram and good reads. But just know I loved it and am looking forward to seeing more of Quell’s life.

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.