Wow. I haven’t been this conflicted about a book in a long time. I love it, but at the same time, I’m disappointed. I really liked it, but some aspects weren’t fully fleshed out. I ping-ponged between 3 and 5 stars, and everywhere in between.

I want to preface this by saying I’m considering this as a YA book. To me, that means the target audience is between 13 and 17 (i.e., teenagers). When reading and reviewing YA books, I apply a bit more flexibility to my expectations. I try to view the story through my teenage self’s perspective, considering what I would have enjoyed back in high school.

The story begins with Quell and her mom on the run because Quell has dark powers that could get her killed if discovered. Quell eventually separates from her mom and arrives at her grandmother’s estate, which also happens to be a magical school. There, she meets Jordan and must navigate hiding her dark powers while becoming an heir and debutante to banish her dark powers forever. As she adjusts to the new magical society, she tries to avoid falling for Jordan. Readers are taken on a dark urban adventure into a magical school with high teas, sacred rites, and the strict Order.

Highlights:
⭐️The ambiance: The magical school setting, where students learn both magic and etiquette, adds a unique charm.
⭐️The mask or crown choice: I loved that students could choose between a mask or a crown, with different visual interpretations for each student.
⭐️The twists: The plot twists were a major saving grace for the book.
⭐️Quell: I enjoyed her character and her growth throughout the story.

Neutrals:
⚪️Romance development: It’s not an enemies-to-lovers story, and Jordan’s background is scant. The romance felt rushed, but it can be attributed to young love.

Pitfalls:
❌Character development: Characters needed more depth and physical descriptions. Their personalities weren’t fully fleshed out.
❌Plot execution: The novel’s premise is intriguing, but it wasn't fully realized. There was a lack of world-building and detailed history, leaving readers in the dark about much of the setting.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Young Readers, for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the arc.

It took me a bit to get through this book. But mostly due to the formatting, it didn't read well on my kindle and I'm not a fan or reading on my phone.

Read a little too YA for me. (I feel too old to read YA sometimes) but I enjoyed it and that cliffhangggeerrr.

I am invested and ready for the sequel!!!

This was just ok. The premise sounded great but for someone who primarily reads ya fantasy it didn’t really bring anything new. The magical elements are well developed but some parts of the story felt a little too juvenile for me and I couldn’t really connect with the main character which made it hard to care about the story. However, it’s still a decent book especially for beginners to the genre.

such a fun and captivating read, i was sucked in and couldnt stop myself from finishing it as soon as i started it. i cannot wait to read the next book the character development was amazing and quell and jordan better be endgame😭

thank you penguin teen for a physical copy

House of Marionne is so good, I got the ARC version on Netgallery and didn’t know what it was about, but I had already seen the book cover on B&N and I absolutely loved it and knew I would probably love the book as well (yes I judge books by the cover).

And then it took me to a world of power, where only the elite few get to keep their powers and enter a secret society, but people with touchana (a stronger, deadlier power) are hunted. And that is where Quell comes in. She and her mother have spent her entire life running from this world, because she has touchana, until she has to hide in plain sight in her grandmother’s school, surrounded with the very same people she had been running from.

I found the book to be really interesting and fast paced, the beginning was hard to understand, especially since I didn’t know what the book was about but the writing is easy to understand and soon I was so immersed into this world I couldn’t put the book down.

I like the character development of Quell, she goes from being scared of her own shadow to owning it and going after what she wants. And in a small amount of time she goes from having nothing to having friends and people who care about her.
Unlike Jordan who is still trying to make his father proud, and won’t stand up for what he wants. But I liked him anyway, he was nice to Quell and I’m sure we will see how he grows out of his need to make his father happy in the next book.

An intriguing magic system, dark academia, a forbidden romance… what more could a girl ask for?

House Of Marionne was a fun and intriguing read. This story follows Quell, a young woman on the run with her mother due to her dark secret. When someone catches wiff of her, she has nowhere else to run but to her grandmother’s estate. There she reluctantly inducts into the debutante society of magical elites in order to hide her secret.

I cannot wait for the second books release! That cliff hanger still has me on edge 😮‍💨

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and J. Elle for the gifted copy as part of the Read-Along!

Dark academia meets high society in this world of glittering diadems and masks that emerge as your magic does. Definitely YA but has lots of interesting moments and I’m gonna read the sequel 🥰

After a couple weeks of attempting to read this book, I have finally made the decision to DNF at 50%. Life is too short to read books that don't do it for me and this one just doesn't do it for me.

A few reasons for my choice to do this:
• The formatting & editing. The book was released last year. I really expected a properly formatted Kindle file. Not to mention some of the editing misses are surprising. The Kindle doesn't even recognize this ebook as having separate chapters. As someone who loves knowing how much time is in a chapter, this was almost a DNF right out the gate just for that simple fact. But I didn't. Because I know that's lame....
• Some of the analogy choices just don't make sense or seem totally obscure. "Open like a dead man's throat," that one I just can't get over.... I get it, but I have questions.
• The magic system/house situation is confusing.
• I get that what she's dealing with could get her killed, but when she sees the guy using a magic that looks like hers, why not ask him directly about it? Sure, it may be something he doesn't want to talk about but wouldn't this be an opportunity to start the progression of getting on the same level/finding common ground?? I'm sure there is some future reasoning for it, but I'm just not here for it. Maybe I'm just too old for this one right now as my GAF is busted and when I want to know something, I'm going to ask it directly.
• The fact that the MMC doesn't show any obvious interest in her until she "emerges." Lame. I don't like you, dude. I sure hope he doesn't become a real love interest later on.
• I have zero connection nor liking towards a single character. Not the FMC, not the MMC, not the grandmother, not the mother. Well, maybe the roommate Abby, but she's not in the story enough for me to stick with it.

Quell, a 17-year-old runaway with deadly magic, has always been on the move with her mother. When her secret is discovered, she must join the Order, a debutante society of magical elites, to hide from an assassin hunting her. To stay safe, Quell needs to pass three tough rites to hide her forbidden magic. With her brooding mentor, Jordan, testing her at every turn, Quell is pulled into a world of power, danger, and mystery.

As she learns more about the Order's dark secrets, Quell discovers the lengths they will go to for power. She must choose: embrace the dark magic she's feared or risk losing everything and everyone she loves. J. Elle creates a gripping story with surprising twists, a slow-burn romance, and a rich magical world. House of Marionne is perfect for fans of dark academia and fantasy, and the ending left me wanting to start book 2 immediately!

After a year of having House of Marionne on my bookshelf I finally deiceded to pick this up and honstley I was mad at myself for not picking this up sooner! The reason why is because Ik I was going to love this one from J Elle because I've read other books by her but wow I loved this one! There was a lot of twist and turns and although the beginning of this book was slow after I got to chapter 24 I wasn't able to put this book down!
Thank you to the publishers: Penguin Teen for hosting a readalong for the last week of July for book 1 and thanks to them for sending me book 2 cause I cannot wait to start reading it tomorrow or over the weekend!!!
House of marionnne had gave me a lot of feels and it reminded me a lot of Shades of magic series and Shadowhunters combine. So if u love those 2 series I feel like u would totally love this one. Another thing that I loved about this was how easy the writing was to read/follow along with the audiobook, and how short the chapters were too! That's always a plus! My thoughts and ratings are my own and once again thank u penguin teen!
5/5 stars

This was such a fantastic book! The world building, the storyline, the characters, the twists and surprises - all incredibly well done! I absolutely loved the magic school with the dark academia vibes. The magic system was super unique and interesting to read about! Quell, the FMC, has dark magic that’s she’s been hiding her whole life. I loved reading about her journey, the choices she had to make, and how she either has to embrace herself or risk losing everything.

It was SUCH a captivating story, and even though it has some high stakes it was perfectly cozy read. I highly recommend this book if you’re a fan of dark academia with unique magic, secret societies, slow burn romance, and powerful FMCs! I can’t wait to see what happens next!

House of Marionne is the perfect book to kick off the fall/ or if you're just sick of summer and need darker/ moodier vibes. This is the perfect blend of Dark Academia, light fantasty, dark magic, and secret societies.

I really enjoyed this book, and maybe it's because I'm a fan of darker and moodier books, but this is perfect for those who love the Ninth House. This book is intended for YA audiences and if you're looking for a highly detailed world building and elaborate magic system, then this is not for you.

However, if you enjoy the romance, academia vibes and dark, but easy read, then you'll want to pick this up. I really enjoyed this book, and it was a great break after reading other high fantasy books.

I did wish that magic system was further developed. I have so many questions about the diadem and the mask, as well as other aspects of the world that they live in. But I have to remind myself that this is intended for a YA audience so, that's probably why things are glossed over. I am holding out hope that the next book will dive more into answering questions that readers have in the first book!

Thank you Netgalley, J. Elle, and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Razorbill for the eARC!

🔪 BOOK / REVIEW 🔮

I had the pleasure of joining the #houseofmarionnereadalong hosted by the amazing @penguinteen and @authorjelle. Thank you so much for my #gifted copy - this author and book were not on my radar, so I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review this!

Full transparency - I normally suck at keep up with readalongs. I was supposed to finish this by end of week, but I couldn't stop 🤣. The story is broken into multiple "parts," which make it perfect for something like this, but each one ended on a cliffhanger and I needed more.

I am falling more in love with #fantasy books that involve magic - what a fun and unexpected way to build worlds and characters! The setting of the novel was beautiful and I loved the "boarding school" aspect. It has some #fourthwing vibes - although there was no spice at all (hoping for more in book 2, but I know this is a #youngadult series).

I was definitely transported reading this one. The ebook version is available for $1.99 on @amazon - I highly recommend grabbing it!

Link >> https://amzn.to/3SvxW8J

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

House of Marionne starts with Quell always on the run with her mother, frequently moving to stay under the Dragun's radar. Quell possesses a type of forbidden dark magic called toushana. After a close call running from the Draguns, Quell finds herself thrust into the world of the Order, a world her mother left years ago for reasons unknown. She must now play the part to survive and hopefully reunite with her mother.

This book kept my interest all of the way through. At times I was annoyed with Quell but she is only 17 and acting her age, and this is a YA novel. The magic system was interesting and I enjoyed reading about everyone's different abilities.

This is a good read if you're looking for a YA fantasy with a little angst and romance with a world that is easy to jump into.

As someone whose family is from New Orleans, this book felt right at home to read. Nola is known for its magic, so having the setting be there just made so much sense. And combining magic WITH academia is even better.

I also loved that there was some feminine rage in this book. Because who doesn't love that?!

This book is an enemies to lovers and is definitely YA.

If you enjoy enemies to lovers, magic, dark academia, feminine rage, AND a twist at the end then this one is for you.

Of all the things I could have taken away from this book...I learned that the author really, really likes the word lasso.

House of Marionne is one of those books that is considered "enjoyable" because it's filled with dozens of popular tropes. Dark academia, enemies to lovers, mentor and prodigy, a protagonist entering a world of magic she doesn't quite understand - it's all here. I've seen a lot of reviews comparing this to Shadowhunters, and I definitely got those vibes from it. Also, I feel it fit to mention that books like these typically aren't my favorite (and I knew that going into it), so my review may be harsher simply because urban fantasy isn't really my thing.
Quell and her mother have been living on the run for as long as Quell can remember, hiding her dark magic from the world because it's "poison" and "a curse." Then, suddenly, Quell ends up enrolled in her grandmother's boarding school, where she must learn magic and basically enter Victorian-era society (hence the Bridgerton references I've seen in other reviews). The basic gist is that Quell has to hide her dark magic while simultaneously learning new magic and etiquette to blend in. While it was definitely very trope-y, a part of me enjoyed making fun of that? There were a few plot twists at the end that made it more enjoyable, although they were relatively predictable.
The issue was mostly that I didn't like any of the characters. Quell is very much one of those "not like the other girls" quirky protagonists, and she reminded me a lot of Clary from the Shadowhunters series. On the other hand, Jordan reminded me of Four from the Divergent series, and I didn't find him particularly interesting beyond his backstory. I refuse to share a name with Abby; I do not relate to her at all. My favorite character (for some odd reason) was Yagrin, so I'm hoping maybe he'll be more relevant in the next book given the end of this one.
Fans of urban fantasy and romantasy genres will love House of Marionne thanks to its many popular tropes and intriguing dark academia side-plots.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!

3.5/5

This book is so action-packed and hooks you right from the start. The world building is great with the unique elements of high fantasy incorporated. A great start to a series. I’m interested to see where the story goes. Thank you Penguin Group and Razorbill for sending me this book.

This was just a great read. I was just drawn in to this story so thoroughly. I just had so much fun reading this story.

This book felt meh to me. I have to preface this review by saying that I am not typically a fantasy reader, so in general this just wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I got sent a copy of this book so I decided to give it a shot. Overall, the premise of this story was interesting and I thought that the dark magic vs other magic aspect was interesting. I also liked that there was a romance subplot and that the main character was discovering herself and what she wanted. Some of this story worked really well and some of it didn’t. One thing that I had an issue with was the ending of this story. I felt confused and the story didn’t really feel completed. Like what happened with her and Jordan? What happened with the magic? I just needed more. Maybe an epilogue was what the story needed. So while I thought that the world was interesting and I am glad that I tried a book outside of my comfort zone, there was also some things in this story that didn’t quite work for me. While it wasn’t really my cup of tea, I could see some avid fantasy readers really enjoying this one.

I just love it when every single plot line in a story is based on the characters' miscommunication - especially when they toss it with the sweet sweet dressing of incredibly stupid assumptions.