With any new series, there is bound to be a lot of world building. And while I thought that the amount of details we got about the world were good. The pacing was terribly off, as well as the pacing of the plot itself. I suppose some of that is because we are supposed to perhaps feel as rushed as Quell is in this new place. Making us experience the same confusion that she is going through. But in some cases it just fell like too much.

Now as for the characters, Quell was wonderful I really adored her. While her romantic counterpart truly felt like a copy and paste insert dark and brooding male character with dark hair. I was far more interested in Quells relationship with Abby than I was with their 'romance'.

Overall, I know that I will continue this particular series because I do want to see where it goes next world wise. But when it comes to any sort of romance, eh.

This was a great sophomore YA series by J. Elle, and I'm glad the beautiful cover matches an equally intriguing book. The magic system was really interesting, and how that tied into the politics of the new world Quell finds herself standing in.

Was it perfect? No, but I thought it was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Meet Quell, a 17 year old who has been on the run her entire life to hide the forbidden dark magic inside of her. With the intent to protect her mother, she inducts into a debutant society of the magical elite, in hopes of learning the proper form of magic and burying the dark magic inside of her. This book has everything! Dark academia, high fantasy, forbidden magic and love, enemies-to-lovers, assassins balls and ball gowns! I loved it! The big twist at the end I did not see coming! I can't wait to see what happens next! My only con is the pacing towards the middle of the book kind of fell away, there were times I was hoping the author would elaborate a bit more on the world-building as far as the magic. This series has great potential!

3 Stars

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I really did. But I was so confused and then bored and then confused again. The book is stunning and the description is everything I go for in a book.

I think I would best describe this book as a slight mix of dark acedemia, Bridgerton and Harry Potter within an urban fantasy setting.

The things I did really enjoy:
- I really like the concept of the book.
- The dark academia vibes in a mysterious magic school with rules that border cult activity.
- Actually experiencing the school aspect of what classes the main character was attending and looking more into the magic that exists in this world.

I also enjoyed the houses and the politics surrounding their relationship with eachother.

The plot does intrigue me enough that I want to know what happens in the series and why.

However I found that I didn't fully connect with the characters. Mainly due to their personalities not standing out to me and not really having any depth to them bar maybe one? They read like typical YA tropes that are popular in the genre at the moment. Also sometimes the dialogue between the characters felt unrealistic and forced. I just wasn't convinced and didn't find I cared about anyone. I also really disliked the romance aspect, this is not an enemies to lovers as was described to me. They are enemies at one point but their relationship develops very quickly with very little push back.

I think we needed more information on the magic system and how it relates to the world we are in as I'm still unsure how it all works - do people without magic just not see it? is it maybe a hogwarts situation? but honestly I couldn't tell you and maybe I misunderstood.

I think I will probably try and read this again another time because I did want to like it but on first read it overall was not for me. I do think it was marketed weirdly as I was not expecting this book to be quite so young though that isn't usually a problem for me as I do enjoy YA.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"The Sphere commands my attention. Its tiny specks—names—etched on its surface seem to gleam angrily. Blackened matter crashes against its glassy surface, ferocious and thrashing as if it intends to claw its way out. I bite down knowingly. That's how my toushana feels."

House Of Marionne is a story that grabs you with the glitz and glamor and then keeps you there for the tale of generational trauma and how to overcome it. It features a girl named Quell (interesting name but I love it) watching her grow into not just who she's meant to be, but who she WANTS to be. Quell is a strong character, and she is finding her strength in places she never expected. This book was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year, and I was thrilled when I found the first few chapters riveting. When I finished the book absolutely enjoying it, I walked away wanting more.

I will say that the romance felt a little rigid to me, but based on the ending, I'm curious if that was purposeful. I also think that the reading matched with Quell's own journey and growing as a person. It was captivating and inviting, perfect for readers between middle grade and YA. I am really interested to see where Elle is going to take the story to next.

The plot twists felt never ending. And though a couple of them were expected, I really found myself flying through the entire book. My one issue was the lack of depth to some of the characters. Quell's desire to suceess at Chateau Soleil were evident, however I felt like she was more of a pawn on a chess board than the main character in a YA novel.

My biggest issue was the lack of depth to the characters. Quell's motivations for wanting to succeed at Chateau Soleil were clear, but I felt as though she was written in a manner that made her feel more like a pawn on a chessboard than a heroine in YA novel. To avoid spoilers, there was one specific part where it made Quell seem like she had no thoughts, feelings, and/or opinions about one of the other characters and the way she was being treated by a certain family member.

But the book isn't without it's merits. I love the ballgowns, glittering tiaras and never ending plot twists, So I will definitely be on the lookout for the next installment in the series, possibly for the ending alone. One thing I am hoping for is that there will be a deeper dive into the Order, the magic system, and Quell as a whole.

Thank you to J. Elle and Penguin Teen for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

I hate to DNF an ARC - particularly a YA fantasy, but alas, here we are.

The book read very young, and likely should be marketed to the young range of YA or even middle grade. I didn't really enjoy the plot and a lot of things seemed off about the flow of the story. I didn’t have an issue with the writing, instead I loathed the main character Quell. If my mama had been protecting me and hiding me my entire life, I wouldn’t have made some of the goofy decisions Quell made in this book.

DNF @22%

I was getting weird vibes. The magical "school" felt culty and immediately off, which made me not care as much because how could this character not sense that?

And the students being forced to choose either a diadem or a mask was off to me too, especially since the diadems were exclusively chosen by girls and the masks were chosen by boys. I didn't like that vibe. Overall, the book started strong and action-packed, but as soon as she got to the school the plot slowed wayyy down and it lost my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I did not want to put this book down when I started to read it. When romance and magic are in a story, it's a wonderful pair. The world in here was great. I liked it.

This book completely sucked me in! The world, the characters, and the magic was just so lush and creative. I really loved being in a debutante esque world with dark magic and danger it was such an incredible story to want to stay in forever.

This is a book I was really excited about. The premise sounded like something right up my alley. Unfortunately this just fell flat for me. The story seemed to drag on and on with nothing happening but then the ending felt super rushed. The MC was too naive for my liking. Nothing about this book worked for me for some reason. If I wasn’t reading it for a buddy read I don’t think I would have even finished it honestly.

I really like this author, so I was very excited when I first heard about this new book. I didn't enjoy it as much as her other books I've read, but overall it was okay. If you like romance and magic and the sort of Bridgerton-style debutante scene, it's got all of those elements and blends them well. There were two main things that brought it down for me. First, I was confused about the details of world the whole time, which made it a little difficult to stay in the story. I like that it has a unique magic system, but I didn't quite get the rules, or how this magical society fit within the rest of our world. Part of me wonders if it may have clicked better if I could see it all as a movie and maybe click in a different way. The second thing is that unfortunately I just didn't connect to any of the characters. Quell had a good voice and is likable, but I personally just didn't connect with her, and therefore didn't connect to any of her other relationships, like the romance. I feel like this book would be a hit or miss depending on the person. But I still love this author and will pick up whatever book she comes up with next anyway.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Oh man, House of Marionne weaves a world that echoes the whimsy of dark Hogwarts, Legendborn, Alice in Wonderland, and The Chronicles of Narnia, combined with the allure of assassins and magical societies. THE BEST.

Quell's adventure is as much about personal growth as the magic surrounding her. The narrative uniquely represents Black heroines in magical contexts, underlining that Black girls ARE magical.

Docked .5 because some subplots could benefit from further exploration, but over I really loved this book, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

More Black writers in fantasy, please! Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read an of the House of Marionne. Unfortunately this book left me looking for me. The plot was unrealistic and very scattered. It's unfortunate because the premise did hold a lot of promise. A boarding school for students of magic, secret dark magic and assassins. Maybe I was the wrong age group, but this wasn't for me.

A young adult book with tons of potential, House of Marionne is here to give dark academia vibes mixed with beautiful feminine rage. Now this story is most definitely aimed at the younger side of young adult but considering the plot, world building, and characters throughout you would still find this read quite enjoyable. I do think there were a few bumps in the road but overall I finished it and was happy I gave it a try! I did really like our main character, Quell.

3.25 stars House of Marionne was a difficult read because of the staggering amount of information being shoved at the reader at all times. It did live up to the morally gray aspect but not too much of the dark academia for this reader. I will say if one can get through the first half of the book, it gets easier to read, and by the end, the reader will want to know what will happen in the next book.

House of Marionne sounds like a book that would immediately be a five star read for me. Marketed as Bridgerton and Fourth Wing vibes, I thought I would love it. However, once I started reading, Quell's character gave me reason to pause. I am used to reading YA where the heroine makes some questionable choices, but Quell's naivety was to the detriment of this book. As a reader you want to be like 'ARE YOU BLIND' as all the answers to her questions swirl around her and she makes no attempt to piece it together. I am hopeful in the second book Quell has some growth so I can root for her more. I also hope the author goes into more detail about The Order and the magic system, as there is a lot of potential for a very cool world that didn't feel fully developed in book one.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
House of Marionne drew me in with its strong premise, with a little bit of dark academia, a Harry Potter-esque magic school, and a bit of Bridgerton historical vibes in the world building with magical debutantes. And while some of the promise got lost in the execution, I did somewhat like what this had to offer.
While I did want a little more lore to the magic school itself, I did like what was delivered about the various houses and the school itself. The magic isn’t super detailed either, with it manifesting through a diadem or mask growing from a person’s head, and that being the main distinct element. But I can understand that the point is that this is meant to be more vibes-based.
Quell is pretty interesting, and while her story does contain some familiar tropes, I did feel that J. Elle did make her stand out. After being on the run with her mother and being forced to hide her magic, she’s taken in by her grandmother, headmistress of a magic school, and is now being groomed to be her grandmother’s heir. She was pretty fun to follow as she took on the school and figured out how it all worked, including unraveling all of its secrets. She’s not the most dynamic character, but I didn’t mind too much.
Jordan was…meh. He’s kind of the typical broody love interest, and he kind of overtook the plot, dominating over all the other relationships that were much more interesting, like her family. He wasn’t problematic in any way, but he was just…there.
The plot was pretty fun, and kept me reading, even with some of the other weaknesses in the characters and world building. I did feel like it was a little messy in places, as if it was a shoddily blended Frankenbook of tropes, without thinking about how different aspects might be streamlined to make a more cohesive story. Some aspects are dropped and feel forgotten about, without coming back to its central themes.
While it’s not a perfect first-in-series, there’s a lot of promise here, and I might continue the series to see how it pans out. While readers who want a harder, more grounded fantasy may be disappointed, if you’re interested in a fun, pure “vibes,” tropey romantic fantasy, I’d recommend checking it out.

Enjoyed, but I wanted to like this so much more than I did. There was a lot to keep track of, including character-wise, and I never felt fully immersed in the world.

This book had all of the ingredients for a story that I love. Briedgerton-esque setting, magical societies, dark academia, and romance. However, the book did not come together for me in the end. I felt like the main character's choice at the beginning of the story to go to the very people she had been running from her whole life was odd. The magic system could have used a bit more bolstering, and the explanation of lineages and houses and feuds was a little overwhelming. The ingredients are here, but ultimately I did not love this book.

I hate to dnf arcs and that’s the reason this review didn’t go up before the publish date. I kept trying and trying to finish it but ended up dnfing at 35%.

There isn’t anything specific I can say about what I disliked about it, other than the fact that the writing feels so young. And not in a YA way, because those aren’t written to feel immature, it feels unpolished. There isn’t detail given to the things that need it, such as the Binding and the magic system involving the rites. This may be explored more as the book progresses, I don’t know. Too much detail is given to things that don’t need it, too.

Overall, I just didn’t feel the need to use my time toward finishing this. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!