HOUSE OF MARIONNE by J. Elle was such a marvelous romp full of twists and turns of fantastic art, fully-dimensional characters in life or death circumstances, and massive, heartstopping romance between a Quell, young woman determined to bury her forbidden magic forever and Jordan, the mentor assigned to guide her and bring her along into magic while harboring his own secrets and status as assassin in training. This story had everything I look for in a novel, keeping me up way too late reading. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but am realizing that I've just outgrown YA Fantasy. The world building was good and had a lot of interesting plot points. Some twists and turns and untrustworthy characters made for a fun ride, but some aspects could have been a bit more developed for me. I think it could be great for a teen looking to get into fantasy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for this book.

I am slowly becoming a fantasy reader. I am not sure if I will make it all the way but I am trying. I just feel like there is a lot of build up. An entire books worth of it, to get to the good part. I don’t know if that is for me.

This book was good. Quell lives with a dark secret. She has spent her entire life hiding it. Until she ends up in a society of people who are learning how to enhance their magic. If she can master the magic from this school, maybe she can get rid of her forbidden magic forever.

It was good. I might continue on to the next book.

This book definitely gave off some Scholomance trilogy vibes! While it could be confusing at times, House of Marionne would be a great fit for younger readers of dark academy romance and enemies to lovers.

A story filled with intrigue and secrets. A young women is coming into her magical powers, but feels unworthy, scared, and led to believe she can cause untold destruction. There is more to the magical history that has been hidden. What is the truth? This is a page turning fantasy until the end.

This book has one of the most original world buildings and dynamics I have read in YA Fantasy books in a while. It kept me interested and it was one of my favorite aspects. Also, loved the academic setting and how I could never trust the other students, who was friend and who was foe or what happened with Quell's mom. It kept me guessing all throughout. The magic system was very interesting too.

However, my issue was with the main character, as I struggled to resonate with her. Something felt off, the vibe overall felt too similar to 2010's YA books, which is not a bad thing, just not for me. I think I outgrew that kind of storyline, but I'm sure a lot of readers will love this series, especially the ones who want something different than the same old romantasy.

House of Marionne features a very different and unique magic system that fits perfectly for the world Elle created. The secondary perspective of Yagrin was limited, but done well and helped to create a layer of suspense. There were several reveals that I did not see coming, and I'm excited to see how this is going to unfold 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. It was confusing and hard for me to understand the world building. I really wanted to like this more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you enjoy dark academia, secret societies, dark magic, fantasy, or elements of mystery, you will definitely enjoy this book. YA continues to not be 100% my cup of tea, but I did still like this novel. I will say that there was a lot going on so at some points the plot could get kind of muddled, but despite that it was still good!

This was a decently passed enemies to lovers edging on dark romantasy but firmly in the YA category. It was really good and I look forward to reading the next one!

While the plot is engaging, it sometimes leans into familiar tropes, making it a bit less groundbreaking than it could be. Still, House of Marionne has a lot to offer. It’s a solid start to a series that shows promise, but it may not be for readers looking for something completely innovative or fast-paced.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

As much as I wanted to love this one, I think it just wasn't for me. I think younger me would have enjoyed this more, but I'm afraid this felt a little too chaotic and underdeveloped for me now.

That being said, I did find the magic and this world to be very original and unique, but I guess I just wanted more. The romance held potential for me because I LOVE a good brooding, tortured MMC, but I wanted more from that, too. It felt like I was being told about their feelings, but I never really FELT them.

Overall, it was enjoyable but ultimately just not for me. I think die-hard YA fantasy fans and younger readers would enjoy it though, so if that's you, I'd recommend trying this one out!

couldn't ever get the epub to work or download so unfortunately wasn't able to read it even with support help but have to leave a star rating regardless!

This one was just okay for me. The world building was different and not quite at the caliber I would have wanted. I felt like the story had promise, but it just wasn't quite there. I felt like it was a cross between fantasy and Bridgerton. I love a book that includes dark academia, world building, and I love Bridgerton, but I felt like combining these made for an odd mix.

This book was amazing! One of my top books of the year! It's packed with magic, action, romance and fantasy. Everything you'd need to fall into this book and not come out till it's over. I couldn't put it down at all. I can't wait for the second book!

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

House of Marionne is a YA fantasy that leans heavily on familiar tropes—magical secret societies, forbidden powers, and a brooding love interest—but doesn’t quite break new ground. The premise is intriguing, with Quell navigating a world of elite magic users while hiding a dangerous secret, but the execution feels more style than substance.

The magic system, particularly the diadems and masks, is a cool concept but lacks explanation, leaving more questions than answers. The romance and courtly drama add entertainment, but the world-building feels underdeveloped, making it hard to fully immerse in the stakes.

That said, if you’re in the mood for magic school meets deadly intrigue and don’t mind a few logic gaps, this is a fun, fast-paced read. It won’t leave a lasting impact, but for those looking for The Selection with a fantasy twist, it delivers enough drama and romance to keep the pages turning.

Fast-paced dark academia with Bridgerton undertones written by a BIPOC author, sold. This was everything I wanted it to be and more. A quick read, it's very hard to put down. Magic, intrigue, romance, and danger, this one has all the tropes but it's written beautifully with interwoven layers of dark magic and the ethical question of which road to take.

It took a minute to get into the story—in fact I had to set it down for a solid four months before picking it back up to try again—but once the story truly started rolling after that first quarter, I was swept away alongside young Quell into a fantasy world filled with secret societies and dark magic festering amongst the elite debutante academies.

Quell has been on the run her whole life along side her mom, hiding a deadly secret that could get her killed. They’re able to keep up the practice until she’s 17, only to be separated and Quell thrust into an academy for magical debutantes when she turns toward where she knew unmet family lie for assistance. Young Quell was an outsider to the toxicity that runs the magic world which is a common FMC type that I tend to enjoy reading.

I say toxicity because, case in point: Grandmom??? Never liked her; she’s over-obsessed with public opinion and grooming Quell to be her perfect heir. There was always something shady about her from the start. I mean, true colors were shown so many times throughout the book, but Quell’s need to please and desire for connection were a rose colored glass to those red flags. Put together Grandmom being shady AND one of the heads of those magical society?? Well, self-explanatory.

Another important character to Quell’s development: Jordan was what you’d expect of a YA main love interest: broody, good-looking, contrary, somewhat unattainable and emotional-whiplash inducing. He’s drawn to Quell but his secretive duties cause a strain on any relationship, friends or otherwise, that could begin to develop between the two. Him being Quell’s magic mentor adds an additional layer to their complicated connection which I know readers tend to enjoy. And like any YA romance, their journey is fraught with trials and angst. Sometimes their chemistry came across a bit forced, but I know my younger self would’ve been eating up every interaction between the two and the drama they endured.

There was a third side character that I totally should’ve seen coming given the signs throughout the book. Delighted is what I’d described my feelings about the book’s ending revelations. I mean, there’s still so many secrets but Quell’s journey and the truth behind this third character I’m not naming are building it to be an intriguing continuation indeed.

I’d definitely recommend for those readers who enjoy YA fantasy tinged with dark academia and magic. The debutante flair really puts a unique spin on the world within these pages.

I wasn't pulled into this one like I wanted to be. It gave a huge promise of YA dark academia, and it started out with action and secrecy, but then it fell apart, and I honestly was just confused about what was happening for most of it. Nothing was explained well, and the characters were flat. I think the premise was good to start with but grew to become to much to handle. I think J. Elle has potential so I will probably read more of their work in the future.