No surprise J Elle gave us another fantastic story. Immersive and full of surprises, this book had me hooked from the first chapter. J Elle’s writing style is vibrant but still manages to feel comfortable and with a familiar rhythm. I never feel like I’m reading and can completely lose myself in the story.

I honestly thought that i would love this book, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. The characters didn't feel fully fleshed out. The romance wasn't one I felt like "rooting for". There didn't seem to me like the conflict and resolution was attention grabbing. Like the conflict that there was was easily overcome and I like when the characters struggle a bit more.

Even though this book wasn't for me at all, I wouldn't say its a "bad book" by any means. I am sure there are loads of people that will give this 5 stars. Sadly though I am not one of them.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book on NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

Great start to a book series! The story revolves around Quell and other great characters in the world of magic. It was a story that drew you in with intrigue and a burgeoning love. I can’t wait until the next book.

House of Marionne is a beautifully written story with J. Elle’s signature lyrical prose and rich worldbuilding. The novel’s atmosphere and sense of place are compelling, and there are moments of genuine emotion that resonate deeply.

However, the story sometimes struggles with pacing, and certain plotlines feel drawn out or underdeveloped. Some characters, while interesting, don’t receive enough depth, which makes it harder to fully invest in their journeys. While the narrative is engaging at points, it doesn’t consistently maintain the tension or momentum needed to make it truly gripping.

Overall, House of Marionne is an enjoyable read for fans of lyrical YA fantasy, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of J. Elle’s strongest works. It’s good, but not unforgettable.

Did I feel like this story was slow to build?
Yes.
Was I Expecting any Plot twists?
No.
Did I still love it?
Also yes!
Will I be continuing the series?
Uh... DUH!
I did think the building of this story was very slow, but I ended up LOVING Quell!
The character build up is so great!
After being manipulated by her mother for so long, Quell is forced to run.
Where she starts her journey in making decisions for herself. Was it a dumb decision?
Yeah... BUT she would have never uncovered the truth about herself, her family, her forbidden magic and her really.... cultish school.
This book has a Bridgerton feel to it as they have; 'Seasons' and courting and balls and trials where she HAS to impress!
The tension between Jordan and Quell is enticing!!!!
I cannot wait for the next book to find out what Quell will find herself getting into and finding mom hopefully!
Also Jordan and Yangrin! I MUST know more!
The author left us on a cliff hanger!
Thank you Penguin Teen and NetGalley for this Wonderful Read!!

House of Marionne completely swept me away. The world, the intrigue, and the characters pulled me in right from the start. It’s lush, magical, and so captivating—I found myself hooked the whole way through.

Dark academia, deadly secrets, and debutantes with magic running through their veins—what more could I ask for?

This story follows Quell, a 17-year-old who’s spent her entire life on the run, hiding the forbidden magic that pulses through her blood. Known as toushana, it’s as destructive as it is uncontrollable, and people like her are hunted down by assassins. After her safe haven is compromised, Quell is left with no choice but to enter the Order—a debutante society of magical elites where elegance masks corruption, and failure means death. If she can survive the three rites of membership, she might be able to bury her magic forever. But nothing in the Order is what it seems, and neither is her brooding tutor, Jordan…who also happens to be an assassin in training.

The vibes here are immaculate: a secret society with glittering, cutthroat rules; shadowy magic; and a gothic mansion dripping with atmosphere. It’s Hogwarts meets A Deadly Education with a dash of dark Bridgerton. Quell’s desperation, her fraught relationship with her mother and grandmother, and her struggle to control the monster within made her a compelling heroine to follow. The slow-burn tension between her and Jordan adds an extra spark that fits perfectly with the story’s dangerous undertones.

What really stood out was how the book balanced lush, high-fantasy worldbuilding with a fast-paced plot. The rites of membership had me hooked, the unraveling secrets about the Order kept the stakes high, and the morally gray family dynamics gave it depth. By the end, I was already itching for book two—I need more of this dark, decadent world ASAP.

If you love dark academia, secret societies, slow-burn tension, and heroines grappling with dangerous magic, this book is one to put at the very top of your TBR.

House of Marionne by J. Elle begins with a thrilling, fast-paced opening full of danger and suspense, but quickly shifts into a slower, etiquette-driven magical prep school setting. The tone reads much younger than I expected—closer to MG or lower YA—which made the pacing feel uneven. While I was drawn in by the dark academia vibes, debutante drama, and the promise of forbidden magic, I found myself wishing for more depth and consistency in the storytelling.

Quell, for all her years of running and hiding, is surprisingly naïve. She trusts too easily, rarely questions those around her, and often makes choices that don’t make sense for someone so supposedly guarded. This made her hard to root for as a main character. Still, the gradual enemies-to-lovers romance with Jordan was a highlight—the tension was believable, and there were several sweet, tender moments that gave the story emotional weight.

The magic system is intriguing, but inconsistencies and contradictions throughout the plot weakened its impact. At times, events felt randomly inserted just to move the story forward rather than growing naturally out of the world or characters. Despite these flaws, House of Marionne is a solid but imperfect YA fantasy that delivers on atmosphere and romance, even if the execution stumbles.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC.

If you love secret societies, magic, deadly secrets, AND beautiful dresses with high society (and can't forget the romance!) I highly suggest this book!

I was honestly surprised by how well all the seemingly separated concepts worked in this novel, and never once did anything seem like it didn't fit. The magic in this world involves having diadems or beautiful masks covered with jewels, and it works! I thought the world building was so cool and unique and I've never read anything like it before. (Also I loved the descriptions for what someone's gowns or diadems looked like throughout the novel, it was always fun to me to imagine what each character was wearing and how it all fit together, while they were going about their daily life.)

There were also a lot of character twists I didn't see coming until the reveal, where in hindsight it made it make all the more sense. There were a few things I thought seemed kind of odd with what some characters were doing or what was going on, but I was supposed to and even then I didn't see the reveal(s) coming!

ALSO. THAT ENDING WAS LETHAL. I wish I was recording myself reading because my jaw quite literally dropped at the reveal and I gasped out loud with a hand over my mouth.

House of Marionne had an interesting premise and a good introduction to the cast of characters and the world. The writing felt like classic YA fantasy and is definitely perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber.

House of Marionne is pure YA fantasy fun; think magical boarding schools, deadly secrets, and all the drama you could want. Quell’s running from assassins and her own dangerous magic, so the stakes are high, but it still gives you those fun rich-kid-academy vibes. . The magic system and secret societies are cool, even if Quell sometimes feels a bit too “chosen one” and secondary characters could use more depth. The romance is a slow burn and sort of stiff, but honestly, I was flipping pages for the world and the cliffhanger ending anyway. If you’re looking for a bingeable, glittery magical drama with a splash of danger, this one’s worth checking out

A truly fascinating magic system offered up in the glittering pageantry of an exclusive society of magic-users determined to exhibit perfection. Anything less is deemed unworthy and cast out or destroyed. I was wrapped up in the emotion of the main character, trying to be so careful to not damage the image of perfection sought by everyone around her and afraid that if she shows who she really is, all will be lost.

This book just wasn't it for me. It felt bland and unoriginal, which is unfortunate because I feel like this book was hyped up a lot. I ended up not finishing it.

I hate to say it, but I did not enjoy this book. Time was as meaningless as the underdeveloped secondary characters. The world building was almost nonexistent (I wasn’t even sure what state they were located until someone pulled out a map). And the romance…nope, instantly falling for a completely without any build up isn’t for me.
I won’t be continuing with the series.

This book was just mediocre to me. It felt longer than it needed to be and I unfortunately didn’t connect enough with any characters to really care about continuing the story. Just not for me!

The House of Marionne had a lot going for it—magic, mystery, secret societies—but I found myself wanting more, especially from the central relationship. I loved Jordan (seriously, more of him, please), but even that connection didn’t quite hit the emotional depth I was hoping for. The ending drops a solid cliffhanger, so I’ll definitely pick up the next one. Hoping book two brings more tension, more payoff, and just… more.

I wasn't totally sure what I was getting into with this one. I really was intrigued by the title itself and the cover screams FANTASY, so I decided to give it a go.

It dives into this unique magic system at an elite school, which had me curious from the start. The characters were the highlight of this book for me, especially the dynamic between Jordan and his family, and the slight chemistry between Jordan and Marionne as their young romance kindles.

That said, I wasn't entirely convinced on how quickly they went from tentative enemies to lovers. I mean, blink and suddenly they’re all in and ready to sacrifice things that are important to them for each other. The tension and chemistry just didn’t have enough time to build, and it felt a bit rushed by the end.

Let me roll back to the start, where there’s the whole sudden enrolment thing into House of Marionne. I get it, it needed a start all, but seriously, you’re telling me a girl who barely knows her own magic just walks into a prestigious school and is suddenly practicing crafting with her magic and not only is good at it but is excelling. It felt a little too convenient, with no real setup to make it believable.

One thing that nags me with YA books is how sometimes authors think they need to dumb things down. Not every sentence needs to be short and simple. In this book, some of the descriptions felt a little flat, and the bit of humour did not hit the mark with me. If we have to use “sardines” on a pizza as a humorous scene, I think we need to rethink it.

That said, I’m still intrigued enough to see where the story goes next. The ending left me curious, and I’m hoping some of these issues get smoothed out in the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Razorbill for an arc of this book. (So sorry for the delayed review)

All thoughts are my own. Use #HouseofMarionne #NetGalley

This book is an excellent blend of magic, mystery, and romance. I was really pulled into the story right away. The writing is beautiful and the pacing was perfect to keep me interest and wanting to keep reading on long after bedtime. Dark academia and fantasy is my weakness and I really enjoyed this a lot.

This one felt like The Selection meets The Magicians with a splash of political scheming. It’s got secret magical societies, elite training, and a heroine caught between what she’s told to be and who she actually is. I liked Quell’s arc and how the story tackled legacy, family pressure, and systemic power imbalances. The worldbuilding was intriguing but occasionally confusing—there’s a lot going on and not all of it is clearly explained. That said, the romance and tension kept me turning the pages, and I’m curious to see how the series develops.

Some book reviews are easy to write, while some are more difficult. House of Marionne falls into that difficult category. Not because I hated it, I just feel more indifferent towards it. It was one of those books that I neither loved or hated. It felt average?

It does seem that everything about this book that I enjoyed there was also something I didn’t like. Like the magic in this book. I thought it was a bit unique and I love a good forbidden magic. But I did not enjoy the school aspect. That is when it really seemed to go downhill for me. Some parts did not make sense.

The tropes and the mash up of several other popular books did not work well here. It would have made more sense to cut several of the tropes/mash ups. It was too much in such a short story. I would have liked it more if the school/rites didn’t happen in this book. It should have been stretched out more.

The pacing of House of Marionne was also not very good. I struggled to get through some chapters because they felt too long. Even if they really weren’t. It was just hard to finish. I was absolutely invested in the overall story, but I wish it was fleshed out more.

As much as I wanted to really like this book, I just didn’t. I had such high hopes for it. But I ultimately do not think I will continue with this series.