Quell’s life has been upended again. Those she thought were allies and friends are now gone. As a last resort she turns to the House of Perl where her darkness is, at least, not an instant death penalty. Nore is looking for revenge and a way to finally be rid of the Order. She despises her own mother but seeks another headmistress for help. Jordan strives to balance what feels right with what is right with what seems to be right. His heart is being pulled in several directions but none seems to be easy. As the Sphere continues to deteriorate and magic as they know it is on the line, what will these young leaders do in the face of life altering decisions?

This was a good second book in the series. We are following three young, but very influential people as they navigate some major, life altering decisions. Decisions that could completely change magic and the world as they know it. With that, we see some character growth that sets us up for the next novel. It is really interesting to see how each balances the other and progresses the overall story arc. Looking forward to the next installment. 4 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Penguin Teen - Razorbill and NetGalley. Thank you!

So I was absolutely sucked in by the cover. I read the first book and it cured my book hangover. So naturally I had to read the second. When I tell you I was sucked in immediately, I was. I could not put it down! It picked up exactly where book one left off. J. Elle did an amazing job of painting another world and truly making me feel like I was inside the book. Character development, world building, it was all nothing short of perfection.

Full of action, mystery, and adventure, Shadows of Perl was a great sequel to House of Marionne! I enjoyed the development of the characters and how this story focused on some other characters that didn't get much attention in Book 1. I did shed a few tears, though. 😭 The way it ended, I'm absolutely hoping there's a third book because you can't leave us hanging like that! Another masterpiece from J. Elle. I look forward to purchasing the physical copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for giving me an ARC of Shadows of Perl in exchange for an honest review.

“If the Sphere bled out, magic would be lost for half a century at least.”

Shadows of Perl picks up exactly where House of Marionne left off with Quell now on the run from her grandmother after revealing her grandmother’s dark secret at her Cotillion. Quell is traveling with Octos looking for the Sphere while simultaneously working with Abby to try to find her mother all while having Draguns chasing her to kill her for having toushana. Meanwhile, Jordan is wrestling with the fact that he left Quell behind and that he ever fell in love with her in the first place as well as the fact that the charge of killing Quell has fallen to him.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as I didn’t absolutely love the first book. However, this book definitely surprised me. I loved getting some of the backstories of different characters that I felt was missing from the first book. I also felt that in terms of storyline, the extra information and backstories fit better within this book than they would have in the first book. I also enjoyed how Quell came into her own and decided to own her power after being afraid of it for so long. I thought that she got way stronger and more confident in herself and stopped letting other people make decisions for her. On the flip side, while I enjoyed Jordan’s character progression, I felt that his character took a little bit too much of a change from the first book. He got very self-absorbed and most of his inner dialogue centered around the fact that he was in love with Quell and didn’t want to be.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the many twists and turns throughout. Don’t trust anybody in this book!

One of the most gripping aspects of this book is the evolution of Quell as a character. In Shadows of Perl, she’s no longer running from her powers but learning to embrace them—though at great personal cost. Her struggle to balance the safety of her mother with her growing influence in House of Perl brings a satisfying complexity to her arc. Her journey is filled with tension, as secrets swirl around every House, threatening her at every turn. Jordan Wexton, Quell’s former lover and now potential enemy, adds a rich layer of emotional and moral conflict. His role as second-in-command of the Dragun brotherhood and his mission to protect the Sphere pits him directly against Quell, whose outlawed magic, the toushana, has made her a threat to the very fabric of their world. The tension between Quell and Jordan is palpable, driven by their shared history and the heart-wrenching choices they must make. J. Elle does an excellent job of weaving their personal conflicts with the larger stakes, as the Sphere cracks and the Houses prepare for war. The world-building in Shadows of Perl continues to shine, as we are introduced to more of the intricacies of House politics, the ominous Sphere, and the mysterious forces lurking within the magic system. Each page brims with suspense, action, and a sense of impending doom that makes it impossible to put the book down.

This was in multi pov and everyone seems to either be on the run or hunting the one on the run. There is one type of magic that is not allowed and they have been trying to eradicate it from their magical community. They are looking for truths and so many broken hearts have emotions high. Also so much questioning the system.
Love when you can't tell who your allies are or who the good or bad guys are its so blurred.

This is the sequel to House of Marionne in the same magical action packed world.

While I really enjoyed book one, I found myself feeling a bit lost in book two. I was still intrigued and enjoyed the story but I felt like it was very slow and long. It was a lot of information and I felt disconnected from the story as if they were not from the same series at times. I can understand why people loved this book, it just didn’t do it for me like I’d hoped it would.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, J. Elle, and Penguin Group for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on September 3rd.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date.

This book was definitely a bit slower than the first one, I had a bit of a hard time getting into it but I felt like it started to pick up around the 50% mark. I will say I remember being confused about the magic system in the first one and felt somewhat the same throughout this one. I was debating whether or not to continue with this series since I don’t know where I stand with this one but THAT ending?! Respectfully I need answers because what does that mean?

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review and advanced copy of book two.

Multi-POV. We see the story through Quell, Jordan, and Nore.

I was happy to be back in Quell's world again. This time, she's left Chateau Soleil in the aftermath of her Rites. Now on the hunt to find and be reunited with her mother as well as finding the broken Sphere.
Along the way, she finds herself at the House Perl. She's learned her mother was there recently. The headmistress Beaulah has strange ways but Quell finally feels like she belongs... Until she learns of a horrible secret that enacts her revenge.

Jordan rises to power as dragunheart. He wants to follow the Order, but his heart can't deny his feelings for Quell. We see his struggle between following orders and doing what is right

All Nore wants to do is leave her mother, leave House Ambrose. Keep herself from becoming the next headmistress. But are her allies truly trustworthy?

I enjoyed book two even more than book one. Goodness no House headmistress is good!

This is only book 2! Shadows of Perl really ramped up and I am here for it. The cat and mouse, the power struggles, the deceit! Book one ends with us learning how messed up House of Marionne is but we learn so much in Shadows of Perl- it seems every house has its own skeletons. I am definitely curious to see what happens with toushana. It’s treated as this great evil but it seems misunderstood.

I have no idea how many books Elle plans to have in this series but I hope she keeps the momentum going. I am definitely hooked on this series and will impatiently wait for book 3!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book. This book has my whole heart. I absolutely adored this! From the incredible characters, to the plot, to falling in love with everything so quickly- I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend this! It really just sucks you in and makes you never want to leave. In my opinion, those are the best books and I couldn't get enough. J.Elle has such a prose that truly gives you everything and more. You don't know you need it, but she delivers it.

The Shadow of Perl picks up right where House of Marionne left off. This book was even better than the first one which is saying something because usually the second book is not done as well. There were so many twist and turns presented and all the betrayals that occurred had me on the edge of my seat to the very end. I loved how this book made me go through a multitude of emotions. The end was so unexpected and left me wanting to for more. After I finished the last page I actually had to sit there and process that there was not anything else to read and I would have to wait a whole year for the next part in this story.

This book was on oar with the first one for me. Meaning that it was not bad but it was not outstanding either. At times I would find myself not really caring too much about the story and other times where I couldn’t wait to find out what came next. The pacing seemed uneven to me, which may have contributed to my impression of the story.

After reading House of Marionne and loving it, I was pretty excited for the sequel, Shadows of Perl. Unfortunately, it did not deliver the way the first book did. This book felt very slow and uneventful. Most of the book focused on our MCs carrying on with a single task, and it felt like they didn't make much advancement. After reading the book and reflecting back, most of the plot felt very stagnant. Overall, this book was difficult for me to really get into and I enjoyed it less than I thought I would. 2.5 roundes up to 3 stars.
Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, and J. Elle for this ARC.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This is book two of House of Marionne and it picks up right where House of Marionne left off, you will find that she is now on the run after completing her final Rite of Induction to the House Marionne. Everything she thought she knew and everyone that she thought she could trust was all a lie. Now she finds herself in a very different place at the House Perl, and she is thinking that she might not be as fast here as she first thought.

I can’t, with these books, J. Elle is a great writer. She throws in these twists and turns throughout the book that will keep you guessing and wondering who you can trust and if anything is real. I think that you got multiple POV’s in this book, by the end of the book I could really see why one of the people in this book and what their purpose might/will be. I thought the first book had some great betrayals in it but let me tell you in this book you will be in awe at how many people in this world you cannot trust, even the ones that you thought were the good guys. I thought the author did a great job with the pace of this book, it was fast and didn’t slow down at all. I also liked that the world-building was a lot better in this book, it also helps that in the back of the book you will find an appendix. I think the author did a great job with explaining magic more/expanding on it in this book because I am now able to understand more about the magical system and I am all for that. The characters are great, and ones from the first book you can see their development coming along well and others you will just meet in this book. I do like some characters more than I do other ones though.

I thought Quell had some more growth in this book, but I also saw that she was really hyper focused on one thing throughout this book and trust me I would want answers as well. I still love that she is still strong and her determination to find out the truth, you will see more of what she will do for her loved ones that are family and her friends as well. I liked that you could start to figure out what she was about to do then Elle would drop a twist in, and it would change the game. With Jordan, I am still 50/50 with him. I don’t know how I feel about him. At times I love him, then he would pull some bs and I would end up not liking him. I can’t figure out if he is the bad guy or the good guy lol, and to be honest I love that I can’t figure it out. I do wish that we had a family tree in the book so I could reference it and see who belongs to what house/who is related to who. I found the romance in this book to be perfect for me, it is still a slow burn, and you can see that they’re supposed to be enemies, but their chemistry is still there. Plus, with everything that keeps happening to them, it will have you devouring the book to find out what is going to happen next. I loved the witty, and fun dialogue, but also the sad, hurtful moments as well.

However, that cliffhanger in this book…. not fair, I need book three and soon please.

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

Apparently I was so excited to read this sequel that I forgot to take notes for the review 😅 That said, I really liked this book! The twists and turns, the lovers turned enemies, the fantastic world building--I just really love this series! I loved the multiple PoVs as well. I felt they really added so much to the story.

There were some slower moments, but that ending and the tension more than made up for them!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book as I both did and did not like it. I feel like the first half of the book kind of dragged on and felt very repetitive and was very slow moving, it felt like we were gaining very little from the plot. But the second half is where things really picked up and what I enjoyed the most. I really liked the shift between Quell and Jordan’s relationship from the first book to this one and even the changes during this book. It sets up for a great enemies to lovers arc throughout the series, and I’m hoping for more lover in the next book. I also liked that we got to see this battle in their relationship from both perspectives and got an inner conflict with both Quell and Jordan as well as to what is right in their mind. This created plenty of tension between them. The second half also had a lot more action and ended on such a cliffhanger.

Overall, I did end up liking this book and will most likely continue to series.

I am so, so thankful that I got the chance to read House of Marionne and Shadows of Perl literally back to back -- not just because I avoided that dreaded long wait between sequels, but because I really got to appreciate how J. Elle expanded on the worldbuilding and built up the character arcs from book to book. If you liked Book 1, you are going to LOVE Book 2.

Shadows of Perl picks up a little bit after That Big Cliffhanger from Book 1 (fair warning: House of Marionne spoilers ahead): Quell has been practicing her toushana magic with Octos while roommate-turned-accomplice Abby searches for Quell's mother. Meanwhile, Jordan is dealing with the Dragun fallout from Quell's big reveal and the cracking of the Sphere that holds all magic. And the biggest surprise of all? Nore Ambrose is back, working to fix her broken magic and striking dangerous deals along the way.

Unlike Book 1, Shadows of Perl is split fairly evenly between three POVs: Quell and Jordan in first person and Nore in third person. Having read other series that did the whole some-characters-in-first-some-not thing, it didn't really bother me. I felt J. Elle handled Quell and Jordan's different voices well, and I loved getting to see the whole enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies arc playing out in this book. Nore's POV was both a welcome respite from the main characters' pining and a twisty-turny mystery. Out of the three, I actually liked her chapters the best!

On the whole, I liked all of the characters better this time around. J. Elle does such a wonderful job making a morally gray cast that still remains lovable and easy to root for. I also love that there is so much movement in this book -- not just the literal fast pace of the plot, but the geographical movement. From getting to see Hartsboro and Dlaminagh to getting to visit a mysterious island, I enjoyed each of the different settings. The dark academia from HoM gets so much darker in this one and I love it. Like the first book, once SoP got going, it didn't stop. Each of the reveals (and there were many!) had me staying up late to turn the pages. If I had any complaints, it's that I am still lukewarm about the actual romance between Quell and Jordan; the "enemies" parts were delicious, but if they are meant to be together at the trilogy's end, Book 3 better blow me away with that chemistry.

Many thanks to NetGalley, PenguinGroup, and J Elle for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'm really looking forward to Book 3!

Wow, what a sequel!

House of Marionne ended on a cliffhanger, so I was excited to see that Shadows of Perl picked up where that one left off.

I loved the multiple POVs in this book. It helped keep the story interesting and really gave us a look at what else was going on outside of Quell’s situation.

Jordan irked me sooooooo bad 🤣 I really liked the addition of Adola and Nore and feel like that’s a glimpse into where the rest of the series is going.

I did find the first half of this one pretty slow, but it really picked up at the halfway mark!

I can’t believe this one left off on another cliffhanger! I can’t wait for the third book.

4.25/5 stars

Tropes:
Lovers to Enemies
Dark magic/ Forbidden magic
Family secrets
Political intrigue
Slow burn romance
Morally grey characters
Found family
Multiple POV
Cliffhanger

The story continues to build with lots of secrets but also with some revelations. The lovers are enemies, and that creates some angsty, heartbreaking moments. We get to see in the minds of more characters, which, in my opinion, is always fun. The cliffhanger sets up the next book to be a wild ride, and I'm really excited to see how everything pans out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.