I honestly struggled with the first book, but that cliffhanger! I needed to continue. I enjoyed this sequel much more. More interesting plot, more POV characters, more betrayals, just more of everything good. We've left the world of high school etiquette classes behind and are now in action/adventure/mystery territory. I found the magic system confusing in the first book but more fleshed out here, and the worldbuilding really took off as well (though I maintain that Perl and Ambrose are both more interesting houses than Marionne). The prose is still a little clunky but smoother than the first go around.

Honestly I'm way more into Nore and Yagrin than Quell and Jordan. Quell and Jordan hung out a few times last book, had a couple tension-filled scenes, then BAM they were in love and BAM they were heartbroken. I liked their antagonism in this book much more than their original romance. Nore and Yagrin, though, are the REAL pair of star-crossed lovers. The angst, the hidden identity, the lack of resolution!

The ending was a bit too chaotic, but darn it all, we got another good cliffhanger.

Thank you to @penguinteen for the #gifted Netgalley widget of Shadows of Perl along with the physical ARC. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions based on the early copies I read.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

I have a lot of thoughts upon turning the final page of this story and they all boil down to 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜.

If you thought House of Marionne was good. You're not ready for how much J.Elle has increased the stakes and expanded on her world in Shadows of Perl. Sequels always have the rough job of living up to the first book 𝘢𝘯𝘥 keeping readers thoroughly invested in continuing to read the series. J.Elle has succeeded in both regards with 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘭. This book was impossible to put down.

Quell has become a force to be reckoned with after the events of 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦. She's found her voice and she is sure as hell not going to let anyone keep her from her goals. Jordan, on the other hand, has mired himself deep into the Order, with an almost shake-less faith in the righteousness of the Dragun Brotherhood. Of the two, I found Jordan's character ARC to be more intriguing as events begin to shake his faith. Quell, I felt, was a bit one note through the whole of the book, She was anger and rage and vengeance for the vast majority of the book with only a couple quieter moments of vulnerability. I honestly didn't mind it too much. Girl deserves to express all that rage. I am very intrigued to see where she goes character arc wise, in the next installment.

World building, J.Elle did a wonderful job building on the bricks of what she made in 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦. We get to dive deeper into the truths about the past wielders of toushana. We get to look deeper into the political machinations of The Order and the Houses, especially the Dragun Brotherhood.

Overall, this is a stellar addition to the 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦 series! J.Elle continues to be a favorite author of mine and this book shows why!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄:
☆ Multi-POVs
☆ Female RAGE
☆ Lovers to Enemies
☆ Who needs Shadow Daddies when you can have a Shadow Queen
☆ Political Intrigue
☆ Who can you trust?
☆ He's chasing her

The much-anticipated sequel to House of Marionne has arrived. Quell and Jordan are on journeys that reveal more secrets and deceptions, making them question their loyalties and who can be trusted. Quell and Jordan are arch-enemies (or are they?) yet their ultimate focus is on saving the Sphere. Filled with twists and turns, each chapter is based on the character's point of view. Much more detail is provided about each of the Houses and the history behind the Order which I found interesting as I helped to understand the motives and deceptions through the generations. The story helps to build up to the third book. It's one heck of a cliffhanger ending.

✨Book Review✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Format: eBook

I find that usually sequels aren’t as good or well thought out as the first book in a series, but Elle has outdone herself with this sequel. I enjoyed it even more than the first book.

Our story begins where the first book ends: Quell is on the run with Yagrin/Octos to train her dark magic and find her missing mother. Jordan is now officially a Dragun and is striving to become the Dragonheart. Meanwhile, the House of Marionne is crumbling down with its darkest secrets exposed. Time is also running out as the magical Sphere is cracking, risking the destruction of all magic. Readers will be taken on an adventure where our protagonists’ loyalty to their duty or to those they love will be put to the test.

Highlights:
⭐️ POV chapters from several characters. The big highlight for me was reading from Jordan’s POV. In the first book, I felt his character was lacking and we had little to no background information. In this sequel, readers finally gain insight into his emotions, history, and thoughts.
⭐️ Quell. My favorite character. Similar to my point in my previous review of the first book, I love her strong determination, fiery will, and her love for her family and friends.
⭐️ The twists and ending. Elle is one of the few authors who leaves me speechless with her twists. From the first chapter to the last, I never saw what she had planned coming.
⭐️ The ambiance of the world.
⭐️ The world-building was definitely better this time around (or I understood it more because I read the appendix in the back of the book first).

Pitfalls:
❌ Jordan. This is more of a personal opinion and doesn’t detract from the book. I just don’t like him. I think he is naive and oblivious to what is right in front of him, as well as a hypocrite. Quell can and should do better. End of rant.
❌ I’m still confused about family lines. I think a family tree for the heirs of each house would clear up some confusion. Jordan’s father is Beaulah’s brother, but Jordan’s last name is Wexton, not Perl?
❌ What happened to Quell’s mom? I feel like this was glossed over and only briefly explained for the sake of the situation’s dynamics.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group, for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

This was a highly anticipated book for me and I’m so sad to report it was a miss for me. It’s lost a lot of the charm from book one. The magic school and the classic YA marks and the debutante culture all falls away. The characters are still strong but they don’t get to do much but spiral in angst. The bulk of this book is moving from one place to the other and accomplishing little. Second book syndrome unfortunately.

My jaw is on the floor!

This book was soooo good! There were so many twists and turns that had me on the edge of my chair. The book was fast paced but still slow enough that it didn’t seem rushed. The way the magic is described is beautiful written. The fight and battle scenes are perfectly described as well.

This book had multiple povs and I was confused with nores povs and how it helped with the storyline until closer to the end it made more sense. I love how Jordan and Quell are enemies in this book but still long for each other. And Jordan being jealous of Yags LOVE! I had a feeling Beaulah was a snake and boy is she! And omg Darragh is actually good? I’m shocked!

The book ends on the biggest cliffhanger just like book number one!

This book is by far my new favorite fantasy book!

I had to go back and read book 1. Which I LOVED and made me even more excited to read this one! I was a little disappointed with the pacing of this book but that’s okay I pushed through. The twist and turns had me second guessing who I could trust and not trust… I like that in books like this. I loved the different POV changes we get throughout. The connection fell a little flat between Quell and Jordan. Something I cna look passed.

{3.75/5}

CW: violence, some gore, reference to and depictions of @buse/torture

Read as an ARC via NetGalley. “Shadows of Perl” releases September 5, 2024.

I wanted to love it as much as the first one, but aggravating characters and a chaotic ending missed the mark a bit.

After her statement exit from House of Marionne and with her relationship in tatters, all Quell wants to do is find her mother. Locating Rhea Marionne is proving to be difficult, though, despite Octos’ help with her training. With Draguns on her heels and rapidly running out of places to hunt, Quell turns to the one place that seems not to hate the very essence of her being.

I wanted to love the entirety of this book. “House of Marionne” was such a good read, and I was really excited to pick up Quell’s journey and see where it took her. While I by no means disliked the newest installment, there were some key differences that made it less of a hit for me.

The biggest negative factor here was how diminished two of our MCs felt compared to the first book. Quell had some moderate range to her motivations, but I frequently found her to lapse almost into the ‘recklessly stupid’ category, which was not an issue she had before. Now, as I mentioned previously, she’s only 17, so some of her ideas and actions are, by nature of being a literal child, going to be questionable. This, though, felt uncharacteristically wild. With all she had going on, I’d have been willing to overlook that. Jordan’s depiction, though, really suffered. Angry to the point of becoming irrational, obtusely stubborn, and hell bent on keeping both eyes firmly shut, Jordan crossed firmly over into ‘lost cause, write him off immediately’ territory. He’s not just falling back on trauma and ingrained life skills, he’s actively an unlikable character here. Maybe a lot of this stems from having less time spent on building out the depth of their relationship in book 1, but it’s completely unfathomable to me that we’re supposed to like and/or feel bad for him in book 2. I spent most of it hoping he’d kick a brick.

Outside of our characters taking their core personality traits and tossing out almost all of their others, the storyline was interesting. There’s a lot of moving pieces, and there’s obviously a lot going on behind the scenes that our characters don’t really get a chance to experience, which means neither do we. While the depiction of utter confusion for our MCs is reasonable, it makes the actual reading a little discombobulating. This became strongly apparent in the final chapters of the book, and it turned an otherwise entertaining read into a muddled mass of ‘wait, what?’ Not the strongest note to end on, and I think it might have just been too many reveals and twists too fast and with not enough explanation prior to the end of the book.

I’m sure I’ve made it sound like I hated everything about this book, and that’s definitely not the case. The magic was still amazing and interesting, the plotline and overarching story was still engaging, and I found it overall to be a really readable book. I like our MCs, I think they have a lot of potential, and at times we got to see glimpses of what made them so enjoyable in book 1. It’s just that book 1 was such a strong start that it was going to be really difficult to keep up, and that ended up being reflected in this story. The curse of the sequel, book edition. I’m holding out hope that book 3 clears everything up and brings it all back together in a nicely satisfying way.

Wow, just wow! This book had be gripping the edges of my kindle from start to finish. I was thinking about this story even when I was forced to put it down to live in the "real world".

Following House of Marionne, Shadows of Perl continues the storylines of Quell and Jordan, who were once in love with each other but now find themselves on opposite sides of a growing war. Or are they? Throughout the book, J. Elle's writing allowed me to personally feel the emotions of Jordan and Quell and how they struggled with their love for each other, but also a growing hatred. It is an interesting take on the idea that love and hate are just two sides of the same coin.

Not only can you feel these emotions, but as a reader, you start to feel each character's level of trust or distrust for others, specifically the Headmistress of House of Perl. Without giving anything away, I will say that my own feelings toward Ms. Perl changed NUMEROUS times throughout the book, and I can only attribute that to J. Elle's amazing writing. She draws you into a character and then pushes you away from the character, and back again so beautifully.

Finally, my favorite thing about this book is that it forces the reader to think about good vs. bad. All of the characters in this story have to pick a side and you can see them struggle with their choices. Are the choices they thought were good actually bad? Are those they trusted as bad actually as bad as they thought and vice versa? Throughout everyday life as readers, we sometimes have to struggle with this very issue and I think the book covered it beautifully through character development. As each character comes to terms with their own life and choices, you as the reader learn more about them and watch them bloom.

The only note of warning is that this book ends on a major cliffhanger. If you are someone who cannot handle waiting for the next chapter, I would suggest purchasing this book but not reading it until the final book in the trilogy comes out. Trust me, I am now anxiously awaiting book three, even though I know it is many moons away.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this arc! Here are my thoughts.
I absolutely devoured this book! I was a little confused with House of Marionne but this book, House of Perl, cleared so many things up that I want to reread these two books all over again! The twists and turns in this book were so good!!! And the only thing I was confused about was WHO COULD I TRUST???? This ya series is fun and exciting! Especially as you get closer to the end of the books and you are literally trying your read as fast as you can because so much is happening! I absolutely need the third book! And I’m excited for my 14 year old daughter to read this as well!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

Genre: YA Fantasy

This is the second book in the series picking up where it left off. I had to refresh myself on what happened in the first book.
Quell has completed the final rite and is now on the run. She has no idea who she can trust and she needs to find her mother plus the draguns are after her.

I really enjoyed House of Marionne. Any books with a magic school and trials/competitions are my favorite. I was hoping book 2 wouldn’t lag as most sequels in series do and it was a great second book! This one has more political intrigue and on the run vibes. There are new characters and the book is told from multiple POVs. It has a very slow burn enemies to lovers romance brewing and a mystery to solve.
It ends with a cliffhanger and I’m excited to read the third book!

While it doesn’t have the fun of the trials and magic school storyline, it does have a fun quest plot.

I paired my reading with the audiobook and liked the narration.

Thank you Penguin Teen for the gifted copy! ❤️

I would like to start off thanking Penguin Group and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this a 3/3.5

Just a bit of back ground i did not know this was a second book for a trilogy (i have already read the first book) for some odd reason i thought this was a duo-logy until i looked it up at the 50% mark.

Sadly to me this book seemed to have a case of the second book syndrome where it is just a lot of just moving the character around in circles just to pass time and giving some background. In this book specifically we had two characters literally being in the same places at the same times with neither knowing the other is there. What made it worse was they both kept saying the whole time they would kill the other when they saw them again and yet all bark no bite. No joke one was even in the other's house and room for over half the book just chilling walking around while the other was out looking for them. What makes it worse is when the person eventually went to their room they just realized someone was there and turned around walking out to ask if someone was staying there. Like come on are you kidding me you would know on instinct who it is or even want to know why or WHO could be in your room?

Just a lot of searching for people without actually searching for them at all. Mostly a lot of "oh look they were here let me stay here for a bit then maybe follow another lead" but really not asking anyone who could have been around them even when said person is locked up.

The other thing that made the reading less enjoyable was the amount of times it is said the shadow magic Toushana is a dark magic that is harming the Sphere that sustains all magic by creating cracks in its shell. They kept saying how bad it is and how the people born with is need to be locked up and killed because of it but the whole House of Perl uses it and all the Dragun people use it when hunting people and fighting for what the Dragunhead says. It just doesnt make sense why one is fine but the other "evil". Is if because one is getting the power from outside themselves and the other inside themselves because the ones born with is are not taking it from the world around them which sounds safer in my opinion.

Not to even mention "no one should have all the power in the Sphere being a running plot point and reason to rebel and stop the evil plans only for PLOT TWIST SPOILER ALERT someone to literally get all the power inside themselves in the end.

I will admit most of this book is filler as second books usually are so once i learned this wasnt the ending book i didnt rate it as harshly but also rated it on enjoyment and how much things flowed from the first book into this one and if things stayed true from one to the other. Did things get contradicted? yes mainly the whole magic power thing. We were told only few had it only to find out this book all but around 4 actually can use the power already and some (even another Heir) was born with it too.

Will i be reading the next book? Yes i am super curious of where the story goes and what happens with the character in this book. Mainly i am wonder why one of the characters got a POV in this book if not much really happened with them other than a bit of back ground connecting them with a few other characters in the past. I also have questions on how things can play out when how things ended as well as when some characters will recognize others.

Over all entertaining and i did not want to DNF.

Thank you for my copy of Shadows on Perl. I am so happy about the second part of this book. I liked the first one, and the second book was excellent.

Thank you @penguinteen #partner for the gifted copy of this ebook!

This book picks up right where House of Marionne left off revisiting our two favorite characters, Quell and Jordan! Now both at odds they have to navigate opposing loyalties to try and stay alive!

I enjoyed the multiple POVs in this story which explored the mystery, secrets and disloyalty throughout the book. I thought the storylines came together perfectly in an intense and grueling battle! It definitely made me want to come back for more in book 3! I devoured this book in two sittings because I wad completely enthralled with all of the house secrets and tension between Quell and Jordan! I thought J. Elle did a great job with the flow from the first book to the second and definitely left a perfect lead in to the last and final book! I felt like I got even more of an in depth look at each character all while expanding to less known ones from book one! I can’t wait to see where J. Elle takes this young adult fantasy because I’m here for the ride!

Shadows of Perl picks up where the first book left off, with Quell fleeing Chateau Soleil, desperate to find her mother and escape the fallout from her Rite of Induction ceremony. As the story unfolds, readers are plunged into a world of betrayal, dark magic, and looming threats to the Sphere and all magic in existence.

This installment’s expanded world-building is one of its strongest aspects. The narrative deepens the political intrigue of the Order and introduces readers to new settings like the other Headmistress households and Dragun headquarters. These additions add layers of complexity and tension, making the world feel richer and more immersive. The tension between Quell and Jordan, former lovers turned enemies, is another standout element. The dynamic crackles with anticipation, making their interactions some of the most compelling in the book.

However, the novel stumbles in some areas. The magic system, while intricate, can be difficult to follow, with the complexities of enhancer stones and cultivator rings feeling confusing at times. Despite some reminders of the magic system from the author, these aspects may still leave readers struggling to keep up. Additionally, the motivations of certain characters are underdeveloped, and some key moments—especially those involving Quell and Jordan or significant events at the House of Perl—feel rushed, missing the depth and exploration they deserve.

For young adult fantasy fans who enjoy intricate political dynamics and slow-burning romance, Shadows of Perl offers a compelling, if occasionally uneven, continuation of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Razorbill (Penguin Young Readers Group) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I’m a little conflicted but I’m gonna give it four stars because it kept me interested enough to keep coming back and I really do want the next book.

Here’s the conflict:

I really wish we got more of Yagrin in this book. I feel like he didn’t really get to do much and at the end of book one, he was my favorite character. I really hope he gets more a spotlight in book three even though I know my ship has probably already sunk.

I have a problem with Jordan.
His actions in book one, on my opinion, were unforgivable and there’s not really a redemption arc or apology from him in book two. We don’t get to see his resolution crack at all until there’s only about 25% of the book left.

That being said, I appreciate Quell’s journey in this book. I don’t want her to end up with Jordan, but I know it’s gonna happen so.. sad face.
The ending hooked me for book three so I’m excited to see how this trilogy ends.

This second in a series follows Quell as she goes to House of Perl to hone her training. But what she finds is more secrets. Her mother is missing. Yagrin is not to be trusted. Jordan is trying to bring her to justice. Atola is trying to complete a ritual she cannot conquer. Nora is trying to rid herself of the dark magic injected into her. All of the Houses are using dark magic. This somewhat comes together in the end but leaves many questions. I enjoyed the chase but didn't find a conclusion.

2.5 stars

I went into this with super high expectations because I adored House of Marionne and unfortunately, Shadows of Perl just did not live up to it. I'm going to keep this short because it truly pains me to rate this book so low. I really struggled to get through this. I loved the tension and angst between Jordan and Quell, I live for that sh*t, but this was hard to follow for some reason. I couldn't fully get into it. However, the ending had my jaw on the floor. That was a doozy of a cliffhanger!

*ARC provided by Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review*

4.25 ⭐️ rounded down

Shadows of Perl picks up a few months after House of Mariaonne. Quell is back on the run training with October while also trying to locate her mother. After a close run in with the Draguns, she finds herself reluctantly in the hands of Beaulah and finding refuge in the House of Perl. As she bides her time, Quell begins to uncover dark secrets about her own House of Marianne, the House of Perl, and those closest to her.

I really enjoyed that additional POVs in this story and seeing Jordan unravel after the incidents in House of Marionne is a journey. He fully commits his life to the Dragunhood and seeking Quell’s death for her betrayal but battles his real feelings as he begins to learn that not all of the rules, are right. For someone like Jordan who is stickler for rules, his internal peril is complicated.

I’m really glad I continued with this series. In my opinion, the writing style was significantly improved in Shadows of Perl which may the dialogue and overall story telling more comprehensive and enjoyable. J Elle is really great at twists and surprises and while some may be heavily foreshadowed, there continue to be plenty
I never see coming, especially the one you get at the very beginning of Shadows of Perl.

Already ready for book 3!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Razorbill for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

While I liked all the POVs and machinations everyone is doing, there was a lot of angst in the beginning part of the book while everyone figures out their roles, the lies, and where they go from here. Quell's main focus for a part of the book is trying to find her mother and meeting up with her. However, Jordan's trying to reconcile the Dragun's and his love for Quell. They're now on opposite sides. The inability to trust any of the houses is true even more in this book than the last so the head space of what everyone is doing is sometimes out of desperation with the Sphere in peril.

I did like how we learned some things that were not true in book 1 in book 2. I'm not exactly sure the point of that deception in book 1, yet, but it added more characters for POV in book 2. Which...The book synopsis focuses on Quell and Jordan and while they are important, they aren't the only POV and they aren't even the POV the story starts with. I don't like it when characters aren't together and there's a good chunk of the book where Quell and Jordan are on opposite sides. I mean, it made sense...I just don't prefer it. The book significantly picked up for me once Quell and Jordan are working together. They are the glue for me.

The last quarter of the book was the most interesting. Rather than all the lies, parties, maneuvering around the houses, we actually move the main plot about the sphere and what may or may not happen and what the houses really want with the sphere. SO MUCH DECEPTION at the end, but...really...THAT CLIFFHANGER. What in the world?! It made me want to read the next book.