House of Marionne: Bridgerton meets Fourth Wing in this Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller

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Dark academia, assassins, magical societies… this was one of my most anticipated reads and I am so sad to say it did not work for me. The forbidden love story of my wildest dreams. This book is going to delight not only fantasy readers, but romance lovers of all ages!" - Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author The forbidden love story of my wildest dreams!”– Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis

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. House of Marionne is one of the most original fantasies I’ve ever read. J. Elle has created a lush and beautifully romantic world that is as magical as it is dangerous.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sun is Also a Star I am honestly not sure what I read, haha. I probably should have ended up DNFing but I wanted to see what I would be missing if I did. Unfortunately it didn’t get better for me.When I see those phrases in the synopsis of a book, I expect the moral ambiguity of the characters to be explored in depth, and for the novel to be a critique of academia. Simply being set at a boarding school does not make a book a "dark academia" novel, and having characters with ambiguous morals requires more than just labeling them as such. Now, if you're thinking "This is a YA book, it doesn't need to be like that", you are wrong because many YA books do dark academia (Legendborn, Ace of Spades) and morally grey characters (Six of Crows, These Violent Delights, The Cruel Prince) well. Full of magic and intrigue, this read is the perfect escape for fans of fantasies that straddle the edge of our world and transport readers to dazzling, deceptive, and unexpected places." - Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ballad of Never After A YA fantasy book that is heavy on tropes and vibes, House of Marionne follows a teen girl named Quell who has been on the run her whole life with her mom, trying to hide the dangerous magic she was born with. But now she's seeking refuge with her grandmother- the powerful head of a magical house who wants to groom Quell as her heir. Quell will become a debutante and train in traditional forms of magic, but if anyone discovers the secret she carries it will be a death sentence... but bumped to 5 becuase this beauty right here got me out of my Fourth Wing reading slump. I was super intrigued by the story and a piece or two of character art I saw. I jumped in on Friday during a busy vacation and finished it today.

I enjoyed the setting of the school surrounded by a forest filled with danger and secrets - it was very atmospheric and I could vividly picture the winding corridors and secret passages. I also loved Quell and Abby’s friendship and thought they complemented each other well, bringing much needed warmth to the story. The writing was... well, something. At times, it was actually pretty good. At others, it was cringy and tear-inducing. Observe: From New York Times bestselling author J. Elle comes a modern-day YA romantic fantasy series opener about a glamorous magical world of social elites, forbidden love, and a dark magic that could destroy it all. A must-read for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and Bridgerton .

About the book

This book is not The Atlas Six meets Bridgerton, nor is it for fans of morally grey characters, forbidden romance, Sarah J. Mass, Stephanie Garber, or Leigh Bardugo. The forbidden love story of my wildest dreams. House of Marionne is going to delight not only fantasy readers, but romance lovers of all ages!" —Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author A darkly tantalizing tale of intrigue, glamor, and romance ― Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

Follow me on BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/j-elle J. ELLE is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction and a 2022 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth and Teens. Her work has been translated into three languages. The former educator credits her nomadic lifestyle and humble inner-city beginnings as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found on the hunt for new desserts sans Chocolat, looking for literally any excuse to get dressed up, and road-tripping her way across the country with her two dogs in tow. And it isn't long before she's forced to choose between her true nature and everyone she's grown to love. Memento sumptus,” someone says. The voice is coming from a narrow door that blends seamlessly with the wall. Caution tugs at me like a tether. Pressed carefully to the door, I listen, hands hooked behind myself just in case. Strained voices tangle around each other in a whispered argument. There are a pair of men, it sounds like. I listen again and hear several more. I teeter forward on my toes ever so slightly, pressing my weight against the door to ease it open a sliver. House of Marionne is a captivating contemporary fantasy that’s sure to enchant readers from the start. Perfect for fans of magical boarding schools, dark secrets, and books with glittering atmosphere Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times bestselling author Full of magic and intrigue, House of Marionne is perfect escape for fans of fantasies that straddle the edge of our world and transport readers to dazzling, deceptive, and unexpected places. Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ballad of Never After

J. Elle

House of Marionne to me read like a Book of Boring. I made it just past the halfway point but this is where I stop. Because I don't care what happens next. I'm not invested. I wanted to love this because the cover is pretty and the synopsis sounded up my alley. Alas, it was not meant to be. Tonta’lise got here before me, yeah. Had to set up my whole show ova here. She know damn well I use dat spot eva day. But here she come, tryin’ to get my customers.” Her hand rests on her hip. “You come for ya money?” If I could sum up my thoughts on House of Marionne, it’s this: ✨confusion✨. This book, mining from enduring YA tropes and conventions, had so much potential that could have been focused into some thoughtful genre innovation, but alas, it just felt confused about what it should be. A Bridgerton-esque romantic social drama? A Game of Thrones-style political fight? A classic girl-has-magic-must-save-the-world YA fantasy in the vein of Shadow and Bone? An atmospheric fantasy reminiscent of Stephanie Garber’s books? With the sheer amount of marketing, hype, and comps thrown out there about this book, I expected it to deliver on at least one aspect, and somehow it fell flat with all of them.

I ended up reading the end of the book and skimming some of the scenes in-between, so I feel very confident in this DNF. I don't think it's a bad book, it's just not what I was looking for. Personally, I am eagerly anticipating the release of the second book in the near future, as I am captivated by the world the author has crafted. With House of Marionne, J.Elle lures you through a portal and into an elaborate, enthralling world of magic and monsters and mayhem, where the twists and turns take you—and her characters—places you never expected to go." —Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the An Ember in the Ashes series After a heated five-house auction, Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, has acquired House of Marionne, a new YA trilogy by J. Elle, author of the bestselling YA fantasy Wings of Ebony. Billed by the publisher as a “modern-day, magic-filled Bridgerton with clashing class dynamics and dark academia flair,” the first book in the trilogy is slated for fall 2023. Jodi Reamer at Writers House sold world English rights to Ruta Rimas, executive editor at Razorbill. I will say, I really did like the twist at the end of the book and I for sure didn’t see it coming! I don’t know if reading the rest of the book was fully worth getting to the twist though because, like I said, I spent so much of this book confused that it wasn’t even really a reward to get a good twist when all was said and done.A darkly tantalizing tale of intrigue, glamor, and romance.” —Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night This book offers a darker twist on the enchanting world of Hogwarts, reminiscent of Deadly Education, promising fantasy lovers a thrilling and multifaceted journey they won't want to miss. The characters in this were extremely flat. Quell was interesting at first, and even though I felt like some of the decisions she was making were pretty silly ones, I was willing to go with it. However, as soon as she makes the decision to return to the person that her mother ran from when she was 5, she very much becomes a stereotypical young, YA protagonist. She is immediately excellent at everything she tries and is being touted by all her professors as the best they've ever seen. She immediately becomes best friends with her roommate, but there is no depth to their connection and where I left off, they were fighting because Quell had to miss some dress fittings. With House of Marionne , J.Elle lures you through a portal and into an elaborate, enthralling world of magic and monsters and mayhem , where the twists and turns take you-and her characters-places you never expected to go. ― Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the An Ember in the Ashes series