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. Unfortunately these positive aspects were overshadowed enough by the aspects I didn't like that they weren't enough to keep me going. 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... Overall, I think that the politics of the world were intriguing. We didn't get to see much of them, unfortunately, and we also didn't get to see a lot of the extent of the magic system, but those were things that I was super interested in. A darkly tantalizing tale of intrigue, glamor, and romance.” —Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

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 authorThe writing was... well, something. At times, it was actually pretty good. At others, it was cringy and tear-inducing. Observe:

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.

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Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide. I got lost trying to find the exit. I thought it was near the bathrooms.” I tug against his grip, but he doesn’t let go. He glances just past me at what was a door, but is solid stone wall now. My heart hiccups. “I—I didn’t go in there, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

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. I thought that this world was incredible. I loved all the details and the different teases we got of all that the magic could do. The school itself seems fascinating, and it is something that I was really enjoying at first. I loved that the students grow their own diadems or masks based on their magic, and it just felt like a very lush world. It's dark and it's decadent, so that part was 100% correct. I turn, but in every direction the walls have shifted or closed in. There are no bathroom signs, no blaring red light pointing toward an exit anymore. The world isn’t always described clearly, perhaps because the story is told in present tense by the main character. She’s simultaneously observant of certain things while completely clueless about others. For example, she can see someone who is using magic to be invisible, but then she can’t figure out how to hold a teacup while having tea with her grandmother. My name rolls off his tongue like suede, with an inflection, a smoothness I could listen to over and over again." Well, okay.A darkly tantalizing tale of intrigue, glamor, and romance." —Amélie Wen Zhao, New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night 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 I wish there would have been more about the world-building and the magic. I didn’t understand a lot when it came to both of these and still don’t get it after finishing the book. The book is on the longer side and so there was definitely room for better explanations. On that note though, I feel like the book could have been shortened as well. There were some lulls and some parts of the plot that didn’t really add to the story overall.

Another big problem I had with this book was the pacing. The book slogged way too often, especially in the middle, and I truly had no sense for the passage of time. Really, I think that the book was just way too freaking long. A small thing that could’ve fixed this was taking out Yagrin’s POV. I see why the author felt the need to include his POV, but, as the reader, I was more confused by his few and far between chapters than anything, and I found myself zoning out while reading them. Actually, at first, I had a hard time even grasping that he was the Dragun House of Marionne glitters with magic, deception, and betrayal. Readers will be swept away by Elle’s glamorous world in this enchanting series opener.” —Rachel Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of WitchesBut becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and assassin-in-training. Aparently, Quell's Grandmom (yes, GRANDMOM) is some magical headmistress of this powerful magic house/school/I don't really know, which is technically in the same world but like also not (hidden away, maybe). After Quell runs away, she is taken in by her British (I'm assuming because she drinks tea and seems very proper) Grandmom and has to learn to control her magic, but not her toushana that no one seems to know about (don't even ask me tf this is because I'm confused out of my mind) because that's like a dark magic thing or something (which took me until 45% through to put this together). This is where J. Elle had the chance to make this into a sexy villianess origin story but that is obvisouly not what happened or else I wouldn't be here giving this 1 star. Oh, and I forgot to mention that everyone at this "school" also has to learn etiquette and a number of other boring things like how to curtsy and sit straight in your chair (*cue that scene in Barbie where they walk around with books on their heads*). House of Marionne isa 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