House of Marionne
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4.5 • 17 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
An INSTANT New York Times bestseller!
An INSTANT USA TODAY bestseller!
An INSTANT Sunday Times bestseller!
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.
"Dazzling and deceptive. The perfect escape!" – Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ballad of Never After
"The forbidden love story of my wildest dreams!" – Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
BURY YOUR SECRET OR DIE FOR IT.
17-year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins.
Until someone discovers her dark secret.
To hide from the assassin hunting her and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever.
If caught, she will be killed.
But 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.
When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: Embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life, or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love.
Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.
Brimming with ballgowns and betrayal, magic and mystery, decadence and darkness, House of Marionne is perfect for readers who crave morally gray characters, irresistible romance, dark academia, and a deeply intoxicating and original world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Seventeen-year-old Quell Marionne has lived on the run for as long as she can remember, moving from place to place with her mother to hide the enchanted curse—toushana—that lives in Quell's blood from other magical folk. When an assassin follows her home, Quell takes refuge with her powerful grandmother, the headmistress of the House of Marionne, a boarding school in the American South for those with mystical powers, while her mother stays behind to let her escape. At her grandmother's suggestion, Quell agrees to compete for induction in the Prestigious Order of Highest Mysteries, a society that can teach her how to harness the dark magic in her blood so that she can protect herself and reunite with her mother. To her dismay, her mentor is Jordan Wexton, the alluring estate guard and trainee assassin charged with killing toushana-bearing magic users who attacked Quell upon her arrival. Elle (the Wings of Ebony series) interweaves threads of loneliness, love, and pride to compose an intriguing tapestry of a loyal girl aching for someplace to belong. The magic system and worldbuilding feel both classic and surprising, lending the narrative an air of familiarity and delivering unexpected plot twists that will excite readers up to the very last page. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic YA fantasy!
House of Marionne by J. Elle was one of my most anticipated reads this year. There was so much hype for this book and granted that sets up expectations—sometimes unrealistic. Fortunately, I found this book to be a really fun read despite some of its flaws. The story itself, which follows Quell, a girl with dark magic, is original and magical with elements of mystery and of course romance. The dark academy aspects mashed up with Bridgerton vibes we get from when Quell enters her grandmother’s magic school are delightful as well. However, the world building was definitely lacking and that made for a lot of confusion reading a story based on such an ambitious magical world. I completely understand the fear of bogging down a story with exposition, but perhaps simplifying the magic rules should have been considered. Because as much as too much information can slow down an otherwise good read, so can confusion about why and how something is happening. And without a clear grip on the magic rules, the reader isn’t able to make educated guesses about what will come next, which is a big part of the fun of reading any story, but especially one with a air of mystery. However, the story was still a lot of fun with so much to enjoy! I would recommend this book to readers of fantasy, romance, and dark academia.