*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: House of Marionne
Author: J. Elle
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
ISBN: 9780593527702
Synopsis:
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.
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My biggest regrets about finishing this amazing first book in a new series, are: (1) that it hasn’t published yet; and (2) that I have no idea how long I have to wait for book 2 to come out. If you are looking for an absolutely enchanting world, breathtaking magic, a generations-long battle between light and dark, and a star crossed romance that will leave you swooning, this is your book. After 3 days of non-stop reading in my free time (and dreaming about reading when I wasn’t able to), I finally finished this incredible story. I am blown away.
This story is packed full of magic and fantasy. There is darkness, secret societies, enchanting academics, ongoing and unspoken war, forbidden magic, rivalries between magical houses. J Elle takes what you think you know about protagonists and villains and turns it on it’s head. Quell’s story, in ever aspect, is the birth of a villain, yet she’s the perfect hero. Lost in the world, she’s had to live in hiding for as long as she can remember. Her mother’s protection has reached its limits as Quell reaches the cusp of adulthood. When a surprising safe haven arises in the form of her grandmother’s estate, Quell jumps at the chance for stability and the comfort of family that she’s never know.
But the darkness that’s plagues her cannot be pushed away forever. As dark and hateful secrets begin to surface, Quell begins to see the gilded cage for exactly what it is. She questions what it means to be free and searches for a way to forge her own path. She’s an incredible strong with a fire within her that even she doesn’t understand. I imagine that her strength and power will only grow as this series progresses and I know I can hardly wait to see how she transforms and how her path develops in books to come.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 