House of Marionne
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.
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.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
A fast-paced novel, House of Marionne follows Quell, on the run with dangerous magic who decides the best place to hide is in plain sight.
Excellent Setting
What I loved about this book was the setting. You could say this was almost a dark academic book because of the setting at a debutant school. Now, most of the world views this school as a debutant school, but they have the same mentality as Quell: to hide and train their magic in plain sight.
Lately, I have noticed this trend of strong female characters having to be stubborn, argumentative, and overly masculine. While I agree there is a time and a place never to back down, I don’t think that feminity should be viewed as a weakness, either.
That’s why I loved this setting so much, because it was something different. Elle showcases the strength behind ballgowns and balls and the danger there. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, people you would not think twice about.
I loved this setting because it allows Quell to flourish and come to accept her deadly magic but it also showcased how strong and dangerous feminity is.
Characterization
There is a lot of good characterization here. Quell goes from being this scared girl fearful of her magic to this badass who wants to destroy the system. The system is corrupt, it takes the lives of innocent people because they have a dangerous magic, and Quell is tired of that, she’s angry at that.
Quell learns that her magic is not one to be feared, that is the strongest part of her. She learns that her “doting” grandmother is as vile as the whole organization.
My only hiccup with the book is the romance between Quell and Jordan. Jordan needed a bit more development for the romance to work. The intent here is an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it needs more substance and more growth to bridge that connection between them.
Final Thoughts
Overall, House of Marionne was an excellent novel. I loved the setting and the build up in tension. There is also a good amount of mystery behind the second POV and the part they play in the story.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
House of Marionne takes dark academia into the realm of debutant balls and makes for a quick-paced read.
A fast-paced novel, House of Marionne follows Quell, on the run with dangerous magic who decides the best place to hide is in plain sight.
Excellent Setting
What I loved about this book was the setting. You could say this was almost a dark academic book because of the setting at a debutant school. Now, most of the world views this school as a debutant school, but they have the same mentality as Quell: to hide and train their magic in plain sight.
Lately, I have noticed this trend of strong female characters having to be stubborn, argumentative, and overly masculine. While I agree there is a time and a place never to back down, I don’t think that feminity should be viewed as a weakness, either.
That’s why I loved this setting so much, because it was something different. Elle showcases the strength behind ballgowns and balls and the danger there. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, people you would not think twice about.
I loved this setting because it allows Quell to flourish and come to accept her deadly magic but it also showcased how strong and dangerous feminity is.
Characterization
There is a lot of good characterization here. Quell goes from being this scared girl fearful of her magic to this badass who wants to destroy the system. The system is corrupt, it takes the lives of innocent people because they have a dangerous magic, and Quell is tired of that, she’s angry at that.
Quell learns that her magic is not one to be feared, that is the strongest part of her. She learns that her “doting” grandmother is as vile as the whole organization.
My only hiccup with the book is the romance between Quell and Jordan. Jordan needed a bit more development for the romance to work. The intent here is an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it needs more substance and more growth to bridge that connection between them.
Final Thoughts
Overall, House of Marionne was an excellent novel. I loved the setting and the build up in tension. There is also a good amount of mystery behind the second POV and the part they play in the story.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
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