Review Detail

HOUSE OF MARIONNE is an engaging YA fantasy. Quell has grown up on the run from the death sentence imposed due to the magic she was born with. It has been her mother and her for as long as she can remember. When she goes to pick up her cash from work, she stumbles onto a terrifying scene and the people who are searching for her. Rushing back to her mother, she magically travels away and has plans to meet up with her mother later. However, when their safe house is compromised, she turns to the grandmother she does not remember well.

Her grandmother is one of the Headmistresses who run the magical world. The House of Marionne is a prestigious training ground, one of the four houses for people with magic. Returned, Quell is the presumed heir of her grandmother, a title that comes with much responsibility and expectations. As she enters the school, she learns about the magical world - and its darker secrets.

What I loved: This was an overall engaging read with a steady plot centered around what Quell learns about magic and her desire to survive. The magical world and its politics are heavily complex, and there is much going on behind the scenes that Quell only gets glimpses of. She has hope that the training can help suppress her toushana, the innate magic that is usually a death sentence - but this is anything but easy as she tries to hide amidst the usual magic students.

Quell is a compelling character who is questioning what she knows at every turn. Her mother has kept a lot of secrets, and this plays into who Quell is willing to trust, as she does not have any reason to not do so. Right after Quell learns a bit more about her family, she sends herself into this magical world. While that decision may have been questionable, her motives are clear - Quell wants to live, be with her mother, and stop the dangerous magic inside of her. Themes of family, challenging birthrights, and hope are all really strong through her story.

The book also includes some interludes from Yagrin, a Dragun. The Dragun are the ones hunting her for her magic. Yagrin is a bit different, and he struggles with their mission and the tasks he has been given. His interludes were interesting, and they brought some additional knowledge and use of magic throughout the story. I am curious to see how his character will continue to evolve in the next book.

The romance was compelling with a bit of push-pull as they get to know each other. Jordan is at the House of Marionne from another house and had begun his training very early. He is assigned as Quell's mentor to help her with her studies. While the attraction is there, duty and complicated political dynamics make for quite a bit of will-they-won't-they in the course of the story. Jordan keeps a lot very close to his chest, so the reader does not get to know him very well, and opinion changes through his actions.

The world-building was quite fascinating with information revealed throughout Quell's training. This kept it from having any large information dumps. It also made it clear that the information is what is taught and may not be all the way to the truth. The authority figures in the magical world are of questionable virtue/honesty, so everything taught is taken with some inquisitiveness. I am curious to see how this will play out in the next book.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the story could be a bit confusing in places as small pieces of information come back later. I ended up rereading a few sections along the way, and I was still a bit lost in some scenes.

Final verdict: HOUSE OF MARIONNE is an overall engaging YA fantasy about complicated family, questionable authority, and hope. Recommend for fans of CRAVE, A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT, and WINGS OF EBONY.