I really liked J. Elle's Wings of Ebony duology so was eagerly anticipating House of Marionne. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me. The story follows Quell who has lived her whole life on the run with her mom, trying to hide the dangerous, forbidden magic she possesses. The beginning started strong with Quell on the run from mysterious enemies. She seeks shelter in the magic school run by her grandmother, at which point, the pacing slows right down. There seems to be a plethora of tropes accompanied by a paucity of world building. I spent much of the time hoping the magic system would be explained rather than there being such a focus on the romance. The pace and suspense picked up in the last quarter of the book, but the reader was left with many questions. House of Marionne had great potential and a lot of creative ideas, but I am not motivated to pick up the sequel.