Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)'s Reviews > House of Marionne

A YA fantasy book that is heavy on tropes and vibes, House of Marionne follows a teen girl named Quell who has been on the run her whole life with her mom, trying to hide the dangerous magic she was born with. But now she's seeking refuge with her grandmother- the powerful head of a magical house who wants to groom Quell as her heir. Quell will become a debutante and train in traditional forms of magic, but if anyone discovers the secret she carries it will be a death sentence...

Of course there is a fraught romance, plenty of angst, and secrets to be uncovered.

The way mature magic manifests in this world is through either a diadem or a mask growing from the person's head. I have a lot of questions about how this works practically, but it's one of those things that the author clearly thought was a cool idea without wanting to give a lot of explanation. We mostly hear about the diadems, very little detail on the masks and it feels like she probably just likes the idea of individualized tiaras but for gendered reasons only wanted women to have them? Honestly it would have made more sense to me if everyone had a diadem or crown, that would come off less gender essentialist. We do have a throwaway appearance of a non-binary character probably in an attempt to offset this, but I still think it's a weird choice. The other thing is, how do they sleep? Does their hair get caught in it? I have a lot of questions, but it's never mentioned.

In general, I think this book is working more off vibes and tropes as a way to gloss over world-building that can be sloppy at times. That said, I think casual readers who are really just there for the romance, danger, and magic school vibes will enjoy this because those elements are reasonably well-done. It feels like a book that knows what it is and there is definitely an audience for it. Just don't go in expecting detailed world-building or a magic system that is well-explained. I enjoyed it for what it is, but I don't know that it's going to leave a lasting impression. I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.