House of Marionne

ONE

I used to believe that magic was glittering, fanciful pretend.

Then I realized magic is real.
But it is dark and poisonous.
And the only way to hide from it
Is to not exist at all.


Quell, are you listening? Mom squeezes my hand as our car jerks to a stop outside the French Market on North Peters.
Yes, get my pay for the week, in and out.
That s my girl. Hurry now. I ll circle. She brushes my loose curls from my cheek with a cautious smile before I slip out of our 99 Civic, a junkyard find, its blue paint dry and peeling. Before this car, it was an old yellow truck. And before that truck, it was the bus, everywhere. But Mom didn t like not having a way to get up and go run at a moment s notice. So she made sure to get really good at fixing up old finds.
Really good at hiding me.
Fourteen schools. Twelve years. Nine cities.
Every place is the same: a backdrop I blend into. Anytime Mom gets suspicious someone might know about the poison running through my veins, she stuffs our entire life into a tiny yellow, hard-shell suitcase. It s perplexing that my entire existence can be tucked into something so small and shoved into the trunk of a car. At first, I d stuff everything I could into my bag. Now, I just grab my tennis shoes, a phone charger, and my lucky key chain. The countless places we ve moved and the blur of faces I ll say goodbye to are the white space between memories, ellipses strung between unfinished sentences. I stopped asking where we re going a long time ago.
Because running s been a destination all on its own.
Humid air, thanks to the roaring Mississippi nearby, assaults me, sticking to my clammy skin. The back end of our rusted hatchback blares red before disappearing around a corner. With only two weeks of high school left, I m trying to work as much as I can to save up enough for the big plans Mom and I have.
To finally move somewhere and stay.
If a caged bird sings of freedom, and a song can be a wordless utterance, a

J. Elle

"The forbidden love story of my wildest dreams. House of Marionne is going to delight not only fantasy readers, but romance lovers of all ages!" Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author

"Full of magic and intrigue, House of Marionne is the perfect escape for fans of fantasies that straddle the edge of our world and transport readers to dazzling, deceptive, and unexpected places." Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ballad of Never After

"A sweeping fantasy brimming with magic, secrets, and romance. House of Marionne gripped me from the first page, and never let go. An enchanting, mesmerizing gem of a book you don t want to miss." Alex Aster, #1 New York Times Best Selling author of Lightlark

"With House of Marionne, J.Elle lures you through a portal and into an elaborate, enthralling world of magic and monsters and mayhem, where the twists and turns take you and her characters places you never expected to go." Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the An Ember in the Ashes series

"House of Marionne is a captivating contemporary fantasy that s sure to enchant readers from the start. Perfect for fans of magical boarding schools, dark secrets, and books with glittering atmosphere." Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"House of Marionne is both a page-turner and a story that takes its time to build a rich, magical world and sympathetic characters. I held my breath from page one. J. Elle has outdone herself."  Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend series

House of Marionne is bloodthirsty, magical, and an absolute blast. Once you're inside its glittering world of dangerous deals and wonderfully tactile magic, you won't want to leave." Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series

"Inventive, evocative, and epic. House of Marionne is a dazzling magical thrill ride."