Fortress of Ambrose

House of Marionne #3

by J. Elle

Seductive magic. Deadly betrayal.

Don’t miss the explosive finale of the dark, romantic fantasy of the New York Times-bestselling House of Marionne series, which #1 bestselling author Alex Aster praises as "a sweeping fantasy brimming with magic, secrets, and romance."

With the future of the Order clouded in uncertainty, and the evil within its ranks coming to the surface, Quell Marionne has nowhere left to turn.

Everyone Quell cares about is gone and she still can’t escape the powerful legacy that wants to destroy her. But when she uncovers an earth-shattering revelation, she must be the hero the magic world needs or save Jordan.

Meanwhile, a darkness festers inside Dragunheart Jordan Wexton. His path to survival means becoming the monster he was bred to hate, if he can overcome the power rotting within himself.

In a world where the line between proper and forbidden magic blurs, Quell and Jordan, along with two unlikely allies – bitter assassin Yagrin Wexton and magicless Heir Nore Ambrose, must navigate a treacherous path where freedom hangs by a thread. Can love tip the scales toward freedom? Or will rivalries and deadly betrayals shatter their hearts and destroy the world they once knew?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Audiobook, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Thriller

519 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2025

About the author

J. ELLE is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction and a 2022 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth and Teens. Her work has been translated into three languages. The former educator credits her nomadic lifestyle and humble inner-city beginnings as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found on the hunt for new desserts sans Chocolat, looking for literally any excuse to get dressed up, and road-tripping her way across the country with her two dogs in tow.

Follow me on BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/j-elle

Reviews

[Drew's ambitious reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't beilve this series finally came to a close and what an amazing way to end it? Because tbh I thought someone else was going to die but they didn't.. So happy about that. It's hard to do a book review for book 3 of a trilogy but we pick up right where we left off in book 2 and jump straight into action!! Loved how this trilogy wrapped up, but it also felt opened ending it's a weird feeling I have with this ending... Overall 4.5/5 stars

[Jeniffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ✨

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series should have been two books at the most. Books two and three are too repetitive and things take way too long to happen. It was so dragged out!! Everything wraps up well but by the time it did I just didn’t care as much as I should have during a book three.

Overall: 2.5

[Violet Bove]

yes, yes and yes. can't wait till this releases so we can get more of jordan and quell and so i can not attack someone because of the cliffhangers. anyways, i'm pumped

[CiCi | bookameme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the series, but the first book was the best.

There’s a really interesting theme of power and equality throughout the story from the way power changes people to what equality actually looks like. That theme guides a pretty dramatic saga that encompasses action, romance, intrigue and magic with an intricately crafted plot that’s about 40% political suspense, 25% romance, 20% action , and 15% family drama. (At least that’s my totally made up statistic about how it felt.)

🎙️: A multicast with even more narrators than the first two books.

YA: light kissing with a few slightly steamy scenes, SFW.

Fantasy Romance
Star Crossed Lovers
Secret Identity
Dark Academia
Deepset Corruption
Fight for Equality
Magic & Madness

[Jenna Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became the Literary Flash speedrunning this and it STILL took centuries off my life.

[Ekene · Rating 5 out of 5]

*slowly raises from my chair & claps*
Wow
wow
and woah.

I truly need more people to lock into this series because it's soooooooo good yet criminally underrated. Like this has everything: intriguing magic system, a good romance that doesn't overpower the story, and of course balls and all. What more could you want?

[Victoria Arney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took FOREVER to get through. It was very slow to start and the world this is set in is pretty complex. I read the other 2 books a while ago so that may be part of why it felt so complicated.

The multiple povs was nice but it was confusing that Jordan and Quell’s povs were in the first person but Yagrin and Nore’s were not. That felt weird to me.

I will say I loved Jordan and Quell in the first books, but Yagrin and Nore were why I finished this one. Almost DNFed but then Yags and Nore’s story started moving forward so I had to finish for them.

I never DNF but I seriously almost did on this book. 2.5 ⭐️

[Kristy B. (SwaggerWaggon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare to find a series like this where every book is 5⭐️ but Ms. J. Elle did it! This was a phenomenal ending to a phenomenal series. the character development was great and I felt like there were no unanswered questions left. Top tier story!

[Brooke Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending felt rushed but otherwise it was a good conclusion to the trilogy. This trilogy from the start has been a five star series to me. I just loved the world and the characters and all the interesting relationships they all had.

[Bookishgirlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read! I don't know how she wrote this book, it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I could not put it down. This book was probably the best of the 3, I feel like the first and second book were leading up to this big grand finale; book 2 ended with the shattering sphere, which was kind of like the climax of the series. This dark romatasy felt different from the others I've read, in a good way. I didn't feel basic and definitely not a repeat of other books in this genre. I was kinda surprised on how many twists and turns all fit into one book which is why it never got boring (though sometimes when I read a chapter and I'm into it and then another POV comes and I'm like nooo I want to see what happens next😭)


I loved all the characters, they all had their flaws and I supported them with all my heart throughout their journeys, they were sooo relatable! There were a lot of touching moments and quotes that made me want to cry.

The Romance:

The romance was perfect, the way J.Elle kept it interesting with Jordan and Quell barely being able to touch each other, I'm literally reading their thoughts with their longings to be in each other's arms and it's sooo sweet. And how Quell was jealous of Yani (aka Jordan's ex) and his reaction😝 There's also Yagrin and Nore/Red, the way Yagrin didn't know Nore was Red (his dead lover) plus their slow burn romance was sooo satsisfying

I don't really like books with a lot of spice, but at the same time I want more than just passionate kisses, and the ways the characters thought of each other moved me soo much this was a perfect mix that satisfied me lol

I liked how the romance descriptions weren't just describing the scenes and what was going on, I could literally feel how strong Jordan and Quell's (also Yagrin and Nore) love for each other was because of the ways they put the other's needs before themselves, what they were willing to do/ what they did for each other, and even their thoughts. that's what real love is and is the build up + why the physical scenes are good in the first place.

Okay this quote though🤭
"He's so close, my lips part. I've stopped breathing.
"Self-control happens to be something I'm very good at." His breath on my lips sends a rush of heat all over my body. I lean toward him, daring him to kiss me. But he puts distance between us and heads to the door. I can't decide if I'm annoyed or impressed."

Okay guys, a few more quotes lol

We finally got some Abby + Quell moments, she was barely there in book 2!

" "Who is that? She points to Yani.
"Jordan's ex. Long story."
"Do we like her?"
"We definitely don't like her."
Abby gives her a condescending sneer, and my heart swells. I've missed having a friend."

"She is the sun, and I am the moon. Without her reflection, I have no light."
(Jordan thinking about Quell🥰)

"I will make a world that is safe for her, even if I have to burn this one down with my bare hands."

To close this up, I would definitely recommend reading this 5/5. I didn't really explain the themes of this book and the elements in it bc this is the last book and if you're this far into the series you're gonna read it anyway. I was just sharing my thoughts honestly.
I would write more but I'm too lazy

Blessings to this wonderful author and PLEAAAASE write more books it's hard to find good books these days!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎧 Title: Fortress of Ambrose-House of Marionne #3

✍🏾 Author: J. Elle-I've read books #1 and #2

📅Publication date: 10/14/25 | Read: 11/23/25

🗣️Narrators voice all the characters with standouts from Quell,Yagrin, and Jordan.The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️‍➡️Run Time: 17:06

Genre:
*Fantasy
*Romance
*Thriller
*YA

Tropes:
*magic
*house politics
*hidden secrets
*family drama/found family
*journey companions

👆🏾POV: 1st person multiple

⚠️TW: murder, betrayal, revenge

🌎 Setting: Washington D.C.

Summary: Quell and Jordan have to find a way to rid him of the sphere's magic which is killing him. Yagrin and Nore agree to work together to find the Immortality Scroll as Nore's brother Ellery plots to kill her.

👩🏾 Heroine: Raquell "Quell" Marionne-Headmistress of the House of Marionne

👨🏾 Hero: Jordan Wexton- a Dragunheart, took in the Sphere's magic

🎭 Other Characters:
*Yagrin Wexton-an assassin, helps Nore find the Immortality Scroll
*Nore Ambrose/Red-the heir to Ambrose- doesn't have any magic
*Ellery Ambrose-Nore's brother wants to kill her and become head of house
*Isla Ambrose-Nore and Ellery's mother
*Darragh Marionne-Quell's g-mother
*Rheanne "Rhea"-Quell's mother
*Knox, Willam-hates Jordan, Yani (Jordan's ex-girlfriend)-staying at a safe house but rebels against the houses and wants to start their own.

My Thoughts: I was underwhelmed with this book. It was a little boring following Nore and Yagrin and Quell and Jordan stumble around trying to fix magic too powerful for them.

Rating: 3.5/5 ✨

Spice level: 1/5 🔥 closed door

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Penguin Teen Canada for sending me an early copy of this book!! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion to this trilogy. The writing, the plot, the twists, and the romance all came together to create an amazing series that I never wanted to end.

I absolutely love this world. It’s set in our world, but with hidden magic that most people have no idea exists. I really enjoyed that this book delved deeper into the history of the order, and the origins of their magic.

One thing that really stood out to me was how much I enjoyed each character’s story. In books with multiple main characters, I sometimes find that I prefer some characters povs more than others, but that was not the case here. The author did such a great job at making me care for each of them, and I enjoyed each of their stories equally.

I highly recommend this series if you like:
- Magic school
- Mentor x mentee
- Forbidden love
- Morally grey characters
- Forbidden magic
- Assassin MMC
- Multiple main characters

Overall, this was such an amazing trilogy that only got better with each book. I look forward to reading more books from this author in the future!

[Amanda R Sims · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know how Hunger Games was really good, Catching Fire was straight 🔥🔥🔥, and then Mockingjay was kinda all over the place? That's exactly how I felt about this series. I really enjoyed Marionne. Perl was, in my opinion, even better. Ambrose, by comparison, felt very slow and repetitive. The two primary relationships went through the exact same arc in this book of misunderstanding, staying physically apart like repelling magnets despite allegedly being in love, and then fighting against each other's opinions instead of working through them. While I liked Nore more in this book than the last one, I just couldn't get behind the plot. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, which is a shame because the world building has been great. The characters are great. The plot and the character's actions: nonsense. Obvious traps, obvious spies, arguments that should have been edited out because they were based in issues that were transparently irrelevant.
3.25 stars, coasting entirely on my interest in the series as a whole.

[Crystal Cichanowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed book one, was heavily invested in book two, but this instalment firmly establishes the series as one I will confidently recommend. This series is underrated and more people need to read it.
I can’t believe it’s over. I was held in a vice grip from the beginning of this book until the very end. With how events has transpired earlier in the series, I did not know what to expect, how things would unfold, or the fate of any of the characters. The story was fast-paced, the atmosphere continued to be dark, and the magic system continued to be something truly unique. The characters continued to evolve and I really liked all of them - even when their motivations seemed a little selfish, they came through.
In short, this was an excellent conclusion to a phenomenal series and I recommend it to everyone.
Many thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group (vis Penguin Teen Canada) and NetGalley for an early digital copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honest and my own.

[Karrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fortress of Ambrose’s NetGalley sneak peek is a captivating glimpse into a conclusion to a thrilling fantasy realm, hurtling you straight into dark magic and escalating peril with short chapters leaving you desperate for more.

The multiple POVs can occasionally feel a bit challenging to follow at first, but they soon sharpen the political intrigue as the Sphere’s fracture begins to drain magic from the world.

Amid the chaos, Quell and Jordan’s growing bond provides sweet moments as they are racing to stop the dark magic consuming Jordan. Nore and Yagrin’s bond is also put to the test by unstable magic, further making this even harder to put down. You can practically feel the thrill building and emerging around every corner.

Complete with a lovely rendered front-map and a guide to the various Houses featured, this excerpt sparks a desire for the full story.
I can’t wait for the entire novel to drop and to lose myself once again in J. Elle’s mesmerizing world.

[Jessica Graper · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the first two books, but this one left me irritated. it's not the plot, it's the writing . I thought it was very choppy, like a complete thought wasn't finished and something else started happening. the characters seemed to be unrelatable. They were way to melodramatic about stuff. overall I just read this all the way through to complete the series, but the "plot twists" were so rushed that it didn't surprise me. kind of felt like the passion for this series ended at book two. this should've been compiled into two books with quell and jordan's povs and then a mini book for nore and yagrins pov . the switching between so many characters pov's got tiring and it felt way too stretched out. I hate when books have random info that doesn't add to the story and it kinda felt like by switching povs that sometimes the character was just doing something unimportant but the author had a pattern to maintain. that's why it would've been better for separate books.

[Greer Rutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but I dragged myself through it at the beginning. the pacing just wasn't great. the twists near the last third of the book made up for it, but I do feel like there were some things left undone about New Misa and how things wound up with Adola. I would have liked some more perspective on that because some of the ending points came out of nowhere. regardless this was a great and enjoyable ending and watching Quell becoming such a mature leader was LOVELY. especially because Jordan was such a baby. like I wanted to punch some sense him for 90% of the book. boy needs therapy badly. they all will. I also enjoyed hearing the themes of open mindedness. though again I think more could have been developed in certain parts of how the characters from the safe houses were hanging. so. it was fun but not the most well written finale in the world.

[Samantha Schipper-Voorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a read the sneak peak via netgalley and these are my honest thoughts about it.A little sneak peak of a thrilling fantasy novel. And what a sneak peak it was! I just need more! I cant wait for the whole book.

The book has multiple povs, wich is bit confusing to me in the beginning. But i have that with all books that have multiple povs, so i dont blame the book. From the pages that are there in the sneak peak, you feel the adventure that is lurking in the book. It has an interesting magical setting, with magic disapearing because of the broken Sphere. A beautifull map in the front of the book, and an explanation of the different houses that take part in the book.

[Sportochick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Sneek Peek I got to read is mesmerizing. It is dark and secretive with a twist of love. I can't wait to see how the author develops this final book to the series. It is everything the description states with multiple dark plots going on capturing this readers attention filling me with anticipation to read the full book to the final page.

Another asset to the storyline in the robust group of characters keeping the story progressing quickly and with intrigue. I love books with this many characters.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fortress of Ambrose (NetGalley sneak peek) throws you right back into J. Elle’s world of dark magic and rising chaos with short, punchy chapters that keep you hooked. The multiple POVs can be a little dizzying at first, but they add depth to the political tension as magic unravels. Quell and Jordan’s growing bond is sweet amid the danger, and Nore and Yagrin’s struggle adds even more emotional weight.

[The Book and Bubble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fortress of Ambrose is a wonderful conclusion to the House of Marionne trilogy. I really enjoyed how everything came together.

Jordan and Quell's relationship is tested as they try to remove the dark magic inside him, and Quell steps into her role as leader of her house-determined to make things better for everyone. I also loved seeing the growth between Yagrin and Nore, and how far he's willing to go for her.

We get more on the origins of magic and finally learn who Quell's father is. It's a strong ending to a wonderful trilogy, even though the quick jumps between characters made it a little less smooth for me at times.

[Amy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun reading this book. I had fun with the series. I thought there was soooo much detail in the beginning l, and then all of a sudden all the puzzle pieces started to fall into place at the end. Glad there was a happy ending. I feel like the story could have used less detail in the beginning, and there were some characters that seemed to be main characters in the plot but then their performance was lack luster.
Anyways, I had fun.

[Sarah Hickner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Redemption for the matriarchs! They were not the selfish witches they seemed to be.
Alls well that ends well- as long as the dragon head is in the ground.
This was a solid finish to a fantasy series. It did get a bit draggy in the middle, and I found myself checking to see how much of the book was left, but there were a A LOT of overlapping threads to wrap up.
Overall I enjoyed this series. It was clean- no language or sex on the page.

[Tina Gromski · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Fortress of Ambrose by J. Elle

Very rarely am I immediately certain I'll reread a book, let alone a series. But I know I'll revisit this story again!
This story was so captivating, and immersive that I completely ignored my TBR to finish it. Isn't that what leisure reading is all about anyway?
Magic set in present day real-world, with romantic relationships that get about as spicy as a radish 🫜 (I think that might be a turnip...) Includes death and manipulation, but I would find it suitable for a middle grade reader already familiar with similar subject matter.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this conclusion to the series. The author did a great job of bringing everything back together. The highlight for me was the relationship between Nore and Yagrin. I still love Quell and Jordan, but for some reason, Nore and Yagrin stole the show for me! 3.5 stars

“I’m yours. Only yours. As far as I see, there was no one before you. There will be no one after.”

There is a song my heart sings, and only he seems to know the words. And I want to hear him sing it over and over.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - I said this in my review of Shadows of Perl: do not read if you haven't read the first in the series. I had hopes for this, but even having read both earlier books, it's difficult to read (weak world/magic building, too many POVs, feels like 1-2 books stretched into 3).

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.

[Jana (HokuGirlReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series so much, so I was so excited to read the conclusion to this series. This series does need to be read in order but it’s an absolutely engaging academy based fantasy filled with mystery, magic and many many secrets.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this ending to a great YA fantasy series. I’ve come to love all of the characters. This book was a page turner. Nore and Yagrin’s story is so emotional. I’m happy with how everything came together at the end. It was a satisfying conclusion

[Caitlin]

Counting down the days!! So excited for this finale AND it’s releasing on my birthday month!🥳