What do you think?
House of Marionne #3
Fortress of Ambrose
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 treachero's 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?
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 treachero's 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?
Audible Audio
First published October 14, 2025
About the author
J. Elle
19 books1,581 followersJ. 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
November 17, 2025
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
November 8, 2025
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
Overall: 2.5
March 12, 2026
"Fortess of Ambrose" is the final installment in the House of Marionne series. Since it has been more than a year since I've read "Shadows of Perl", I was a bit afraid I wouldn't be able to follow the story anymore. Luckily, from the very first page I was again immersed in the magical and dangerous world of the Order and Houses.
The book picks up immediately after the events of the second one, and you can really feel the tension from the very first page. There are clearly still a lot of secrets kept hidden, and you desperately want to unravel them. The setting of this book is also a bit more mysterious and darker than the previous one, which I really enjoyed.
Both Quell and Jordan struggle with new responsibilities while they try to find a solution for the shattered Sphere. On the other hand, we follow Nore and Yagrin, who are both trying to find remnants of an old relic. An alliance has been formed, but betrayal might lurk right around the corner. The four perspectives were interesting; each of the characters was unique on its own and had their own secrets kept. This made the interactions between them interesting, since you as a reader know they are not being completely honest with each other.
One thing I absolutely adored about this book was the romance. This book is definitely packed with a lot of emotion and feelings, which made the romantic plotlines really stand out. I really liked seeing how the tension between Nore and Yagrin was slowly developing into something more. On the other hand, the struggles Quell and Jordan had to deal with also felt very realistic, and I just had to keep rooting for their happy ending.
Throughout the entire book there was a lot of suspense; however, the final battle felt relatively short and rushed. It could have lasted a bit longer, because overall it felt like everything was a bit too easy. However, I'm overly satisfied with the conclusion of the book. I think it is beautiful how the Houses have been reshaped and the magic is distributed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series. I'm a bit sad to say goodbye to the characters, but I might reread this in the future.
The book picks up immediately after the events of the second one, and you can really feel the tension from the very first page. There are clearly still a lot of secrets kept hidden, and you desperately want to unravel them. The setting of this book is also a bit more mysterious and darker than the previous one, which I really enjoyed.
Both Quell and Jordan struggle with new responsibilities while they try to find a solution for the shattered Sphere. On the other hand, we follow Nore and Yagrin, who are both trying to find remnants of an old relic. An alliance has been formed, but betrayal might lurk right around the corner. The four perspectives were interesting; each of the characters was unique on its own and had their own secrets kept. This made the interactions between them interesting, since you as a reader know they are not being completely honest with each other.
One thing I absolutely adored about this book was the romance. This book is definitely packed with a lot of emotion and feelings, which made the romantic plotlines really stand out. I really liked seeing how the tension between Nore and Yagrin was slowly developing into something more. On the other hand, the struggles Quell and Jordan had to deal with also felt very realistic, and I just had to keep rooting for their happy ending.
Throughout the entire book there was a lot of suspense; however, the final battle felt relatively short and rushed. It could have lasted a bit longer, because overall it felt like everything was a bit too easy. However, I'm overly satisfied with the conclusion of the book. I think it is beautiful how the Houses have been reshaped and the magic is distributed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series. I'm a bit sad to say goodbye to the characters, but I might reread this in the future.
November 8, 2025
I became the Literary Flash speedrunning this and it STILL took centuries off my life.
October 7, 2026
house of marionne is one of my all time favorite books so i’m upset that the rest of the series fell flat for me😕 there was an unexpected twist at the end but it just took sooooo long to get there. i feel like the plot was dragged out for way too long and this could have just been a duology. i do love the world and the characters (nore and yagrin🤭♥️ literally my favs) and im obsessed with abby i just wish she had a bigger plot line in the series
June 5, 2026
that was a nice ending!! all loose ends tied
Read
April 27, 2025yes, 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
September 6, 2026
Fortress of Ambrose is the final book in the House of Marionne trilogy by J. Elle and I must say it was quite much. I don't know if reading it during a week where I was still stressing about many things and worrying about other various things just made it harder to get into, but this book was a bit of a bear to manage. I am not sure if it was all outside circumstances as the story was interesting, but at times the pacing did start to drag me down as well.
The book opens to a bit of chaos. Jordan has taken in all the magic that was stored in the Sphere and now things are just a mess in the world because of it. Quell is trying to find Jordan who went off on his own to deal with the magic and learn how to work with it and not have it destroy him from the inside out, which it is bound to do if he doesn't find a solution quickly.
Then we have Nore and Yagrin dealing with their own emotional turmoil and Nore's new status as House Headmistress. I guess having multiple points of view again which continued to have a full cast of characters mixed throughout just continued to confuse me. Yes, I was vaguely remembering some of them from having read the second book but things were just messy and hard to follow at times. I did find Nore and Yagrin's drama to be more "entertaining." Not that it was a laugh riot or anything, but the drama and continued secrets between them made things a little more interesting and dangerous. As the two continue to search for pieces of the Scroll in order to keep Nore's brother from killing her and taking all the power of their House for himself.
Again, with a book that pushes nearly 500 pages or technically over if you read the House history pages in the afterword, things are thick and detailed and sometimes a little hard to follow. Again, maybe it was my circumstances that was making this book a bit of a bear to get through. In typical YA fashion, each of our quartet of lovers were keeping secrets from their partner and trying to do things to protect or save the other without said other knowing or getting involved. You know, those tropes that tend to pop up in the save the world YA romances! It's all in good fun of course. It's not that I loathe the trop scenario, it can be eyeroll worthy of course, but it does enhance the tension and drama.
There were two romances to follow with Yagrin and Nore and Jordan and Quell. I tended to favor Yagrin and Nore a bit more, not sure why really, but I guess because they maybe had more past secrets they had to overcome with one another that made things more tense between them.
Because the pacing was a little on the slow side and my own mind was in a bit of turmoil this week, my recollection of all things that happened was getting dimmer. Maybe it's age, lol. Or maybe this just wasn't the right time to read this particular series. It was still enjoyable and I liked Elle's take on magic and how it worked in this world, but yeah, this book just didn't resonate much with me. But I am really thinking it was my timing and outside circumstances that made me feel disconnected with this story. Still looking forward to Elle's new series but yeah, this one just wasn't much of a win for me this time around.
Overall Rating 2/5 stars
The book opens to a bit of chaos. Jordan has taken in all the magic that was stored in the Sphere and now things are just a mess in the world because of it. Quell is trying to find Jordan who went off on his own to deal with the magic and learn how to work with it and not have it destroy him from the inside out, which it is bound to do if he doesn't find a solution quickly.
Then we have Nore and Yagrin dealing with their own emotional turmoil and Nore's new status as House Headmistress. I guess having multiple points of view again which continued to have a full cast of characters mixed throughout just continued to confuse me. Yes, I was vaguely remembering some of them from having read the second book but things were just messy and hard to follow at times. I did find Nore and Yagrin's drama to be more "entertaining." Not that it was a laugh riot or anything, but the drama and continued secrets between them made things a little more interesting and dangerous. As the two continue to search for pieces of the Scroll in order to keep Nore's brother from killing her and taking all the power of their House for himself.
Again, with a book that pushes nearly 500 pages or technically over if you read the House history pages in the afterword, things are thick and detailed and sometimes a little hard to follow. Again, maybe it was my circumstances that was making this book a bit of a bear to get through. In typical YA fashion, each of our quartet of lovers were keeping secrets from their partner and trying to do things to protect or save the other without said other knowing or getting involved. You know, those tropes that tend to pop up in the save the world YA romances! It's all in good fun of course. It's not that I loathe the trop scenario, it can be eyeroll worthy of course, but it does enhance the tension and drama.
There were two romances to follow with Yagrin and Nore and Jordan and Quell. I tended to favor Yagrin and Nore a bit more, not sure why really, but I guess because they maybe had more past secrets they had to overcome with one another that made things more tense between them.
Because the pacing was a little on the slow side and my own mind was in a bit of turmoil this week, my recollection of all things that happened was getting dimmer. Maybe it's age, lol. Or maybe this just wasn't the right time to read this particular series. It was still enjoyable and I liked Elle's take on magic and how it worked in this world, but yeah, this book just didn't resonate much with me. But I am really thinking it was my timing and outside circumstances that made me feel disconnected with this story. Still looking forward to Elle's new series but yeah, this one just wasn't much of a win for me this time around.
Overall Rating 2/5 stars
August 1, 2026
Carissimi Book Lovers, oggi sul blog vi parlo di "Fortress of Ambrose" di J. Elle, l'esplosivo finale della serie bestseller House of Marionne: un dark romantic fantasy indimenticabile dove la libertà ha un prezzo troppo alto e l'amore si gioca il tutto per tutto.
Con il futuro dell'Ordine ormai avvolto in un'incertezza soffocante e il tradimento che striscia spietato tra le sue fila, Quell Marionne si ritrova dolorosamente sola. Le persone su cui contava se ne sono andate e la cupa eredità che cerca di distruggerla non smette di darle la caccia. Ma una rivelazione sconvolgente la pone di fronte all'enigma più atroce della sua vita: trasformarsi nell'eroina di cui la magia ha disperatamente bisogno o salvare l'uomo che ama? Nel frattempo, l'oscurità sta reclamando l'anima di Jordan Wexton, costretto a diventare ciò che ha sempre odiato pur di non farsi divorare dal potere che lo corrompe.
Quell non è una protagonista invincibile, ma una giovane donna ferita, abbandonata e schiacciata dal peso di un'eredità oscura. Il momento in cui si ritrova al bivio tra il dovere morale verso il mondo magico e il desiderio disperato di salvare Jordan è da brividi. Vederla lottare contro la solitudine e le proprie paure mi ha stretto lo stomaco in una morsa di pura empatia.
Jordan è una delle parabole più dolorose e affascinanti dell'intera trilogia. L'oscurità che si impossessa del suo spirito lo costringe a trasformarsi nel mostro che gli avevano insegnato a odiare. La sua è una battaglia interna lacerante per non farsi consumare dal potere, mentre tenta di proteggere ciò che resta della sua umanità.
A rendere la narrazione ancora più esplosiva e imprevedibile è la presenza di figure complesse come l'astioso assassino Yagrin Wexton e Nore Ambrose, l'erede drammaticamente priva di poteri. Questo gruppo spaiato e lacerato da antiche rivalità e tradimenti deve muoversi insieme su una scacchiera mortale. Il lettore viene continuamente catturato dal dubbio: sarà l'amore a salvare il loro destino, o i segreti finiranno per distruggere ogni cosa per sempre?
La scrittura di J. Elle in questo capitolo conclusivo raggiunge vette di intensità drammatica eccezionali. Con uno stile incalzante, vibrante e ricco di atmosfera, l'autrice annulla del tutto il confine tra magia lecita e proibita, trascinando il lettore in un terreno scivoloso dove fidarsi di qualcuno significa rischiare la vita.
"Fortress of Ambrose" è la degna conclusione di una saga straordinaria. È un romanzo che vi farà battere il cuore all'impazzata, vi strapperà qualche lacrima e vi farà desiderare di non uscire mai da questo universo. Se amate i fantasy epici, ricchi di magia, romanticismo oscuro e colpi di scena struggenti, dovete assolutamente immergervi nella lettura.
Con il futuro dell'Ordine ormai avvolto in un'incertezza soffocante e il tradimento che striscia spietato tra le sue fila, Quell Marionne si ritrova dolorosamente sola. Le persone su cui contava se ne sono andate e la cupa eredità che cerca di distruggerla non smette di darle la caccia. Ma una rivelazione sconvolgente la pone di fronte all'enigma più atroce della sua vita: trasformarsi nell'eroina di cui la magia ha disperatamente bisogno o salvare l'uomo che ama? Nel frattempo, l'oscurità sta reclamando l'anima di Jordan Wexton, costretto a diventare ciò che ha sempre odiato pur di non farsi divorare dal potere che lo corrompe.
Quell non è una protagonista invincibile, ma una giovane donna ferita, abbandonata e schiacciata dal peso di un'eredità oscura. Il momento in cui si ritrova al bivio tra il dovere morale verso il mondo magico e il desiderio disperato di salvare Jordan è da brividi. Vederla lottare contro la solitudine e le proprie paure mi ha stretto lo stomaco in una morsa di pura empatia.
Jordan è una delle parabole più dolorose e affascinanti dell'intera trilogia. L'oscurità che si impossessa del suo spirito lo costringe a trasformarsi nel mostro che gli avevano insegnato a odiare. La sua è una battaglia interna lacerante per non farsi consumare dal potere, mentre tenta di proteggere ciò che resta della sua umanità.
A rendere la narrazione ancora più esplosiva e imprevedibile è la presenza di figure complesse come l'astioso assassino Yagrin Wexton e Nore Ambrose, l'erede drammaticamente priva di poteri. Questo gruppo spaiato e lacerato da antiche rivalità e tradimenti deve muoversi insieme su una scacchiera mortale. Il lettore viene continuamente catturato dal dubbio: sarà l'amore a salvare il loro destino, o i segreti finiranno per distruggere ogni cosa per sempre?
La scrittura di J. Elle in questo capitolo conclusivo raggiunge vette di intensità drammatica eccezionali. Con uno stile incalzante, vibrante e ricco di atmosfera, l'autrice annulla del tutto il confine tra magia lecita e proibita, trascinando il lettore in un terreno scivoloso dove fidarsi di qualcuno significa rischiare la vita.
"Fortress of Ambrose" è la degna conclusione di una saga straordinaria. È un romanzo che vi farà battere il cuore all'impazzata, vi strapperà qualche lacrima e vi farà desiderare di non uscire mai da questo universo. Se amate i fantasy epici, ricchi di magia, romanticismo oscuro e colpi di scena struggenti, dovete assolutamente immergervi nella lettura.
October 22, 2025
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
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
March 1, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
July 23, 2026
The idea is there. The execution is not.
November 21, 2025
*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?
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?
November 10, 2025
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 ⭐️
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 ⭐️
January 16, 2026
Fortress of Ambrose is the finale to the House of Marionne series by J. Elle. The book series includes the books House of Marionne, Shadows of Perl and Fortress of Ambrose. I was super excited for this book. I was even eagerly counting down the days till its release date. I got the book precisely on the release date. I went on vacation during that week to New York City so it was a vacation read in a sense. My feeling about this book could be summarised in two words: Loved it. I do have some complaints but as a whole I loved it (Don't worry I will elaborate!). I even reread the book one more time after I finished it. Yes, I was that obsessed! Anyway I would give this 5 stars and I will try to tell why whilst fangirling and not giving out spoilers😉. Mainly because I know that if I were you I would not read a book just because some random person (such as I) gave it a positive review so I will tell you why I believe this book is five stars and why I believe you may be interested in it!
This book was comprised of two separate plots and romantic couples. The main plot is Quell and Jordan (who are the romantic couple) and the subplot is Yagrin and Nore. In the main plot Quell is dealing with being the new Headmistress of House of Marionne which is a magical teaching facility (just think the Houses of Harry Potter without the selection process in different places). At the same time Jordan is dealing with literally consuming the magic (and forbidden magic toushana) from the Sphere which is the source? root? (I honestly am not sure) of all magic. And because magic is overpowered it is slowly killing him and throughout the book they are working on finding a cure for him. By they I mean Quell and Jordan. Now to the subplot which I was way more interested in. Yagrin and Nore are looking for the pieces to a fabled Scroll of Immortality. The pieces are in each of the Houses ,including House of Marionne. The Houses are Duncan, Ambrose, Perl, Marionne and Oralia. Nore as we know from the last books is the Heir to House of Ambrose which means provided her mother abdicates (death or some other way) she will become Headmistress of House of Ambrose. Now minor spoiler: she becomes Headmistress of House of Ambrose. Kirkus Reviews spoiled that so I guess I can too. Nore wants the scroll because she does not have magic and does not want to be Headmistress so she intends to use the Immortality Scroll on her mother so that Nore will never be Headmistress(or something like that). Yagrin is helping her find the Immortality Scroll except he has ulterior motives. Yagrin wants to resurrect his dead girlfriend Red. What he does not know however is that his dead girlfriend is not dead and she is actually Nore Ambrose. As you can surmise the tension is sky-high between Nore and Yagrin.
So I still loved Yagrin the most. He remains my favorite character in this series. I was still not too interested in Quell but I think she was way more tolerable to me at least in this book. I mean she was less rageful in this book and more calm. I imagine that is because of her new status as Headmistress. I really like the character change from Shadows of Perl to this book. It is really easy to see that she grows as a person. Of course it is not Zuko-level character change but I liked it. Jordan.....Well to be honest I was kind of bored of his character. He did not really do much in this book he was busy trying to get himself cured so there is not really any action with him. I did not feel like he had any value to plot outside of his relationship Quell and Yagrin. Now we go to Nore. Nore was excellent I enjoyed reading about her relationships with her mother and Yagrin. Nore and Yagrin's romantic relationship touched my heart and I liked that they were in a way equals in their relationship without one dominating over the other. That is actually one thing I like generally across J. Elle's writing when it comes to romantic relationships in this book series. Even Quell and Jordan's relationship is like that. I have read so many books where either the male or female is dominating and the partner is submissive (I am not even someone who reads those mafia romances ). In most books I have read it is subtle but there. I do not have a problem with that in any way but it is really common to see relationships like that, especially in YA. That is why it was a breath of fresh air to read this series in which both are equals in the relationship (it kind of represents my ideal relationship to be honest). Loved their banter too!! Also Yagrin and Nore were just so supportive of each other (Yagrin is the one who is more supportive in this book but that is just because of the events). Aside from Nore's relationships, she was facing a lot turmoil inside relating to her new position as Headmistress and the traditions of her House. I cannot give spoilers but I liked how she dealt with it. In one instance in the book relating to her House traditions she dealt with it with so much spine and fight. Basically I enjoyed every character except Jordan but even so, I did not hate him actively; I was just bored of him.
Onto my complaints about this book. I know my tendency to talk a lot so I am going to preface this by saying my complaints are minor and did not detract from me enjoying the book. The copy I got from my library had some typos. I saw this in my book:"Angerp". It kind of caught me off-guard and I was wondering how this escaped notice. Also on the typical QWERTY keyboard r and p are really far away p is also really far away from Enter key which I am guessing who ever typed this out wanted to click since there was a line break. I am honestly just wondering how do you accidentally click p instead of Enter. It is also not so close by to r so you cannot really justify that r and p were accidentally clicked at once. Seriously, You would have to intentionally click both for that to happen. I think there was more but I am forgetting. There was also some basic subject-verb errors. At one point when this book was referring to Isla Ambrose who I can infer is a she/her (if she went by another pronoun the author did not explicitly say so) referred to as they in one sentence. This also caught me off-guard because she was referred to as she just a sentence prior. I read that over and over again to check if I missed something and I did not see any potential explanation so I believe it is a mistake. I caught the Angerp thing on my first read which is seriously an error on the whoever inspected the book's grammar and spelling because such an error is glaring even on the first read and it is not an error someone who is nitpicking on their 20th read would only catch. I only saw the subject-verb thing on my second read and even I would have not caught it if I did not take grammar lessons. Throughout this book there were so many romantic scenes. A lot of times it was cute but it was also too romantic for me at times so I skipped those pages. Most of these were in the Yagrin and Nore subplot. It was the same case for these angsty scenes that hold so much weight to the plot that I am scared of what happens next. It is kind of like the fear of looking closely at a burn on your skin for fear it will be severe and therefore horrifying. However, at the end of the day my intolerance (sort of) for romantic scenes and angsty weighty scenes is a me problem and not an author problem. If anything those scenes make a book way more special and treasured (at least to me). I think that concludes my complaints.
My main issues with this book was some spelling and grammar errors in the copy I received that should have been fixed. I enjoyed all of the characters incredibly. 5stars to Fortress of Ambrose. I loved this trilogy from start to end and I am glad I found the first book two years ago and decided to do a cover read. This book is one of my success stories from reading books for superficial puposes. To be honest the blurb would not have intrigued me as much as it would have if not for the cover. The book series really improved from start to finish. If you were to ask me which book in the House of Marionne it would be this book. Other than the characters there were several shocking reveals and plot twists. The most fun part is I did not see any of them coming at all! And I even tried predicting some! I would recommend this book to those who are fans of fantasy, romance and original worldbuilding. I would also recommend this to people who want truly shocking bombshells. J. Elle is too good at reveals! This is the first series I have fully reviewed on my blog! Wow I typed so much! It has been a pleasure to read and share my thoughts with you all. Cheers to one series completed and perhaps hundreds more to come! Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed this review!
This book was comprised of two separate plots and romantic couples. The main plot is Quell and Jordan (who are the romantic couple) and the subplot is Yagrin and Nore. In the main plot Quell is dealing with being the new Headmistress of House of Marionne which is a magical teaching facility (just think the Houses of Harry Potter without the selection process in different places). At the same time Jordan is dealing with literally consuming the magic (and forbidden magic toushana) from the Sphere which is the source? root? (I honestly am not sure) of all magic. And because magic is overpowered it is slowly killing him and throughout the book they are working on finding a cure for him. By they I mean Quell and Jordan. Now to the subplot which I was way more interested in. Yagrin and Nore are looking for the pieces to a fabled Scroll of Immortality. The pieces are in each of the Houses ,including House of Marionne. The Houses are Duncan, Ambrose, Perl, Marionne and Oralia. Nore as we know from the last books is the Heir to House of Ambrose which means provided her mother abdicates (death or some other way) she will become Headmistress of House of Ambrose. Now minor spoiler: she becomes Headmistress of House of Ambrose. Kirkus Reviews spoiled that so I guess I can too. Nore wants the scroll because she does not have magic and does not want to be Headmistress so she intends to use the Immortality Scroll on her mother so that Nore will never be Headmistress(or something like that). Yagrin is helping her find the Immortality Scroll except he has ulterior motives. Yagrin wants to resurrect his dead girlfriend Red. What he does not know however is that his dead girlfriend is not dead and she is actually Nore Ambrose. As you can surmise the tension is sky-high between Nore and Yagrin.
So I still loved Yagrin the most. He remains my favorite character in this series. I was still not too interested in Quell but I think she was way more tolerable to me at least in this book. I mean she was less rageful in this book and more calm. I imagine that is because of her new status as Headmistress. I really like the character change from Shadows of Perl to this book. It is really easy to see that she grows as a person. Of course it is not Zuko-level character change but I liked it. Jordan.....Well to be honest I was kind of bored of his character. He did not really do much in this book he was busy trying to get himself cured so there is not really any action with him. I did not feel like he had any value to plot outside of his relationship Quell and Yagrin. Now we go to Nore. Nore was excellent I enjoyed reading about her relationships with her mother and Yagrin. Nore and Yagrin's romantic relationship touched my heart and I liked that they were in a way equals in their relationship without one dominating over the other. That is actually one thing I like generally across J. Elle's writing when it comes to romantic relationships in this book series. Even Quell and Jordan's relationship is like that. I have read so many books where either the male or female is dominating and the partner is submissive (I am not even someone who reads those mafia romances ). In most books I have read it is subtle but there. I do not have a problem with that in any way but it is really common to see relationships like that, especially in YA. That is why it was a breath of fresh air to read this series in which both are equals in the relationship (it kind of represents my ideal relationship to be honest). Loved their banter too!! Also Yagrin and Nore were just so supportive of each other (Yagrin is the one who is more supportive in this book but that is just because of the events). Aside from Nore's relationships, she was facing a lot turmoil inside relating to her new position as Headmistress and the traditions of her House. I cannot give spoilers but I liked how she dealt with it. In one instance in the book relating to her House traditions she dealt with it with so much spine and fight. Basically I enjoyed every character except Jordan but even so, I did not hate him actively; I was just bored of him.
Onto my complaints about this book. I know my tendency to talk a lot so I am going to preface this by saying my complaints are minor and did not detract from me enjoying the book. The copy I got from my library had some typos. I saw this in my book:"Angerp". It kind of caught me off-guard and I was wondering how this escaped notice. Also on the typical QWERTY keyboard r and p are really far away p is also really far away from Enter key which I am guessing who ever typed this out wanted to click since there was a line break. I am honestly just wondering how do you accidentally click p instead of Enter. It is also not so close by to r so you cannot really justify that r and p were accidentally clicked at once. Seriously, You would have to intentionally click both for that to happen. I think there was more but I am forgetting. There was also some basic subject-verb errors. At one point when this book was referring to Isla Ambrose who I can infer is a she/her (if she went by another pronoun the author did not explicitly say so) referred to as they in one sentence. This also caught me off-guard because she was referred to as she just a sentence prior. I read that over and over again to check if I missed something and I did not see any potential explanation so I believe it is a mistake. I caught the Angerp thing on my first read which is seriously an error on the whoever inspected the book's grammar and spelling because such an error is glaring even on the first read and it is not an error someone who is nitpicking on their 20th read would only catch. I only saw the subject-verb thing on my second read and even I would have not caught it if I did not take grammar lessons. Throughout this book there were so many romantic scenes. A lot of times it was cute but it was also too romantic for me at times so I skipped those pages. Most of these were in the Yagrin and Nore subplot. It was the same case for these angsty scenes that hold so much weight to the plot that I am scared of what happens next. It is kind of like the fear of looking closely at a burn on your skin for fear it will be severe and therefore horrifying. However, at the end of the day my intolerance (sort of) for romantic scenes and angsty weighty scenes is a me problem and not an author problem. If anything those scenes make a book way more special and treasured (at least to me). I think that concludes my complaints.
My main issues with this book was some spelling and grammar errors in the copy I received that should have been fixed. I enjoyed all of the characters incredibly. 5stars to Fortress of Ambrose. I loved this trilogy from start to end and I am glad I found the first book two years ago and decided to do a cover read. This book is one of my success stories from reading books for superficial puposes. To be honest the blurb would not have intrigued me as much as it would have if not for the cover. The book series really improved from start to finish. If you were to ask me which book in the House of Marionne it would be this book. Other than the characters there were several shocking reveals and plot twists. The most fun part is I did not see any of them coming at all! And I even tried predicting some! I would recommend this book to those who are fans of fantasy, romance and original worldbuilding. I would also recommend this to people who want truly shocking bombshells. J. Elle is too good at reveals! This is the first series I have fully reviewed on my blog! Wow I typed so much! It has been a pleasure to read and share my thoughts with you all. Cheers to one series completed and perhaps hundreds more to come! Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed this review!
Did Not Finish
April 11, 2026The first book was amazing. The second book was pretty good. This book screeches the series to a halting stop. I had to stop reading this book and entertain myself with another. NOTHING WAS HAPPENING! Well, nothing new.
July 3, 2025
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!
June 28, 2025
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.
November 19, 2025
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.
October 16, 2025
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!
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!
February 17, 2026
Fortress of Ambrose is not my favorite book in the trilogy; however, it delivered a conclusion that brought this world full circle.
The Order is crumbling (thank gods!), corruption is exposed, and the Sphere’s magic has entered a human vessel, Jordan. There are shifting alliances, Houses scrambling for control, new leadership, and the terrifying reality that magic is no longer reliable.
Again, the multiple POV structure really shines. At times, the quick shifts can feel dizzying, but ultimately they add to the narrative. When the threads begin to converge, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Now for the romance...because we need to talk about it!
While Quell and Jordan are the original backbone of the series, I struggled with them for a large portion of this book. Jordan’s internal battle with the darkness inside him is compelling in theory, but in practice, their dynamic felt repetitive and frustrating for much of the story. There was a lot of miscommunication and martyr complexes. I found myself honestly annoyed with them for probably 80% of the book. Their love went from innocent and inspiring to intense and borderline toxic (ahem, Jordan!).
On the other hand…Nore and Yagrin absolutely stole the show.
Their relationship had genuine development. The emotional push and pull between them was devastating in the best way. I was far more invested in their bond, their sacrifices, and the risks they were willing to take for each other. Every scene between them had weight. If anything, I would have happily read an entire spin-off centered on those two (J. ELLE, PLEEEEEASE!).
Beyond the romance I appreciated how the story explored power and equality; who gets access to magic, who decides what is “good,” and what rebuilding a corrupt system truly requires. The hard choices surrounding leadership all added nuance. I especially felt this with Quell seemingly abandoning her duties as a leader, whereas Nore seemed to fall into the leadership position quite seamlessly. There’s a clear message here about dismantling systems rather than simply surviving them, and I loved that the resolution wasn’t easy or simple.
The Order is crumbling (thank gods!), corruption is exposed, and the Sphere’s magic has entered a human vessel, Jordan. There are shifting alliances, Houses scrambling for control, new leadership, and the terrifying reality that magic is no longer reliable.
Again, the multiple POV structure really shines. At times, the quick shifts can feel dizzying, but ultimately they add to the narrative. When the threads begin to converge, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Now for the romance...because we need to talk about it!
While Quell and Jordan are the original backbone of the series, I struggled with them for a large portion of this book. Jordan’s internal battle with the darkness inside him is compelling in theory, but in practice, their dynamic felt repetitive and frustrating for much of the story. There was a lot of miscommunication and martyr complexes. I found myself honestly annoyed with them for probably 80% of the book. Their love went from innocent and inspiring to intense and borderline toxic (ahem, Jordan!).
On the other hand…Nore and Yagrin absolutely stole the show.
Their relationship had genuine development. The emotional push and pull between them was devastating in the best way. I was far more invested in their bond, their sacrifices, and the risks they were willing to take for each other. Every scene between them had weight. If anything, I would have happily read an entire spin-off centered on those two (J. ELLE, PLEEEEEASE!).
Beyond the romance I appreciated how the story explored power and equality; who gets access to magic, who decides what is “good,” and what rebuilding a corrupt system truly requires. The hard choices surrounding leadership all added nuance. I especially felt this with Quell seemingly abandoning her duties as a leader, whereas Nore seemed to fall into the leadership position quite seamlessly. There’s a clear message here about dismantling systems rather than simply surviving them, and I loved that the resolution wasn’t easy or simple.
November 23, 2025
🎧 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
✍🏾 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
October 8, 2026
I just felt like the ending was veeeeery rushed. There were problems after probelms piling on top if each other, and then boom everything was solved in the last chapter...
The story telling is good, but I feel like the first book was the best one, this book kind of felt like it changed it's main purpose. Quell felt like a side character, and Nore the main character. Yagrin being ready to sacrfice his own brother to save Nore was a bit too harsh, how can you go from that to changing your mind in the last second.
I really don't know how I feel about this book...
One thing that I still can't accept is how/when/why the dragunhead was Quells father? It makes no sense, it was just brought up in end if the book and it felt like that conclusion came from the blue. I liked the plot twist where Nore found out that the dragunhead was her father, it made sense. But him also being Quells dad was a bit wierd.
Another thing is, I thought finding Quells mom would be a bigger event (I already knew she was alive the moment Quell thought she was dead, it was kinda obvious). The first 2 books were alll about finding her mom, and now when she finally does find her it just felt flat... I mean with all the time she spent looking for her, and emotions she felt losing her mother, it didnt make sense for her just to hug her mother when she found her and then part ways, only for her to briefly be mentioned again in the very end..
Overall, I liked the first book the most, this one not so much. I do think the author is very good at storytelling, it's just that this last book felt kind of rushed, maybe with just a bit better planning maybe it would have turned out better. I'm no author so I don't know what goes into writing books, but that's just my opinion.
The story telling is good, but I feel like the first book was the best one, this book kind of felt like it changed it's main purpose. Quell felt like a side character, and Nore the main character. Yagrin being ready to sacrfice his own brother to save Nore was a bit too harsh, how can you go from that to changing your mind in the last second.
I really don't know how I feel about this book...
One thing that I still can't accept is how/when/why the dragunhead was Quells father? It makes no sense, it was just brought up in end if the book and it felt like that conclusion came from the blue. I liked the plot twist where Nore found out that the dragunhead was her father, it made sense. But him also being Quells dad was a bit wierd.
Another thing is, I thought finding Quells mom would be a bigger event (I already knew she was alive the moment Quell thought she was dead, it was kinda obvious). The first 2 books were alll about finding her mom, and now when she finally does find her it just felt flat... I mean with all the time she spent looking for her, and emotions she felt losing her mother, it didnt make sense for her just to hug her mother when she found her and then part ways, only for her to briefly be mentioned again in the very end..
Overall, I liked the first book the most, this one not so much. I do think the author is very good at storytelling, it's just that this last book felt kind of rushed, maybe with just a bit better planning maybe it would have turned out better. I'm no author so I don't know what goes into writing books, but that's just my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2026
I received a sneak peek of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I’ve since purchased a copy and read it in its entirety.
This is the finale to The House of Marionne Trilogy, and while I’m genuinely sad to see it end, I’m hopeful that J. Elle might one day return to this world—especially with the new dynamics introduced in this conclusion.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series from start to finish. Although this final installment felt a bit slower than its predecessors, my love for the characters and the richly layered magical world never wavered. The emotional stakes remain strong, and the expansion of the world-building continues to shine. Reading this during Black History Month felt especially meaningful, as this series so beautifully written within an intricate, powerful fantasy narrative from a POC author.
If I had one small critique, it would be that the miscommunication trope lingered a bit longer than necessary. Even so, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Imagining and exploring this magical world has been a true joy. I would absolutely love to see future stories that dive deeper into the Dragunhead and the newly formed houses. Saying goodbye to characters I’ve grown attached to over three books is bittersweet—but what a journey it has been.
This is the finale to The House of Marionne Trilogy, and while I’m genuinely sad to see it end, I’m hopeful that J. Elle might one day return to this world—especially with the new dynamics introduced in this conclusion.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series from start to finish. Although this final installment felt a bit slower than its predecessors, my love for the characters and the richly layered magical world never wavered. The emotional stakes remain strong, and the expansion of the world-building continues to shine. Reading this during Black History Month felt especially meaningful, as this series so beautifully written within an intricate, powerful fantasy narrative from a POC author.
If I had one small critique, it would be that the miscommunication trope lingered a bit longer than necessary. Even so, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Imagining and exploring this magical world has been a true joy. I would absolutely love to see future stories that dive deeper into the Dragunhead and the newly formed houses. Saying goodbye to characters I’ve grown attached to over three books is bittersweet—but what a journey it has been.
October 17, 2025
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!
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!
January 6, 2026
I really wish I had to say something positive about the final installment but I just… can’t. I really, really wanted to love this series but it seemed clumsy to me.
The ideas, the magic system, the world building are so good – they’re just so poorly executed. Especially in this third book, I was more confused than anything. The characters were suddenly all very different, especially Jordan (who annoyed me more than ever), and Quell who not just overlooks Jordan’s completely unhinged behavior (because she loves him...like, girl – no), forgives her horrible grandmother (uh…?) and is just being a total doormat until she finally… isn’t anymore?
I kept reading because of Nore and Yagrin, and even then I wanted to shake the book to see if it would put sense into any of the characters (it didn’t but it did give me a cramp).
The writing is mostly choppy and weirdly disjointed, as if J. Elle had a sudden thought and had to put it in right there. I honestly don’t think that this is her fault, I think she had a really, really bad editor. There are so, so many mistakes in this book (continuation, plot holes, language) which a good editor would have fixed.
All in all, this one seemed rushed, and I wish I had nicer things to say about it.
The ideas, the magic system, the world building are so good – they’re just so poorly executed. Especially in this third book, I was more confused than anything. The characters were suddenly all very different, especially Jordan (who annoyed me more than ever), and Quell who not just overlooks Jordan’s completely unhinged behavior (because she loves him...like, girl – no), forgives her horrible grandmother (uh…?) and is just being a total doormat until she finally… isn’t anymore?
I kept reading because of Nore and Yagrin, and even then I wanted to shake the book to see if it would put sense into any of the characters (it didn’t but it did give me a cramp).
The writing is mostly choppy and weirdly disjointed, as if J. Elle had a sudden thought and had to put it in right there. I honestly don’t think that this is her fault, I think she had a really, really bad editor. There are so, so many mistakes in this book (continuation, plot holes, language) which a good editor would have fixed.
All in all, this one seemed rushed, and I wish I had nicer things to say about it.
March 30, 2026
Rating: 4.5/5
Fortress of Ambrose delivers a story full of tension, emotion, and a world that feels rich and layered. It’s one of those reads where you can feel the stakes rising with every chapter, and I found it hard to put down.
One of the biggest highlights for me was the character work. The characters felt complex and real, each dealing with their own struggles, responsibilities, and inner conflicts. Watching their growth and the choices they had to make added so much depth to the story. I was especially drawn to how their journeys intertwined and impacted one another.
The world-building was another strong point. It felt immersive without being overwhelming, and there was a clear sense of history and tension behind everything. I also really enjoyed the relationships throughout the book. The dynamics between the characters felt genuine and layered, whether it was trust being built, tested, or broken. The emotional moments hit well, and the connections between characters made the story feel even more impactful.
The pacing worked really well. It balanced action, plot development, and emotional moments in a way that kept the story moving while still allowing time for everything to fully develop. There were definitely moments when I didn’t want to stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next. Great ending to a great story.
Fortress of Ambrose delivers a story full of tension, emotion, and a world that feels rich and layered. It’s one of those reads where you can feel the stakes rising with every chapter, and I found it hard to put down.
One of the biggest highlights for me was the character work. The characters felt complex and real, each dealing with their own struggles, responsibilities, and inner conflicts. Watching their growth and the choices they had to make added so much depth to the story. I was especially drawn to how their journeys intertwined and impacted one another.
The world-building was another strong point. It felt immersive without being overwhelming, and there was a clear sense of history and tension behind everything. I also really enjoyed the relationships throughout the book. The dynamics between the characters felt genuine and layered, whether it was trust being built, tested, or broken. The emotional moments hit well, and the connections between characters made the story feel even more impactful.
The pacing worked really well. It balanced action, plot development, and emotional moments in a way that kept the story moving while still allowing time for everything to fully develop. There were definitely moments when I didn’t want to stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next. Great ending to a great story.
September 17, 2026
This series slowly lost me a little with each book. This one dragged quite a bit in places, to the point where I found that I didn't really care about Quell and Jordan by the end. And I loved both of them originally, so that was a bummer. Quell especially seemed to lose so much of her personality from the first book to this one...and I think that's what made it hard for me to really root for them again....even when Jordan was going through it!
And then…the ending. What a mess. Everything suddenly started jumping around so quickly that I felt like I had whiplash trying to keep up. There were twists and reveals that probably should have shocked me or made me feel some sort of way....but really I just didn't care...I think at that point I just wanted the story to be over.
There are still pieces of this world and story that I like, and I think that’s why this was more disappointing than anything. I wanted to care more. I wanted those final reveals to actually make me feel something. I found, by the end, I just didn’t care enough about Quell, Jordan, or where any of it was going the way I did before.
And then…the ending. What a mess. Everything suddenly started jumping around so quickly that I felt like I had whiplash trying to keep up. There were twists and reveals that probably should have shocked me or made me feel some sort of way....but really I just didn't care...I think at that point I just wanted the story to be over.
There are still pieces of this world and story that I like, and I think that’s why this was more disappointing than anything. I wanted to care more. I wanted those final reveals to actually make me feel something. I found, by the end, I just didn’t care enough about Quell, Jordan, or where any of it was going the way I did before.
November 30, 2025
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.
3.25 stars, coasting entirely on my interest in the series as a whole.
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