Fearless Facade

'How many times do you have to learn? I asked myself. Don't underestimate him.

Our Felix is getting there gradually in terms of respecting Milly's intelligence, skills and knowledge.

I love how Felix finds comfort in Milly's company when surrounded by mikkary.

The Blurb:

From glittering Manhattan to moonlit Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. Until they are forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever. Revisiting beloved couples Anna and Etienne and Lola and Cricket, this sweeping finale will charm fans old and new.

One rainy day in New York Isla and Josh meet in a cafe. They know each other from school but they’ve hardly spoken before, despite the fact Isla has had a crush on Josh for a long time. But today Isla is high on pain killers after having her wisdom teeth extracted so she’s prepared to be confidant and flirty in ways she wouldn’t have dreamt of doing otherwise. They immediately have chemistry together and embark on a whirlwind romance when they return to their Parisian school in the autumn.

I enjoyed this book very much. It made me smile on a rainy day. The characters are all lovely in their own way. I loved Josh, the handsome and romantic artist. His big art project is one of my favourite elements of the novel because it’s evolution reflects his character development in relation to how he thinks of himself and his relationship with his parents and Isla. I loved Kurt, Isla’s best friend since before Isla even knew what a friend was, who is always there to help Isla find the Right Way. I loved Hattie, the sharp-witted little sister whose relationship with Isla matures throughout the novel (I love reading about sisters, I don’t have any of my own but Isla and the Happily Ever After made me wish I did).

When it came to Isla I felt a lot of empathy towards her. She’s clever, quiet  and doesn’t like having people pay her too much attention. Isla’s journey in the novel is about learning that she is worth being loved and that it’s okay to take risks, sometimes they work out and sometimes they don’t but you’ll never know if you don’t try.

One of the risks Isla is learning to open up to are adventures. She reads books about adventures all the time but is nervous about going on adventures in real life. One of the things I loved about this novel was the adventure it took me on.  New York, Paris and Barcelona all come vividly alive on the page. After reading this book  I want to go to Point Zéro. I want to be in Paris on Nuit Blanche, go to Park Güell in Barcellona and sit in a cafe in New York and meet a romantic artist.

I haven’t read the other companion novels (Anna and the French Kiss &Lola and the Boy Next Door) but in a way I’m glad I didn’t, although I’m sure the cameo those characters made would have come across much sweeter if I had.  But by not knowing much about them I was put in the same position as Isla. Isla has spent much of her time at school as an outsider to Josh’s friendship with St. Clair and co.. The seperation between that part of Josh’s life and the part of his life that includes her is one of the hurdles Isla has to tackle in the novel. She’s seen these people at school but she doesn’t really know them and this is at times frustrating to her because they are so important to Josh.  I look forward to getting to know these side characters better when I read their stories which has a kind of symmetry with the way I’m sure Josh will fill Isla in on some stories about Anna, Meredith and St. Clair, and how they will both (I’m sure) get to know Lola and Cricket in the future outside of the boundaries of the stories Perkins books tell us.

I’m really glad I picked this novel up. It’s a light-hearted story  about love  that makes you want to smile, and it has a good message at it’s heart.

Another thing: I adore the cover, it’s beautiful! I also love the rose detail at the start of each chapter.

I enjoyed this book muchly. It made me smile on a rainy day. I loved Josh, Kurt and Hattie and I felt an unexpected level of empathy for Isla. She's clever and doesn't like having people pay her too much attention, she has to learn that she is worth being loved.

I'm really glad I picked this novel up. It's light hearted cuteness in paper form.

I haven't read the other companion novels (Anna and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door) but in a weird way I'm glad I didn't, although I'm sure the cameo those characters make would have come across much sweeter if I had.  But by not knowing much about them I was put in the same position as Isla. These side characters are friends of Josh that I look forward to getting to know better when I read their stories which has a kind of symmetry with the way I'm sure Josh will fill Isla in on some stories about his friends as their relationship develops.

Another thing: I adore the cover, it's beautiful! I also love the rose detail at the start of each chapter.

The return to the city. The walk through the streets. The entrance to the Mirador and the Hall of the Chimeras. Epicly cinematic.

I wish I could see it played out on tv with dramatic orchestral music. This is the beginning of the rise and the culmination of the journey, or so we hope.

Florian's little thank you letter to Mildmay is so sweet.

I also really appreciate how Mehitabel doesn't make fun of Mildmay for not being able to read. She's turning into a proper friend. She's noticed the change between Felix and Mildmay in ways the others haven't. Midway needs a friend like her that worries about him and doesn't want to see him trod on by other people. She respects Mildmay more than he respects himself.

Mehitabel is a new favourite of mine. She's a good person with awesome skills and she's not afraid to stand on an even footing with strong characters like Felix.

The old gang is back together and Mildmay is thinking about his brotherly love for Felix. I have all the feels right now. I wish this moment of peace could last but I know Mildmay is too caught up in considering the near future to rest.

Gideon?!

What have they done to you?

An update on Milly and Felix's brief career as detectives:

There was death, labyrinth 'fun', spells IN THE WALLS, a near shave with a river and Mehitabel (the unexpected edition to the team) ended up fired from her governess job.

So... it's probably best they hang up their deerstalker hats. To be fair though Florian was found and returned to his parents, which was, after all, the major objective. Maybe we could call this interlude a partial success?

Felix and Milly never asked to be detectives anyway :P.

Felix and Mildmay, detectives extraordinaire. 

Has your child gone missing under suspicious circumstances?

Is the child's tutor nowhere to be found?

Then why not hire a wizard and an ex-cat burglar to solve the mystery? They'll crack the case in no time. Satisfaction is guaranteed (probably).

I do wonder how Felix would feel if he knew he reminds Milly of his keeper when he nags him about grammar. A total reversal of the way in which Felix confused Milly with his  keeper during his madness in Melusine.

There are so many layers of irony to this situation.

I think we're up to Felix's third or fourth awkward romantic encounter already. This one made me chuckle but I feel kind of bad for finding it humorous.

Normally when the heroes of a story meet a girl running away from evil forces they do everything to safe her. True to the typical plot Felix and Mildmay have, up till now,  tried to help Arakhne, but they are the most begrudging helpers I have ever seen. The funniest bit about it is the way Arakhne is acting like this is her story. She has no idea she is just a side character in this novel, especially from Felix and Mildmay's point of view. She's misjudged the entire thing. Milly is not a stupid goon that doesn't matter. She doesn't care what he went through for her because in her eyes he is the side character. She is also under the misapprehension that Felix is the love interest in her story but in reality he has no intention of loving her. He's bored of her constantly changing stories about her past and just wants her to go away now. Plus, he's gay so he really isn't interested in her in that way. 

It's interesting to see side characters trying to forcefully form the plot around themselves as they try and change the novel they inhabit into something, I don't know, more straightlaced in terms of typical plot lines and characters.

Milly's putting his vast array of skills to use again. He's already used his gift for languages and his storytelling skills, now he's giving out relationship advice concerning his specialist subject, Felix.

I'm team Milly-Fox all the way. Even Felix is team Milly-Fox, he just has a weird way of showing it. I'm glad the brothers have had a heart to heart (of sorts) about how Felix is liable to say hurtful things because he's that kind of person. The most important thing Felix said was that it wasn't about anything being wrong with Milly.

I do like the  friendly relationship brewing between Milly and Florian. It's nice to see someone appreciating Milly and his storytelling skills.

My blood is boiling.

I had somehow never expected my pathologically taciturn brother to be so comfortable in any language, much less a foreign one.

Felix, Felix, Felix. Never underestimate Milly-Fox's skills.