"She also discovered this secret forbidden to fairies, love, that life-giving force. That is to say, which gives birth and causes death. "

The Book of Pearl by Timothee de Fombelle

Summary from Goodreads

Joshua Pearl is from a world that our own no longer believes in - a world of fairytale. He knows that his great love is waiting for him in that distant place, but he is trapped in our time. As his memories begin to fade, he discovers strange objects, tiny fragments of a story from a long time ago. 

Can Joshua remember the past and believe in his own story before his love is lost for ever?

I fell in love with Vango and Prince without a Kingdom, both written by Timothee. I loved them so much I hunted down more books by him, which lead me to this one.

This story is a fairy tale woven in with historical fiction. It tells the story of Joshua, who was taken out of his world and forced to struggle through ours. It also weaves in the story of Olia, his true love who must live in hiding - always watching but unable to get close to Joshua.

Though I don't typically enjoy romances, just not generally my thing, I adored this story. It was hard to put down at some points, and other points had the right magical feel to it one needs with a fairy tale. Of course, one reason I loved it so much were the WWII references. Though it doesn't focus strongly on the war it does have a role to play in Joshua's life.

So far Timothee has not disappointed me and I now look forward to the day his other books will be translated into English.