Millicent and her sister Gillie live with their parents in a flat in a house with their landlady, Nona, and her sister Babs, who are both older and crochety. Millie's mother runs an aquarium consulting business, and their father has stopped being a professor and now washes window. Millie's neighbor, Sam, annoys her with constant nicknames and random observations, and Gillie is constantly bringing bugs into their shared room. When Millie meets another older woman in the attic, doing puzzles, she starts to realize that the puzzles control the lives of the people around her. She tries to "fix" everyone, but just ends up making Gillie less fun, and sets an infestation of monkeys on Sam. She keeps trying to make things better, but only makes them worse, to the point where her parents say they have no children. Consulting Nona and the other ladies, Millie finds out secrets about them and the puzzles. Trying to change people's lives has caused a rift in the world that sucks people into another world. Will Millie be able to change things back the way they were?

This had an interesting premise, and the three Fates don't get much coverage in middle grade literature. I did enjoy Sam, and how Millie slowly became friends with him. The cracks in the world made the situation more dire; I sort of wish that Millie had to deal with various changes in the people she knew in more realistic ways instead. I liked the drawings of the house.

The Puzzling Fate of Mallicent Graves is an imaginative graphic novel that artfully blends whimsy, fantasy, and a poignant exploration of order versus chaos. The story follows Milli, a girl who craves order in a world that seems irretrievably disorganized. While her mother and father pursue unconventional paths—her mom’s passion for marine biology leading to a risky business venture, and her father trading academia for the quirky life of a window cleaner—Milli struggles with the reality of her family’s new circumstances, including a move to a cramped rented apartment and sharing a room with her sister and having annoying Sam, her classmate, as her neighbour.

The turning point comes when Milli stumbles upon a room filled with puzzles in her apartment’s attic. There, she discovers that each puzzle piece represents a part of a person’s identity, and by tweaking these pieces, she can subtly alter those around her. She starts with her little sister, then moves on to her classmate Sam, and even her own parents. However, as Milli manipulates these puzzles to create the perfect life—where everyone plays their “proper” role—she begins to notice cracks in reality, a sign that forcing perfection might have unintended consequences.

Ultimately, The Puzzling Fate of Mallicent Graves is a story about the beauty of imperfection. Milli learns that while it’s natural to desire order, true happiness comes from accepting life’s unpredictability and embracing the unique quirks of those around us. The novel’s imaginative narrative, combined with its engaging illustrations, creates a vivid world that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

This graphic novel left me reflecting on how our attempts to control every detail can sometimes lead to unexpected disruptions—and how the very imperfections we try to hide might be what make life truly special.