Review: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

Theatre Illuminata, Act 2 (review of Book 1: Eyes Like Stars)

Tags: YA, fantasy, magic, love triangle, fathers

Summary

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith never thought she’d leave the theatre, but here she is, on the road to save Nate, her pirate sweetheart, from the hands of the nefarious Sedna the Sea Witch, accompanied by her four fairy friends and the seductive air spirit Ariel. Armed with the magical powers of the Mistress of Revels, Bertie is able to write herself in and out of situations. But not even her power with words can prepare her for revelations about her parents’ past, a battle over her heart, and the ultimate encounter with Sedna.

Review

Lisa Mantchev outdoes herself in this lush and exotic sequel to EYES LIKE STARS. In many ways it is quite different from the first book, but stunningly so, and I think will make readers gain a whole new level of appreciation for Lisa’s writing.

If I could eat just one book, I think this would have to be it. In Lisa Mantchev’s hands, words aren’t merely lines and swirls of black on white: they come alive, playing with one another, dancing like fairies themselves. The book is chock-full of wordplay and descriptions so rich you just want to roll them around and around on your tongue. Lisa’s writing really sets the tone and setting of PERCHANCE TO DREAM into a world that seems to always be dissolving and changing at the corners of our eyes.

All the characters you loved from EYES LIKE STARS come back in full force in this stunning sequel. Bertie may be the tip of the love triangle, but she’s far from your typical YA heroine: she is spunky and independent, and would never consider giving herself up for love. We get to see a lot more of Ariel than Nate in this Theatre Illuminata installment, which is deliciously swoon-worthy in a sensual and dangerous way. And Bertie’s encounters with new characters—Sedna, the Scrimshander, various vagabonds she meets along her journey (including the traveling circus)—are excellent additions to the series, each one an almost surreal section.

For those who enjoy incredibly beautiful writing and a unique cast of varied characters, Lisa Mantchev’s books are not to be missed. Lovers of EYES LIKE STARS may be slightly jarred by the lack of backstory and the completely different change of pace and setting, but you just might also be fall under Lisa’s writing spell, as I irrevocably am.

Similar Authors
Francesca Lia Block

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 5 out of 5 - I think Jason Chan should draw more book covers. That's all.

Feiwel & Friends / May 25, 2010 / Hardcover / 352pp. / $16.99

ARC sent by publisher. Thanks, Lisa!

Review: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Publication date: July 7, 2009

Tags: middle grade, YA, magic, theatre

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary

For all her life, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith—her friends call her Bertie—has lived in the Theatre, a magical and entrancing place filled with every character ever written in a play, who are all controlled by The Book. Bertie is content there, but her happiness is about to come to an end when the Theater Manager threatens to throw her out of the Theatre for being so destructive. She has only one chance to stay: she must make an invaluable contribution to the Theatre.

But kind of invaluable contribution can she, an ordinary girl, make to the majestic Theatre? More than she thinks. As Bertie begins to understand the extent of her writing powers, Ariel, a dazzlingly persuasive spirit from the play The Tempest, sets out to gain his freedom by wrecking the The Book and the Theatre. Bertie will have to set aside her self-doubts if she intends to save the Theatre and unravel the mystery of her past.

Review

At first I thought, wow, Bertie is really immature for a 17-year-old. Then I thought, her four constant fairy companions are annoying. And then, before I knew what had happened, I was sucked into Bertie’s romantic, enthralling, sexy, and fun world and never wanted to leave. Lisa Mantchev displays enormous range with her writing: she manages to capture the ridiculousness of some characters’ behaviors (such as the fairies’ bickering and childlike desires) as well as paint beautiful, romantic passages to give Ariel that dangerously desirable edge. As a result, readers of all age can engage with this story.

Bertie is no ordinary protagonist. She may get into heaps of trouble, but her heart is pure, and that’s why she has so many friends who willingly help her accomplish her goals. She’s not afraid to speak her mind or flash her fists if necessary, and yet she still manages to look at the world with wonder and a bit of vulnerability. If you don’t want to BE Bertie in a book, then I don’t know what’s wrong with you. Who doesn’t want to be a kick-butt female character?

As mentioned earlier, Lisa Mantchev uses such descriptive language for Ariel that you can’t help but fall in love with him, despite his questionable ethics. It’s not difficult to understand the attraction between him and Bertie, even if the romance is the tiniest bit rushed at the end.

Outstanding characterization doesn’t just stop at the main characters, however. For such tiny creatures, each one of the fairies manages to have his or her own personality, a feat that has me smiling wide. Lisa Mantchev turns Shakespeare on his head and gives important heroic action to often overlooked characters.

Not just Shakespeare fans will appreciate the new theatrical world that sets the stage for EYES LIKE STARS. And at the end of the book you’ll have no choice but to stand up and chant, “Sequel, sequel, sequel!”

Similar Authors

Francesca Lia Block

Aimee Friedman

Holly Black

Writing: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover discussion: 4.5 out of 5 - Bee-yoo-ti-ful! I'm always a sucker for hand-drawn covers that work, and even though I didn't picture Bertie like that, I'm still impressed. The cover author for this book also did the cover art for the UK version of The Hunger Games, so he's definitely someone to watch out for!