Eyes Like Stars {book review} * * * 1/2

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

- YA, fantasy -

reviewed by Tara SG

bought eBook via Amazon.com

Book Order (Théâtre Illuminata Trilogy)

1. Eyes Like Stars * * * 1/2
2. Perchance to Dream
3. So Silver Bright (2011)

Links

Author’s Website : www.lisamantchev.livejournal.com

Amazon : hardcover / paperback / eBook

Add To Your GoodReads TBR List

This book in 6 words:

enjoyable read with fun literary references

Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?

I’m not sure why I was drawn to this book. I think it was the cover that caught my eye. Whatever it was, I’m glad I read it. While it took a little for me to get into the story, the “just a few hours” turned into staying up to finish it. Fans of Shakespeare (and other well known plays) will love seeing their favorite characters come to life. I found a few of the characters annoying and skimmed over them at some points, but overall I was sad to see it end. (Good thing I had the next book ready to go!)

Brief Summary

Enter Stage Right

All her world’s a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She is not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but has no lines of her own.
Until now.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.

Open Curtain

- via GoodReads.com

Plot/Pacing/Writing Style

The plot is highly original considering how many characters are well-known. The idea of all of our favorite (or not so likable) actors come to life to perform their plays alone wouldn’t overly impress me, but add in Bertie and the magical book and I was hooked.

I enjoyed the bits of script mixed in to “watch” the past and actually wished that it had been used more. The pacing was only OK. I felt like we jumped right into some action and then it slowed down a little too much in the middle. Don’t worry though, it picks up again at the end and will have you turning the pages so fast you’ll risk a papercut.

Characters

Bertie is quirky, stubborn, and independent. She’s seemed a little younger than the 17 year olds I’ve been reading lately, but not so much so that she was annoying.

Her friends, the fairies from A Midsummer’s Night Dream, however, drove me nuts. They were better suited for younger readers. I will say that I didn’t mind them quite as much in the second book.

And the boys… Nate with his pirate accent and overly-protective nature won my heart from the beginning. Ariel seems selfish and I felt like Bertie’s only draw to him was magical (forced by him).

Recommendations

If you like YA fantasy or YA and Shakespeare, then I think you should give this a try. It’s not something I would recommend to those who don’t normally read YA.