Review: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

Title: Perchance to Dream
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pub. Date: 5.25.10
Genre: Fantasy YA
Keywords: Theatre, Shakespeare, Fairies, Love, Family, Adventure, Magic
Pages: 384
Description (from GoodReads):
The stuff that dreams are made on.

Act Two, Scene One
Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.
Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY
But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—
Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.
Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.
When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?


I love so many things about Lisa Mantchev's novels. The settings and characters are imaginative, colorful, and undeniably fun. Both EYES LIKE STARS and PERCHANCE TO DREAM are gorgeous novels, inside and out.
 
I am definitely Team Nate, so the parts of the novel where Bertie's relationship and love for Ariel deepens was complete torture. I don't think I've ever been so unsure of a character as I am with Bertie; I really have no clue who she'll choose. And I can't help but hope, that if she doesn't pick Nate, that she'll decide to choose neither. I don't know what it is about Ariel, but I just loathe the thought of her being with him. I think Ariel is a bit too pretty for my tastes. I feel like Nate genuinely loves Bertie, while her relationship with Ariel is based more on lust. I'll never understand you, Team Ariel.
 
Bertie learns more about her role as Mistress of Revels and Teller of Tales and her magical word-related abilities in PTD. The mishaps that occur due to sloppy word choice were entertaining and redefined the importance of choosing your words wisely.


The fairies provided many hilarious lines and situations... as well as a growling stomach with all their talk of scrumptious treats.


The ending of PTD left me a bit disappointed and anxious for the next installment. I can't say too much without spoiling it for those who haven't read it yet, but it simply didn't satify me. I'm confident that Mantchev will resolve the issues in the next novel, but I'm too impatient to wait!


Grade: B+


Cover Notes:
I always look forward to seeing the cover art for the Theatre Illuminata books because they are always stunning!

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What team are YOU? And if you've read PERCHANCE TO DREAM, what did you think of the ending?

Cover Alert: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev!!

Oh. my. goodness. I am so, so excited about the sequel to EYES LIKE STARS! Check out the cover art below!

PERCHANCE TO DREAM BY LISA MANTCHEV

EYES LIKE STARS was one of my favorite books of 2009 and I've been dying to read PERCHANCE TO DREAM ever since I read the last line in ELS! This definitely a book that I think is worth preordering! ...And counting down the days until its release...!

Eyes Like Stars Costume Contest!

Lisa Mantchev is hosting an Eyes Like Stars Costume Contest!

I've decided to participate, as I've recently read ELS and loved it! Read my review, here.

The Details, from Lisa's blog:

With Halloween coming up, and costuming ideas percolating through my brain, I'm going to start a blog-for-a-book contest for hardcover copies of Eyes Like Stars.

To Win:

1) Pick your favorite character from Eyes Like Stars.
2) Compose a blog entry showing how someone could dress like that character Halloween.
3) Be witty. Include pictures and links to items that are actually for sale. Points given for creativity, thriftiness/extravagance, glitter, and fun.
4) Include a link to the Théâtre Illuminata website: www.theatre-illuminata.com
5) Email me the link to your entry ( lisa at lisamantchev dot com ) with the subject line: COSTUME CONTEST
6) Goodwill points accrued for tweeting, facebooking, and other social media verb-ing this contest.
7) Triple bonus points awarded for dressing up as a character and taking a picture.

Winners will be chosen by the Management on November 1st.

UP TO TEN HARDCOVER COPIES WILL BE AWARDED.

And a Théâtre Illuminata bonus prize package will be issued to The Most Shiny: Bertie's black-and-white knee socks, green glitter hairspray, black glitter nail polish, black fishnet gloves, Jones Orange Cream Soda candy (found in the Green Room!) Backstage Pass bracelets, signed bookplates, and more.

(The Management is currently working to get the entries in the Glitter Tour Giveaway up and running on GoogleMaps and thanks you for your patience.)
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My Entry:
I've decided to write a post with pictures and links demonstrating how to dress up like:

BERTIE:
Bertie is the star of Eyes Like Stars! She's spunky, fun, and smart!

The Hair:
Bertie is a hair diva! At the beginning of ELS, she dyes her hair a lovely shade of blue. This wig would work perfectly if one was dressing up as Bertie! I think this cat models it perfectly and the picture on the right has a lots of attitude! I think Bertie would approve!

Go here to buy a blue wig!

The Makeup:

Bertie's makeup shows her flair the the dramatic, so smokey eye makeup does the trick!

Go here to buy eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara to achieve this look! :)

The Eyewear:

When Bertie attends her fateful meeting with Management, she dons a pair of chic glasses!

Go here to buy this pair!

The attire:

Bertie is a unique, and above all, fun dresser! In my mind, she's a bit of a fashionista who sets trends as she chooses her outfits from the Theatre's custume department! There are two outfit combinations below... One that is a bit truer to the novel and one that I can imagine her wearing!

Pinstripe Corset: go here for details! Black skinny jeans: details here!

This dress screams Bertie to me! Details here!

The shoes:

Bertie has a interesting run-in with heels in ELS!

These are adorable! And they woould totally match either outfit above! And Bertie's hair! Not sure if it weird to match hair to shoes, but Bertie could pull it off! Details here!

The Accessories:

Bertie wears an amulet given to her by Nate - which I think is really the only jewelry she needs! I mean, it is from Nate, plus it is integral to the plot of ELS!

It is hard to find a pendant that fits perfectly, but this one is pretty! Details here!

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Well, I had way to much fun finding items that I thought would work great as a Bertie Costume! Who is your favorite character and what would you wear if you dressed up that character for Halloween? If you are participating in this contest, be sure to leave me a link in the comments so I can see what you chose! :)

Check out the Theatre Illuminata Website, here!

Review: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Title: Eyes Like Stars
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pub. Date: 2009
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Magic, Theatre, Orphans, Love, Friendship, Family
Pages: 356
Plot (from book jacket):
"All her world's a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater...
She's not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
Until now.

Enter Stage Right

NATE: Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie (as she's known at the theater).

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED and PEASEBLOSSOM: Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. Bertie's sidekicks.

ARIEL: Seductive air spirit and Bertie's weakness. The symbol of impending doom.

BERTIE: Our heroine.

Welcome to the Theatre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Theatre 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 and the only home she has ever known."

I was first drawn to Eyes Like Stars because of the cover. My first glimpse was quite some time before the book was released, and without even reading the summary blurb, I was intrigued by the character on the front cover. Blue hair, smoky eye makeup, awesome dress: how could I not think she was awesome. Once I had read the blurb I knew I would read this book, but I didn't know just how much I would love it.

Eyes Like Stars has a magical and wholly original premise. I loved seeing the characters that I loved from plays, like Ophelia from Hamlet! I have a bit of a fascination with her character, so seeing this interesting take on her personality, etc. was so fun. Also, Bertie's quest to save the theater and to find out the truth about how she came to live at the theater kept me furiously turning pages.

Bertie was an amazing character. Not only is she totally unique, stylish, and smart - she's hilarious. She is definitely in  my Top 10 for favorite heroines. Sometimes I like characters, but only love them as part of a couple, but I loved Bertie simply for being Bertie.

But wait - I loved her as part of a couple too! Yes, this book has a love plot line too! Yup, it seems to have everything... There is actually a bit of love triangle. Can you guess from the character descriptions above which characters are involved? :) I don't want to say too much, but I'm totally Team Nate; I need a Team Nate button to go along with my Team Peeta button!

All of the characters were vividly imagined, I really did fall for all of them, even the villainous ones!

I can't write a review for ELS without mentioning the fairies! They are so much fun and so cute...well mostly.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10
Total: 50/50 (A!!)

READ THIS BOOK. I had a copy from the library, but I'm definitely getting one to keep at home. Even though I just finished it and have tons of books to read right now, I kind of just want to reread ELS... :)

Also, I want to mention this awesome Custome Contest that Lisa Mantchev is currently hosting for Halloween! Not only is it a fun idea, there are also chances to win prizes! I'm totally going to participate, so look for my pictures dressed up as my favorite character! Well, as long as I can find the perfect pieces for my outfit... After all, it will be my favorite character, so it can't be taken lightly... :)