All her life--as far as she can remember--Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has lived with the players of Théâtre Illuminata, where every play ever written resides. The actors not only play their roles, they are their roles. Hamlet's Ophelia drowns herself each night, and all it takes is a word into headset to travel from Castle Elsinore to the streets of London to Neverland and back again. Each player is bound to the Théâtre by the Book, a magical tome that holds the scripts. Yes, all the scripts.
But Bertie (whom we have previously referred to as Beatrice) has no role to play and no family to speak of. Countless times she has written and re-written the tale of how she came be there, but has not yet found the truth. For all intents and purposes, the Théâtre is her home, and home to everyone she holds dear. Everyone she just might lose.
You see, Bertie (along with the rambunctious Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom, who are her constant companions) has caused more trouble than the Theater Manager is willing to tolerate. If she doesn't find a way to make herself indispensable, she will be cast out. So she sets out to find her calling, but soon encounters problems much bigger than being kicked out. Problems that jeopardize the entire Théâtre and all of its inhabitants.
When I picked up this book, I was anxious. It had such potential to be great. Really great. Then again, it had equal potential to be absolutely terrible. To write a world that exists in a theater and do justice to all the iconic characters within... To create something so complex and keep it from being overdone or from falling apart... It takes strong literary talent and a whole hell of a lot of creativity. Lisa Mantchev, thankfully, has both. Because Eyes Like Stars: Théâtre Illuminata, Act I is really great. I mean, really. I would kill to live in this book. It's this insane collision of everything that I adore: theater, Shakespeare, magic, fairies, and more, all wrapped up in a shiny, well-written package and topped with exciting cover art. Not to mention seamlessly interwoven romance1, wit, humor, and danger.
I approve.
Enthusiastic, sated, and most fondly yours...
1. I mean, who can resist a love triangle involving a dashing pirate and a sexy air spirit? Not I, my friends.
1 comments:
Ok, I need to read this.
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