Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

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

First things first, I fell in love with the cover of this book. I saw it and it was love at first glance. So immediately I picked it up and was completely enraptured by the thrilling idea of a girl living in a theatre where all the characters of every play you have ever read, seen or heard of, are real. Where sound effects, lighting, and scene changes occur depending on the mood. Thus is life at the Théâtre Illuminata for Bertie.

Bertie, with her bright cobalt blue hair, was this amazing character. She is a strong, smart, witty and really funny girl. I loved that she lived in the moment and had such zest and passion towards anything she set her mind to. Her sidekick fairies (the one's from Midsummer Night's Dream) were a hoot and utterly insane - I loved them and will do anything for my own!

Bertie's story is one of grand adventure as she tries to not only find her roots, but also find a home. Oh, and did I mention that there is also a love triangle... I swoon for love triangles. To be quite honest I'm not sure how Ms. Mantchev is going to get herself out of that tight spot. Both men are handsome and hold their own ground. I can't wait to see how that all plays out - which will Bertie choose?

On a side note, I was also fascinated with all the snippets we get of Shakespeare, not just a quote here or there, but the characters, from Lady Macbeth's bloodied hands to Ophelia's constant need to drown herself every few scenes... just thinking about it still brings a smile to my face.

This book is one that you will feel as if you dove into the story headfirst and when it's done you'll almost feel dizzy over it's awesomeness and the sad reality that it is over. Not to mention, you'll be longing for the next installment, because even though this book answers many a question and it does have a definite ending, you know there is still much more to this story. Lucky for me, Perchance to Dream (the second in the series) will be out in a couple of months). I can't wait!

All in all, Eyes Like Stars, guarantees great fun to be had by all who read it... my final say in the matter: "Standing Ovation" and a big "Whoop"!