Postcard For Reader

Perchance To Dream

Perchance To Dream
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Series: Theater Illuminata (#2)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
How Received: ARC
Publish Date: May 25 2010

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 COMPANYBut 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?
Buy | Borrow | Brush Off
Flaws with the book: There are more scene changes than there were in 9 to 5: The Musical (which had a scene change roughly every seven minutes) and the characters dropped in rather abruptly, with a scene or two that didn't seem to fit.

Why the flaws don't matter: Mantchev is the YA Shakespeare - she writes lyrically and with such memorable characters that if the plot had been a hunt for a telephone book, I would have read it.

Seriously. Bertie, the fairies, Ash, Nate, Sedna, all of the characters - they're so very original, despite the fact that many stem from characters already created. They're just fun to read about and connect too - I would read their escapades no matter what the plot was.

The plot? It's fast paced, yes, with sometimes rather abrupt scene changes, but it's followable, enjoyable, and comes together very well. I'm excited to see how the next - and last *sniff* - book in the trilogy plays out. (I would rather like this to be like the Bloody Jack series - Bertie would just keep going and going and going and being awesome.)

And the BOYS. In Eyes Like Stars, Ariel lurred me in and Nate caught my eye. Here, the focus is on Ariel - and yet, somehow, the second Nate stepped back into the picture, it became hard to focus on which boy to like better! They're both so amazing and different and sexy. I know which character I want in every other book - Team Gale in The Hunger Games, Team Puck in The Iron King - and yet, when it comes to these two boys, I can't choose. And I understand why Bertie can't, either.

Another reason Lisa Mantchev is such an amazing author. She makes a love triangle like this work - and that's hard to do.

Favorite quotes (because her books are oh-so-quotable):

The moment she was done speaking the line, Bertie looked at the cutting-edge of the crossing and screamed, "Why did I write that I would go first!?"

"I don't know how you managed to do this, Bertie, but when the curtain falls on this demented production..."

Appalled by such a statement, the fairies went on to compile a list of the many souvenirs Bertie should have brought them from the underworld, starting with apparel that read "Bertie Went To The Underworld And All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt" and ending with nesting Sedna dolls."

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. Many scene changes but memorable characters and lines - and lots of boy love.
If I Had To Choose?: But I love them both so much! *cries* But if it came down to it, I would choose Ariel... for me. They're both perfect for Bertie. This is one of those love triangles that just WORKS.
Cover Comments: The cover whore in me exploded with love. I'm just saying.

Perchance To Dream comes out May 25! Have you preordered it? [B&N] [Amazon] [Borders]