Eyes Like Stars (Theatre Illuminata, #1)

by Lisa Mantchev

All her world's a stage.

Bertie 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.

That is, until now.

Enter Stage Right

NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, 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 Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play 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

• ISBN10: 0312380968
• ISBN13: 9780312380960
• Publish Date: 7 July 2009
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Feiwel & Friends
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I had an incredibly difficult time putting this one down. I want to say I didn’t love it because lets face it… the plot kept pulling me in, then pushing me out, and I found the resolution sadly unfulfilling. However, I loved every bit of the characters and while I had issues with Nate and Ariel being romantic interests (as they felt so old and far away from Bertie) I also know that I wanted so badly for everything to work out with Nate at the end of the book (no further spoilers here!)

The writing at the very end was magnificent. While I didn’t care for Bertie’s overall decision, the way she “saved the day” was perfectly written and felt magical to me even as I read it.

I’m finding it difficult to write this review without spoilers, so bear with me.

The publisher and the cover struck me immediately on this book, and although it is something I won’t normally comment on, I did want to just mention how visually perfect the cover was. A lot of YA fantasy these days uses photography on the cover, but the artistry used to create the cover of Eyes Like Stars and the rest of the series is just absolutely beautiful.

I think the one important thing to keep in mind with this series is that the characters within may have been created in a certain way within certain stories… but Mantchev does not necessarily use them as such. The Shakespearean (etc.) characters have much of their own personalities that become visible offstage, something I both loved and hated (character dependent). One should not expect the heroes of beloved plays to be quite as heroic. This is, after all, but one person’s interpretation.

That being said, for anyone who gets excited by the idea of allusions, or is familiar with the workings of the theatre world, this book is a must-read. It is very unique, and utterly captivating.

[celinenyx]

I've been wanting to review this book for quite a while now, but somehow I can't seem to figure out what to say about Eyes Like Stars. I'm not often at lost for words, but somehow this book has left me speechless.

Eyes Like Stars is nothing like a book I have ever read before. And I know I say this kind of thing quite often, but I can't stress enough that this book is truly unique. I have nothing to compare it to. I can't even give it a proper rating, because I don't have a frame of reference. Maybe it deserves 5 stars. Maybe it deserves only 3. I honestly couldn't decide, so I gave it a diplomatic 4.

Beatrice lives in a theatre. The stage is her bedroom. The players come and go as they please. With her four fairy friends she has many adventures, to the annoyance of the Stage Master. When she somehow causes a cannon to explode, she has gone too far. Now Beatrice has to prove she is necessary to the theatre, or she will be kicked out the only home she has ever known.

In this book reality and magic are so weaved together it is sometimes hard to distinguish the difference between the two. It actually took me a while to grasp the concept of the magical stage. It can do things that are completely impossible, like flood the whole thing, then somehow suck the water out again. Yet these improbabilities are explained as if they are made possible by smart contraptions built within the stage.

I really liked the character of Beatrice. She is more of a tomboy, having grown up with all kind of exciting stage props. Even though she practically lives in some kind of fairytale, she's easy to relate to. And what I liked even more is that she's not so terribly prudish as a lot of female leads are.

The cover is absolutely stunning. A big thumbs up to the cover artist, Beatrice actually has blue hair in the story. She looks just like I would imagine her.

[paperbackjedi]

This was a wonderful mix of theater and fantasy with everything you need for a good read. Suspense, action, Shakespearean quotes, faerie folk, dashing pirates, a seductive air spirit, a plucky heroine. Great read.