Book Review: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

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Goodreads summary
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.

My review
Bertie has grown up in the Théâtre, a magical theatre in which the characters are real, the sets change with just a word, and The Little Mermaid set floods the stage with sea water. You never know what will happen, especially with Bertie around. She doesn’t mean to cause trouble; she just has ideas that don’t always end well. Like shooting the cannons and setting the stage curtain on fire. It could happen to anyone, right?

Bertie’s friend/love interest, Nate summed it up very well.
“I can’t keep my eye on ye every second o’ th’ day, so ye need something for good luck an’ protection.”
“Just what do I need protection from, pray tell?” Bertie set her fists on her hips.
“Mostly yerself.”
The story is a whirlwind, full of fun characters and great dialogue. Bertie has to deal with the various theatre managers (stage, wardrobe, scenic, properties) who are constantly squabling about which pieces belong to which department, fairie sidekicks who are addicted to pie, and two men trying to win her heart. It’s full of fun words such as “badinage” and “persiflage”.
Bertie has to save The Book (and thus the Théâtre), stage a full-house performance of a new play, find her parents, rescue a friend, and figure out who she can trust and who’s keeping secrets. Just a typical week for a 17-year-old. And it’s the first in a trilogy, so she’s not done yet!
About the book
Author: Lisa Mantchev

Title: Eyes Like Stars: Theatre Illuminata, Act I
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release date: July 7, 2009
Pages: 368
Where I got the book: I won it in a giveaway on another blog.
Rating: 4.5 stars Great book for YA & fantasy fans!

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