aemkea's review against another edition
3.0
Meh.
...I just didn't really like it that much. It took a while to get into, and then it was over. So, whatever... *shrug*
...I just didn't really like it that much. It took a while to get into, and then it was over. So, whatever... *shrug*
decafplease's review against another edition
5.0
Moth, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Peachblossom are impish, frivolous and utterly adorable. I've never read The Tempest but I'm loving Mantchev's take on Ariel, deliciously cunning, fashionable, and very very attractive. And in the center of action we have---Beatrice! There is something so very appealing when a story opens with a girl and her disastrously blue hair, and that playful, witty attitude is maintained throughout the book with quick and sharp repartees, puns and wordplays of all kinds. All the world's a stage, and it sure is time that someone tries a little improv!
And...oh my goodness, isn't the cover enchanting?
And...oh my goodness, isn't the cover enchanting?
geldauran's review against another edition
2.0
Great concept but I didn't love the execution. I was often a bit confused about what was going on on stage, the mechanics of the theatre, and the plotline, quite honestly. It was still a fun read, but it felt quite inconsistent. The stylized script bits weren't used often enough to be a proper part of the book, and felt a bit haphazardly thrown in, like the author didn't feel like fully writing out the scenes. Bertie's characterization seemed to change constantly, from mischievous to bloodthirsty to silly girl, but it never solidified into one person for me. Also, I can tell Nate is supposed to be a charming part of a love triangle, but he was literally absent half the book and not terribly interesting the other half.
I'd still recommend it to people looking for fun YA reads with unique concepts- this one hit a few weird spots for me, but I think other people would breeze right by them and like it much more than me.
I'd still recommend it to people looking for fun YA reads with unique concepts- this one hit a few weird spots for me, but I think other people would breeze right by them and like it much more than me.
americangirlemmie's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book SO much! Review to come later! :)
thecozyreaderwbo's review against another edition
5.0
I was given the chance to read and review the ARC of this lovely story by the author herself, Lisa Mantchev. I'd been stalking Lisa ever since the first time my eyes meet the cover of this endearing book.
Originality: 20!
Characters: 20!
Writing: 20!
Setting: 10!
Plot: 20!
Passion: 9!
Grade: 99/100!
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith lives at Center Stage of the Theatre Illuminata. Her best friends are fairies! She crushes on a pirate, Nate, and an air elemental named Ariel. She butts heads with the Stage Manager and constantly feeds the fire between the Property Manager and the Scenery Manager. And within it all she's an orphan with Cobalt blue hair. She controls the written word. If she writes it, it happens.
She is given the ultimate challenge. Sell out a show and receive a standing ovation or leave the Theatre forever. Is she able to get all the Managers and Players to work together to remake a play into something new? Will she survive an attack from a Sea Witch? And lastly, will she find out who her mother is?
This book was just too much fun to read! Beatrice's character seemed like an average teenage girl with a very supernatural setting that she lived in. The other characters of this book were from the works of Shakespeare's plays. I found that I knew just about all of the characters, so I didn't have any issues understanding what was going on. However, I wonder if other people reading this book find themselves confused because they don't know what play the character originates from. That would be the only negative thing I could find about this book.
The story was very original and complicated but it meshed well together. The setting and the plot were just outstanding. The creativity needed to write this book is unbelievable. Lisa did an amazing job putting it all together. And one of my favorite things about the written book is the typeface changes when Beatrice was writing the play lines. Amazingly well done.
I gave the Passion rating a 9/10, because I honestly felt the passion between Beatrice and both male leads, Ariel and Nate, more so with Nate. However, since Beatrice is only a teenager I feel the passion was definitely there and it was very tangible; therefore, my resulting rating of a 9/10.
Ultimately, this has got to be one of the funniest, creative books I have read in a very long time.
Originality: 20!
Characters: 20!
Writing: 20!
Setting: 10!
Plot: 20!
Passion: 9!
Grade: 99/100!
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith lives at Center Stage of the Theatre Illuminata. Her best friends are fairies! She crushes on a pirate, Nate, and an air elemental named Ariel. She butts heads with the Stage Manager and constantly feeds the fire between the Property Manager and the Scenery Manager. And within it all she's an orphan with Cobalt blue hair. She controls the written word. If she writes it, it happens.
She is given the ultimate challenge. Sell out a show and receive a standing ovation or leave the Theatre forever. Is she able to get all the Managers and Players to work together to remake a play into something new? Will she survive an attack from a Sea Witch? And lastly, will she find out who her mother is?
This book was just too much fun to read! Beatrice's character seemed like an average teenage girl with a very supernatural setting that she lived in. The other characters of this book were from the works of Shakespeare's plays. I found that I knew just about all of the characters, so I didn't have any issues understanding what was going on. However, I wonder if other people reading this book find themselves confused because they don't know what play the character originates from. That would be the only negative thing I could find about this book.
The story was very original and complicated but it meshed well together. The setting and the plot were just outstanding. The creativity needed to write this book is unbelievable. Lisa did an amazing job putting it all together. And one of my favorite things about the written book is the typeface changes when Beatrice was writing the play lines. Amazingly well done.
I gave the Passion rating a 9/10, because I honestly felt the passion between Beatrice and both male leads, Ariel and Nate, more so with Nate. However, since Beatrice is only a teenager I feel the passion was definitely there and it was very tangible; therefore, my resulting rating of a 9/10.
Ultimately, this has got to be one of the funniest, creative books I have read in a very long time.
kiwilizzi's review against another edition
4.0
Wanted to read again after finding the third book in my childhood bedroom. I did enjoy this story for its originality and creativeness. I like the characters and how familiar characters are woven in.
I don’t think I liked it quite as much as I did in high school, but hey, it’s cute. I might finish the series or leave it. I feel like it had potential, but it didn’t fully meet that potential. Fizzled out a bit at the end. However that also could be because I knew the ending already.
I don’t think I liked it quite as much as I did in high school, but hey, it’s cute. I might finish the series or leave it. I feel like it had potential, but it didn’t fully meet that potential. Fizzled out a bit at the end. However that also could be because I knew the ending already.
ashreads10k's review against another edition
5.0
Author: Lisa Matchev
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Series or Standalone?: 1st in series
All her world’s a stage
Enter Stage Right
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (Bertie): Our heroine.
Nate: A dashing pirate who will do anything to protect Bertie.
Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom: Four tiny, mischievous fairies, and Bertie’s loyal sidekicks.
Ariel: A seductive air spirit. Disaster follows in his wake, but Bertie simply cannot resist him.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. The actors are bound to the Théâtre by The Book, an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of the actors, but they are her family. And she is about to lose them all because The Book has been threatened, and along with it the Théâtre. It’s the only home Bertie has ever known, and she has to find a way to save it. But first, there’s the small problem of two handsome men, both vying for her attention. The course of true love never did run smooth. . . .
* * *
Let me start this review off by saying that I am a huge theater nerd, and an actress (I’m playing my first lead this December!), so I was really excited to read Eyes Like Stars when I heard it was all about plays and took place in a magical theater. Yes.
Eyes Like Stars also got me good because Hamlet is my favorite play ever, and Ophelia is my favorite character. I did a mini-squee each time Ophelia was mentioned. And, to make the impact even greater, one of the main characters is from The Little Mermaid, which is my favorite Disney movie. So, needless to say, I loved the book before I even started reading it.
But, whoo, when I read it, it was like an explosion of amazing. Kablooie. The whole idea of it was pure genius. Every character from every play that was ever written- -most prominently Shakespeare’s plays- - live in the Theatre. So of course, we have quite the quirky cast. Bertie was my favorite character; she was strong and just all-around loveable. She tried to do her best by the Theatre, and cared for the people that lived there. But more importantly, she was just trying to find out who she was.
The two men vying for Bertie’s affections are Ariel, a spirit/fey-type guy from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Nate, a dashing pirate from The Little Mermaid. Ariel is Ariel and Nate were equally formidable love-interests, but I think I’m on Ariel’s side here. I’m a sucker for the bad boy, and what is Ariel if not that? But he’s not truly villainous. All he’s looking for is freedom, which I thought justified anything he did. He wanted freedom to leave the Theatre, and explore the world outside. One of the magical things about The Book is that it binds the characters to the Theatre, and they can never step outside its doors. Of course, one person did discover how to leave, long, long ago…
Mantchev’s debut novel really shines. The writing was fun and fast paced, witty and hilarious at some parts, and there were curves around every bend. Which sort of brings me to my next point, and just about the only thing that left me discontent with the book:
Some of the curves that Mantchev threw at us sort of left me…confused. I would have to re-read it a few times, and then I kinda understood what was going on. Also, I couldn’t pin point a setting for the book. Is it written in our world, or in a made up fantasy land? Is it modern day? (I think I recall the mention of a soda-can, but then other things just don’t make sense if it was modern day.) Or is it a more Victorian Era-inspired time? This confusion marred the reading experience for me ever so slightly, which is why I’m docking a star from the “Plot” rating.
Definite must read for YA fantasy fans!
Other books in this series:
Perchance to Dream (sequel)
Plot: 4/5
Cover: 6/5!
Writing: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Series or Standalone?: 1st in series
All her world’s a stage
Enter Stage Right
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (Bertie): Our heroine.
Nate: A dashing pirate who will do anything to protect Bertie.
Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom: Four tiny, mischievous fairies, and Bertie’s loyal sidekicks.
Ariel: A seductive air spirit. Disaster follows in his wake, but Bertie simply cannot resist him.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. The actors are bound to the Théâtre by The Book, an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of the actors, but they are her family. And she is about to lose them all because The Book has been threatened, and along with it the Théâtre. It’s the only home Bertie has ever known, and she has to find a way to save it. But first, there’s the small problem of two handsome men, both vying for her attention. The course of true love never did run smooth. . . .
* * *
Let me start this review off by saying that I am a huge theater nerd, and an actress (I’m playing my first lead this December!), so I was really excited to read Eyes Like Stars when I heard it was all about plays and took place in a magical theater. Yes.
Eyes Like Stars also got me good because Hamlet is my favorite play ever, and Ophelia is my favorite character. I did a mini-squee each time Ophelia was mentioned. And, to make the impact even greater, one of the main characters is from The Little Mermaid, which is my favorite Disney movie. So, needless to say, I loved the book before I even started reading it.
But, whoo, when I read it, it was like an explosion of amazing. Kablooie. The whole idea of it was pure genius. Every character from every play that was ever written- -most prominently Shakespeare’s plays- - live in the Theatre. So of course, we have quite the quirky cast. Bertie was my favorite character; she was strong and just all-around loveable. She tried to do her best by the Theatre, and cared for the people that lived there. But more importantly, she was just trying to find out who she was.
The two men vying for Bertie’s affections are Ariel, a spirit/fey-type guy from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Nate, a dashing pirate from The Little Mermaid. Ariel is Ariel and Nate were equally formidable love-interests, but I think I’m on Ariel’s side here. I’m a sucker for the bad boy, and what is Ariel if not that? But he’s not truly villainous. All he’s looking for is freedom, which I thought justified anything he did. He wanted freedom to leave the Theatre, and explore the world outside. One of the magical things about The Book is that it binds the characters to the Theatre, and they can never step outside its doors. Of course, one person did discover how to leave, long, long ago…
Mantchev’s debut novel really shines. The writing was fun and fast paced, witty and hilarious at some parts, and there were curves around every bend. Which sort of brings me to my next point, and just about the only thing that left me discontent with the book:
Some of the curves that Mantchev threw at us sort of left me…confused. I would have to re-read it a few times, and then I kinda understood what was going on. Also, I couldn’t pin point a setting for the book. Is it written in our world, or in a made up fantasy land? Is it modern day? (I think I recall the mention of a soda-can, but then other things just don’t make sense if it was modern day.) Or is it a more Victorian Era-inspired time? This confusion marred the reading experience for me ever so slightly, which is why I’m docking a star from the “Plot” rating.
Definite must read for YA fantasy fans!
Other books in this series:
Perchance to Dream (sequel)
Plot: 4/5
Cover: 6/5!
Writing: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition
4.0
Now this is how YA fiction should be!
There were some elements I adored, and others that I felt I've outgrown a bit, but what an enjoyable, thoroughly original tale! I was in love with the majority of characters being pulled directly from Shakespeare's plays and interacting with each other. It felt like a mad dream. I listened to the audiobook, which I was surprised to discover had a full cast of voices. I liked the ease of character recognition from the cast (knowing who is speaking before the "said so and so"), but also felt that the voices made the characters much more cartoonish than I would have read them. Bertie especially, at 17, I think I would have read her lines as "spirited," but the young actress made her sound petulant.
Voices aside, it was absolutely priceless to see Lady Macbeth arguing with Gertrude, Ophelia constantly dripping wet (but often also, the voice of reason), Ariel as such a swoon-worthy spirit, and a whole universe in a theater.
I thought a few details seemed out-of-place, but couldn't dwell on them while listening, so I just got caught up in the story. I feel like this would have been a favorite book of mine if I'd read it at 14 or so, but I wouldn't have gotten all of the character references at that age, so read now (at 30) it was bittersweet.
Also, I feel as though I HAVE to reread the Tempest and Midsummer Nights Dream, just to see the characters with new eyes!
There were some elements I adored, and others that I felt I've outgrown a bit, but what an enjoyable, thoroughly original tale! I was in love with the majority of characters being pulled directly from Shakespeare's plays and interacting with each other. It felt like a mad dream. I listened to the audiobook, which I was surprised to discover had a full cast of voices. I liked the ease of character recognition from the cast (knowing who is speaking before the "said so and so"), but also felt that the voices made the characters much more cartoonish than I would have read them. Bertie especially, at 17, I think I would have read her lines as "spirited," but the young actress made her sound petulant.
Voices aside, it was absolutely priceless to see Lady Macbeth arguing with Gertrude, Ophelia constantly dripping wet (but often also, the voice of reason), Ariel as such a swoon-worthy spirit, and a whole universe in a theater.
I thought a few details seemed out-of-place, but couldn't dwell on them while listening, so I just got caught up in the story. I feel like this would have been a favorite book of mine if I'd read it at 14 or so, but I wouldn't have gotten all of the character references at that age, so read now (at 30) it was bittersweet.
Also, I feel as though I HAVE to reread the Tempest and Midsummer Nights Dream, just to see the characters with new eyes!