"Eyes Like Stars" is Extraordinary

"Eyes Like Stars"
by Lisa Mantchev

6

All her world's a stage.
Beatrice 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.
Until now.

Enter Stage Right
Nate: Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie (as she's known at the theater).
Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Pleaseblossom: 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 Theatre Illuminata, where the characters of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Theatre 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.

"Eyes Like Stars" has everything a good book should down to beautiful cover art. The characters light up the pages with performances that are rarely found elsewhere. I started to list all the memorable characters, but the list just got too long because they all have vibrant personalities. The plot was very unique and well thought out. The theatre and the players come alive inviting you to go read further. I stayed up way too late reading this book, but the lack of sleep was worth it. I wish the second book "Perchance to Dream" was out because the first book left me begging for more! I actually got a call immediately after finishing "Eyes Like Stars" and I was having trouble focusing on what the person was saying. I was too busy thinking "what is going to happen?" I love when I finish a book and I need time to process everything that happened.

I would definitely recommend "Eyes Like Stars" to anyone who enjoys fantasy, classics, the theater, or loves fantastic books. I read a lot of great reviews on Mantchev's book and I was not at all disappointed. It was worth the price of a hardcover and will be a part of my permanent library.

The book has a great website featuring information about the cover artist, author, character bios, and even a preview of the first chapter! Check out the website to the book here.