Book Review: Perchance to Dream: Theatre Illuminata #2 by Lisa Mantchev

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; 1 edition (May 25, 2010)

Description from Amazon:

We are such stuff as dreams are made on.

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 COMPANY

But 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?

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This is the second book in the Theatre Illuminata series by Lisa Mantchev. I have mixed feelings about this book although I still give the book a pretty good rating. I truly enjoyed Eyes Like Stars more than this one. I found Perchance to Dream a bit schizophrenic as far as the story goes. It is difficult to tell what is really happening or what is being imagined, etc. Although I believe it is really MEANT to be that way because Bertie apparently does not have a firm grip on reality herself, I found it a bit tedious. The love story part of this book leaves me feeling unsatisfied as well. Regardless of all that I still found it a good read mostly because it is so descriptive. There are scenes written so vividly I can picture it perfectly in my mind, especially the Sun and Moon part close to the end.

4/5