Book: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Rating: 5 Stars

Release Date: July 7

Summary:
Enter Stage Right

All her world’s a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She is not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but has no lines of her own.
Until now.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place 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

Overall:

In Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev begins the story of Beatrice Shakespeare Smith. Found orphaned at the theater when she was a child, Beatrice’s whole world is the stage. Now, she might just be forced to give it up and leave all she knows behind. The only way to remain is to find a way to prove that she is needed in the theater.

Bertie decides that she must save the theater, along with her place there. She decides that the only thing that she could possibly do is direct. So, Bertie takes on the challenge of re-staging Hamlet, in ancient Egypt. Not only that, she has to sell out every seat and end with a standing ovation. With the help of some friends and two helpful boys, Bertie may just be able to pull this off. That is, until disaster strikes and not only is Bertie trying to save her place at the theater, she is also trying to save the theater from crumbling down around them.

From the very first page of this book I was trapped. I couldn’t put it down. Lisa Mantchev has created some of the funniest and most heart wrenching characters that I have read in a while. This book made me want to laugh at most parts and cry at others. The characters were so real, I felt like I was a part of the story. I had such mixed feelings at the end. I was torn between wanting more and just wanting to sit there and savor the part that I had just read. I can’t wait to see what Lisa writes in her next book of the trilogy!

You can pre-order Eyes Like Stars here.

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