Hello my wonderful and fabulous friends :) Merry Post-Christmas and Happy Post-Hannukah :) I hope your holidays were filled with wonder and joy :) Have this here review for ya, hope you guys enjoy it :)
Perchance to Dream is Act II in the Theatre Illuminata trilogy. The site Goodreads states:
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?
For my review of the first book, Eyes Like Stars, click here.
This was such a wonderful sequel to Eyes Like Stars. I did not like it as much as I did ELS, but PTD was almost as good, and of course left a satisfying ending/pseudo-cliffhanger. This was different, as Bertie and gang were outside of the Theatre, so the scope was much bigger. I laughed my butt off at certain points, was brought to tears, pumped my fist in triumph, all that good emotional roller coaster stuff. I loved every single moment, although there was a couple of issues I had. First off, there were some moments where I did not understand a single thing that was going on. Pardon my french, but it felt sometimes like there was a huge amount of mind-fuckery going on, screwing with the old noggin and making me very confused. Also parts dragged a lot, and the pacing in those moments was so slow it was practically molasses. Third, it was too hard to understand Nate. I could understand him most of the time, but sometimes I had to strain to comprehend his dialogue. Other than those gripes, this book was super.
Bertie was so much stronger in this book. She made lots of mistakes, but she owned up to them and tried to rectify said mistakes. You also witness her emotional journey with trying to find Nate, struggling with her relationship with Ariel, her familial issues, and all while maturing into a better person while retaining her trademark wit and all around awesomeness. I just wanted her to succeed in saving Nate, and triumph over the sea goddess. Ariel had some decent growth in this book, despite being his a()()hole self part of the time. I still love the banter he has with Bertie, it was classic. Nate was Nate, although he took on this "It's too dangerous, I want you not to save me" vibe which I despised. The fairies were awesome as ever, and always knew how to make me laugh, while still remaining loyal and noble. The cast of new characters were well written and had great backstory.
Mantchev did it again writing-wise. I still felt that theatrical quality of her writing, and I loved how she expanded her world when she took her characters outside the theatre. It all felt fluid and easy. I can not wait to get to So Silver Bright.
I'll next be reviewing Toil and Trouble by H.P. Mallory
Until next time, viva la literature!
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