Mantchev, Lisa: Perchance to Dream
Written by: Lisa Mantchev
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pages: 333 (Hardcover)
Series: Book Two (ongoing)
The premise: ganked from the author's website: Beatrice Shakespeare Smith's search for her stolen companion has brought her travelling company far from the stage of the Théâtre Illuminata. With the power of her words, Bertie can reshape reality, but the magic is wild and defies her attempts to control it. The Pirate's time is running out and Sea Goddess will not give up her prize willingly.
My Rating
Worth the Cash: but rather close to "Buy the Paperback," and that's because this book picks up right where Eyes Like Stars left off and never once gives readers a chance to breathe and get themselves reacquainted with the world. And it's surreal to the point that keeping a grip on reality and the rules of the world became impossible. Lord knows I don't mind fast reads, and I don't need hard and fast rules governing everything I read, but I need some kind of frame work to hold on to, and Mantchev blew all such framework out of the water. Bertie's magic comes close to being too convenient, despite the fact she screws it more often than not. That said, the line between reality, imagination, and magic is so blurry that like
jawastew, I don't recommend this if you're under the influence of cold medicine. Nor do I recommend reading this if you don't have the time to sit down and focus on it. Don't get me wrong, there's stuff to enjoy here: there's playful, delightful moments with the fairies and the language itself, and I applaud Bertie's character growth in this book, especially in regards to the love triangle. I hope Mantchev keeps this direction, because I really want to see what comes of it. And despite my inability to find something to hold on to in this book, I intend to read the next installment. For that matter, I'll probably re-read the whole series one day once it's complete (is a series or trilogy? Do we know?), but right now, this book remains a bit of a fuzzy mess in my head, and while I'm willing to take partial blame (especially since I had such high expectations), the book is still kind of crazy. I highly recommend Eyes Like Stars for it's fun and originality, and this book is worth the read to fans who really enjoyed the first. Just know, it doesn't sparkle quite as brightly.
Review style: I want to talk about the relationship of this book to the first, so let me just warn you now, SPOILERS for both books. I also want to talk about the very interesting way Mantchev is handling her love triangle, and also explain why, as
jawastew has said, a person should NOT read this while under the influence of cold medicine. Not that I was under that influence, but if I HAD been, this would've been unbearable, and that's what I want to explain. So again, SPOILERS. If those don't bother you or you've already read the book, feel free to read the full review at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)REVIEW: Lisa Mantchev's PERCHANCE TO DREAM
Happy Reading!
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ALSO:
Book club selections @
calico_reaction. Hop on over! We'd love to have you!June: Sunshine by Robin McKinley
July: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff
