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?
Review
Lisa captured me with her imaginative fantasy world filled with interesting characters and an interesting plot that had me turning the pages to find out what would happen next to Bertie and her friends this time. In this second installment Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev we find Bertie and her gang heading out of the theater and into the real world, broadening the landscape of the story and introducing new situations and characters into the story. We know from the ending of the first book that Bertie is on a mission to save her love the pirate Nate from the evil sea goddess from the little mermaid story. Along the way Bertie finds out more about her family, her self and her powers in discovering her father and the path that he plays on her journey. What captured my attention the most in the story was Bertie learning how to deal with her amazing powers as well as the clever way Mantchev weaved Shakespearian and fairy tale characters together and formed her own unique tale. The characters are well defined, each having their own unique quality. I really enjoyed reading the interaction with Bertie’s faery sidekicks. I’m a real sucker for a hot, intense romance and the love triangle between Nate, Bertie & Ariel made for some intense situations, though I felt that Mantchev had all the right elements between the characters she could have pushed the drama between them a bit more. Though the plot also had me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The scenes that Mantchev created were unique and different, adding to the story and giving it an added depth. From the beginning of the story I was pleasantly enchanted by this story and I am looking forward to a next installment since the end left me wanting more
I've really wanted to pick this series up, but it's never in my local bookstore! The cover for the first book was beautiful, but I like this one too. :)You have an award over at my blog: http://thelifeoflale.blogspot.com/2010/06/oh-my-b…