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Oct 14, 2011

Cillian rated it:

Review coming very soon.

This review is dedicated to Paige, whose efforts and kindness in sticking my head in the toilet bowl after it's been used (and never flushed) by the entire theater personnel resulted in me discovering one of my favorite books.
Paige is so good to me.

I will eventually plague this page with OOOOHs and AAAAHs, describing how much I love this book, but first, let me tell you how this unique and unforgettable experience came about:

How C More...

99 comments like (20 people liked it)

Jul 30, 2011

Kim rated it:

I feel like the village idiot, because half of the time I had no idea what the hell was going on. So much stuff happened at the same time and for some reason I kept getting confused because of all the scene changes. Am I really getting that old?

I liked Bertie a lot (her hair is awesome) and the 4 faeries are hilarious. I even laughed out loud a few times. I don't really understand her fixation on Ariel (I kept getting distracted by an image of the Ariel the mermaid) though, there rea More...

15 comments like (14 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2011

Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it:

While reading Eyes Like Stars, here are some words that kept coming to mind:"Creative!" "Fun!" "Original!" "Whimsical!" "Hysterical!" but most importantly: "CLEVER." The world of the Theatre that Mantchev has created is utterly and deliciously clever. Everything about the book was enjoyable for me. I was a little skeptical of the book's premise that all theater characters - not just the Shakespearean ones - live in the same magical thea More...

6 comments like (10 people liked it)

Aug 09, 2010

Joshua rated it:

Okay, I wasn't going to review this book, because I really don't like throwing negative vibes out there into the universe. Who wants to waste time on negative thoughts? But I just can't hold back any longer. I've NEVER read anything this bad before. What a completely jumbled mess of uneven characters, non-existent chaos instead of a plot, and some of the worst excuses for purple prose ever written! Sometimes I had to read paragraphs three times just to figure out the action that Mantchev was try More...

13 comments like (21 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2010

Morgan rated it:

I have to get something off my chest. *takes deep breath* I bought this book for it's cover. I didn't even read the description first.

This book takes place entirely in an enchanted theater ran by The Book. The Book is what bounds the Players to the roles they were born to play, and it domineers over the magical scene changes. 17 yr old Bertie is not a Player nor a crew member, but has called the Theater her home for the past 10 years, not knowing where she came from. Bertie and More...

12 comments like (13 people liked it)

May 25, 2010

Sunil rated it:

Disclosure: Lisa Mantchev is a friend and I've been reading drafts of this book since before she found it's name. Also, I freelance as her sidekick and occasional ninja. Yes, I am bragging. She's worth bragging about.

In Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev tells a simple story, about a found orphan struggling to save her home.

Except that Bertie's home is a theater. And not just a theater, but *the* theatre, where all the characters of all the works of all humanity make the More...

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Dec 09, 2009

Deva rated it:

This is the sort of book that I love to dive into and just revel in. It's got a brilliant, unusual, magical, enchanting setting and a strong, funny, active heroine. Bertie is a vivid character (and not just because of her Cobalt Flame hair). I love that she lives with such passion, that she has both strengths and flaws, and that she goes out there an makes things happen (though they may not always go the way she plans). And perhaps more than anything, I loved the Theatre Illuminata itself as a c More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Feb 07, 2009

Laura rated it:

ARC Copy received today!

I finished this book last night and I have to say people who read this are in for a treat. Lisa creates a magical world that draws you and doesn't let go even on the last page. I want MORE! Luckily there are (I believe) three books in this series.

I understand the launch date for this book is July 7, 2009, but hopefully this will be one that they release early!

A great read, great characters, plot twists that will keep you guessing.

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2009

Christy rated it:

This story is amazing and will completely wrap you in it's spell. You can't help but fall in love with it's characters and really wish you had a ticket to the Theatre!

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2010

Alexa rated it:

Can imagine it as an animated film. Hayao Miyazaki comes to mind.

2 comments like (13 people liked it)

Jan 03, 2012

Snarky rated it:

This will always be one of those books that makes me wonder why I couldn't enjoy it, because on paper it is the kind of book I like: Fantasy, Young Adult, inspired by other famous works, etc. So why didn't I like it?

I hated the fairies. They were annoying and I wanted to swat them until they were dead or unable to speak. They don't add anything to the plot and are just there to cause trouble. I assume they are there to be funny too, but they didn't make me laugh once. They were esse More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2012

Yona rated it:

How can I put this into words? This book is officially on my worthless books list! It did not worth a second of my life to even browse it let alone try to make a sense out of it! The dear author throws you in the middle of a junk, as if the story was going on for ages and you just happened to stumble in between at your own fault! Conversations are going as if there is no need of slightest hint of introduction of the characters or the reason behind the talks! And all that was going on through the More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2011

Angela rated it:

SECOND READ: July 2011
Listening to the Full Cast Audiobook. I forgot how much I loved this story! Bertie is great, Nate is even swoonier, Ariel is quietly scary, and the fairies are upstaging them all!!

LOVED the story the second time around! Can't wait to dive into the next books! Those fairies are just fantastic! So many great one-liners that have me cracking up!

FIRST READ: March 2009
This is more like 4 1/2 stars ...

When Bertie is told she More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

Ashley Rose rated it:

I do not know for the life of me why I didn't pick this book up sooner! This book has been in the back of my mind on my to read list ever since I first saw it on the shelves when I worked at Borders #20. The cover art is simply stunning, and the tag line on the back "all her worlds a stage" should have gotten me to pick this book up much sooner than just now. Infact I knew I was going to finish this book tonight so I stopped by my local library (the LMC dosen't have these books.<- something I'll More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 09, 2011

Meagan rated it:

Originally I bought this book because I really liked the pretty cover. It's very common for me to buy books because of how the cover looks, but it is rare for me to find a book I really liked with a pretty cover. I'm also a sucker for books with fairies, which was a real treat for my reading pleasure.

For a debut novel, this is written very well. Both the characterization and scenery were very strong and crisp enough for me to fully imagine the story. It was such a pleasure to find a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2011

Rae rated it:

Welll. . . . I really wanted to like this book. I mean, the cover rocks, and now I want to dye my hair, but I just couldn’t give it more then 2. The reason I gave it 2 in the first place is because I thought the plot was a good idea. Real fairies and everything. . . cool. But I was really confused through most of it. I had to re-read a lot of paragraphs. The characters changed so many times, from good, to bad, and then maybe good again. Some of the characters are straight, then all the sudden. . More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 31, 2010

Bookworm1858 rated it:

Summary: Beatrice Shakespeare Smith lives in a theater with the characters of every play. It is the only life she knows but she is about to be kicked out if she can't contribute something invaluable. And can she figure out who her parents are?

Why I Read: I had seen it in my recommendations from amazon and I thought the summary looked interesting. I love theater although I am not a performer myself.

Thoughts: This was really weird. So some human little girl lives in a theat More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 27, 2010

Eillo rated it:

I had been wanting this book for quite some time because I'm a theater geek and writer and lets face it, you can't go wrong when both of those things happen at once. So my best friend picked it up for me for Christmas and I pretty much steamrolled through it all the while thinking "This feels like it's a play already." While most paranormal fantasy romance novels feel like just that, novels, ELS feels more like you've settled into a well aged theater fifth row center in your finest clo More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 30, 2009

Abby rated it:

The Theatre Illuminata is a magical place where all the characters in the history of the theater live, ready to perform whenever they're called. Bertie has lived there most of her life, brought when she was a young child by a strange woman she barely remembers. She was raised among the Players, costumes, and scenery but now that she's older she must leave unless she can prove herself invaluable to the Theatre. But what Bertie doesn't know is that another force wants to destroy the Theatre, the o More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 27, 2011

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

An strikingly enchanting debut novel, featuring a quirky cast of characters that not only entertains but enthralls!

Never have I read a novel so uniquely portrayed, so full of magic and awe. Mantchev is exceptional storyteller and I can’t wait to read more. Although most of the characters in the novel have been portrayed in plays of the theater, Mantchev was still able to enhance their characterization into beings as magical as the Theatre Illuminata itself. Not to mention the intre More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 24, 2009

Allison rated it:

I have some mixed feelings about this book. Well, it's really just that some of the "romance" scenes with the male characters seem a bit forced. But otherwise, I really like this book so far. It's very creative and inventive in its language, its characters, and its plot. I love the fairies who follow Bertie around. They're hilarious and sweet and I want them as my full-time entourage. I also like the moments of creative genius that bubble up in this book. It's what kept me readi More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 06, 2010

Reed rated it:

Hmmmm. I was hoping to love this book, but it was merely "ok". Matchev has created a sort of all-encompassing theater, where all the plays in existence are part of the "Book of Plays", where all the characters come and go, sets appear and disappear magically. It's a magical theater created to delight theater fans.

My wife and kids are huge theater buffs, so I wanted to like it. But it was all a bit of a jumbled mess, truth be told. The main character Bertie is More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 04, 2009

Michelle rated it:

An utterly enchanting book with a premise so unique, you couldn't guess it if I gave you a hundred hints...

And I'm not going to! Because so much of the magic in this book lies in discovering the pieces yourself through Mantchev's thorough characterization and uncanny ability to set even an unusual scene with so much detail that you will feel as if you are right there watching the whole thing unfold.

This is a magical book - a perfect blending of contemporary dialogue and More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

May 08, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

Eyes Like Stars is the story of Bertie, a teenager who has spent most of her life living in the Th��tre Illuminata. Her friends are the living characters of all of the plays that have ever been held at the theatre (Hamlet, A Midsummer's night dream, etc). Bertie loves her life, but after one unfortunate evening when she sets off a cannon during a performance, she is told to leave for good. Bertie bargains with the Theater Manager, and he agrees to let her stay if she can successfully direct a More...

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Jan 29, 2012

Madison rated it:

I was really excited to get Eyes Like Stars. All that I had heard about it was compliments- no bad reviews. I've always been into the theater and reading a book where the characters are so involved in the world of drama seemed great. And, I liked the first hundred pages. After that, not so much. I'll admit in advance that I did not finish this book. I got about 300 pages in, skimmed the rest, and gave up. Why? I couldn't stand the main character anymore. The sheer fact that I'm writing this revi More...

0 comments like

Dec 29, 2011

Keesalemon rated it:

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev *SPOILERS*

I really enjoyed myself when reading this. Although some people's reviews critique on her writing style, I must admit that some of her lines were my favourites. I loved the language she used! I really loved all of the fairies and Bertie herself was a very likeable character (even though I felt that the whole Nate/Ariel flipflopping was even more annoying than the typical teenage love triangle.) I thought it was really funny how the players wou More...

0 comments like

Dec 21, 2011

Maedel rated it:

Eyes Like Stars definitely taught me a thing or two about theatre. You can just tell by how the stagecraft is so artfully expressed that Mantchev has surely been experienced with the stage and it's works; and I admire that. I, being an amateur writer, am always afraid of getting too deep into a certain topic that I really don't know much about and then making ridiculous facts. That was not the case in Eyes Like Stars.

As for the writing... wow. I mean, WOW. It was beautiful, even thou More...

0 comments like

Dec 14, 2011

Liyana rated it:

So I was having a pretty hard time writing a review for any of the books I've read for the 48 hour book challenge. Then I realised it was due to my excitement at finishing Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars. -.-

Here's the review before I go all Twilight fangirl on you.

Michievious, strong willed Bertie Shakespeare Smith has lived in the Theatre Illuminata for as long as she can remember. Her friends and family are the cast and crew of the stage. After one in a long run of miscrea More...

0 comments like

Oct 13, 2011

Cal {Heather} rated it:

I am a Shakespeare nerd. One of my early memories is bouncing into the bathroom and stealing my Mum's mouthwash to play out Romeo's death scene. Needless to say, my family did not understand me. This book brought back that childlike glee of Shakespeare. I'd definitely rec it to anyone with a love for theatre.

Beatrice "bertie" Shakespeare Smith lives at the Theatre Illuminata. It's all she knows, the only thing she remembers. The Theatre is a special place, bound together by More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Amanda rated it:

Beatrice (Bertie) Shakespeare Smith has always lived at the theatre, growing up in a magical place where every play ever preformed lives, particularly the immortal characters created by William Shakespeare such as Lady Macbeth, Ophelia from Hamlet, Ariel from The Tempest and the four fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, among others. Bertie has always lived a wonderful, and somewhat wild life around the theatre, and is suddenly threatened to leave the theatre unless she can prove her worth. I More...

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