Review: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

by First Mate Keira

Title: Perchance to Dream [Théâtre Illuminata (Act 2)]
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Format: Kindle Ebook
Page Count: 352 (Hardback)
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: Act 1 was in the theater, Act 2 explores the world outside the theater. Don’t be fooled though, the world is a very different place than how you or I would see it. With a Teller of Tales in your pocket, and several sidekicks from Shakespeare’s plays, anything and everything changes. Bertie must rescue Nate from the sea witch’s clutches, a seemingly impossible task and Nate’s time is running short. Her dreams at night and her love for him keeps him alive, but the day belongs to Ariel and Bertie finds herself falling for him too.

Why I started this book:

I loved the first in the trilogy, Eyes Like Stars, and couldn’t wait to read it. I gave up on the library getting it anytime soon and purchased Perchance to Dream from Amazon for my Kindle. It turned out to be a good decision because Mantchev uses a lot of interesting words that I didn’t know or only sort of knew and looked up using Kindle’s dictionary definition feature while reading. I also used the Text-to-Speech aspect to hear how some words and character names were pronounced.

Likes:

The fairies: Cobweb, Peaseblossom, Moth and Mustardseed (from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) are back and just as silly and over the top as before with their demands for pie and cake and pastries!
Ariel (from Shakespeare’s The Tempest) is my favorite character. I loved that he was challenged to do things without the power of his winds. It made him a stronger character and revealed a lot about him.
Beatrice (Bertie) Shakespeare Smith has more trouble with words than any girl I know. After that she has an even bigger conflict: choosing between her two loves: Nate and Ariel. The right boy for her will have to give her a lot of space because she’s very determined to keep a piece of herself for herself.
New character Waschbär the sneakthief, is a strong addition to the tale. I wonder what it is he seeks and if he too can complete his journey.
The writing is very vivid and much improved over Eyes Like Stars. The story itself is far more epic and expansive too than it’s predecessor. I have high expectations and hopes for the third and final act.

Dislikes:

I don’t feel like Ariel gets enough credit in the story. He had so many chances to turn his back on her, to sabotage the rescue efforts, and plentiful reasons to just give up and yet he doesn’t do any of those things. He tries but he can’t. Ariel’s by far my favorite of the two boys. Every time Bertie realized she gave in a little to him she did a 180 and pushed him away. It was exasperating (and for Ariel too no doubt) and I had a hard time believing she felt equally about both boys because of her actions.
The Mysterious Stranger aka the Scrimshander is a very important character and he’s well drawn, but I just don’t like him. I found him weak and pathetic compared to the strength, determination, and courage of Betrie.

Buy: Perchance to Dream: Theatre Illuminata #2 (Hardback), Perchance to Dream: Theatre Illuminata #2 (Kindle)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests