taken from Goodreads:
All her world's a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She is not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but has no lines of her own.
Until now.
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.
Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.
Open Curtain"
Sometimes I wonder if there's really any new ground to cover when it comes to YA fantasy series. Too often, it seems as though one big series comes through, and then everything that comes after is just a knock-off, trying to cash in on the trend. Look at the number of fantasy series about young wizards that hit the market after Harry Potter, and let's not even talk about all the vampire series that are currently bogging down the bookshelves. (Not that I'm complaining about the fact that these books have gotten more kids to read -- but I'd love for them to really get their hands on some GOOD writing, too, you know?)
That's why I think the first book in Lisa Mantchev's trilogy is so incredible -- it truly is a standout in the genre. What's more, Mantchev has created a very character-driven novel (in what can all too often be a very plot-driven genre) -- a trait her novel shares with some of my recent favorites (Graceling, Thirteenth Child). Bertie is a very likeable heroine; she's strong but flawed, funny, insecure, curious, and just a touch insolent. She's not brash and in-your-face, but she's not wishy-washy either (like the heroine of one popular series I could name) -- the point is, she's very real, and I think girls of any age will find themselves connecting with her. The supporting characters are extremely fun, too -- I loved her take on the fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream. They provide comic relief, but they're more than just one-dimensional jokeboxes. As we get to know the other supporting characters, we find that there's much more to each one than what appears at first. Mantchev very deftly handles these "type" characters and as the characters develop, their role in the plot grows more vital as well.
The theatre itself becomes another character in the book, and I have to say that this is one of the most engaging and inventive settings that I've seen in quite some time. Mantchev really does a stellar job of bringing the theatre to life and of giving the reader so many "behind-the-curtain" peeks at how things take place in the world of the theatre. There's so much fertile ground here, and Mantchev really makes the most of it.
I read one other review that felt the romance scenes were a little forced; I have to agree that these portions did seem a little jarring, but I think some of that might be because of my own misconceptions about Bertie. Even though the novel pretty clearly states her age, I kept imagining her several years younger. So the romance scenes felt (to me) as though Bertie was out of her league. That's a minor quibble, though, in the grand scheme of things.
This is definitely a series that I'll be collecting in hardcover, and I'll be urging my oldest daughter to read this one soon. I think she'll love it. I know I did.
