I just finished Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev, and I have to say that it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! A friend recommended it to me, and when I read the description, I was a bit apprehensive. Most books that contain various characters from other works read like bad fanfiction. Or good fanfiction, which is still bad. But Lisa Mantchev manages to capture the essence of the characters, as well as adding in a few of her own, and put them into a beautifully unique and modern setting. I loved how the love interest, Nate, had maybe two lines in his play of origin (Peter Pan,) but he's one of the main characters in Eyes Like Stars, and he does all sorts of normal piratey things, but he also eats chocolate cake and takes Turkish baths with Bertie. (LOVED that scene, by the way. And it's not as dirty as it might seem. :p) All in all, one of the best books I've read in the recent past, and I can't wait for the sequel.
Which is why there's a second part to this blog post. You see, I am addicted to entering contests. Especially when there are free books involved. Especially when the free books are advanced reader copies. So I am going to enter Lisa Mantchev's contest for an ARC of the sequel, Perchance to Dream.
In order to enter, I have to suggest a title for the third book. The title must be from a Shakespeare play. My suggestion: Free As Mountain Winds. It's from The Tempest, when Prospero is telling Ariel that if Ariel follows Prospero's commands, he'll be set free. I thought it would be fitting, seeing as Ariel is an important (and very, very sexy, and extremely badass) character in the series, and throughout the first book he tries his darndest to escape the Theatre.Lisa Mantchev's blog with the contest rules: http://lisamantchev.com/blog.php
Amazon page for Perchance to Dream: http://www.amazon.com/Perchance-Dream-Theatre-Illuminata-2/dp/0312380976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267580036&sr=8-1
