Well, I expected to get a review up today, but I, unfortunately, didn’t read Eyes Like Stars. I thought I’d finish it today but my plans changed at the last minute and I had to shuttle some people around…so…

I’ll give my opinion of the first hundred pages here and I’ll try to post a full review next week.

So, I’m a hundred pages in and really enjoying the read so far. The first several pages were a little hard to get into because we were in such strange environment and I didn’t really know what the rules were. The writing was good enough that I was able to abandon my need to understand everything and trust the author was capable and would get around to explaining the world as time went on.

A hundred pages in I have a pretty good grasp on the world and I know which characters are the good ones and which are the bad ones. I’m invested in the main character and wanting to see if she will succeed or not.

Strengths:

I love the way the Lisa Mantchev writes. I love her word choices and I love how easily I can visualize the characters.

Here are several lines I found to love, just in the first hundred pages:

They whispered behind hands, masks, and feathered fans, trading speculations like an invisible currency.

Bertie would rather drink gasoline and shove a lit match up her nose, than applaud…

Sconces poured warm light on the rich mahogany panelling, but shadows, like creatures long of tooth and nail, gathered in the narrow places.  

The characters are also great. The four fairies are very cute. Nate is wonderful. Bertie is a mixture of gutsy and vulnerable. I like the cast a lot.

Weaknesses:

It’s hard to say whether there are any weaknesses this early in the book. I, am enjoying the story a great deal so far. I wonder if I would be more bonded to Bertie if there were more internal monologue. I think she is a sympathetic character, but Lisa is such a visual writer that I find myself wishing for a little more of a glimpse into Bertie’s mind.

But it’s definitely an entertaining read, a fast read, and a prettily written read.

The book releases today!

My review is not done yet.

I’ll have it up tomorrow.

For now, since the book is full of Shakespeare characters, I thought I’d link to some Shakespeare quizzes.

I confess, I’ve never read Shakespeare. Turns out that going ten grades in the California public education system wasn’t the best way to get an education.

So, since I’ve not read the Bard, I can’t even take the quizzes.

But here are a couple in case you want to take them:

1. Midsummer Night’s Dream
2. The Tempest

Report your scores on those two quizzes in the comment section if you want, and I’ll send a ten dollar Amazon gift certificate to the winner (with the highest combined scores). You’re on the honor system.

Today kicks off the first day of the Kidz Book Buzz blog tour for Eyes Like Stars, by Lisa Mantchev.

Since the book won’t be released until tomorrow, I thought today, I’d link you to a short story, Lisa wrote. The Girl With Blueberry Eyes. It’s delightful. Very, very fun stuff.

Go visit other tour participants:

The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Patchwork of Books, Abby the Librarian, And Another Book Read, Becky’s Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, The Friendly Book Nook, Homeschool Book Buzz, Homespun Light, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Never Jam Today, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes