Review: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev (Book 2 Théâtre Illuminata)

Act Two, Scene One 
Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn't know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and is determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.

Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY 
But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between - 

NATE: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.

ARIEL: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. Bertie's dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it's Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess's lair?

Originality: 10.  This is a YA book in it's own genre, so imaginative and unique.  Even in Book 2 of the series, I loved the originality.

Absurdity: 9.  The originality is also a bit bonkers... but what can you do.  There are gods, creatures, and fantasy abound, all wrapped around some teen romance.  Absurd but also just great.

Level of Paranormal Romance: 10.  This is the whole point of the book, Bertie's love for Nate and Ariel.  TEAM ARIEL over here.  I couldn't remember enough of Nate from book 1, but Ariel steals the show with his devotion:

“A blind man could see that man would die for you, but that doesn't mean you won't die alongside him.” 

Level of Harry Potterness: 7. While a totally different type of the story, the writing is lyrical and at times beautiful. There were some sentences that stopped me in my tracks.  So nice to read a book where you can tell the author spent time crafting paragraphs to make the most of the words, even if many of them are about how hungry the fairies are!

"There should be more to love," said the earth, "than 'it did not kill me.' More than 'I survived it.” 

“There is a Beatrice who exists beyond the obligations of a daughter, outside the object of man's affections.”