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juliettechihyu's review
1.0
This series taught me that, when it comes to books, there are two types of nonsense. There is the Alice in Wonderland nonsense where everything is whimsical and strange creatures and odd rules are taken for granted. I love Alice and all its nonsense and madness. As contradictory as it sounds, the nonsense in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass even makes sense when you take into account the fact that both stories are in fact dreams- and we all know the rules of logic do not apply in dreams.
This trilogy has no such excuse. I kept expecting to come across the line, "Bertie woke up and realised it was all a dream" because that would have been the only legitimate excuse for all the rapid scene changes,spontaneous developments and mind-numbing confusion I had to endure. Instead, no.
Their world is, unfortunately, just a huge inexplicable mess.
I had to force my way through the book- which is never a good sign. And the only reason I even bothered to read it was because I had ordered the entire trilogy at once and I hate giving up on a series (no matter how poorly written it may be) once I've started it.
Onto some good points though:
While the love triangle is as horrible as all other love triangles, the romance takes a backseat for most of the book as Bertie generally tries to worm her way out of soppy situations. Generally. When there are romantic scenes though, I was left cringing. That may just be my personal dislike for romance though.
The only likable characters, for me, were the comedic relief fairies and the Queen. In fact, the only part of the book I liked was when the crew ended up at the Queen's palace, perhaps because it reminded me the most of Alice in Wonderland- but even then, it was like an attempt at a cheap imitation of Alice, complete with direct quotes and a looking glass.
I did appreciate the creative aspect of a queen who ages through an entire lifespan within a single day though. The series would have actually been much more entertaining if it was set within the palace and featured the Queen more prominently. Oh, and of course if the author also bothered with proper world building and explaining the things that were actually happening.
With the beautifully illustrated covers and unique premise, I truly wanted to enjoy these books but unfortunately- for reasons already outlined- the writing was too confusing and the characters too bland to incite any entertainment. I'm just glad to have this done and read, so I can move onto better books.
amym84's review
4.0
Lisa Mantchev created a very beautiful and imaginative world with the Theatre Illuminata trilogy and So Silver Bright was a great ending to the story. After freeing Nate from Sedna the Sea Queen, Bertie now wants to take her father back home to her mother Ophelia, nut he's disappeared. Regardless, Bertie is still determined to reunite her family along the way we get the same magical creatures and journey that began in [b:Eyes Like Stars|3817859|Eyes Like Stars (Théâtre Illuminata, #1)|Lisa Mantchev|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312231039s/3817859.jpg|3862155].
I thought this was a wonderful ending to the story. Everything gets tied up, and even though it's sort of an open ending, the outlook is positive. Bertie has always, in my opinion, been a very strong female character. Even when she's afraid she doesn't let her fear take her over and keep her from defeating her foes.
This series is one that needs to be read very carefully. The changing scenery can sometimes be there and gone in a flash and if you're not paying attention the reader could get lost, but overlla it's completely worth it because everything is so very descriptive and fresh. I've not ead another series like this one before and they all need to be read through in order to tie everything together.
As for the romantic element, I guess some would say it was a cop out. Bertie doesn't really have to make the choice as much as the choice is made for her, but in this case I think that's the way it had to be and I think Mantchev did a great job figuring it all out. It just seemed right at the end.
This will defintely be a series that I come back to again and one that I highley recommend to readers who are looking for something a little different. I'm a little sad that it's over, but again a play is told in three acts and this is the end.
I thought this was a wonderful ending to the story. Everything gets tied up, and even though it's sort of an open ending, the outlook is positive. Bertie has always, in my opinion, been a very strong female character. Even when she's afraid she doesn't let her fear take her over and keep her from defeating her foes.
This series is one that needs to be read very carefully. The changing scenery can sometimes be there and gone in a flash and if you're not paying attention the reader could get lost, but overlla it's completely worth it because everything is so very descriptive and fresh. I've not ead another series like this one before and they all need to be read through in order to tie everything together.
As for the romantic element, I guess some would say it was a cop out. Bertie doesn't really have to make the choice as much as the choice is made for her, but in this case I think that's the way it had to be and I think Mantchev did a great job figuring it all out. It just seemed right at the end.
This will defintely be a series that I come back to again and one that I highley recommend to readers who are looking for something a little different. I'm a little sad that it's over, but again a play is told in three acts and this is the end.
ladygeekface's review
4.0
I loved the plot overall in this series. Though, I thought the ending was lacking.
sqeeker's review
5.0
- I just can't get over the covers to this trilogy! I love them all!!
- This is the third and final book in the Theatre Illuminata series. It is a really great conclusion. It wrapped everything up, and made me feel really happy at the end. I'm sad that I don't get to read more about the characters, but it was a good ending, and I am fully satisfied!
- I love the cast list at the front of each book. I wish every book had that. It would help me a lot with some books.
- This book was as good, if not better, than the first! I really enjoyed the entire thing!
- Mixing the powers over nature was a new and kinda weird development. I didn't really understand why the author put that in until the ending. Then it all kinda came together for me, and I liked it.
- This book had a lot more fantasy elements in it than the previous two.
- I know I said I hated love triangles, but this one ended really really really well. I think it is probably my favorite love triangle ending. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say, it ended not as I expected, but I loved the decisions Bertie finally made for Ariel and Nate.
- I loved the humor in this book. The 4 fairies were a constant delight, and I enjoyed the other banter as well.
- Overall, this was a really delightful book with lots of happy endings! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
- This is the third and final book in the Theatre Illuminata series. It is a really great conclusion. It wrapped everything up, and made me feel really happy at the end. I'm sad that I don't get to read more about the characters, but it was a good ending, and I am fully satisfied!
- I love the cast list at the front of each book. I wish every book had that. It would help me a lot with some books.
- This book was as good, if not better, than the first! I really enjoyed the entire thing!
- Mixing the powers over nature was a new and kinda weird development. I didn't really understand why the author put that in until the ending. Then it all kinda came together for me, and I liked it.
- This book had a lot more fantasy elements in it than the previous two.
- I know I said I hated love triangles, but this one ended really really really well. I think it is probably my favorite love triangle ending. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say, it ended not as I expected, but I loved the decisions Bertie finally made for Ariel and Nate.
- I loved the humor in this book. The 4 fairies were a constant delight, and I enjoyed the other banter as well.
- Overall, this was a really delightful book with lots of happy endings! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
wrenl's review
3.0
‘So Silver Bright’
By Lisa Mantchev
SoSilverBright
Act Three, Scene One
Betrie thinks her quest is almost done. With the help of Ariel and the rest of her friends, she has managed to find her father and rescue Nate from Sedna, the Sea Goddess. Now, all she has to do is reunite her father, the Scrimshander, with her mother, Ophelia, and she will finally have a true family of her own.
Exit Stage Right
However, things are never easy for Beatrice Shakespeare Smith. Her father has vanished, Sedna is out for revenge, her own actions have trapped the Théâtre Illuminata in a strange kind of limbo, and the stress of her in-between state is tearing apart the fragile threads of her mother’s sanity. Bertie’s best hope for salvaging the situation may lie in a summons by Her Gracious Majesty, Queen of the Distant Castle, and the hope of winning the magical boon given to the best performance.
Bertie is caught between her growing responsibilities to home and family, and the dream of flying free – just as her heart is torn between her two loves, Nate and Ariel. With so any forces pulling on her, how will Bertie be able to choose which wish to make come true?
Review:
I think this was a good ending to this series. While I might not have liked it, it was a good ending. I was disappointed in Ariel, though. He seemed like the only responsible one. Though…Nate grew into that role. I don’t know how I feel about Ariel leaving. (Oops. Spoiler!) And I can’t truly say if I liked how Bertie handled things. I do have complaints, though.
Where did all the magic come from? I like magic as much as the next guy, but this is too much. Word-magic? That’s a thing now? Erm…okay? I don’t get that. Uh…alright.
I also didn’t like the romance. Where’s the spark? The buzz-buzz? The lovey kissy scenes? It was lacking. (I know I say this for this book, but I mean it for all three.) I don’t exactly like the romance…
I also don’t like Bertie. What an odd character! She has many magics. It’s hard to keep count. I wish I could have her magics. Where did she get them? Seems like she summoned most from her heart of hearts. Wish I could do that…
Overall, the book was a quick read. The concept wasn’t bad. But I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. I prefer other fantasy books, thank you very much.
Score:
6/10
(Remedy Reads)
By Lisa Mantchev
SoSilverBright
Act Three, Scene One
Betrie thinks her quest is almost done. With the help of Ariel and the rest of her friends, she has managed to find her father and rescue Nate from Sedna, the Sea Goddess. Now, all she has to do is reunite her father, the Scrimshander, with her mother, Ophelia, and she will finally have a true family of her own.
Exit Stage Right
However, things are never easy for Beatrice Shakespeare Smith. Her father has vanished, Sedna is out for revenge, her own actions have trapped the Théâtre Illuminata in a strange kind of limbo, and the stress of her in-between state is tearing apart the fragile threads of her mother’s sanity. Bertie’s best hope for salvaging the situation may lie in a summons by Her Gracious Majesty, Queen of the Distant Castle, and the hope of winning the magical boon given to the best performance.
Bertie is caught between her growing responsibilities to home and family, and the dream of flying free – just as her heart is torn between her two loves, Nate and Ariel. With so any forces pulling on her, how will Bertie be able to choose which wish to make come true?
Review:
I think this was a good ending to this series. While I might not have liked it, it was a good ending. I was disappointed in Ariel, though. He seemed like the only responsible one. Though…Nate grew into that role. I don’t know how I feel about Ariel leaving. (Oops. Spoiler!) And I can’t truly say if I liked how Bertie handled things. I do have complaints, though.
Where did all the magic come from? I like magic as much as the next guy, but this is too much. Word-magic? That’s a thing now? Erm…okay? I don’t get that. Uh…alright.
I also didn’t like the romance. Where’s the spark? The buzz-buzz? The lovey kissy scenes? It was lacking. (I know I say this for this book, but I mean it for all three.) I don’t exactly like the romance…
I also don’t like Bertie. What an odd character! She has many magics. It’s hard to keep count. I wish I could have her magics. Where did she get them? Seems like she summoned most from her heart of hearts. Wish I could do that…
Overall, the book was a quick read. The concept wasn’t bad. But I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. I prefer other fantasy books, thank you very much.
Score:
6/10
(Remedy Reads)
justinecm's review
4.0
I loved this series. This book is beautifully written and highly imaginative. As well as very humorous on the part of the fairies. The cover art of these books is what initially what drew me to read these books.
ashreads10k's review
5.0
So Silver Bright is the thrilling and heart-breaking ending to the Theatre Illumiata trilogy. It takes all the action, romance, suffering, and adventures that Bertie and Company have gone through in the two previous books, and wraps everything up. I'm in mourning right now, for several reasons, the most prominent being that So Silver Bright is the last foray into Bertie's world that we'll ever get. And, oh, did I love her world. But, I can't be too sad, because this was the perfect ending to the series. After some deliberation, I realized that no matter how it pained me, it had to end that way.
There is no lack of action in So Silver Bright, and it will keep you flipping the pages. Bertie is on the run from the Sea Goddess Sedna's wrath, and it seems like she's being pulled in every which way--she loves Nate, she loves Ariel, she must find her father, perform for the Queen, save the Theater and her mother... How's a girl to breathe with all of that pressure weighing her down? But Bertie, the spunky and fiery heroine who won't stop for anything, finds a way. It was almost amazing to read about how she pulled herself out of any sticky situation, and how she used her magic to her advantage.
You know usually, whenever there's a love triangle, it always makes me dislike the main character a bit for being so selfish. I mean, two guys? As if one isn't enough? But I didn't dislike Bertie one bit for it. I feel like she was so equally torn in two for the both of them that it wasn't even a choice of loving either of them. She just did. So I accepted it, even if I was partial to a handsome young air elemental myself. *ahem*
This series as a whole is just positively magical. What I mean by that is not just the story has to do with magic, but everything about it IS magic. The way Lisa Mantchev writes, her words flowing beautifully, waxing Shakespearian at times, and other times, something else entirely--something only Bertie. Every single character has a spirit and life to them, something that makes them completely unique. And even the world itself is a conglomeration between a fantasy land and modern day, a sort of crossroads where they both meet.
Needless to say, I loved So Silver Bright, and the entire Theater Illuminata series. Heartbreaking, but still wonderful. If you're looking for a fantastic, beautiful read, go pick up Eyes Like Stars, and embark on your journey with Bertie. :) 5 out of 5 stars.
There is no lack of action in So Silver Bright, and it will keep you flipping the pages. Bertie is on the run from the Sea Goddess Sedna's wrath, and it seems like she's being pulled in every which way--she loves Nate, she loves Ariel, she must find her father, perform for the Queen, save the Theater and her mother... How's a girl to breathe with all of that pressure weighing her down? But Bertie, the spunky and fiery heroine who won't stop for anything, finds a way. It was almost amazing to read about how she pulled herself out of any sticky situation, and how she used her magic to her advantage.
You know usually, whenever there's a love triangle, it always makes me dislike the main character a bit for being so selfish. I mean, two guys? As if one isn't enough? But I didn't dislike Bertie one bit for it. I feel like she was so equally torn in two for the both of them that it wasn't even a choice of loving either of them. She just did. So I accepted it, even if I was partial to a handsome young air elemental myself. *ahem*
This series as a whole is just positively magical. What I mean by that is not just the story has to do with magic, but everything about it IS magic. The way Lisa Mantchev writes, her words flowing beautifully, waxing Shakespearian at times, and other times, something else entirely--something only Bertie. Every single character has a spirit and life to them, something that makes them completely unique. And even the world itself is a conglomeration between a fantasy land and modern day, a sort of crossroads where they both meet.
Needless to say, I loved So Silver Bright, and the entire Theater Illuminata series. Heartbreaking, but still wonderful. If you're looking for a fantastic, beautiful read, go pick up Eyes Like Stars, and embark on your journey with Bertie. :) 5 out of 5 stars.
ianthe_the_unicorn's review
5.0
Oh my goodness! An excellent end to an excellent series. I only hope there may be a 4th because I need just a bit more closer.
corkykat's review
5.0
I read the first book in this series when I was in sixth grade. I found it in a used bookstore and bought it, then read it several times because I loved it so much. Then, for one reason or the other, I was led to believe that the sequel didn't exist, that the author hadn't written it.
It wasn't until six years later, when I was browsing Powell's bookstore in Portland, that I discovered the rest of the trilogy had, in fact, been published. I bought the next two books, and I was so incredibly pleased. The rest of the series made me really happy, and I'd recommend these books to any fantasy lover who wants a fun, easy read.
I can't wait to read more of Lisa Mantchev's books.
It wasn't until six years later, when I was browsing Powell's bookstore in Portland, that I discovered the rest of the trilogy had, in fact, been published. I bought the next two books, and I was so incredibly pleased. The rest of the series made me really happy, and I'd recommend these books to any fantasy lover who wants a fun, easy read.
I can't wait to read more of Lisa Mantchev's books.
writer09's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0