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All Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has ever wanted is a true family of her own. And she’s close to reuniting her parents when her father disappears. Now Bertie must deal with a vengeful sea goddess and a mysterious queen as she tries to keep her family—and the Theatre Illuminata—from crumbling. To complicate it all, Bertie is torn between her two loves, Ariel and Nate.
CHAPTER ONE
We Will Persuade Him, Be It Possible
It is a nipping and an eager air.
Except, for once, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith was thinking of the weather and not Ariel. With a frigid coastal wind tugging at her hair, she sprinted up the stairs set into the White Cliffs. Questions flitted about her mind on the wings of tiny white moths, all drawn to a central, gleaming hope: the chance to have family—her family—reunited. She rehearsed her query for the Scrimshander as she raced ever higher:
Will you come with us to the theater? I promised my mother I’d bring you back with me.
Bertie would have made her plea that morning on the beach, fresh from the triumph of rescuing Nate and escaping the Sea Goddess’s clutches, except her father had not lingered one moment longer than necessary. Perhaps it was in his avian nature to seek solitude; more likely, Bertie’s news that Sedna—his former ladylove—had dissolved into a plethora of tiny sea creatures had come as something of a shock. A few hours had passed since the vengeful deity had tried to kill Bertie, first by drowning, then by strangling, and finally by collapsing her underwater lair, but the Sea Goddess’s promise to gather her strength and revisit her vengeance upon them all still reverberated through Bertie’s very bones. Trying to escape it, she ducked her head and entered the Scrimshander’s Aerie.
“Dad?”
The single word echoed off the walls; it only took a few heartbeats for Bertie to understand something was amiss. Softened by a gray blanket of fog, the meager, midday sunlight did little to illuminate the cavern’s depths. Lanterns hung askew, while the embers in the hearth lay dying, the coals abandoned like broken eggshells in a nest. A haphazard assortment of the Scrimshander’s carving tools was spread scattershot across the stone floor. The room was a tomb—gloomy, stale, silent—and it was Bertie’s hopes that had died.
He’s not here.
Bertie circled the cavern, peering into the innermost recesses, praying he’d retired to sleep or retreated to an unknown nook. She moved as a wraith would, gliding from one bit of furniture to another, haunted by the ghosts of a thousand fears but none so terrible as the one confirmed by the tattered scrap of paper she found pierced to the wall above his desk.
I have gone to find her.
The handwriting was nearly illegible, the scrawl trailing off as though the weight of the pronouncement had caused him to drop his pen. On the desk lay a single ink-tipped quill. Bertie picked it up, the fog in her brain clearing enough for her to notice something.
That’s not tipped with ink.… It’s blood. He ripped the feather from his wing to write the note.
Which meant that her father was once more a bird. Once more the creature in love with Sedna. And that he’d abandoned his daughter and his humanity in favor of the Sea Goddess.
I have to call him back.
Perhaps it was for the best that the notebook was tucked into Waschbär’s bag for safekeeping; its magic was flawed and subject to creative interpretation at the best of times. Instinctively, Bertie knew something more powerful was needed here: blood-magic, bone-magic, word-magic. Combined, they had helped her escape Sedna’s underworld after the cavern walls collapsed atop her, allowed her to return to the surface and to the company of her friends. But could they summon the Scrimshander back on the winds?
The attempt and not the deed confounds us.
She must try.
Taking up one of her father’s carving tools, Bertie scored the tip of her finger until a droplet of blood oozed from it, darker than a ruby. “For the blood.” Reaching out, she touched the nearest of a hundred carvings etched into the massive whale ribs that formed the Aerie’s rafters, then the scrimshaw medallion hanging about her neck. “For the bones.”
As for the words, those she held in her mouth, some faceted and glowing like the blood ruby, others delicate and rounded like ivory spellicans: Let him be summoned.
The earth thrummed in response, and the floor underfoot shuddered, as though the stone tried to lift her into the very skies. Seconds later came the water, a gift from her mother, Ophelia. It sloshed from abandoned pots and pans, from inky cups and tiny indentations in the floor, mimicking waves swirling about her ankles, inciting the seagulls to gather outside. The winds answered Bertie’s command last of all, nudging the birds into a circular pattern, carrying with them the faintest of cries:
“Little one—”
And a second, stronger voice:
“What are you playing at?” Ariel posed his distant query with an interesting mixture of irritation and anxiety. A subsequent puff of wind signaled a hasty approach.
Except it was Bertie’s summoned winds that arrived first, roaring into the Aerie and prompting the near-dead coals in the hearth to blaze back to life. Blue and green sparks exploded outward to alight upon furniture, wadded scraps of paper, tattered bits of sailcloth, and oily cotton rags left in forgotten corners. All that had been earth-grown provided sustenance for the fire and, within seconds, the Aerie filled with thick, choking smoke. Trembling like an inferno-trapped sapling, Bertie crouched down in the narrow space where the air was the cleanest and coolest, then tried to bend the fire to her will.
Controlling the earth was simply a matter of filling up the back of her head and the hollow of her throat and the place just behind her eyes with green tendrils and dark soil and crumpled pieces of leaves, and then thinking please down to her toes. Soon she realized fire was an altogether different beast, with claws of red and yellow and orange. Bertie tried to catch hold of them, but they twisted out of her reach, as capricious as one of Ariel’s spring gales and infinitely more dangerous.
Unable to bear the smoke and the heat any longer, Bertie crawled forward on her belly, trying to locate the Aerie’s exit. Tears streamed from her eyes now; when they spattered on the hot stone floor, she half expected them to skitter in all directions like water tossed into a frying pan. A sudden gust of wind shoved the smoky cloak from Bertie’s shoulders only seconds before Ariel’s slim hand clamped down over her wrist and he towed her out of the Aerie and into his arms.
“I leave you alone for five minutes, and you go up like a Roman candle.” With a lazy smile, he decanted clean air into her lungs. “If you wanted to play with fire, milady, you could have simply asked me for a kiss or three.”
Bertie tried to tell him she wasn’t playing and to let her go, thank you, but all she could manage was a series of coughs into the front of his linen shirt and the words, “My father—”
“Stay put.” Ariel pressed her against the cliff face. “I’ll get him.”
“He’s not—” Ye gods, it hurt to breathe, much less speak. “He’s not in there.”
One raised eyebrow was all the answer she got before there was an ominous crackle of glass. One of the oil lanterns, perhaps, or an unseen cache of sparking powder exploded, and the force of the blast shoved Bertie off the tiny ledge.
Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Mantchev
When I finish a really good book, I'm left with an utterly soul crushing bittersweet feeling. I feel great because, you know, it was a great book! Brilliant character development and an awesome plot and amazing characters and everything that makes me happy. But then I realize that the stories of the characters are over, and that I won't be able to read about them anymore - well, anything new about them - and I get sad.
This is how I felt at the end of So Silver Bright.
I read the first book in the series in 2009, back where my reviews were barely a paragraph long and I had no idea what I was doing. I've become so much picker since then about what I read, and yet this series is still utterly fantastic. The characters are stellar, the plot keeps me hanging on the edge of my seat, and I'd give anything to live in a world where word-magic is real.
I could go about a lot of things in this book. I'd ramble about the plot, but I want you to discover the twists and turns for yourself. I'd rave about the world, but I've already given you a tidbit about word-magic, so I'll leave the rest of the wonders of the world up to you, the reader, who has yet to discover it.
But I will give you some reasons I love the characters.
Let's start with one important thing: this series has a love triangle, and I love it. (Well, I love Ariel, and Nate's cool, I guess.) It's handled so bloody brilliantly, and the ending to it is so perfectly poignant and sweet and - just - gah. I don't want to spoil it for you, but I was both really happy and mildly depressed. Kind of like how Bertie felt, I imagine.
And Bertie! Oh, Bertie, who loves two men equally; Bertie, who within the first ten pages of the book, reiterates how much she hates the stereotypical damsel-in-distress and refuses to be coddled and protected from every little thing just because the men love her. Bertie, who kicks ass and takes titlesnames. Bertie, who protects her friends with everything she has in her.
And her friends! I could go on about all of them for paragraphs, but I'll stick to the fairies, and I'll just say this: they give me food lust. ALL the food lust.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 25, 2012
This book was great! The imaginative qualities and the way everythinng was explained made this book the icong on the cake for the series. Lisa Manchev had me laughing and crying. Make sure to read "Eyes Like Stars" followed by "Perchance To Dream" BEFORE you read this book. Everything will be better explained if you read the other books first.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 16, 2011
Lisa Mantchev does an amazing job with this series! Her chracters are realistic and overall amazing. On top of this, the book has amazing artwork to go with an awesome book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 4, 2013
Granddaughet age 15 read and raved about all three book in this series. Purchased them for other grand-daughter she read all 3 books in a little over a week. she just could not put them down
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Posted October 18, 2012
I realy love the first two, and this book is the most touching by far! What a choice for poor Berty! My only problem? NO MORE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.you definitely have to read this book if you've read the other two! although i did have problems following the story in Perchance to Dream, i had no problems while reading So Silver Bright. this last installment in the Theatre Illuminata Series was a perfect ending... when I finished the book, I was surprised that I missed Bertie and Nate and the rest of the cast so much. I started this book feeling that I had to finish this series- it was a simple trilogy, after all. i had to read the last book. however, i found myself late at night devouring this book bit by bit. all of Bertie's questions were answered and i was so delighted with the outcome of So Silver Bright! Bertie grew up a lot in the last book in this series... i was so proud of her! i was also very happy with her decision between Nate and Ariel... this book was awesome! you really should read this book if you've read Eyes Like Stars and Perchance to Dream- and if you haven't? get your hands on these books now! i've been thinking about rereading the first two books because i didn't understand them very well... maybe because i was younger reading them? i don't know. but trust me, So Silver Bright blared through my mind... it was so magical! goodbye Bertie & Company, i'll miss you dearly!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bertie is not ready to fight Sedna again, not so soon, and when an invitation to attend a party in the Royal Castle arrives she and her company quickly decide to attend. They might not be so thrill about meeting the Queen (from whom they've heard a lot of things... and not all of them so good) but they are eager to lose Sedna.
After a few disappears they finally arrive to the castle where they perform for the Queen in exchange of a wish: Bertie can get what her heart desires most. And she surely knows what she wants: to reunite her family.
But not even the Queen's power can grant her that wish... But she can, at least, offer her all the missing pieces of her parent's story. And without knowing what's coming her way Bertie begins a travel through time to discover all the secrets behind the masks... all the plots that had changed her life and threatens her happiness.
And, at some point, a deal made with a herb-seller to ensure protection is going to change Bertie's future even if she doesn't know it. Is she ready to face what is coming for her?
Is the Théâtre ready for the final battle?
Personal opinion:
I can say a lot of things about this book, about how it made me feel, how it made me smile and how it made my cry but all the words would not be enough to summon and explain how much I enjoy it and how sad I am now that I've finished this series.
First of all, I don't know if you have been between two loves and know, for sure, that you could be very happy with both guys... but we can't have both of them, right? Bertie can't do that either and it breaks her heart every time she thinks about choosing one of them.
At the end she chooses one, even if she doesn't know it. And I cried, I did. What can I say? I was cheering for both of them because the way they love her is just so sweet and tender...
So, if you are going to pick up this series and read the three books make sure to have a box of tissues next to you.
Despite the bittersweet ending the book was amazing, all the questions were answered and everything had an explanation. The ending came fast with a final twist that knocked my world and I'm sure Bertie's too.
And, as always, Lisa Mantchev's writing was exquisite and marvelous... a good plot needs a good writer, and a good heroine needs a good storyteller, Lisa was both.
Anonymous
Posted December 27, 2011
I hate it idk why but i do
0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 25, 2011
I want to read the rest of his book!
WHAT THIS THE END!?!
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 5, 2011
I am so sad its all over! I didn't want it to end!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Lisa is an absolute genius! This whole series is a deffinate must read. Bertie will make you proud to be a woman with her strong and daring personality while Nate and Ariel will make you fall in love. The characters are so colorful and multi-dimensional that it is hard not to fall into the story yourself.
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Posted October 8, 2011
The book was very interesting, they had drama ( lots of it of course), romance, and action. The ending was such a beautiful and sad ending that it made me cry. I hate that there is not going to be another book ( unless the author has a change of heart?) I wil reading the again because it really was an amazing and wonderful book to read! Always a team Ariel fan!
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Posted September 21, 2011
I think bertie should be with ariel. And also nathan because they are both perfect for her.( ' ? ')
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 10, 2011
I read the first two and they were sooo good then i started this one got about three quarters of the way through and i had to stop. When its a struggle to read a book and when you have to read a sentence six times before you comprehend it so not worth it
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 14, 2011
This book is, in a word, "beautiful" the cover (Jason Chan, you are amazing), the words, the story, the plot, Ariel.... *fangirl sigh* I loved every minute of it. Lisa Mantchev writes in such a way that she captures the beauty of the enviroment without you wanting to role your eyes and say "Yes, it *is* room of mirrors, isn't that *nice*," The best part? She's funny too!
The fairies are, by far, the best comic relief ever. They're like a combination of your best friend and a toddler: They're always there for you, even when they shouldn't be.
This book is absolutely full of squee and I may be so busy rereading it that the nice spot I cleared off for it on my bookshelf will be covered in cobwebs. That is, unless Lisa wants to write another sequal. (PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEI'llbringyoucupcakesforeverPLEASEPLEASE?!!?!!?)
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 14, 2011
Although I am sad the trilogy has come to an end, I absolutely loved this book! As I neared the end, I wanted to stop and put it down so I did not have to finish it, because I wasn't sure if there would be more in the future. I did not want the characters' adventure to be over. Although I was surprised to see a certain character go, the whole thing was well written. I love the way Lisa Mantchev writes. I see hints of Shakespeare everywhere. The talk of cupcakes and sweets, made me crave for one every time.
Bertie (Beatrice Shakespeare Smith) is a favorite main character of mine. She reminds me of me in some ways-- with the crazy hair color dying and tempers here and there. I could connect with her along the way-- how she felt, and so on. If I was Bertie, I'd definitely have a hard time choosing between Nate, the handsome pirate from The Little Mermaid, and Ariel, the air sprite from The Tempest. (I have a thing for long haired characters-- white/silver hair is a bonus ;) )
If a reader is not sure whether or not to read this-- I RECOMMEND IT! Read the entire trilogy!!! You will not regret it. Lisa Mantchev is an excellent author. The whole thing is full of magic and surprises and suspense and EVERYTHING.
I'd stay and go on and on, but I wouldn't want to spoil anything! :)
So I'm off to reread starting from the first book- Eyes Like Stars!
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Posted September 7, 2011
Book looks good
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Posted December 11, 2012
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Posted November 14, 2011
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Posted April 25, 2012
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Overview
All Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has ever wanted is a true family of her own. And she’s close to reuniting her parents when her father disappears. Now Bertie must deal with a vengeful sea goddess and a mysterious queen as she tries to keep her family—and the Theatre Illuminata—from crumbling. To complicate it all, Bertie is torn between her two loves, Ariel and Nate.