Customer Reviews

Yesterday's Dreams

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yesterday's Dreams pulls the reader in from the very start with it's clear-cut characterisation and page-turning plot development.

Ackley-McPhail shows her in-depth knowledge of Celtic mythology throughout the book, and shows it in a way that appeals and teaches even someone who knows little-to-nothing themselves. She also has knowledge of the power of words and description, both of which remain outstanding the entire time.

A hard book to put down, though not gripping in an action-packed way, it is a story that intrigues and fascinates as much with the plot as the well-drawn characters featured within.

There is little more to say without repetition - a fantastic book, and one not let down by it's own ending as so often happens.

Ackley-McPhail is an extraordinarily talented writer, add to that her knowledge of people, literature and the mythology she wields so well, and the whole package is one not to be ignored! I cannot udnerstand why she has trouble finding somebody to publish the sequel! Truly, these people are idiots.

-- taken from angiehulme.com

Yesterday's Dreams
By: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Vivisphere Publishing
ISBN: 1-58776-112-2

Danielle Ackley-McPhail brings the richness of Irish legend, the myth and magic of Eire to the streets of New York in her first fantasy novel, Yesterday's Dreams. Danielle has used in depth research into the legends of Carman, an Athenian goddess and her three sons. The Tuatha de Danaan stepped in to stop the terror and destruction that Carman and her sons were wreaking on the mortals of early Ireland. They chain Carman and force her to watch as her sons are destroyed. But.....Oclas (evil) the third son has not been totally destroyed, and has set his minion Lucien Blank lose on the unsuspecting humans.

Cliodna of the Tuatha de Danaan-the fairy folk of Ireland also known as the Sidhe-runs the quaint antique shop Yesterday's Dreams, as Maggie. She collects and protects items that have a "bit 'o' the magic." And she waits, for those of her line have sworn to aid and protect the clan O'Keefe.

Kara's father's illness and treatments have driven Kara to pawn her legacy from her grandfather, Quicksilver, her violin. And give up her dream of attending Juilliard. While looking around Yesterday's Dreams, Kara is shocked to see a picture she later discovers is of her grandfather dancing with a woman who looks exactly like the young woman running the shop. It doesn't help knowing that Maggie's ancestor might have known her grandfather. Kara feels as if her soul is being torn from her, and pours forth all her pain and sorrow when she plays a final tune on her precious instrument before leaving it in Maggie's hands.

Maggie knows Quicksilver is more than just a violin. There is power here, as there is in Kara, and she knows she must protect them both from the evil that stalks them from the moment Kara and Quicksilver enter her shop. Maggie knows she must gather her forces for a desperate battle against evil. For it now walks the streets of modern New York in the form of Lucien Blank, and he wants what he senses behind the walls of Yesterday's Dreams, and he wants the power he senses in Kara.
.
Danielle Ackley-McPhail turns fantasy to plausible reality in Yesterday's Dreams. The characters in this story are so charming and alive they spring from the story to haunt and taunt like a soft Irish mist long after the final page is read. I found Yesterday's Dreams a delightful page turning adventure into imagination, and certainly look forward to reading more works by this author.

Charlene Austin

...would an adventure like this take place! Danielle Ackley-McPhail's debut work is an accomplishment on so many levels as it gives readers of fantasy something beyond the typical tale of elves rising up against an evil that threatens the delicate balance of the world. YESTERDAY'S DREAMS and Danielle's writing style is like a warm blanket you wrap yourself in to keep off the chill -- comforting, deep, and welcoming. She takes a realistic setting and then depicts realistic reactions to the extraordinary introduced in modern day Manhattan. Well done, Danielle. Well done!

I thought that this book was fantastic. It hooked me right away, from the start! Danielle has done a fantastic job weaving Irish mythology into this modernized tale about good and evil.

She would do anything for her beloved ailing father so Kara O'Keefe knows she must sacrifice the only asset she owns her beloved violin given to her by her grandfather years ago, but medical bills for cancer treatment must be paid. Knowing and doing are not the same as Kara delays the inevitable wandering the city until she finds YESTERDAY'S DREAMS and meets Maggie McCormick, a Sidhe who realizes what Quicksilver the violin truly is: a magical piece of the owner's soul.

Lucien the collector sees an opportunity to add Quicksilver and Kara to his booty. He will do whatever it takes to possess both. As Kara struggles with the existence of the Sidhe and magical objects, she joins forces with Maggie, her first mentor since her grandfather died, to battle the evil Lucien.

YESTERDAY'S DREAMS takes the typical fantasy theme of good vs. evil, but places it in modern times with modern day dilemmas as opposed to the usual medieval fare. The setting and Kara's disbelief make for a fabulously fresh tale that hooks the audience from the moment Lucien sees his prey. The prime characters appear real enabling the audience to believe that the magic is real in the music. Though changing narration perspective can become jolting at times, readers will appreciate Danielle Ackley-McPhail's wonderful novel.

Harriet Klausner

This book provides the reader with a much more traditional feel to a celtic story. If you are looking for something different in your celtic reading, I recommend this read. I enjoyed the character development and plot line.

Though I have never been much of a fan of fantasy books, I found this book engaging, imaginative, and well-written. Ackley-McPhail's narrative skills display a good imagination that is most apparent in its descriptiveness and in the mystery-like plot carefully developed by the author.

As the unplayable bills mount, Kara O'Keefe makes the heart wrenching choice to pawn her beloved violin. Cancer has depleted her parent's finances, and the small amount Kara makes teaching does not compensate for the loss of her father's income. Her need leads Kara to Maggie McCormick at the shop called Yesterday's Dreams. Maggie recognizes the fiddle as a piece of Kara's soul. At the least, Kara can never realize her dreams without the violin. With the violin in Maggie's care, Kara will one day reclaim her dreams.

Meanwhile, a predatory power watches, eager to add both Kara and her violin to his collection of power tools. In a dark night of power and magic ten years ago, a vagrant was transformed into a malevolent being renamed Lucien Blank. Lucien overestimates his abilities; little suspecting that he is nothing more than the tool of the dark god Olcas. Lucien has become a collector of objects of power. Magic draws him to the door of Yesterday's Dreams and the things that lie shielded beyond.

Music and myth come together in a mesmerizing display of good and evil in YESTERDAY'S DREAMS by Danielle Ackley-McPhail. With a fascinating cast of characters, legendary elements take modern significance, including Sidhe elves, fairies, and gods. The result is a gripping and satisfying tale, one that at once evokes emotions, stimulates imagination, and causes reflection. Add Ackley-McPhail's YESTERDAY'S DREAMS to your keeper shelf, and eagerly begin waiting for the next installment of the series. This breath-taking novel earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

I just read the last page of Yesterday's Dreams and I can't believe this is the authors first book. I also can't believe that the larger publishers have not found her. The book is a contemporary story of Celtic myth, romance, fantasy and thriller rolled into one. I loved the charectors from heroine to villain and I still can't get over what a terrific book this is. I sincerely hope Ms. Ackley-McPhail will continue to write. This is one of the best books I have read this year!

With her father dying of cancer and her family's finances stretched past breaking, music teacher Kara O'Keefe decides to make the ultimate sacrifice--she'll sell Quicksilver, the fiddle that her family brought from Ireland and that is the most precious thing she owns. The power of the instrument, however, attracts a dark force that has long warred with the Sidhe of Irish legend. If it can claim the fiddle--and Kara's untrained but powerful magic--there are no limits to what it might accomplish.

Fortunately, Kara takes her fiddle to Maggie McCormick's pawnshop, Yesterday's Dreams. And Maggie is a Sidhe with a special bond to the O'Keefe family and the power to train Kara to protect herself. With the fiddle hidden in Maggie's shop, and Kara protected by a pin from Maggie, it seems that evil may yet be defeated.

Neither Maggie nor Kara count on the raw power that their enemy can bring against them. After distracting most of the Sidhe population of New York, the evil one attacks, bringing a street gang to provide the physical muscle. Maggie's magics are sophisticated, but no match for the pure power that is thrown against her. And Kara has still not had a chance to learn to control her own powers.

Author Danielle Ackley-McPhail shows a real love for the mythology and legends of Ireland and the Celts. From Sidhe elves to fairies, to the dark gods of ancient Athens, the legends come to life in this novel. As a character, Kara develops from a weak and indecisive woman to a person who can wield power in her own right, and who can make decisions that go against the advice even of her closest friends. I would have liked to see more evidence of the power of the evil to add to the sense of danger, and some aspects of the magic are still unclear to me, but overall, YESTERDAY'S DREAMS is an enjoyable and satisfying read.