"Urban fantasy at its' best"

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

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted February 16, 2003

Summary

Kara O'Keefe had not realized, at the age of eight, how much her beloved Grandda had left her with his passing. All she knew was he would no longer tell her magical tales of ancient Ireland and the Sidhe. He would no longer share with her nature's secrets or push her to find that brilliant swirling point deep inside that made her music magical. All she knew was she had lost her greatest treasure. Once destined for Julliard, but now merely an overly gifted violin instructor, Kara discovers at the age of twenty-three that she was wrong as she is abruptly confronted with the wealth, and weight, of her fantastic inheritance...and the threat of losing her father next. It is at Yesterday's Dreams, a pawn shop tucked away on a quiet Soho street, where Kara discovers her true legacy, her own inner power, and destiny and danger both begin to stalk her. Forced to give up Quicksilver, her cherished violin and the only link with her long-gone Grandda, Kara's selfless sacrifice becomes the key to her fate.. Confused by the radical turn her life has taken and pursued by malevolent forces she does not understand, Kara O'Keefe must trust in a dead man she loved but never truly knew and the living myth charged with helping her to survive. Has she inherited the tenacious strength of her Celtic ancestors, or would she fall beneath the onslaught of uncompromising Fate?