When I first picked up my copy of Yesterday's Dreams by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. Generally I take my reading recommendations from friends, or from hearing other reviews or interviews, so this was something of an anomaly for me -- just picking up the book largely sight unseen and settling in. Fortunately, I found myself in the hands of an author that obviously cares a great deal for her characters, and is willing to spend the time to help you invest in them as well.

A story steeped with Celtic mythos, the action takes place in contemporary New York City, proving yet again what a fertile combination the blend of old-world material and modern landscapes can be. The central figure, Kara O'Keefe, begins the novel in the unpleasant circumstance of her father battling cancer, and with medical bills mounting, she is continually forced to juggle her bruised emotions with making as much income as possible to help stem the blow of said bills -- this in itself is a feat as her primary source of income is teaching violin at a local music center (speaking as someone who has actually been in a position of having to support himself as a working musicians, I assure you this alone is a colossal undertaking by itself). Finally, she is driven to pawn her most cherished possession, her family's nearly-ancestral violin (Quicksilver), an act that sets the primary forces of the plot in motion as fate draws her to the person that can help her most, all the while an ancient evil seeks any magical power it can get its hands on, since after all, that's pretty much what ancient evil forces tend to put on their agendas.

My biggest hindrance while reading Yesterday's Dreams is really more a problem with the familiarity of the Celtic mythology aspects. For many people, it may not be as accessible as the more well-known mythologies of Greek or Norse cultures, and that, combined with a fair amount of dialogue written in dialect and a writing vocabulary frequently laced with Gaelic and Celtic text (thankfully a glossary is included) can make it a little more difficult to stage the story in the theatre of your mind. For those that already know the vernacular or culture, the book is poised to make a greater impact, to be sure. Even if it's an uphill climb for the reader, though, Ackley-McPhail does her best to walk you through the material in context. We'd all be better served if more writers could reflect their passion in their work as well as she has with Yesterday's Dreams.