Age of Dreams [Kindle Edition]

Ok, so I didn't spell phantoms right, but you get the idea. Although this book started a little slow for me and seemed a bit choppy, it wasn't soon before I was hooked. Personally, I felt the writing didn't grab me enough in the beginning as I would have enjoyed a slower pace and getting to know the characters more instead of being rushed into the non-stop world of the music business. Having said that, I have nothing else to say than read the book! It's funny, sad, and offers a view of the innermost circle of being famous that most people never experience or see. As a singer/songwriter I have seen much of the seamier side of the way the business works, but even I was surprised. I was at times sad to the point of tears for the heroine, Nicole James, and at other times I felt like wringing her neck for being such a spineless twit. For that, I give Ms. Symeou kudos, as she wrote her character with actual feelings and defects that the reader identifies with. I found myself spellbound, hoping that Nicole would come to her senses, watching her wade through years of abuse and self doubt. From coming to grips with the past and looking forward to the future, the reader follows a famous woman who has no feelings of self worth and must learn to love herself before she can love someone else. You won't be disappointed in this book!

Age of Dreams chronicles the life of rising and falling star Nicola James, a depressive singer who's so wrapped in her own trauma she lets it drive to her to make one bad decision after another, but life finally works out for her in the end. Joe was my favorite character; he never gave up on anyone (especially Nicola) even after she hurts him repeatedly. The book goes from one year to the next, over the span of about 20 years. I enjoyed the 80s the most - all the silly fashion and music references made me smile, but Symeou balances it with the darker side of drug and alcohol abuse. Nicola has all kinds of complicated relationships over those 20 years: with the band, with her family, and with her romantic interests (who never quite seem to measure up to her first love).

It's a fast-paced story that covers a lot of ground and has some flashes of literary brilliance. My only criticism is that I had a hard time connecting and empathizing with the main character, but there were plenty of others that made up for it. It's definitely worth checking out.

Kelly I. Hitchcock
Author of The Redheaded Stepchild

If my book Idol Siren is a peek into the sunshine of a soon-to-be starlet in the making, then Age of Dreams is a movie about the dark side of fame. (^_^) It's a fast paced novel about a girl named Nicola James who is an aspiring singer-songwriter. We go on a wild ride as she quickly soaks up fame that presents her with challenges like addiction and love, and her past merges with her present self very obviously in this book. Her band is really cool.