Official Review: Symphony of Dreams by Cynthia Rogan

[Erin Dydek]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Symphony of Dreams" by Cynthia Rogan.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Like any young girl, Symphony Weber longs to fit in with her classmates and make a few friends. Her stressful home situation causes her to turn to food for comfort, and the kids at school find it easy to make jokes about Symphony “Weigh Big.”

Symphony’s dreams give her information about the future, a gift that could help her popularity. But when the wrong student finds out, the term “Witchy” is added to her moniker. Her few friends do their best to protect her, but Symphony still knows more about personal family issues and criminal activities than she should. The pressure of handling these adult issues while being tormented at school is too much for one young girl. She is desperate to get rid of her horrible gift, but what price will she have to pay to be free?

Symphony of Dreams, by Cynthia Rogan, is a two-part fiction novel. The first part is a coming of age story about Symphony’s struggles at school, her family dynamics, and her attempts to learn about her dreams. Part two of the novel takes place eight years later after Symphony finds a solution to her visions. This story centers around a child abduction case in which Symphony’s gift would be an asset, but she can no longer see the fragments of the future.

I loved both portions of this novel. I spent the first half of the book growing close to young Symphony: agonizing over the bullying, fearing the anger of her father, longing to feel accepted by the other students in her class, pining over a way to suppress the confusion of the dreams. Then, in the second half, I was eager to see how adult Symphony was doing and what had become of her after high school. The suspense of the story in part two made for a fast-paced thriller as the police deal with a suspicious death at a hospital facility and the case of a baby kidnapped from the local mall in broad daylight.

Rogan kept me engaged in the exciting storyline as secrets from Symphony’s past came back to haunt her. The author did a fantastic job of creating a storyline that kept me guessing as I put together the clues and made predictions about the potential ending. I found little to dislike about the book, and would gladly give it the full four stars if I had not come across more than ten errors. Many of the mistakes were not distracting, but their presence must still reduce my rating to 3 out of 4 stars.

This book will prove to be an engaging read for those who love coming of age stories and thrilling suspense novels. The story is appropriate for mature teens and adult readers, but non-borderline profanities exist throughout the book. Readers should also be aware that the mature content of the novel includes references to domestic violence, drug use, and underage drinking. The author kept the scenes non-descriptive, so they may not cause a triggered response, but readers sensitive to those topics should know they are part of the story.

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Symphony of Dreams
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[Prisallen]

I like that she has the gift of being able to see things in her dreams, but it is sad that these visions caused her such grief. I would love to see how this turned out. That you for an interesting and informative review!

[Erin Dydek]

I like that she has the gift of being able to see things in her dreams, but it is sad that these visions caused her such grief. I would love to see how this turned out. That you for an interesting and informative review!

Thanks for your kind thoughts, friend! I look forward to catching up on your latest reviews

[xoxoAnushka]

How can she no longer see the future? It'd be interesting to understand this concept. Thumbs up for your review!

[AvidBibliophile]

Young girls, kidnapped babies, criminal activities, and fragmented future visions?! This one seems to provide so many facets of intrigue and self-discovery. Lovely review of this one!

[Gail39]

Symphony of Dreams I think the book is very interesting especially when she talked about wanting to get rid of the dreams she has

[NetMassimo]

The novel addresses realistic issues using a fantasy setting as the protagonist is bullied for her gift, to the point that she considers it a curse. It's the problem of kids who have talents, but that makes them someway different, and other people are envious. Other issues included in the novel are also part of many teenagers' life, and I think that the author was right in addressing them even if that can be hard. Thank you for your great review!

[kdstrack]

I like the description of the first part of the story. Children with different gifts are often discriminated. It seems like she made a decision with her childish intellect that had repercussions in her adult life. Oh, this sounds intriguing!! Thanks for your wonderfully written review.

[Charlyt]

I like suspense novels and the premise is very interesting to me. Semms like it also tackles relevant social issues. Thanks for a great review!

[kandscreeley]

It's too bad about the errors, but it still sounds like a great book. I love the idea of getting to know Symphony. I hope she's able to help others with her gift. Thanks.

[Erin Dydek]

How can she no longer see the future? It'd be interesting to understand this concept. Thumbs up for your review!

No spoilers lol! Thanks for reading and commenting!

[Nisha Ward]

You mentioned that, in the second part, she finds a solution to her dreams. I have to wonder if she chooses to rid herself of them or if she keeps them, given the problems they've caused for Symphony in the past. Either way, I feel a lot of sympathy for her and I do hope her ultimate choice is one that brings her much happiness.

[Splendour0606]

Symphony is an interesting character, but I feel heartbroken that she was desperate to get rid of her gift due to the pressures around her.This will really be a great read for me.Thanks.