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Reviewed by Melinda Hills for Readers' Favorite
A bright, beautiful, articulate 17-year-old girl faces an unspeakable tragedy in Muse by K. French. Where she goes from there is an incredible story that tugs at your heart, stirs your blood, and keeps you turning the pages. Ava Hart and her best friend, her mother, are on their way to a party when a drunk driver crashes into their car, killing Ava's mother instantly. Left with no one, Ava enters the foster care system where she meets a kindred spirit – Jake. Before long though, the social worker makes contact with the father Ava never knew and she is moved into the home of a great-aunt, since the father’s family can’t come to terms with him having another daughter.
At a new school, Ava makes friends while maintaining her relationship with Jake, who needs Ava as much as she needs him. The great-aunt, Bridget, is also quite a character who, along with her live-in butler, Charles, becomes a cherished friend to Ava. A love interest arrives on the scene, and although he is significantly older than Ava, the connection is deep and seems quite sincere, although we know things about Gabriel that Ava does not. When Ava learns the truth, will she see Gabriel the same way or will reality ruin the romance?
Many issues plague the lives of teens today, and Muse by K. French seems to touch on most of them in a realistic, unforced manner. Beginning with the hurt of losing a loved one, Ava learns quickly how painful life can be. Coming from a life that had been innocent, she now encounters homophobia, party drugs, brazen university students who party too hard and don’t want to stop, unhappy people who think money is everything, and love that is wrong but yet so right. All this blends together seamlessly in a wonderful story that is well worth reading, with writing that is fresh and engaging, full of both subtle and powerful descriptions and a wistful quality that makes you want to join the characters and live the story with them. The author has told a difficult story with tremendous sensitivity and has imbued Ava with such inherent strength that she turns out to be quite a hero.
