ARC Review: A Work of Art (Melody Maysonet)

Hardcover, 240 pages
Published: March 18th 2015 

Publisher: Merit Press

Author: Melody Maysonet

Shy, artistic Tera can't wait to attend a prestigious art school in France to prove to her famous artist father that she can make something of herself. But Tera's hopes for the future explode when the police arrest her dad for an unspeakable crime. Her father's arrest must be a mistake, so Tera goes into action, sacrificing her future at art school to pay for his defense. Meanwhile, she falls head over heels for Joey, a rebel musician who makes her feel wanted and asks no questions about her past. Joey helps Tera forget her troubles, but he brings a whole new set of problems to Tera's already complicated life. Then, to make matters worse, as her relationship with Joey deepens and as her dad's hotshot lawyer builds a defense, fractures begin to appear in Tera's childhood memories--fractures that make her wonder: could her father be guilty? And whether he's guilty or innocent, can she find a way to step out of the shadows of her father's reputation and walk free? Can she stop him, guilty or innocent, from tainting the only future she ever wanted? "A Work of Art" is a deeply felt story about self-image, self-deception, and the terrible moment that comes when we have to face the whole truth about the myths of our childhoods. 

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Melody Maysonet was born in Alaska but grew up in Illinois. After many years as a starving college student (an ordeal she survived by playing marathon sessions of Dungeons & Dragons), Melody taught English at a community college before moving to Seattle, where (as Melody Alder) she became editor and columnist for Wizards of the Coast’s The Duelist magazine. Then it was off to South Florida, where she edited, researched, and wrote historical coffee-table books. Currently, Melody is a volunteer teacher at an outreach homeless shelter, but she devotes most of her time to writing fiction for young adults. She lives in Coconut Creek, Florida, with her husband and son. Her debut novel, A WORK OF ART (Merit Press) is due out in March 2015.

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"Painting my dad was all about mood. Saturated blue for the sharp odor of paint. Muddy green for the faint whiff of mildew. Murky gray for the stink of ashes. A sparse room, textured like white noise, with crooked lines and lots of obtuse angles. Then in the center, the stretched shadow of a man. That was my dad."

A Work of Art by Melody Maysonet is a deep and riveting psychological  thriller that delves into the dark secrets of Tera Waters life and her family......Tera is an up and coming artist who is about to graduate high school and has won a scholarship to attend a prestige art school in France. Her entire life her father has trained her to be an artist and she has become very talented and gifted as an artist. 

Tera's father has been her sole parent for as long as she can remember. Her mother has depression and has been on medication for years. She lives in the same home as Tera and her father but is basically absent from Tera's life. Tera's father has raised and provided for her since she was born and in return Tera adores her father and struggles daily to obtain his approval and attention. 

One afternoon while they are home the police arrive at their house and arrest Tera's father. They have accused him of an unspeakable crime and Tera is in shock. Tera refuses to believe her father's guilt and decides to cash in her money that she has saved to go to college and bail her father out. Tera is determined to hire a lawyer and prove her father's innocence. 

"Fact One: The judge was not letting my Dad out on bail. 

Fact Two: Mom was useless--more than useless, since she was basically fighting for the other side.

Fact Three: Chase Hardy had no interest in getting to the truth. He wasn't going to fight for my Dad.

and Fact Four: If I paid for a lawyer, I wouldn't have enough money for an apartment in France. Maybe not even enough for a plane ticket."

I opened A Work of Art and had intentions of reading a few pages before I went to bed....I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. I was mesmerized by the style of writing and how full of emotion this book was. A Work of Art is a debut novel that is edgy and REAL. This story deals with real life issues and how a person's choices can affect everyone around them and how a person can overcome these choices and change their life for the better. Tera Waters is a teenager making all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons. The reader gets to see how and why Tera makes the choices she does. She chooses to date an horrible guy and the only reason she does it is to try and take her mind off her issues revolving around her Dad. 

A Work of Art is full of tough, hard subject matter that some people may have a hard time reading about...There are some truly disturbing events that occur in this book and at times I just found myself stunned....and yet I had to read on. I had to find out what happened and how the characters involved coped with the results. This is truly a phenomenal, intense book and I am really looking forward to reading more from Melody Maysonet in the future.....

There was a specific quote in this book that really hit home with me...It described perfectly how I feel when I enter a library filled with wonderful books....so I just wanted to share it:

"As soon as I stepped into the library, a peaceful quiet surrounded me. I stood in the doorway  for a few seconds, listening to the hum of silence, breathing in the smell of books, wishing I could hide among the tall shelves for the rest of the day...."

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**The quotes from this book have been taken from an Advanced Reading Copy and are subject to change when the final book is printed. Please refer to the final, finished copy for exact quotes!**

**I want to say Thank You to Merit Press & SoCal Public Relations for the opportunity to review this book!!**