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The Tyrant's Daughter (2014)

by J.C. Carleson(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0449809978 (ISBN13: 9780449809976)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fiction

publisher

Knopf Books for Young Readers

review 1: 3.5This was one heavy book. And I'm not talking in terms of grams or pounds. I'm talking about the emotional baggage this brings. But the writing style was gorgeous. The short chapters kept me entranced. And the narrator made me feel for her in so many ways. I admired how real all the characters were. Some of them weren't likeable but they were very true to life if they were real live persons. The story is beautifully crafted as well. Everything comes full circle and I was amazed at how J.C. Carleson achieved that. I just wished that this book could've been less depressing. But who am I to judge? This book is about the effects of war and war is always a depressing subject. If you want a serious book to read, I recommend this.
review 2: The Tyrant's Daughter is ... morethe story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Laila, and her abrupt move to the U.S. when her father, a ruler of an unnamed Middle Eastern country, is assassinated by her extremist uncle. Laila, her mother, and her brother Bastien are rescued by a CIA operative and taken to live in an apartment in Washington, D.C. Everything in the U.S. is strange and different for them, and they find it difficult to leave their royal lives behind. Laila is surprised and almost irritated by all of the options Americans have, but she tries out a few of the things she could never have done at home (going to a Homecoming dance, kissing a boy she likes, etc.). Laila has always been told that her father was a king, so she struggles to reconcile this with what others have mentioned about him--that he was actually a dictator, and that her country is in far worse shape than she imagined. Her little brother Bastien has also been told that he will be a king someday, and Laila's mother still believes this. Laila is befriended by a Emmy, a perky fellow student who tries to encourage her, and Ian, a sweet boy who likes her and wants to know more about her life. However, Laila does not truly trust anyone, and she is always holding herself back, wondering what a particular person will gain from any given situation. This makes sense when the book reveals that Laila's beautiful, graceful mother is using everyone (the CIA operative, other families, and even her brother-in-law) to gain money for her family and manipulate the political situation back home. Laila, Bastien, and her mother occasionally struggle with fear and trauma from what has happened to them, but they eventually know they want to return. In the end, Laila has learned a few lessons from her mom, and figured out a way to gain at least some of the power for herself. The story is a very interesting look at a world where gaining the most power reigns supreme, no matter what the cost. Although this is a world that Laila questions, in the end she fully embraces it once again. The Tyrant's Daughter was unsettling and challenging, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. It's a unique book to have in a YA collection, and would definitely be a great and thought-provoking read for high school students. less

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