I was pre-approved for this title by the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

I haven't read any other books focusing on the specific subjects touched on in this book, so I wasn't sure what to expect going in to The Tyrant's Daughter. I ended up really enjoying the story and the characters. They were real to me in a way that a lot of other books' characters aren't. I really liked that while there is a huge disconnect between Laila's world and mine, and I haven't gone through anything remotely similar to what she has, I was still able to relate to and understand her actions and emotions.

I found the very beginning of the book a bit hard to follow, as it jumps around a lot between scenes, but the story settles in quickly and the book is a fast-paced read. Seeing the US through Laila's eyes was really interesting and seeing it through the eyes of someone whose experiences were so different from my own added another layer to the story. Initially, Laila sees things almost as caricatures of themselves, and I thought it was interesting to see how her point of view of some things changed (or didn't change) over the course of the book.

I also loved the section at the end where we learn a bit more about how the author approached the story, as well as some information that I felt added a new perspective to the events in the book that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Overall, I thought this was something truly different from what is available in YA right now, and that was really refreshing.

This book was not at all what I had expected at first - it was different, but in a good way. The story follows Laila as she tries to adjust to life in America after fleeing from her country. The country remains unnamed for the entire story - the perfect choice by the author in order to avoid some backlash I'm sure. The country created is a merging of several that have had struggles over the past few years - all we know for sure is that it's in the Middle East. While the country may not have had a name, it definitely had an identity. It's culture and people come to life in many different ways - Laila's memories, news articles she reads, and in stories from other refugees.

But this isn't a story about a war-torn country. It's the story about a girl trying to find the truth about her past and live with her future. She was sheltered before she came here, but in a good way. She understands American culture, she's just never had to fit in in the middle of it. Surrounded by new people and places she begins to find herself and a new place.

Just as she begins to settle, things begin to fall apart again. Having been a large part of the politics in her country, her mother isn't content to start over. Her plots and schemes are twisted and I was amazed at how devious and cunning she was at the end. This is a must read in the YA contemporary genre.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

After I read The Kite Runner, I began to read more books about how people are treated in parts of the world that I didn’t know very much about. In the beginning, I was stunned. After a while, though, my senses began to dull and I had to stop reading so many books on a similar theme — because it was making the problems seem sickeningly common, and hopelessly insurmountable.

 

So, I hadn’t been in this part of the world for a while, where the women are veiled and the men rule. This time, there was a difference. The story was told through the eyes of a 15 year-old-girl. The author took what I believe to be the perfect “What if?” premise, and used that as the basis for his story. The question, “What if your father is one of the world’s cruelest dictators in the world, and you have no idea?” What if you think you live in the palace, and your father is the benevolent king? What if your whole life has been lived inside sheltered walls, and you know very little about your “kingdom”; much less about the rest of the world? The brilliance of the premise made this story especially compelling. We meet our 15-year old protagonist, Laila, when her mother is seeking asylum in the US for the family following her father’s assassination. Her vulnerability and her naivety are almost overwhelming. Her ignorance of our culture is almost as great as ours is of hers.

 

She did not lead the type of life we might expect from a third world country; her life was built on a foundation of privilege and a strict class system. When this system is turned on it’s head in America, she does not have the social skills to deal with it. The author, J.C. Carleson, never actually divulges the name of the country she is from.

 

I think this book was skillfully written. Carleson, a former CIA agent, has a lot of interesting information to share, including additional notes at the end of the book. Despite the fact that Laila narrates the story, there is an awful lot of time devoted to her mother, which I think slows down the action. Since this is a YA book, I wanted more information on the teenagers, and less about the adult drama. Some of the other teenagers were roughly drawn, and seemed to have a lot of pat answers to weighty topics. Overall, though, I thought it was an important book that gave a unique perspective to a culture I think is difficult to understand. It gave a human face to the victim, the next generation in countries ruled by oppression.

15-year-old Laila comes to Washington, DC with her mother and younger brother following the deposing and assassination of her father, an unnamed dictator of an unnamed Middle Eastern country. Moving from the grandeur of a luxurious palace to a cramped apartment with bare cupboards takes some adjustment, but Laila comes to adapt to life in an American high school while young Bastien dives headfirst into cartoons and toys. Life remains restless, however, with a CIA agent shadowing the family during clandestine meetings with people from her country - who may or may not be allies. Laila's mother carries her regal air and drinks as though disillusioned with this new life, but Laila suspects her mother is more enterprising than she lets on.

When I receive pre-approval for this title on NetGalley, I didn't expect The Tyrant's Daughter would be marketed as YA. It's a riveting story about a young woman, an Invisible Queen of another land who learns how others have viewed her life and people from afar. Laila is not shunned by her new peers but earns sympathy despite her heritage. I enjoyed the work right up to the ambiguous ending - we may not know Laila's definite future in a country where her younger brother may last in a puppet regime, but we sympathize with her desire to take control of her life.

     Sixteen-year old Laila has to share her bedroom with her brother, the king.  She calls her six-year old brother the King of Nowhere and she herself, the Invisible Queen as they are now exiled into the U.S. of A.   Home of the unending supply of cereal, Starbucks and short skirts, Laila is not happy to be living in the states.  Too much is happening and she just can’t get a handle on it.  Too many changes are occurring since her father’s death, when will it all end. Killed at the hands of his own brother, Laila is confused at why her uncle took her father’s life.  There are many new adjustments Laila deals with as she adjusts to school from uncovering her face, short dresses and boys.  Her new friend Emmy is helping her handle these changes and Ian is fond of these changes. Ian’s parents were missionaries so he knows about moving around and Laila and Ian hit it off.   At home, Laila is concerned about her mother who has started to host meeting and drink heavily.  Tensions run high as the visitors arrive quite frequently to their apartment.  Not a social gathering, “I recognize their features.” from “The Trouble Spot, my father used to call it.” Laila is now on alert, what exactly is her mother doing talking to men from this region?

 

So much mystery surrounded this book as I read it.  I didn’t know where Laila’s family was from exactly, you didn’t know why her father was killed and then there was her mother’s involvement with the men and these meetings. I kept reading along trying to uncover the mysteries as Laila tried to handle school, her brother and her mom.  I was surprised at her brother’s attitude with the move, I expected stronger emotions from him. I realize he was six-years old but with his father’s death and the transition to the states, I was waiting for the ball to drop.  It was a fast read and perhaps that was the anticipation as I was reading that it went so fast.  When I got to the end, I was shocked. I kept looking for more pages, something else for me to read as I wanted more.  So, I guess you can say,   I didn’t like the ending as it left too many things open for me.  I will have to say, she is smart, that Laila. She’d make a good Queen.  

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.