ARC Review: The Tyrant's Daughter By: J.C. Carleson

Title: The Tyrant's Daughter

Author: J.C. Carleson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Publication Date: February 11th, 2014

Source: Random House Kids for review

Format: Physical ARC

Synopsis from Goodreads: From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs. 

When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations? 

J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics. 

Review: This book made me feel so ashamed of myself. While I'm not completely oblivious to international news, I've never thought about it in full depth. And after finishing The Tyrant's Daughter, I realized just how completely blind I am. 

Characters: In this novel, we meet Laila and her younger brother, the "exiled king." They are foreigners in a country where their presence is not welcome, and Laila feels completely overwhelmed. While not many people might be able to relate to the circumstances of Laila's life, J.C. Carleson incorporated the universal themes of assimilation and social conformity. Imagine a life without raves and crop tops and what-nots. That is what Laila had, and then she was thrust into the shocking life of a typical teenage girl. I am disappointed in myself for judging her. I judged Laila, from the minute she so desperately wanted to fit in, to the moments that her outlandish behavior made her seem naive and ignorant to me. But when I really sat down to think of it, I realized that I, among a vast majority of girls, would have done the same thing had I been in her position. It is a typical, common desire for acceptance that even may be influenced by.

Writing: The one word that comes to mind when I think about the writing in The Tyrant's Daughter is THOUGHT-PROVOKING. Through an outsider's voice, I saw the contrast between our petty problems and the world changing conflicts other less fortunate countries are dealing with. This made me stop and think and just really appreciate how lucky we are to have a house, to have electricity. In fact, the very idea of me sitting in my warm house, writing this review on a computer I can call my own is so so different from the things described in The Tyrant's Daughter. We are so fortunate we don't have to be worried about a very possibly bombing or inevitable civil war every day. J.C. Carleson has a way of telling a quiet but very very powerful story.

Storyline/Plot: It's very hard to relate to the events that change Laila's life, mainly because they are things that would never change ours. This made the storyline slightly confusing at times, but nevertheless, it was still a fantastic book.

Conclusion: Ladies and gentleman, here you have it. One of 2014's Movers and Shakers (is that what you call a really powerful book? It doesn't even matter- just read this book!) Words cannot describe how wonderful The Tyrant's Daughter was.