The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson

Release Date: February 11, 2014
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
After her father is killed during a coup in their homeland, teenage Laila arrives in the United States alongside her mother and brother. Once thought of as royalty, they each face their own difficulties in this new life. It's a life full of glaring contradictions from what they've always known, making it harder for Laila to adjust to the people around her.

As she begins to form a life in this new world, old partnerships from the homeland threaten to tear everything away from her. Ordinary events in an American teen's life prove overwhelming for someone dealing with all that Laila carries. She must do something to alleviate the torment within. But what can she do when lies and secrets surround her? Which life does she long for the most?

Review:
I began this book after receiving an invitation from NetGalley. I was definitely intrigued by the premise and thought I had a clear picture in mind of how the story was going to unfold. When I began reading the book, what I pictured was far from what the pages actually held. Told through Laila's point-of-view, the story was presented in a journal-like fashion and often recounted her thoughts, feelings and accusations as well as experiences both in her homeland and here in the United States after being rescued.

Along with Laila, a small cast of characters helped the events play out and many were beyond her control. Her mother and brother were central to her world, before and after the move, and often became points of contention as she tried to find her place within American society. Once the culture shock wore off, the dark truth behind the family's move became apparent. I really felt for Laila as she tried to find a place in school until it began to overwhelm her as well. By the middle of the book, even those who warmed to her in the beginning backed away from her. Of course, people from her homeland, also transplanted here by the disruptions, wanted more than her family could give. They also became a place of hurt and despair for her.

The author did a great job of looking at life through a young woman's eyes and allowing us to see what it might be like for someone new to this land. It wasn't hard to empathize with them as they became bombarded by many of the things we find common here. I'd never thought of something as simple as a school assignment or a football game as possibly being a trigger for bad memories. It was really eye-opening to experience it through the author's descriptions of events happening both around and inside Laila.

I found the book to be a quick read with short chapters that were very much to the point. The story is broken into three parts. The first part was slow to build but maintained a steady pace into the second and most of the third part. I thought the tension was high during the first part of the book but it too increased as events came to a head. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the author deftly revealed secrets that I, through Laila, wasn't privy to which changed the course of the ending. Sometimes I like being wrong about endings and this was one of them.

Overall, the book was a good read that has a good message that I hope young people will discover. It's not a watered-down teenage book about political intrigue or high school, but it does include those things and forces a person to the other side of something from which they may have been hiding. If you're looking for a well-written political drama featuring a teen too smart for her own good, then this is the book for you.

The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson is now available at many retailers. It can be purchased in a variety of formats including hardcover, Kindle or audio-book. You can click the link below to get a your copy from Amazon.
The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson

Drone by Mike Maden

Release Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Adult

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Newly elected President Margaret Myers has upset a lot of the political players on Capitol Hill by putting a spending freeze into effect and bringing the armed forces home. Not long into her term, the country's resolve is tested by what seems to be random acts of violence that hit too close to home. Fighting to keep the upper hand will require the services of Troy Pearce, former CIA operative and current CEO of Pearce Systems.

But Troy got out of the government business for more reasons than he cares to remember. When the President comes calling, he must decide whether to refuse her offer and let the country descend into chaos or get back into the saddle to take out the bad guys.

Review:
Having won this book in a free giveaway at Goodreads, I was a little concerned that a lot of the subject matter would be too much for me to understand. I'm not the most educated person when it comes to politics and global industries. But in his debut novel, Mike Maden does a wonderful job of laying out all the information in a way that makes sense to someone like myself and yet still entertain veteran readers of the political/spy-thriller genres.

There is a lot going on within the pages of this book. Not only is America affected by the actions being taken in the book, but the countries all around the world. In the case of this book, there is a definite ripple affect from the moment the first bullet flies until the last word is spoken. It's just a matter of which side you want to find yourself on. Maden was able to weave so many political topics into a solid tapestry of a book without taking away any of the serious impacts they could have on the country at large.

I really liked the way the characters came to life in the story. They weren't just dropped into the reader's lap and left there. Each of the major players and a few of the minor ones were given enough time and coverage to fool the reader into thinking that these are real players affecting the world around us. With each twist or hint of intrigue, the story shifted and took off into another direction which kept the pace moving.

Overall, I think this book is a great read. It drew me into its grasp about five pages in and didn't let me go until the very end. Hopefully this won't be the last we see of a certain list of characters because there are many issues left to settle. Great action sequences, believable characters and a sophisticated yet layman-like way of looking at the big political issues all add up to a pretty great way to spend a few late nights.

Drone by Mike Maden is currently available in either hardback or Kindle forms. You can purchase your copy from Amazon by clicking on the provided link.
Drone by Mike Maden

Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly

Release Date:  June 18, 2013
Publisher:  Gallery Books

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Alexandra James covers the higher education beat for The Chronicle, a newspaper in the heart of Boston. Sent on what she expected to be an ordinary story about a student falling from the roof of a local university building, Alexandra quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems on the surface. The deceased, Thom Carlyle, is the son of a powerful Washington attorney and thus the wild goose chase has begun when it is revealed that certain aspects of the police investigation aren't making sense.

Using her reporter's intuition, she retraces Thom's steps during his time overseas in England as part of a student exchange program between Cambridge and Harvard. As the number of questions rise, so too does the level of danger that Alexandra finds herself in. What started as a straight-forward death investigation has now touched areas of secrecy inside the government that few are allowed to know about. Will she live to tell everything she knows? Will it be in time to prevent something catastrophic from happening?

Review:
From the start, I must say that I am glad to win this book from a Goodreads.com giveaway. From the very beginning of the first chapter, there is a sense that a much larger, grander scheme is at work and not just a simple death to be looked into. The reader is thrust into the action with little to no explanation. We have to figure it out alongside the main character, Alexandra James, as she does her investigating. In truth, that type of approach can sometimes put a reader off a story but I thought it was used very effectively in this book.

Each of the characters has their own distinct personality and quirks galore. I honestly believe their flaws are what make the characters more believable. The facts that Alexandra has a weakness for liquor and shoes (among other things) and has a bad habit of standing up her best friend make her seem more real than just a person on a page. This same can be said of her boss, Hyde and his love of all things exotic from wall coverings to the disastrously nasty liquors he keeps in his office as a form of punishment for the reporters.

The pacing of the book started off quite steady, maintaining a good speed for much of the first half of the book. It did seem a little slow in a few places in the middle but picked back up as it neared the crest of the action. As the plot neared the peak of activity, the feeling of panic was quite easily evoked by the author's descriptions and timeline of events. It was refreshing to me that the resolution of the story didn't end abruptly after a specific point. The characters were giving ample opportunity and time to do what was needed to tie up the loose ends. That door for a sequel is open just a tiny bit. We'll have to wait and see what the author has up her sleeve.

Overall, I enjoyed the world set before me in the book. Though I'm not very knowledgeable on the subjects of politics or reporting, I found it easy to get swept up in the writing and learn as I turned each page. There's only one question that the book left me asking. What happened to Philby? If you're looking for a well-paced, action-packed thriller to keep you busy, then definitely give this book a shot.

Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly is available at various online stores including Amazon.com. It can be purchased in either hardback, paperback or Kindle form. By clicking the link below, you can make your purchase.
Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly