Review - The Liar's Daughter

The Liar's Daughter 

by Megan Cooley Peterson

Release date 09/10/2019

284 pages

4 out of 5 stars

According to the publisher, "Seventeen-year-old Piper knows that Father is a Prophet. Infallible. The chosen one.

She would do anything for Father. That's why she takes care of all her little sisters. That's why she runs end-of-the-world drills. That's why she never asks questions. Because Father knows best.

Until the day he doesn't. Until the day the government raids the compound and separates Piper from her siblings, from Mother, from the Aunts, from all of Father's followers--even from Caspian, the boy she loves.

Now Piper is living Outside. Among Them.

With a woman They claim is her real mother--a woman They say Father stole her from.

But Piper knows better. And Piper is going to escape."

This book's creepy cover caught my attention when I was browsing in the library earlier this month.  I was looking for something to read that would get me in the mood for Halloween without being too scary.  As soon as I read this book's description, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for!

The author tells Piper's story from two different perspectives, giving the reader tales from 'before,' with her family, and 'after,' living amongst the outsiders.  As we read, we realize that we are not being given the whole story from either perspective.  While Piper thinks that her father is the all-knowing 'chosen one,' the reader can tell that things are not exactly what they seem.  When Piper rails against the outside world that she is forced into, we know that she doesn't understand the bigger picture.  

What I liked most about this book is that the author does not give explicit details on what the truth is, for either timeline.  The information we receive is murky, and we must decipher it, as we watch Piper try to decipher what is the truth about her own life.  For me, the 'big reveal' was not a huge plot twist; I was able to figure out where the book was heading about halfway through.  However, that did not play a large role in how I felt about the book.  I did not feel that the ending was meant to be shocking to the reader.  It was more impactful to watch the main character live out what we could all see coming.  I felt so much more invested in the character realizing the truth of her situation because I could see it myself.

The biggest twist of all was reading the author's biography after I finished the book, only to find out that she lived out a similar situation in real life!  This book hit me so much harder knowing that all of the abuse and deception written about in the book was something the author had experienced first-hand.  

Overall, I highly recommend this book.  It instantly hooked me in, and I finished it so quickly, because I just could not put it down.  The cult aspect made it pretty creepy, but if you are easily scared, I don't think this book would be too intense for you.  For me, it was the perfect pre-Halloween read!