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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I liked the unique aspect of having the empire originating from another planet/moon to take over and expand upon others, however wish it would have explained more about the differing cultures, etc.
Padmé and her decoys were my favourite part of the Star Wars prequels by a long shot. I always felt for Cordé, the handmaiden who dies on Coruscant, and wanted to know more about the choices that led her to sacrifice herself for Padmé. I wanted detail about the relationship between the ‘original’ and their double.
Mirage is the book I’ve been looking for without realising ever since. It offers all that detail and more. This is the tale of a young woman who finds herself risking life and limb for a person whose life is considered infinitely more valuable than hers – except instead of the loyalty Cordé seemed to have to Padmé, the relationship between Amani and Princess Maram begins with hatred and mistrust. Not only does Mirage have this great concept at its core, but the Morocco-inspired world [a:Somaiya Daud|15179415|Somaiya Daud|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516594116p2/15179415.jpg] builds is vivid and layered, threaded with glittering details. I loved Amani as a narrator, and Maram took me by surprise – Daud slowly humanises and complicates her as the story unfolds.
My favourite aspect of the book, however, was the role of language and poetry in rebellion and keeping hope alive. It's so well-done. The stories of Massinia and the Massinite poetry were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the world. Waiting with baited breath for the sequel.
Mirage is the book I’ve been looking for without realising ever since. It offers all that detail and more. This is the tale of a young woman who finds herself risking life and limb for a person whose life is considered infinitely more valuable than hers – except instead of the loyalty Cordé seemed to have to Padmé, the relationship between Amani and Princess Maram begins with hatred and mistrust. Not only does Mirage have this great concept at its core, but the Morocco-inspired world [a:Somaiya Daud|15179415|Somaiya Daud|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1516594116p2/15179415.jpg] builds is vivid and layered, threaded with glittering details. I loved Amani as a narrator, and Maram took me by surprise – Daud slowly humanises and complicates her as the story unfolds.
My favourite aspect of the book, however, was the role of language and poetry in rebellion and keeping hope alive. It's so well-done. The stories of Massinia and the Massinite poetry were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the world. Waiting with baited breath for the sequel.
I feel Mirage is a breath of fresh air in the Science Fiction genre. It was enlightening to read a diverse book that takes place on a different planet, in a different system, with POC characters. The writing is vivid and engrossing. The environment the main protagonist is in is hostile, lethal, and cunning, and watching her grow to successfully become as a body-double is riveting. It's like reading The Diabolic, but with a rich, Middle Eastern inspired culture.
I'm excited to see that this is a first installment to a trilogy, and wish to see where the twist and turns take these characters.
I'm excited to see that this is a first installment to a trilogy, and wish to see where the twist and turns take these characters.
Part of my brain kept wanting to think of this as a fantasy novel, but then a character would step onto a shuttle to travel from a moon to a planet, and it became sci-fi again.
I enjoyed the Middle Eastern influence on the worldbuilding and actually would have liked to see even more.
We can see that Amani enjoys reading poetry, but her aspiration of being a poet is questionable. We only see her trying to write poetry once, and she gives up quickly.
The romance between Idris and Amani was underwhelming. If he had turned out to also be a body double, I would have been a lot more interesting.
The problem with first-person narration is that we only know what is going on in the narrator's head. Idris and Marram would be more interesting characters if the reader could see what's they're thinking and why they're doing things.
I enjoyed the Middle Eastern influence on the worldbuilding and actually would have liked to see even more.
We can see that Amani enjoys reading poetry, but her aspiration of being a poet is questionable. We only see her trying to write poetry once, and she gives up quickly.
The romance between Idris and Amani was underwhelming. If he had turned out to also be a body double, I would have been a lot more interesting.
The problem with first-person narration is that we only know what is going on in the narrator's head. Idris and Marram would be more interesting characters if the reader could see what's they're thinking and why they're doing things.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had to force myself through this. It just didn’t interest me. I didn’t really care for any of the characters especially not the love interest.
dark
informative
slow-paced
The pacing was a little weird to me but I really liked this book. I would have liked it to be more political and complicated, but it was very fun.
**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
OMG!!! I LOVED this book!!!! Seriously, I can't get enough of it and I can't wait for the next one! Somaiya Daud has created such unique, interesting, and engaging characters that I can't wait to see what happens next.
Originally I went into reading this book with pretty mediocre expectations, I've never really been to into the sci-fi/fantasy genre before. I should say, I've read science-fiction and I've read fantasy before, but I've never read a book that blended the two together so well!
I love that the author created a world and characters that made me feel so much. I always wanted to know what happened to our heroine, but at the same time I didn't want the story to end. I wanted to vanquish the villain, but at the same time wanted to know more of why there were like they were. The characters had such depth, that you couldn't help but feel for each and every one of them.
I seriously have recommended this book to pretty much everyone that I know. If you want to really get into the story, I'd also recommend the audio book as well!
OMG!!! I LOVED this book!!!! Seriously, I can't get enough of it and I can't wait for the next one! Somaiya Daud has created such unique, interesting, and engaging characters that I can't wait to see what happens next.
Originally I went into reading this book with pretty mediocre expectations, I've never really been to into the sci-fi/fantasy genre before. I should say, I've read science-fiction and I've read fantasy before, but I've never read a book that blended the two together so well!
I love that the author created a world and characters that made me feel so much. I always wanted to know what happened to our heroine, but at the same time I didn't want the story to end. I wanted to vanquish the villain, but at the same time wanted to know more of why there were like they were. The characters had such depth, that you couldn't help but feel for each and every one of them.
I seriously have recommended this book to pretty much everyone that I know. If you want to really get into the story, I'd also recommend the audio book as well!
YES: a character-driven sci-fi/fantasy with an interesting history and character development. A little slow to get started, but a compelling story by the end that will leave teens ready for book 2. The star-crossed lovers plot is handled well enough to not feel tired, and the setting is very rich and detailed.
Readalikes: Cinder/Lunar Chronicles - Meyer; ?
Readalikes: Cinder/Lunar Chronicles - Meyer; ?