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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Eighteen-year-old Amani has grown up on a poor moon under the rule of an oppressive empire. She dreams of a life where she and her family can safely farm and barter for what they need to survive, and maybe even have a little leisure time left to read her precious poetry. But when Amani is kidnapped and taken to the Royal Palace, she learns she must act as the body double for the cruel princess and put her very life on the line for a regime that seeks to wipe out her culture.
This is a book of court intrigue, rich prose, and a connection to spirituality and tradition.
I really loved this book from start to finish.
Amani is a fierce character who simultaneously remains critical of her captivity while empathizing with the princess, Maram. This is such a fine balance to strike, since it could have easily gone the Stockholm Syndrome direction. Amani also remains wary of Maram and her mercurial moods, even as the girls seem to grow closer.
I also love the writing in this book. Not only does Daud write some poetry to include, her prose is rhythmic and lovely. It’s an excellent balance of the pacing of The Hunger Games and the poetry of The Hazel Wood. Pretty much any page is worthy of being a mentor text, but here’s an example:
“Morning came to me in starts and whispers. I could hear a soft breeze weave its way through curtains, a door shaking, thin chains trembling. I did not hear the crows or roosters call at dawn, or the pawing of our old goat in her paddock. I couldn’t bear to open my eyes or move.”
Read the rest of the review and classroom applications at the blog!
This is a book of court intrigue, rich prose, and a connection to spirituality and tradition.
I really loved this book from start to finish.
Amani is a fierce character who simultaneously remains critical of her captivity while empathizing with the princess, Maram. This is such a fine balance to strike, since it could have easily gone the Stockholm Syndrome direction. Amani also remains wary of Maram and her mercurial moods, even as the girls seem to grow closer.
I also love the writing in this book. Not only does Daud write some poetry to include, her prose is rhythmic and lovely. It’s an excellent balance of the pacing of The Hunger Games and the poetry of The Hazel Wood. Pretty much any page is worthy of being a mentor text, but here’s an example:
“Morning came to me in starts and whispers. I could hear a soft breeze weave its way through curtains, a door shaking, thin chains trembling. I did not hear the crows or roosters call at dawn, or the pawing of our old goat in her paddock. I couldn’t bear to open my eyes or move.”
Read the rest of the review and classroom applications at the blog!
A character-driven sci-fi that steeps itself in both the culture of both the conquered and the conqueror, with a protagonist who must play a role for both. Romance, political intrigue and a momentum-building cliff-hanger are the stars of Daud's lavish illusion in fiction. It goes as a note though that nothing cool or even particularly exciting happens-which is some ways, is better than attempting something cool and having it fall flat (Jasmine Throne, that's you).
"I wonder which of us is more cursed - you for looking like me, or I for looking like my mother?"
The one meme that keeps flashing on my head while reading this amazing fantasy debut is the one with two Spidermen pointing at each other.
Yes - that's Amani and Maram's case in this book. Born with the same face from totally different world - one who is a simple villager who yearns to spend the rest of her life with her outcasted family in a deserted moon while the other is being groomed to be the next ruler of a dictatorial family.
The story started in an interesting fashion with Amani being kidnapped by the Imperial Garda during her coming-of-age ceremony in Gibra, for reasons unknown to her and her family. It then picked up its pace as Amani's transported to Ziyaana and the truth unveiled that she has to take the place of the Andaala star system's heir to the throne, Maram, until she was crowned the queen and ruler of the planet.
Fearing for her own safety after being face-to-face with the heir's cruelty, Amani has been left with the choice to follow her doppel's command and be in her position for every event that the princess' counsel deemed dangerous for Maram to attend, which is generally all the time.
Little by little, Amani managed to control her anger and maneuver the ride as she become close with her lookalike, her fiancée, Idris, and the rebel championing Vathek's oppressive governance led by another spitting image of the great Massinia, Ariyaas. But with this development comes a personal dilemma which made her choose between her planet's future and her loved ones' safety and soon she will learn that choosing one means letting go of the other.
First thing I love about this book being another amazing fantasy novel written by an author of color is how refreshing the world is. Though the idea of oppressive authority/government is not strange since most of us are currently experiencing one, Somaiya Daud successfully managed to introduce an intriguing world matched with an interesting storyline that made me want to flip the pages until the end.
Amani is a living definition of a woman living in a world ruled by a fascist figure, and privilege also plays a huge role in this story. In the beginning, Amani dreams of a simple future of living a normal life - and her definition of this is having her family safe and sound tucked in the comfort of Gibra, one of Andalaa's moon where immigrants fled after the Vather invasion. But things changed when the Imperial Garda kidnapped her during the night of her confirmation and soon, she learned the reality behind the workings of a dictatorial leader and how she can make an impact to take down the monster from the inside of the palace.
Choice also made an important appearance by the end of the story and how difficult it is to make ends meet without sacrificing something dear to you.
With the way the story ended in this first book, I'm looking forward to more action and maybe, some unexpected twists in book two?
RATING: 4stars
The one meme that keeps flashing on my head while reading this amazing fantasy debut is the one with two Spidermen pointing at each other.
Yes - that's Amani and Maram's case in this book. Born with the same face from totally different world - one who is a simple villager who yearns to spend the rest of her life with her outcasted family in a deserted moon while the other is being groomed to be the next ruler of a dictatorial family.
The story started in an interesting fashion with Amani being kidnapped by the Imperial Garda during her coming-of-age ceremony in Gibra, for reasons unknown to her and her family. It then picked up its pace as Amani's transported to Ziyaana and the truth unveiled that she has to take the place of the Andaala star system's heir to the throne, Maram, until she was crowned the queen and ruler of the planet.
Fearing for her own safety after being face-to-face with the heir's cruelty, Amani has been left with the choice to follow her doppel's command and be in her position for every event that the princess' counsel deemed dangerous for Maram to attend, which is generally all the time.
Little by little, Amani managed to control her anger and maneuver the ride as she become close with her lookalike, her fiancée, Idris, and the rebel championing Vathek's oppressive governance led by another spitting image of the great Massinia, Ariyaas. But with this development comes a personal dilemma which made her choose between her planet's future and her loved ones' safety and soon she will learn that choosing one means letting go of the other.
First thing I love about this book being another amazing fantasy novel written by an author of color is how refreshing the world is. Though the idea of oppressive authority/government is not strange since most of us are currently experiencing one, Somaiya Daud successfully managed to introduce an intriguing world matched with an interesting storyline that made me want to flip the pages until the end.
Amani is a living definition of a woman living in a world ruled by a fascist figure, and privilege also plays a huge role in this story. In the beginning, Amani dreams of a simple future of living a normal life - and her definition of this is having her family safe and sound tucked in the comfort of Gibra, one of Andalaa's moon where immigrants fled after the Vather invasion. But things changed when the Imperial Garda kidnapped her during the night of her confirmation and soon, she learned the reality behind the workings of a dictatorial leader and how she can make an impact to take down the monster from the inside of the palace.
Choice also made an important appearance by the end of the story and how difficult it is to make ends meet without sacrificing something dear to you.
With the way the story ended in this first book, I'm looking forward to more action and maybe, some unexpected twists in book two?
RATING: 4stars
*4,3 stars*
This review was originally posted on my blog Bookish Wanderess
Mirage is a wonderfully written sci-fi story, with amazing characters and a rich setting, that provides a message about the importance of culture and traditions, especially for communities that have had a lot taken from them, that it’s really important in the times we are living in.
This is definitely a character driven story, the plot moves really slowly, not a lot of things happen and there’s no that much action. So if you prefer plot drive, action packed books, this may not be for you. BUT if you are like me and prefer character focused books, you’ll really enjoyed this one. I was absolutely captivated by the characters, especially Maram and Amani, the princess and the body double. In one hand, Amani is a relatable and likable character; she isn’t trained to be a fighter, she isn’t great at strategy, she is just a girl that is put in a difficult situation and manages to survive. On the other hand, Maram is cruel and arrogant, but as the story unfolds, her backstory is revealed and it’s easy to see that she is conflicted by a lot of the things that have happened and it’s trapped between what it’s expected of her and who she wants to be. Honestly, she is such a complex character and probably my favorite in this book.
The romance is very prominent in this story and, at the beginning, I didn’t know how to feel about it because I thought it was gonna be insta-love, but then as the story progresses, I realized there’s instant attraction, but then there’s enought moments and conversations between the two characters to show why they fell in love. They have a lot in common and they are in similar situations, so they understand each other.
Now, going back to the plot, it was not the most original and unique plot. It follow the line of a girl from a lower class taken to the palace to perform some kind of task that put her life in risk to protect the conquering queen or king and then becoming friends with people in the palace and later on joining the rebelion. BUT the fact that it is Moroccan inspired, added the uniqueness that was missing from the plot, there were so many elements of this wolrd, in term of history, religion and traditions that felt new and interesting and especial, because they haven’t been portrait in sci-fi before and that defintely made me enjoy this book more.
Another thing that I think it’s worth mentioning is that this felt a lot more like a fantasy than a Sci-fi book. I think that has to do with the fact that the plot has elements that are common in YA fantasy books and that maybe aren’t as common in Sci-fi. Also, there are mythological creatures and gods in this story and they are given a lot more attention than things like space travel and the technology behind the androids that serve as guards.
Mirage is beautifully written, it has complex and fascinating characters, Moroccan inspired setting and traditions that give it a unique touch, and a mix between sci-fi and fantasy elements that also make it seem new and exciting. For those reasons I enjoyed my time reading it inmensly.
This review was originally posted on my blog Bookish Wanderess
Mirage is a wonderfully written sci-fi story, with amazing characters and a rich setting, that provides a message about the importance of culture and traditions, especially for communities that have had a lot taken from them, that it’s really important in the times we are living in.
This is definitely a character driven story, the plot moves really slowly, not a lot of things happen and there’s no that much action. So if you prefer plot drive, action packed books, this may not be for you. BUT if you are like me and prefer character focused books, you’ll really enjoyed this one. I was absolutely captivated by the characters, especially Maram and Amani, the princess and the body double. In one hand, Amani is a relatable and likable character; she isn’t trained to be a fighter, she isn’t great at strategy, she is just a girl that is put in a difficult situation and manages to survive. On the other hand, Maram is cruel and arrogant, but as the story unfolds, her backstory is revealed and it’s easy to see that she is conflicted by a lot of the things that have happened and it’s trapped between what it’s expected of her and who she wants to be. Honestly, she is such a complex character and probably my favorite in this book.
The romance is very prominent in this story and, at the beginning, I didn’t know how to feel about it because I thought it was gonna be insta-love, but then as the story progresses, I realized there’s instant attraction, but then there’s enought moments and conversations between the two characters to show why they fell in love. They have a lot in common and they are in similar situations, so they understand each other.
Now, going back to the plot, it was not the most original and unique plot. It follow the line of a girl from a lower class taken to the palace to perform some kind of task that put her life in risk to protect the conquering queen or king and then becoming friends with people in the palace and later on joining the rebelion. BUT the fact that it is Moroccan inspired, added the uniqueness that was missing from the plot, there were so many elements of this wolrd, in term of history, religion and traditions that felt new and interesting and especial, because they haven’t been portrait in sci-fi before and that defintely made me enjoy this book more.
Another thing that I think it’s worth mentioning is that this felt a lot more like a fantasy than a Sci-fi book. I think that has to do with the fact that the plot has elements that are common in YA fantasy books and that maybe aren’t as common in Sci-fi. Also, there are mythological creatures and gods in this story and they are given a lot more attention than things like space travel and the technology behind the androids that serve as guards.
Mirage is beautifully written, it has complex and fascinating characters, Moroccan inspired setting and traditions that give it a unique touch, and a mix between sci-fi and fantasy elements that also make it seem new and exciting. For those reasons I enjoyed my time reading it inmensly.
I was given a chance to review this book on NetGalley, but the first time I tried reading it I was in a reading slump. However, I knew I wanted to read this book as the premise sounded interesting and I left it to a later date. Overall, I enjoyed reading Mirage, but it wasn't my favourite book and I think that is because I had been reading so many amazing 5-star reads, it was hard to keep up with them. I love that this is inspired by Middle-Eastern culture, which definitely came across in the writing and I love the sci-fi edge that this book had.
Amani's home is ruled by the Vathek, a brutal empire who invaded the star system and sent her family into poverty. She dreams of being able to escape her life and go on an adventure, but one day she is kidnapped by the Vathek and brought to the home of the half-Vathek Princess Maram. It is there that she discovers the two of them look identical and how they plan to use Amani as a body double in dangerous situations. Amani has to become the princess if she wants to keep her family safe, which means she is thrust into a world full of politics and beautiful palaces, with Maram's fiance, Idris, by her side.
I will start off by saying that I found the worldbuilding to be quite interesting at times, such as how it is set on a completely different planet, but it was also a little confusing. There was quite a bit of info-dumping at the beginning, which I don't mind too much but it slowed the book down a lot. Some things were mentioned and never really explained properly, so I just had to have a guess at what they were. I think it was too much at times and it didn't need to be as the idea itself is interesting enough to capture my attention, as well as the characters.
This is definitely a character-driven book, which is something I enjoyed as I loved reading about Amani. I felt her pain as she was taken away from her family and thrust into this unknown world. The first meeting between Amani and Maram doesn't go well, as can be expected with a cruel princess who doesn't care about anyone but herself, but along the way we see something growing between the two. We begin to realise why Maram acts the way she does and I might even say that it made her likeable towards the end of the book.
Something else that I enjoyed was the romance. It isn't epic like some of the other books I have read, but it was pleasant enough and has made me excited to read more about the characters. While Idris might be engaged to Maram, you can see that he really cares about Amani and they both share their own stories of how the Vathek had ruined their lives.
While there are sci-fi elements in this book, it reads like a fantasy book, which is one of the reasons why I liked it. If you're looking for an action-packed book, this isn't the one for you. It is a lot slower, focusing on the history of the world and the relationships between the characters instead. I really enjoyed the unique setting and would be interested in reading the sequel to see what happens. Overall, I'm going to give Mirage a solid 3 stars.
Amani's home is ruled by the Vathek, a brutal empire who invaded the star system and sent her family into poverty. She dreams of being able to escape her life and go on an adventure, but one day she is kidnapped by the Vathek and brought to the home of the half-Vathek Princess Maram. It is there that she discovers the two of them look identical and how they plan to use Amani as a body double in dangerous situations. Amani has to become the princess if she wants to keep her family safe, which means she is thrust into a world full of politics and beautiful palaces, with Maram's fiance, Idris, by her side.
I will start off by saying that I found the worldbuilding to be quite interesting at times, such as how it is set on a completely different planet, but it was also a little confusing. There was quite a bit of info-dumping at the beginning, which I don't mind too much but it slowed the book down a lot. Some things were mentioned and never really explained properly, so I just had to have a guess at what they were. I think it was too much at times and it didn't need to be as the idea itself is interesting enough to capture my attention, as well as the characters.
This is definitely a character-driven book, which is something I enjoyed as I loved reading about Amani. I felt her pain as she was taken away from her family and thrust into this unknown world. The first meeting between Amani and Maram doesn't go well, as can be expected with a cruel princess who doesn't care about anyone but herself, but along the way we see something growing between the two. We begin to realise why Maram acts the way she does and I might even say that it made her likeable towards the end of the book.
Something else that I enjoyed was the romance. It isn't epic like some of the other books I have read, but it was pleasant enough and has made me excited to read more about the characters. While Idris might be engaged to Maram, you can see that he really cares about Amani and they both share their own stories of how the Vathek had ruined their lives.
While there are sci-fi elements in this book, it reads like a fantasy book, which is one of the reasons why I liked it. If you're looking for an action-packed book, this isn't the one for you. It is a lot slower, focusing on the history of the world and the relationships between the characters instead. I really enjoyed the unique setting and would be interested in reading the sequel to see what happens. Overall, I'm going to give Mirage a solid 3 stars.
Meh, I really appreciate the feminism and the imagined world-space, ships and pretty clothes? Of course there are the ever present tropes of your average YA-fantasy novel: the chosen one, family as hostage, some royalty, forbidden insta love!!!
I think I'm just done with this kind of story. It's time to discover a new genre. Wish me luck!
I think I'm just done with this kind of story. It's time to discover a new genre. Wish me luck!
I really enjoyed this. I liked the world building and the characters, and I was particularly intrigued by the development of Maram's and Amani's relationship. This is a sci-fi that reads like fantasy, with beautiful writing and poetry. This book is more character driven and we don't get as much action and twists as in plot driven books, but I quite enjoyed that aspect as ist gave me a calm reading experience. But it feels like something was missing to make it a 5 star read for me. Like the middle of the book felt a little bland, and everything went just a little bit too smoothly. The ending intrigued me and I'm glad that I won't have to wait too long to continue with book two. If you haven't already, I'd definitely recommend to give this book a try!
The world in this book is slightly confusing given that it is a weird combination of sci-fi and fantasy with old casbahs and galactic travel. Basically I’m kind of picturing space ships in Morocco?
Other than the world building being slightly off, I did really enjoy the story and the characters. There’s some real character growth and regression here and I’m interested in seeing what happens next for Amani, Idris, and Maram.
Other than the world building being slightly off, I did really enjoy the story and the characters. There’s some real character growth and regression here and I’m interested in seeing what happens next for Amani, Idris, and Maram.
This book? Not bad, definitely better than most debuts I’ve read BUT
Here’s the thing: I kept thinking that this book was weirdly short and it WAS. At one point, I was like “wow this book is going so fast and I wish I had more backstory”. Honest to god, this book introduced this whole religion and spacial context and I KNOW NOTHING. Like, I know the Vath came to their planet but I would have loved a little more detail on how the galaxy was set up? Explanation on how they knew someone somewhere had to look like Maram or heck even a little more time on Amani’s transformation into her.
Speaking of transformation: Idris and Amani met one time, didn’t see each other for two (?) months, went to Maram’s grandmother and suddenly fall in love at some point in there. I expected a love because that always happens in body double books, but this one was weird. He asked her to risk her life exposing who she was (which led her to literally risk her life as a spy) and then loves her- it was so sudden that I didn’t buy it and was skeptical about his end game until the very end.
The ending: Amani is a spy and ends up having to do exactly what she was kidnapped for- risk her life. But here’s the thing: she chose Maram instead of her own people, KNOWING that that boy was gonna die no matter what. It was weird that she chose to spare him and then didn’t defend that decision to Maram. She just took the punishment, which put her family at risk... I was just so disappointed because if she had been half way smarter she would have saved her ass and the rebels (minus one) and still woulda been in the position to spy?? Plus it wouldn’t have changed the ending with her getting a sign from the tesleet.
The story wasn’t bad... it just lacked something for me.
Here’s the thing: I kept thinking that this book was weirdly short and it WAS. At one point, I was like “wow this book is going so fast and I wish I had more backstory”. Honest to god, this book introduced this whole religion and spacial context and I KNOW NOTHING. Like, I know the Vath came to their planet but I would have loved a little more detail on how the galaxy was set up? Explanation on how they knew someone somewhere had to look like Maram or heck even a little more time on Amani’s transformation into her.
Speaking of transformation: Idris and Amani met one time, didn’t see each other for two (?) months, went to Maram’s grandmother and suddenly fall in love at some point in there. I expected a love because that always happens in body double books, but this one was weird. He asked her to risk her life exposing who she was (which led her to literally risk her life as a spy) and then loves her- it was so sudden that I didn’t buy it and was skeptical about his end game until the very end.
The ending: Amani is a spy and ends up having to do exactly what she was kidnapped for- risk her life. But here’s the thing: she chose Maram instead of her own people, KNOWING that that boy was gonna die no matter what. It was weird that she chose to spare him and then didn’t defend that decision to Maram. She just took the punishment, which put her family at risk... I was just so disappointed because if she had been half way smarter she would have saved her ass and the rebels (minus one) and still woulda been in the position to spy?? Plus it wouldn’t have changed the ending with her getting a sign from the tesleet.
The story wasn’t bad... it just lacked something for me.
It was an okay read. I am on the Fence as to if I want to continue on with the next book.