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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"...you are not defined by the men in your life, no matter how powerful. You lived before them and you shall live after them. You can’t let them determine your path.”
representation: Indigenous MC (own voices Moroccan inspired).
[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]
★★★★.5
At first I wasn't really into it because I felt like it was taking ages for the story to get moving, but as soon as we were introduced to Idris, I WAS HOOKED. It was soooooo good. Can't wait to read the second book now!
trigger warnings: loss of loved ones (in the past), mention of fire, fantasy violence, death, murder, war and colonisation themes, kidnapping, cultural erasure, physical abuse.
representation: Indigenous MC (own voices Moroccan inspired).
[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]
★★★★.5
At first I wasn't really into it because I felt like it was taking ages for the story to get moving, but as soon as we were introduced to Idris, I WAS HOOKED. It was soooooo good. Can't wait to read the second book now!
trigger warnings: loss of loved ones (in the past), mention of fire, fantasy violence, death, murder, war and colonisation themes, kidnapping, cultural erasure, physical abuse.
Took me forever to get into this one but I did enjoy it, specifically from about 3/4 to the end.
Y’ALL MIND IF I SCREAM
I have been anticipating this book for what feels like forever, and it did not at all disappoint. Just SO beautifully written, with wonderful characters and worldbuilding. I love all my children equally and I can’t wait to see what happens as the series progresses.
I have been anticipating this book for what feels like forever, and it did not at all disappoint. Just SO beautifully written, with wonderful characters and worldbuilding. I love all my children equally and I can’t wait to see what happens as the series progresses.
Only reason I’m not giving this book five stars is because of the love story. It was a bit too rushed and a bit too intense, making it a bit harder to get into. If it had been more of a slow burn love under the eyes of the Vath it had been more nerve wrecking but sweet to read. Regardless, I do think this love is what the author wanted to write. Since it has a hint of magical realism in its poems and the way it’s written, I do feel like any other love wouldn’t have been right for the author. But for me personally, it wasn’t enough for me to give it 5 stars.
Apart from that gosh this is an amazing book. All the characters in it makes me wanna cry, because the author has written their suffering so well. I know how real it is because it’s so connected to the suffering the middle east and northern Africa has gone through. It’s a mix between fiction and non fiction in the most magical way, it has reality weaved in the story in a way where it’s almost undetectable for anyone who isn’t from those areas. As a Kurdish woman, it was so nice to read something so close to your own culture and continent.
Apart from that gosh this is an amazing book. All the characters in it makes me wanna cry, because the author has written their suffering so well. I know how real it is because it’s so connected to the suffering the middle east and northern Africa has gone through. It’s a mix between fiction and non fiction in the most magical way, it has reality weaved in the story in a way where it’s almost undetectable for anyone who isn’t from those areas. As a Kurdish woman, it was so nice to read something so close to your own culture and continent.
Here’s to hoping that the inside of this book matches its cover. ✨
-1 star because we love a book with a map, we do however hate when half the places referenced in the book are not on the map and really the majority of the map isnt mentioned at all at that point my ques is what is the point of the map
*Thank you to Raincoast Books for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.*
I was not expecting to enjoy Mirage as much as I did, but it surprised me in so many ways!
What I immediately loved about Mirage was the atmosphere. It is so culturally diverse, both in characters and in setting, and is crafted so well that I truly felt transported while reading. The author uses vivid detail in describing the buildings and landscape, which gave me serious Arabian vibes. She also depicts Amani’s culture so well, with descriptions of their traditions as well as popular dishes and poetry. I was completely in love.
Another favourite of the story was Maram, the cruel princess Amani is brought in as a double for. Maram has so many layers and her inner struggle behind her villainy is so realistic and well-representing. A child of political intent between the respective rulers of the colonizers and the colonized, her struggle with identity and belonging is so important and I have so much respect for her as a villain figure. It made me very happy to watch the relationship between Amani and Maram develop.
As much as I enjoyed this story and highly anticipate the sequel, there were two small things that I had problems with. First, for a story that centres around the necessity of a body double for a princess whose life is threatened, it seemed to be lacking the amount of action that description suggests. While the citizens’ hate for Maram was evident, there was only really one instance where it seemed necessary that Amani be present as a body double.
Secondly, the romance in the story felt a little bit like an insta-love to me. While I enjoyed the pairing and the realistic base it was formed on, I felt as though the sparks were flying a little bit quicker than they should have been.
All in all, I highly recommend Mirage if you’re looking for a unique story in a complex and diverse world!
I was not expecting to enjoy Mirage as much as I did, but it surprised me in so many ways!
What I immediately loved about Mirage was the atmosphere. It is so culturally diverse, both in characters and in setting, and is crafted so well that I truly felt transported while reading. The author uses vivid detail in describing the buildings and landscape, which gave me serious Arabian vibes. She also depicts Amani’s culture so well, with descriptions of their traditions as well as popular dishes and poetry. I was completely in love.
Another favourite of the story was Maram, the cruel princess Amani is brought in as a double for. Maram has so many layers and her inner struggle behind her villainy is so realistic and well-representing. A child of political intent between the respective rulers of the colonizers and the colonized, her struggle with identity and belonging is so important and I have so much respect for her as a villain figure. It made me very happy to watch the relationship between Amani and Maram develop.
As much as I enjoyed this story and highly anticipate the sequel, there were two small things that I had problems with. First, for a story that centres around the necessity of a body double for a princess whose life is threatened, it seemed to be lacking the amount of action that description suggests. While the citizens’ hate for Maram was evident, there was only really one instance where it seemed necessary that Amani be present as a body double.
Secondly, the romance in the story felt a little bit like an insta-love to me. While I enjoyed the pairing and the realistic base it was formed on, I felt as though the sparks were flying a little bit quicker than they should have been.
All in all, I highly recommend Mirage if you’re looking for a unique story in a complex and diverse world!
I'd heard so many good things about this book and I really, truly tried to give it a fair chance, but I just didn't enjoy it. I did manage to finish it, and I enjoyed exactly one character (Maram) which is why it gets 2 stars.
This reads like a first draft rather than a polished novel. This is surprising to me, since it's a debut novel, and although I know very little about the publishing world I would have thought that debuts would be strictly edited before being deemed worthy of release. But this copy suffers from glaring grammatical errors and poor word choices that, in one particular chapter, were so distracting that I honestly considered keeping a record of the errors and forwarding on a list of corrections to the publisher (is that a thing people do?).
For such a compact book (my edition is 308 pages) this story is incredibly repetitive and uneventful. The main character, Amani, often spends time pondering things at length and coming to certain (usually wrong) conclusions; and then a couple of chapters later will discuss the same issue with another 'character' and end up coming to the exact same conclusions, always seeming surprised by her 'new' revelations. The resulting impression is that the author wrote certain scenes out of chronological order and had simply forgotten about them, so they managed to sneak their way into the final edit. There are many examples of this.
The one thing about this story that is marginally well-done is Maram's character and the development of the relationship between her and Amani: but again, here I am more struck by the potential than by the reality of what's presented to me on the page. Amani has the same 'realisation' about Maram so many times that I actually began to count them (final count is FIVE).
The 'science fiction' elements of this book seem like simple gimmicks in order to make it more unique. There was no real reason for Amani's homeworld to be a moon, and the droids which act as servers and handmaidens don't do anything particularly droid-like (on the flip side, Amani's human handmaiden is so incredibly bland that she might as well be a droid). In one of the final chapters of the book one of the characters is mentioned to be carrying a 'phaser' and I was incredibly surprised because I had genuinely forgotten that that was something that could exist in this world (phasers are never mentioned again and any other weapon that is seen is a conventional one). The book also can't really decide what sort of timeframe it exists in. In one scene Amani is impressed by an 'ancient' city with architecture that reveals itself to be "probably a thousand years old" because of its obvious antiquity (the roads aren't wide enough for carriages to pass); in another scene she unashamedly boasts (twice!) about a library that was standing for "two hundred thousand years" before being sacked by invaders.
I'm being harsh, yes, but only because I had such high hopes and it was painful to see them summarily dashed over and over again. I won't be continuing with the series.
This reads like a first draft rather than a polished novel. This is surprising to me, since it's a debut novel, and although I know very little about the publishing world I would have thought that debuts would be strictly edited before being deemed worthy of release. But this copy suffers from glaring grammatical errors and poor word choices that, in one particular chapter, were so distracting that I honestly considered keeping a record of the errors and forwarding on a list of corrections to the publisher (is that a thing people do?).
For such a compact book (my edition is 308 pages) this story is incredibly repetitive and uneventful. The main character, Amani, often spends time pondering things at length and coming to certain (usually wrong) conclusions; and then a couple of chapters later will discuss the same issue with another 'character' and end up coming to the exact same conclusions, always seeming surprised by her 'new' revelations. The resulting impression is that the author wrote certain scenes out of chronological order and had simply forgotten about them, so they managed to sneak their way into the final edit. There are many examples of this.
The one thing about this story that is marginally well-done is Maram's character and the development of the relationship between her and Amani: but again, here I am more struck by the potential than by the reality of what's presented to me on the page. Amani has the same 'realisation' about Maram so many times that I actually began to count them (final count is FIVE).
The 'science fiction' elements of this book seem like simple gimmicks in order to make it more unique. There was no real reason for Amani's homeworld to be a moon, and the droids which act as servers and handmaidens don't do anything particularly droid-like (on the flip side, Amani's human handmaiden is so incredibly bland that she might as well be a droid). In one of the final chapters of the book one of the characters is mentioned to be carrying a 'phaser' and I was incredibly surprised because I had genuinely forgotten that that was something that could exist in this world (phasers are never mentioned again and any other weapon that is seen is a conventional one). The book also can't really decide what sort of timeframe it exists in. In one scene Amani is impressed by an 'ancient' city with architecture that reveals itself to be "probably a thousand years old" because of its obvious antiquity (the roads aren't wide enough for carriages to pass); in another scene she unashamedly boasts (twice!) about a library that was standing for "two hundred thousand years" before being sacked by invaders.
I'm being harsh, yes, but only because I had such high hopes and it was painful to see them summarily dashed over and over again. I won't be continuing with the series.
It took me a while to get a handle on all the unfamiliar names and terminology but otherwise it was a really enjoyable read. I'll definitely be trying the sequel