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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This was a novel at its finest, with a strong plot and an amazing world. But, the potency of the events in the book was just not enough for me. There was not enough to enrapture me demand that I pay attention. However, the characters were definitely interesting and I am excited to see where the journey they partake.
3.5/5
3.5/5
I really wanted to like this and I felt like there was a lot of potential but it just didn’t work for me. I spent most of this book waiting for ~anything~ to happen. I also just wasn’t in the mood to read it but tried to power through it anyway, which was probably a mistake.
I like the world building but wish it was actually sci fi instead of fantasy that just happens to be set in space. I liked the dynamic between the MC and the princess but didn’t care about the love story at all. I liked the commentary about colonialism but thought she was waaaayyy too trusting and decided to flip into a rebel and trust total strangers at the potential cost of her life much too quickly and easily.
I like the world building but wish it was actually sci fi instead of fantasy that just happens to be set in space. I liked the dynamic between the MC and the princess but didn’t care about the love story at all. I liked the commentary about colonialism but thought she was waaaayyy too trusting and decided to flip into a rebel and trust total strangers at the potential cost of her life much too quickly and easily.
I'm not a big fantasy reader, but I did enjoy this story and the characters.
Okaayyyyy *cracks knuckles* this has been long over due.
I started this book in February and I finished a couple of days ago, I stopped reading with only 70 pages left ‘cause I just could not handle such a stupid main character.
Every character in this book is inconsistent. I LOVE character development and this murders it, these characters just do a 180 with the simple notion of “some time has passed”. WHAT?!
Amani the MC is the most naive idiot you’ll meet, so much so in fact, that she doesn’t suffer from PTSD after being abducted, beaten, being constantly screamed at, deals with racism from captors and got attacked by a wild bird unleashed on her by her future best friend. She trusts whoever she meets, because who could be cruel during the times we live in, she spills the beans about her orders of playing the princess to Maram’s fiancé right away and then proceeds to tell Maram’s grandmother and cousin. Why not?
Maram, the princess, started as a cold, evil and brutal princess and all of a sudden she turned out to be this poor pitied girl. After years of hating everyone she befriends Amani and starts sharing everything with her. She starts asking her opinion on matters at first after never wanting to hear her speak and she vents to her about her family. I really thought I was going to love her character but she’s as useless to this plot as any other character, because oh yeas! There was basically no plot.
Idris who’s the love interest and plays part in the biggest insta-love game I’ve ever seen is cheesier and cornier than a bowl of nachos. His whole family was killed and he gives Amani a book of poems from his mom to his dad that’s basically smut, and then after crying to her about his dead parents they get their nasty on over this book while still bringing up the fucking dead mom! WHY?
Even after Amani starts working with the rebellion nothing exciting happens. She barely talked to them two or three times. Some plans of attack lay in her lap one time and we’re supposed to believe she’s some secret spy.
There’s literally no world building “we’re in space and there has been a war” that’s all we get. The plot keeps skipping a few week, months and we’re supposed to take that. The two stars was for the good Arab representation (though there were some simple mistakes) But that was not enough to save the book for me.
I started this book in February and I finished a couple of days ago, I stopped reading with only 70 pages left ‘cause I just could not handle such a stupid main character.
Every character in this book is inconsistent. I LOVE character development and this murders it, these characters just do a 180 with the simple notion of “some time has passed”. WHAT?!
Amani the MC is the most naive idiot you’ll meet, so much so in fact, that she doesn’t suffer from PTSD after being abducted, beaten, being constantly screamed at, deals with racism from captors and got attacked by a wild bird unleashed on her by her future best friend. She trusts whoever she meets, because who could be cruel during the times we live in, she spills the beans about her orders of playing the princess to Maram’s fiancé right away and then proceeds to tell Maram’s grandmother and cousin. Why not?
Maram, the princess, started as a cold, evil and brutal princess and all of a sudden she turned out to be this poor pitied girl. After years of hating everyone she befriends Amani and starts sharing everything with her. She starts asking her opinion on matters at first after never wanting to hear her speak and she vents to her about her family. I really thought I was going to love her character but she’s as useless to this plot as any other character, because oh yeas! There was basically no plot.
Idris who’s the love interest and plays part in the biggest insta-love game I’ve ever seen is cheesier and cornier than a bowl of nachos. His whole family was killed and he gives Amani a book of poems from his mom to his dad that’s basically smut, and then after crying to her about his dead parents they get their nasty on over this book while still bringing up the fucking dead mom! WHY?
Even after Amani starts working with the rebellion nothing exciting happens. She barely talked to them two or three times. Some plans of attack lay in her lap one time and we’re supposed to believe she’s some secret spy.
There’s literally no world building “we’re in space and there has been a war” that’s all we get. The plot keeps skipping a few week, months and we’re supposed to take that. The two stars was for the good Arab representation (though there were some simple mistakes) But that was not enough to save the book for me.
Feels like a fresh take on the royalty genre, with a beautifully built world. There are droids and planets, but it's only a light dusting of scifi elements, the rest could read like an alternate-universe fantasy. Characters have depth and and it was a fun read
3.5 stars rounding up to 4. This is slow to start, but I liked how there is so much build up of Imani learning how to play in politics. I want to continue the series to see how Maram’s character continues to develop. I’m a sucker for a complicated “villain” or similar character who is considered evil on the surface but has more to them.
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