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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This book might be the definition of meh. I don't really have a lot to say on it, so this review will be short.
Characters: 6/10 stars
The characters aren't ever boring, but they're also not interesting enough to care about. Most of them just... get along. And the main character is almost weirdly forgiving and aware of people around her. They're just eh.
Plot/pacing: 5/10 stars
The pacing's a little weird in this one. The author just sort of... skips a lot of long, character-development months. Like at the very beginning, when
Writing/structure: 7/10 stars
The writing is above average in my opinion. It's not insanely, jaw-dropping, amazing, but it's pretty, and it's nice.
Enjoyability: 5/10 stars
Eh? This book was really short, but it took me a long time to read because I just wasn't interested in anything that was happening.
Sci-fi: 2/10 stars
I... don't understand why Daud made this a sci-fi book. You know that tired old criticism of genre fiction... how does it go... "Every story's the same, just told with a filter of >insert genre here
Note: upon reading some of the reviews, I see that this book is heavily inspired by Moroccan culture. That's very interesting, and I appreciate that! If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, then Mirage could be for you. To me, it just felt like an aggressively average book.
(6+5+7+5+1)/50 =
2.4 stars, rounded down
Characters: 6/10 stars
The characters aren't ever boring, but they're also not interesting enough to care about. Most of them just... get along. And the main character is almost weirdly forgiving and aware of people around her. They're just eh.
Plot/pacing: 5/10 stars
The pacing's a little weird in this one. The author just sort of... skips a lot of long, character-development months. Like at the very beginning, when
Spoiler
Amani is training to be a body double, it's just like, "Oh, this is happening," and then it's like "Well, it's done." It's just like... did nothing happen then? Like I'd enjoy a chance to get to know the characters a little better, pleaseWriting/structure: 7/10 stars
The writing is above average in my opinion. It's not insanely, jaw-dropping, amazing, but it's pretty, and it's nice.
Enjoyability: 5/10 stars
Eh? This book was really short, but it took me a long time to read because I just wasn't interested in anything that was happening.
Sci-fi: 2/10 stars
I... don't understand why Daud made this a sci-fi book. You know that tired old criticism of genre fiction... how does it go... "Every story's the same, just told with a filter of >insert genre here
Note: upon reading some of the reviews, I see that this book is heavily inspired by Moroccan culture. That's very interesting, and I appreciate that! If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, then Mirage could be for you. To me, it just felt like an aggressively average book.
(6+5+7+5+1)/50 =
2.4 stars, rounded down
Mirage was a pretty quick, relaxing sort of read that served as a really nice destresser in my hectic schedule. There's more focus on the characters than there is on the plot, which I think is why the book feels so relaxing. And it was also a really pleasant change from all the fast-paced and action-filled books I've read recently. However, having said that, I still prefer reading a book filled with action.
The plot was pretty basic: invaded planet, unpopular monarchs and protagonist forced to work for the empire. I think the oriental touch to it helped maintain the reader's attention.
All in all, 3 stars!
The plot was pretty basic: invaded planet, unpopular monarchs and protagonist forced to work for the empire. I think the oriental touch to it helped maintain the reader's attention.
All in all, 3 stars!
3.75/4 Stars -- Review also posted at Little Pieces of Books.
Going into this, I had high expectations for how good this was going to be. At first I wasn't sure why it was so good, but it slowly progressed into something I did imagine it would be.
This was entirely a different type of fantasy that I have experienced lately. Mirage has everything you would expect: queens, kings, princesses, heirs, rebellion, etc. but include all that with the idea of being able to travel to different planets. It threw me off a little, but once I got more into the book everything started to make sense. It was completely different than I expected, but the world-building is excellent and it brings uniqueness to the world of fantasy. Especially because of the culture!
The #1 thing I enjoyed was the poetry. I loved how much of it was included in the story and how Amani used it for a sense of hopefulness and to help her get through such horrible times. It's so relatable and such a beautiful thing to see in a novel. I also enjoyed how poetic some parts of the book got. It flowed so easily and to have the type of talent is simply amazing. I'm slightly jealous.
The second best thing was the friendship that was built between Amani and Maram. That was beautiful and was what made me enjoy the story a lot more than I would have if that wasn't included. Maram is by far the most interesting character and is probably my favorite even though I really disliked how she was in the beginning. She grew on me and I love how complex she is. I'm really excited to see her in the next book!
The only problem that I had was it was very slow in the beginning and I wasn't sure if it was going to pick up the pace or if anything was going to happen. I was slowly going out of my mind, but it did at least give me something that piqued my interest.
The easy flow of poetry, the friendship between the heroine and anti-heroine, the culture, and the world-building is what sets this book apart from the rest. I am glad there is something like this for those who are apart of this culture and for those who love to learn about different cultures through creative work. I'm definitely picking up Court of Lions when it releases next year because the ending of Mirage was magnificent.
Going into this, I had high expectations for how good this was going to be. At first I wasn't sure why it was so good, but it slowly progressed into something I did imagine it would be.
This was entirely a different type of fantasy that I have experienced lately. Mirage has everything you would expect: queens, kings, princesses, heirs, rebellion, etc. but include all that with the idea of being able to travel to different planets. It threw me off a little, but once I got more into the book everything started to make sense. It was completely different than I expected, but the world-building is excellent and it brings uniqueness to the world of fantasy. Especially because of the culture!
The #1 thing I enjoyed was the poetry. I loved how much of it was included in the story and how Amani used it for a sense of hopefulness and to help her get through such horrible times. It's so relatable and such a beautiful thing to see in a novel. I also enjoyed how poetic some parts of the book got. It flowed so easily and to have the type of talent is simply amazing. I'm slightly jealous.
The second best thing was the friendship that was built between Amani and Maram. That was beautiful and was what made me enjoy the story a lot more than I would have if that wasn't included. Maram is by far the most interesting character and is probably my favorite even though I really disliked how she was in the beginning. She grew on me and I love how complex she is. I'm really excited to see her in the next book!
The only problem that I had was it was very slow in the beginning and I wasn't sure if it was going to pick up the pace or if anything was going to happen. I was slowly going out of my mind, but it did at least give me something that piqued my interest.
The easy flow of poetry, the friendship between the heroine and anti-heroine, the culture, and the world-building is what sets this book apart from the rest. I am glad there is something like this for those who are apart of this culture and for those who love to learn about different cultures through creative work. I'm definitely picking up Court of Lions when it releases next year because the ending of Mirage was magnificent.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a cool sci-fi/fantasy book! At first it was so slow it was hard to get into, but then once it picked up, I was completely absorbed until the end.
My favourite part was the worldbuilding. I LOVED the way the author used Moroccan culture to influence the story. The material culture was great - the architecture, the furniture, the clothing. What enriched that even more though was all the cultural detail. For example, I loved the way poetry was incorporated into all levels of society; the religion and the way it interacted with colonialism; and the meaning of the daan tattoos. The colonialism theme was very well done. It reminded me a bit of Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne (which I read first, but was published after). My favourite location was definitely the grandmother's estate. You felt enriched by it right along with how Amani felt there, sharing in her experience of being refreshed by it.
I liked Amani as a protagonist. She went through a LOT. Maram was a fascinating foil to her. While I figured the book was going to make her sympathetic, it was VERY hard to see how it could reach that point given how awful she is at the beginning. I liked the side characters like Tala (very restrained, but she had to be) and Furat. Idris was a good character too - while I wasn't that interested in all the descriptions of how handsome he was, I liked the cultural connection that brought him and Amani closer together.
Since this book is not a standalone, a LOT is left unresolved by the end. I did not enjoy the final bit of the book nearly as much as the rest.While it's normal to have setbacks, and it made sense for Amani to have the consequences of going against the Vath reiterated, it was just very bleak and narratively a little unsatisfying to see so much of Maram's character arc undone in a single scene. I'm also a little perplexed they haven't explained yet why Amani and Maram are nearly identical. Is it just supposed to be magic, possibly caused by their religion, the way Massinia's face was reborn? I hope the next book explains that.
Overall, this book has a richly imaginative setting. The sci-fi elements are such a light touch that occasionally I was surprised when a high-tech element popped back in. However, I liked the boldness of maintaining so many aspects of a traditional non-techy culture (eg 2 thousand year old libraries, ancient jewellery) in a sci-fi vision. I definitely recommend this book to fans of seeing different cultures and colonial histories explored in a speculative fiction context.
My favourite part was the worldbuilding. I LOVED the way the author used Moroccan culture to influence the story. The material culture was great - the architecture, the furniture, the clothing. What enriched that even more though was all the cultural detail. For example, I loved the way poetry was incorporated into all levels of society; the religion and the way it interacted with colonialism; and the meaning of the daan tattoos. The colonialism theme was very well done. It reminded me a bit of Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne (which I read first, but was published after). My favourite location was definitely the grandmother's estate. You felt enriched by it right along with how Amani felt there, sharing in her experience of being refreshed by it.
I liked Amani as a protagonist. She went through a LOT. Maram was a fascinating foil to her. While I figured the book was going to make her sympathetic, it was VERY hard to see how it could reach that point given how awful she is at the beginning. I liked the side characters like Tala (very restrained, but she had to be) and Furat. Idris was a good character too - while I wasn't that interested in all the descriptions of how handsome he was, I liked the cultural connection that brought him and Amani closer together.
Since this book is not a standalone, a LOT is left unresolved by the end. I did not enjoy the final bit of the book nearly as much as the rest.
Overall, this book has a richly imaginative setting. The sci-fi elements are such a light touch that occasionally I was surprised when a high-tech element popped back in. However, I liked the boldness of maintaining so many aspects of a traditional non-techy culture (eg 2 thousand year old libraries, ancient jewellery) in a sci-fi vision. I definitely recommend this book to fans of seeing different cultures and colonial histories explored in a speculative fiction context.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Death, Gore, Torture, Xenophobia, Murder, War
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
A vibrant and tense ride from start to finish, Daud has created a story that you wont be able to put down. From the dynamic characters, the tangible world, and the tense plot you will be ripping through this novel in no time.
One of the first things I noticed about Daud's writing is how succinctly she envisions time and place. With a few short sentences you are transported, seeing the light play through a window, the heat of the late afternoon, or the opulence of a room, she always takes you there fully.
You can sense the depth of field behind every description and interaction. We see everything through the eyes of Amani, our protagonist, who spends much of her time in closed quarters. But despite this, you can feel the rest of the world moving and turning outside of her limited vision. The history and mythology of the world is so solid that it feels real. It is presented in ways that verify it's truth through the characters knowledge and fervent belief. This further paints the portrait of Daud's story, adding shadow and highlight to the figures in the foreground.
The cast of this book is at once beautiful and tragic. From the start we know that these people have lived through terrible times, but they cling to their shreds of hope with a grip to rival all else. Not only is it our protagonists who undergo transformations throughout the story, but the enemies too grow and shift with time.
If you are looking for intrigue, character growth, and world depth: read this book!
One of the first things I noticed about Daud's writing is how succinctly she envisions time and place. With a few short sentences you are transported, seeing the light play through a window, the heat of the late afternoon, or the opulence of a room, she always takes you there fully.
You can sense the depth of field behind every description and interaction. We see everything through the eyes of Amani, our protagonist, who spends much of her time in closed quarters. But despite this, you can feel the rest of the world moving and turning outside of her limited vision. The history and mythology of the world is so solid that it feels real. It is presented in ways that verify it's truth through the characters knowledge and fervent belief. This further paints the portrait of Daud's story, adding shadow and highlight to the figures in the foreground.
The cast of this book is at once beautiful and tragic. From the start we know that these people have lived through terrible times, but they cling to their shreds of hope with a grip to rival all else. Not only is it our protagonists who undergo transformations throughout the story, but the enemies too grow and shift with time.
If you are looking for intrigue, character growth, and world depth: read this book!
3,5/5
J'ai eu l'impression que c'était trop court pour vraiment être à fond dedans et je n'ai pas adhéré à la romance. Il y a des bonnes idées et je pense qu'il vaut le détour.
J'ai eu l'impression que c'était trop court pour vraiment être à fond dedans et je n'ai pas adhéré à la romance. Il y a des bonnes idées et je pense qu'il vaut le détour.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This world was incredible, and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. The pacing problems, however, were distracting.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Rating: 3.5 stars
DNF p 147
I wasn't terribly warming to the slow start, the flat characters, or the insta-love attraction happening. Amani is a slave, her very life (and that of her family, possibly) hanging in the balance. She has to be perfect. Then she goes and makes a string of stupid mistakes over the pretty face she's falling for. It's unbelievable she'd risk so much, when before she was so focused on survival and escape. The lovely writing and intriguing world-building couldn't save the book after that for me.
I wasn't terribly warming to the slow start, the flat characters, or the insta-love attraction happening. Amani is a slave, her very life (and that of her family, possibly) hanging in the balance. She has to be perfect. Then she goes and makes a string of stupid mistakes over the pretty face she's falling for. It's unbelievable she'd risk so much, when before she was so focused on survival and escape. The lovely writing and intriguing world-building couldn't save the book after that for me.