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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
It’s set on a moon that’s been colonized by people from the planet it orbits. There are people who live on various star systems and other planets, and there’s technology that enables travel, communications, etc., but the book has no more elements of science fiction and doesn’t feel of that genre at all. Those are just facts underlying the story. And the setting is very much Moroccan: the colors, the foods, the culture and language. It’s very rich and descriptive. Amani is a young woman who doesn’t consider herself strong or courageous, but she has opportunities to find those qualities in herself and to create a place for herself in a life she didn’t expect. “Strong women” threads run throughout the book in different ways but aren’t in-your-face. I enjoyed that. Plus, it's a fairly clean read.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mirage-clean-young-adult-book-review/
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/mirage-clean-young-adult-book-review/
Fast paced, but nothing really happens and MC is so naive, it’s very annoying
"You do not kneel or bend, I told myself. To anyone. You continue.”
Mirage is one of my favorite reads of the year. Its worldbuilding concept is unique, the female relationships are great, and the love interest isn't a creep. It also digs into colonization and is a fantastic diverse read.
The characters of Amani and Maram are skillfully drawn. The love interest, Idris, is less memorable but he is a kind, decent person and honestly, I'm just happy a YA novel has that. More kind, decent and non-abusive LI in YA, please! I am legitimately worried about teens that read some of these novels (SJM I'm looking at you) and think those actions are romantic.
The world really feels unique. It's sci-fi, but it's sci-fi with kingdoms thereby giving it a slight fantasy vibe. I enjoyed having a Moroccan inspired world. I highly recommend Mirage to both YA and non-YA readers. It's an extremely strong debut and I'm excited to read the next one.
Mirage is one of my favorite reads of the year. Its worldbuilding concept is unique, the female relationships are great, and the love interest isn't a creep. It also digs into colonization and is a fantastic diverse read.
The characters of Amani and Maram are skillfully drawn. The love interest, Idris, is less memorable but he is a kind, decent person and honestly, I'm just happy a YA novel has that. More kind, decent and non-abusive LI in YA, please! I am legitimately worried about teens that read some of these novels (SJM I'm looking at you) and think those actions are romantic.
Spoiler
Also, while Idris and Amani were a bit insta love I was glad Amani handled it sensibly.The world really feels unique. It's sci-fi, but it's sci-fi with kingdoms thereby giving it a slight fantasy vibe. I enjoyed having a Moroccan inspired world. I highly recommend Mirage to both YA and non-YA readers. It's an extremely strong debut and I'm excited to read the next one.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thoroughly enjoyed Mirage. The best way I can think to describe it is like an Arabian Star Wars story (I even pictured King Mathis as a bit like Darth Vadar if I’m being totally honest). It’s got brilliant female characters, an incredibly exotic world and a folklore all of its own. Daud really has the scope and ability to turn Mirage into a thrillingly exciting series, I can’t wait to see if she takes us there!
Full, spoiler-free review discussing Maram/Amani, mythology, world-building, The Vathek and whether this is Sci-Fi/Fantasy available at: https://thebiblioshelf.com/2019/04/10/5-biblioshelf-musings-about-mirage-by-somaiya-daud-spolier-free/
Full, spoiler-free review discussing Maram/Amani, mythology, world-building, The Vathek and whether this is Sci-Fi/Fantasy available at: https://thebiblioshelf.com/2019/04/10/5-biblioshelf-musings-about-mirage-by-somaiya-daud-spolier-free/
Rating: 4.75/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: aghhhh, my heart!; I kept forgetting this was set in a semi-futuristic world and was SUPER confused when the "listening device" was introduced; these characters give me life; I LOVELOVELOVE the concept!
I am so, SO glad I decided to pick this book up, Penguins! My grabby flippers and squeaky beak couldn't tear through these pages fast enough! (No, don't worry, I didn't ACTUALLY tear the pages--damaged books just don't go with my aesthetic, okay?!)
Somaiya Daud created such a beautifully complex, emotionally-driven read, I don't know where to even begin to describe my thoughts with this one! So let's start with this: I kept forgetting (maybe due to a slight lack of detailed descriptions?) that this book is set in a sort of futuristic, almost alien world. Because there's very little mention of things being "different" (i.e., we get just brief descriptions about the world, about the characters, etc), I had a very rough time visualizing the WORLD itself. Which I didn't really notice, honestly--I was so wrapped up in the beautiful language and the story falling apart around me, I didn't realize that I was reading basically blind. Don't get me wrong--there are gorgeously detailed scenes in this book! But I feel like I fell into a trap of thinking this was set in a sort of "pre-technology" place where really, there is quite a BIT of technology...it's just not mentioned much.
What Somaiya Daud DID do, and spectacularly at that, was weave a complex set of relationships. There was only a small amount of "girl hate"--and that more due to the differences in society between the two main women. As Amani and Maram waltz through their days--separate, but still somehow linked--it becomes apparent that there is more to Maram than meets the eye. Somaiya Daud did a beautiful job of penning a "villainous" character who is so complex, so enchanting, you can't help but fall in love with her--because beneath the surface, she's not so villainous after all. This really helped to remind me that what you see, just be looking, is often only a very small bit of what is actually there.
I thoroughly recommend this read to lovers of pretty-penned prose, rebellions in the making, and "cruel" characters you just can't help but feel empathy for or attempt to understand. Somaiya Daud's a master at weaving complicated tapestries, and I cannot WAIT to see what book two--when it's released--brings to this tale. Until next time, Penguins, and remember: even mirrors can tell secrets.
Quick Reasons: aghhhh, my heart!; I kept forgetting this was set in a semi-futuristic world and was SUPER confused when the "listening device" was introduced; these characters give me life; I LOVELOVELOVE the concept!
I am so, SO glad I decided to pick this book up, Penguins! My grabby flippers and squeaky beak couldn't tear through these pages fast enough! (No, don't worry, I didn't ACTUALLY tear the pages--damaged books just don't go with my aesthetic, okay?!)
She rested a hand on my arm. "Do you know what my grandmother said to me before I went to the Ziyaana?"
I shook my head.
"She told me, everyone in the Ziyaana will tell you to resign yourself to being crushed," she said. "Do not. Even your happiness is rebellion."
I couldn't stop myself from speaking. "Happiness may be rebellion, but it won't win the war."
Somaiya Daud created such a beautifully complex, emotionally-driven read, I don't know where to even begin to describe my thoughts with this one! So let's start with this: I kept forgetting (maybe due to a slight lack of detailed descriptions?) that this book is set in a sort of futuristic, almost alien world. Because there's very little mention of things being "different" (i.e., we get just brief descriptions about the world, about the characters, etc), I had a very rough time visualizing the WORLD itself. Which I didn't really notice, honestly--I was so wrapped up in the beautiful language and the story falling apart around me, I didn't realize that I was reading basically blind. Don't get me wrong--there are gorgeously detailed scenes in this book! But I feel like I fell into a trap of thinking this was set in a sort of "pre-technology" place where really, there is quite a BIT of technology...it's just not mentioned much.
What Somaiya Daud DID do, and spectacularly at that, was weave a complex set of relationships. There was only a small amount of "girl hate"--and that more due to the differences in society between the two main women. As Amani and Maram waltz through their days--separate, but still somehow linked--it becomes apparent that there is more to Maram than meets the eye. Somaiya Daud did a beautiful job of penning a "villainous" character who is so complex, so enchanting, you can't help but fall in love with her--because beneath the surface, she's not so villainous after all. This really helped to remind me that what you see, just be looking, is often only a very small bit of what is actually there.
Hope. Hard won, soaked in blood, a hope that burned as much as it lit her way. The opposite of what I'd nurtured while still on Cadiz. That had been a bright, gleaming thing, reflective like a moon in the sky. Harmless, but without its own warmth. Could I live my life knowing I'd never stepped close to such a flame? Could I exist in the Ziyaana knowing I had chosen my shadowed half life, had accepted a horrible changing in my soul, instead of reaching out with both hands with something that might remake me? Arinaas's flame might char my skin and break my bones, but in the end I would emerge remade, newer and stronger and a version of myself no one could snuff out.
I thoroughly recommend this read to lovers of pretty-penned prose, rebellions in the making, and "cruel" characters you just can't help but feel empathy for or attempt to understand. Somaiya Daud's a master at weaving complicated tapestries, and I cannot WAIT to see what book two--when it's released--brings to this tale. Until next time, Penguins, and remember: even mirrors can tell secrets.
idk why more ppl aren't riding for this book- it has everything i've ever dreamed, AND it's setting is [chef's kiss] we love flavour!
get on this shit if you want lush, wonderfully diverse and gorgeous worlds, body double/doppelganger for the hated princess who you slowly come to love, a dreamy love interest you root for the whole time who's the definition of a big teddy bear :(
already have the next book borrowed and ready and i'm SCARED! also, am i remembering wrong, or isn't the next one ,, sapphic? idk but i'm excited either way
get on this shit if you want lush, wonderfully diverse and gorgeous worlds, body double/doppelganger for the hated princess who you slowly come to love, a dreamy love interest you root for the whole time who's the definition of a big teddy bear :(
already have the next book borrowed and ready and i'm SCARED! also, am i remembering wrong, or isn't the next one ,, sapphic? idk but i'm excited either way
I tend to hate history. But this year my favorite books have been fantasies with nods or bases of historical colonialism.
I think Mirage not only hits on the Arabization of Morocco, in an interesting way but she also has diaspora-like characters and mixed characters that i believe shed light on how they don’t feel like they fit into either culture the way everyone else seems to.
I am not very articulate but this book was so great for touching on these subjects and more!
I like the characters but I don’t love them, but there’s another book to help my love grow!
I think Mirage not only hits on the Arabization of Morocco, in an interesting way but she also has diaspora-like characters and mixed characters that i believe shed light on how they don’t feel like they fit into either culture the way everyone else seems to.
I am not very articulate but this book was so great for touching on these subjects and more!
I like the characters but I don’t love them, but there’s another book to help my love grow!