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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
Synopsis:
"Amani is kidnapped at her coming of age party and taken to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place. As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death."
3.75 Stars -Just barely missed the mark for 4!
A lovely blend of desert fantasy and science fiction.
I really liked all the rich Moroccan inspired world building, and thought the premise and political aspects were intriguing. It was romantic and the characters kept me coming back for more. This was a fun and fast read! However I don't think it quite reached its potential. The pacing was problematic, there were a few details that weren't very well addressed and the plot didn't feel as substantial as I would have liked. It dragged in several spots and as I reflect back there just wasn't a whole lot that actually happened in this book.
I did still enjoy it overall, I think it was memorable enough and the ending sets up a lot of potential for the rest of the series having a much more solid plot so I look forward to continuing and seeing where the story takes us next.
Content Notes:
- Mild Swears
- Sexual Content - kissing
- LGBTQ Representation
I picked this up randomly at the library, looking for some light young adult fiction, and of course the cover is attractive. It was a quick read. The descriptions of the world were interesting and engaging - very lush. It did seem like the space/futuristic elements were incongruous with the setting, or at least added as a convenient afterthought. The plot was relatively light, but the book is relatively short and I appreciated that the author didn't add unnecessary characters just to complicate things. There's definitely a romance and there are definitely trite, predictable plot points. But I would read the next in the series.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On February 27,2017 I added Mirage to my goodreads, and I have been waiting ever since to read it. I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved Somaiya Daud's writing. Everything about it, was wonderful. I completely recommend this book to anyone!!! RTC
3.5 Stars. I did not do enough research on this one before I read it and did not realize that it was scifi/fantasy. That one is on me. I am never good with world building and trying to picture a new world always makes the reading experience challenging.
Setting/genre aside, I really like the main character and her gradual development of confidence and sense of identity, even as she was trying to be someone else. The mythology and poetry were gorgeous, as was our main love interest.
I am not great with books that take place on a variety of planets, with new technology, but I enjoyed everything else about this one.
Setting/genre aside, I really like the main character and her gradual development of confidence and sense of identity, even as she was trying to be someone else. The mythology and poetry were gorgeous, as was our main love interest.
I am not great with books that take place on a variety of planets, with new technology, but I enjoyed everything else about this one.
This book was alright. It wasn’t bad and I wasn’t angry about reading it. But I didn’t think it was new or fantastic. It made me think of the prince and the pauper and Star Wars (Queen Amidala). Maybe body double/look alike stories just aren’t my thing. It’s a super quick and easy read. I got through the audiobook in less than 24 hours. Still, I don’t think I’ll continue with this particular series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
adventurous
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:
Complicated
Oh wow. I have a couple of minor quibbles which I can get to later, but there were three major things that basically override any issues I could have -
1. This is the fastest I've read a book in literal years. I'm a bad reader - my hands get fiddly and I always reach for my phone every once in a while, even when I'm not connected to anything, but the only time I even thought of reaching for my phone reading this was when I was hungry. Genuinely took no more than a few hours this morning.
2. This is such a great world, with such great characters. With something as expansive as entire galaxies of worlds and moons it would be so easy for this book to get dense, and for Daud to get deeply into exposition and details so readers can get the full scope of this universe she's created, but it felt immediately knowable: knowable as in approachable, something that you could absolutely learn about as you followed these characters; and knowable as in something you wanted to keep learning about. How character-driven it is really helps, I think, but I also really loved the little ways the breadth of this galaxy becomes known to you, as it does to Amani - the nanotech, the spaceships, the fact that the opening scene is set on a little village on a moon, against the backdrop of a world in the sky - such a quietly broad universe that I wanted to tap into and explore.
3. THIS IS SOOOO BROWN. SO BROWN. I love sci-fi but I can't think of massive stories like this that centres itself on a brown voice? More than that - on brown culture? The immediately recognisable value placed on family was one major thing for me - not just for Amani, but for Idris and the people he's lost, and Maram and the people who want to love her. (The feelings Maram's family has for her was especially gorgeous to me; I think white cultures and white stories find it so much easier to detach family from purpose, if that makes sense, and here you see them work to keep them together.) And then there's the religion, the culture, the art - part of the reason Amani feels so whole and not like an easily self-insert-able 1st POV character is the things she loves and yearns to be part of, the background she has, the stories she's learned. Her incredible desolation from having the daan marking removed from her face, early in the story, felt uniquely awful. The way the poetry and language she loved was being excised from this world was genuinely gutting to me, and again I'm hard-pressed to think of other stories that focus on this side of things. I think the focus on art and language of this also really drives home the bigger story this world is a part of - colonialism, power, hegemony - in a way I'm not used to, which I found enchanting. It's not just about freedom from a terrible empire - it's about love, about history, and how much you want to keep that alive and a part of you. This side of this story is just exactly my shit.
Other things - I dig this romance, though more than Amani's side of it I found Idris immediately understandable - you could really feel how much he gains from her and how affected he is by what she can teach him. And I'm so fascinated by Arinaas, especially the wholly separate and enormous story she must have. (I'm already a bit like, I can think of characters I want making out - which is exactly the vibe I want from any novel, romance or no.) And I found the Vatheks such a terrifying, brutal regime almost immediately, and you need to have a villain you're scared of.
The biggest-minor-quibble I have is Idris and Maram, honestly; only because I and Amani liked them both so immediately (I mean, Maram takes some time, but considering the circumstances...still pretty fast!!) and I'm so wary of how much we can trust them. Amani really is so open and so kind and so empathetic, and I wish she'd been a little more cautious, even with the setback at the very end. The other quibble sounds not like a quibble at all - but I did so want more time with these characters and in this universe, and perhaps it was because I read it so fast, but when Amani at one point says she'd been away from her home for weeks, months, I was genuinely surprised - time passes so quickly, and it doesn't feel like enough at all.
All this said, I'm beyond excited for the next book. I'm rooting for these kids, and I can't wait for more of this universe.
1. This is the fastest I've read a book in literal years. I'm a bad reader - my hands get fiddly and I always reach for my phone every once in a while, even when I'm not connected to anything, but the only time I even thought of reaching for my phone reading this was when I was hungry. Genuinely took no more than a few hours this morning.
2. This is such a great world, with such great characters. With something as expansive as entire galaxies of worlds and moons it would be so easy for this book to get dense, and for Daud to get deeply into exposition and details so readers can get the full scope of this universe she's created, but it felt immediately knowable: knowable as in approachable, something that you could absolutely learn about as you followed these characters; and knowable as in something you wanted to keep learning about. How character-driven it is really helps, I think, but I also really loved the little ways the breadth of this galaxy becomes known to you, as it does to Amani - the nanotech, the spaceships, the fact that the opening scene is set on a little village on a moon, against the backdrop of a world in the sky - such a quietly broad universe that I wanted to tap into and explore.
3. THIS IS SOOOO BROWN. SO BROWN. I love sci-fi but I can't think of massive stories like this that centres itself on a brown voice? More than that - on brown culture? The immediately recognisable value placed on family was one major thing for me - not just for Amani, but for Idris and the people he's lost, and Maram and the people who want to love her. (The feelings Maram's family has for her was especially gorgeous to me; I think white cultures and white stories find it so much easier to detach family from purpose, if that makes sense, and here you see them work to keep them together.) And then there's the religion, the culture, the art - part of the reason Amani feels so whole and not like an easily self-insert-able 1st POV character is the things she loves and yearns to be part of, the background she has, the stories she's learned. Her incredible desolation from having the daan marking removed from her face, early in the story, felt uniquely awful. The way the poetry and language she loved was being excised from this world was genuinely gutting to me, and again I'm hard-pressed to think of other stories that focus on this side of things. I think the focus on art and language of this also really drives home the bigger story this world is a part of - colonialism, power, hegemony - in a way I'm not used to, which I found enchanting. It's not just about freedom from a terrible empire - it's about love, about history, and how much you want to keep that alive and a part of you. This side of this story is just exactly my shit.
Other things - I dig this romance, though more than Amani's side of it I found Idris immediately understandable - you could really feel how much he gains from her and how affected he is by what she can teach him. And I'm so fascinated by Arinaas, especially the wholly separate and enormous story she must have. (I'm already a bit like, I can think of characters I want making out - which is exactly the vibe I want from any novel, romance or no.) And I found the Vatheks such a terrifying, brutal regime almost immediately, and you need to have a villain you're scared of.
The biggest-minor-quibble I have is Idris and Maram, honestly; only because I and Amani liked them both so immediately (I mean, Maram takes some time, but considering the circumstances...still pretty fast!!) and I'm so wary of how much we can trust them. Amani really is so open and so kind and so empathetic, and I wish she'd been a little more cautious, even with the setback at the very end. The other quibble sounds not like a quibble at all - but I did so want more time with these characters and in this universe, and perhaps it was because I read it so fast, but when Amani at one point says she'd been away from her home for weeks, months, I was genuinely surprised - time passes so quickly, and it doesn't feel like enough at all.
All this said, I'm beyond excited for the next book. I'm rooting for these kids, and I can't wait for more of this universe.