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A review by melhunt182
Mirage by Somaiya Daud
5.0
*4.5 stars* Minor spoilers may be in this but anything major will be hidden.
Where do I start with this book? I really enjoyed it but I always had a feeling I would. To give a quick summary, we follow Amani, who has just turned 18 and is celebrating coming of age with her family and villagers when she is kidnapped by droids and taken to the capital city. She finds out she is the spitting image of the princess, Maram, whose father, the Vathek King Mathis, has taken over the country and overthrown the previous empire. He slaughtered a lot of people and treat the commoners really badly, so they royal family isn't well liked. Amani is to work as Maram's body double in certain situations where the princess could be in danger.
During her service pretending to be Maram, Amani finds herself drawn to Marams handsome fiance, Lord Idris. Their romance is sweet and believable, not rushed or cliche. I really loved their relationship. Amani also surprises herself by slowly growing a friendship with the princess, who she realises may not be as bad as she pretends to be. However, Amani is also drawn to the rebellion, and finds herself helping the rebels with information against her captors.
The ending was surprising and I didn't see it coming. I loved the choice Amani made, and the stand off with Maram.
I am super looking forward to book 2 next year. I really recommend this book to anyone into YA scifi. The sci fi elements are light, and easy to understand, so don't worry if you're not into heavy sci fi. Overall it's just a fun, exciting, quick read.
Where do I start with this book? I really enjoyed it but I always had a feeling I would. To give a quick summary, we follow Amani, who has just turned 18 and is celebrating coming of age with her family and villagers when she is kidnapped by droids and taken to the capital city. She finds out she is the spitting image of the princess, Maram, whose father, the Vathek King Mathis, has taken over the country and overthrown the previous empire. He slaughtered a lot of people and treat the commoners really badly, so they royal family isn't well liked. Amani is to work as Maram's body double in certain situations where the princess could be in danger.
During her service pretending to be Maram, Amani finds herself drawn to Marams handsome fiance, Lord Idris. Their romance is sweet and believable, not rushed or cliche. I really loved their relationship. Amani also surprises herself by slowly growing a friendship with the princess, who she realises may not be as bad as she pretends to be. However, Amani is also drawn to the rebellion, and finds herself helping the rebels with information against her captors.
The ending was surprising and I didn't see it coming. I loved the choice Amani made, and the stand off with Maram.
Spoiler
I was sad when Maram didn't believe Amani, and trapped her in her quarters. I just hope we see more of a redemption arc for Maram in the next book, as she became my favourite character by the end.I am super looking forward to book 2 next year. I really recommend this book to anyone into YA scifi. The sci fi elements are light, and easy to understand, so don't worry if you're not into heavy sci fi. Overall it's just a fun, exciting, quick read.