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thewolfandherbooks 's review for:
Mirage
by Somaiya Daud
Actual rating:3.5 stars
A stunning debut!
I felt that the Morrocan-inspired world was akin to the Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse (except that it's set in science fiction world). I enjoyed reading about the history and politics of the "Vathek empire". The author made the world accessible. I didn't feel like I had to learn any new jargon and while Moroccan culture is new to me, it wasn't overly complicated.
Mirage was beautifully written. Every word, every sentence, weaved together seamlessly.
The characters, plot, and world-building are all strong. None of the characters felt one-dimensional. Maram doesn't feel like she fulfills the "chosen one" archetype. The world-building is vivid. The writing and build-up of the story felt almost effortless.
My ONLY criticism is that Mirage feels more like a fantasy and I only remember that it's technically sci-fi when there's mention of droids and space shuttles. But since the setting occurs on a colonized moon, it's more likely they'd have some sort of technology. But... as a "rule", technology is supposed play a large role in the genre. There is one instance that technology made sense for communicating but aside from that, Mirage feels like a fantasy. Since I saw a review beforehand that mentioned it, I was able to adjust my expectations accordingly.
I don't think this was intentional, but I felt like there were some "The Prince and the Pauper" vibes. Though I'm reluctant to say that because only the villager takes the place of the royal member. (It would be so cool if a certain royal character switched places with Maram's old life though!)
I will say that Mirage is a slow burn, but I personally felt that it was worth it because I enjoyed Maram's character. She wasn't passive or dull. Maram genuinely interested me. She adapts really fast. At first I thought it was weird how fast she adapted to the bad things happening to her, but than I realized that her whole life has been essentially been about survival.
I honestly don't have too many complaints. Sure, there are a few things that reminded of other YA SFF but I felt like because the author put forth the effort and made the story unique that it didn't take away from my overall positive experience.
A stunning debut!
I felt that the Morrocan-inspired world was akin to the Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse (except that it's set in science fiction world). I enjoyed reading about the history and politics of the "Vathek empire". The author made the world accessible. I didn't feel like I had to learn any new jargon and while Moroccan culture is new to me, it wasn't overly complicated.
Mirage was beautifully written. Every word, every sentence, weaved together seamlessly.
The characters, plot, and world-building are all strong. None of the characters felt one-dimensional. Maram doesn't feel like she fulfills the "chosen one" archetype. The world-building is vivid. The writing and build-up of the story felt almost effortless.
My ONLY criticism is that Mirage feels more like a fantasy and I only remember that it's technically sci-fi when there's mention of droids and space shuttles. But since the setting occurs on a colonized moon, it's more likely they'd have some sort of technology. But... as a "rule", technology is supposed play a large role in the genre. There is one instance that technology made sense for communicating but aside from that, Mirage feels like a fantasy. Since I saw a review beforehand that mentioned it, I was able to adjust my expectations accordingly.
I don't think this was intentional, but I felt like there were some "The Prince and the Pauper" vibes. Though I'm reluctant to say that because only the villager takes the place of the royal member. (It would be so cool if a certain royal character switched places with Maram's old life though!)
I will say that Mirage is a slow burn, but I personally felt that it was worth it because I enjoyed Maram's character. She wasn't passive or dull. Maram genuinely interested me. She adapts really fast. At first I thought it was weird how fast she adapted to the bad things happening to her, but than I realized that her whole life has been essentially been about survival.
I honestly don't have too many complaints. Sure, there are a few things that reminded of other YA SFF but I felt like because the author put forth the effort and made the story unique that it didn't take away from my overall positive experience.