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misterintensity 's review for:
Mirage
by Somaiya Daud
Amani lives on one of the planets ruled by the Vathek empire. She and her family try to stay under the radar of the empire but her days of tranquility ends when she is kidnapped by the cruel Princess Maram for the purpose of becoming her stand-in. Amani must now learn to become the princess while trying to figure out how to survive and ultimately escape. Amani and the other characters go through a lot of growth throughout the novel. Amani starts out wondering what's her place in the world but through the course of her travels she realizes the extent of the cruelty of the Vathek empire as well as the way they use ethnic hatred to enable their rule. Daud uses her interplanetary setting to look at ethnic hatred and she does a remarkable job at making her message clear. Especially interesting is the relationship between doppelgangers Amani and Princess Maram. As Amani gets into her role she starts to understand the princess and she starts to wonder whether such cruelty resides in herself. Highly recommended for fantasy fans who want some court intrigue with their fantasy.