A review by kazuchuu
Mirage by Somaiya Daud

4.0

"You are not defined by the men in your life, no matter how powerful. You lived before them and you shall live after them. You can't let them determine your path."

We need more books like this - books that feature Arab characters in the spotlight, culture properly represented and language sprinkled throughout. This is a book that is heavily influenced by Moroccan fantasy and culture featuring Amani, a strong-headed, loving village girl with unwavering tenacity, and Maram, a ruthless, hard-bitten princess with the future of a queen looming over her head. This story explores what could turn good-hearted people cruel, and that all who act cruelly may have more to their story than they show. It's slow at times, you can also say predictable, but the diverse cast was such a fresh change that that didn't bother me much.

Possibly the one thing holding me back from giving this a five-stars is the romance. I mean, I love Idris, but things became massively cliche in the end and some parts just made me cringe.

Still looking forward to the next books, though!

4.5/5