Name: Gillian Rose's review of Mirage by Somaiya Daud
Item: Mirage
Rating: 4
Author: Gillian Rose

Somaiya Daud

“A refreshing and unique coming-of-age story...a beautiful and necessary meditation on finding strength in one’s culture.” —Entertainment Weekly, Top Pick of the Month “A YA marvel that will shock breath into your lungs. If you loved The Wrath and the Dawn and Children of Blood and Bone, Mirage will captivate you.” —The Christian Science Monitor “This debut fantasy has what it takes to be the next big thing in sci-fi/fantasy.” —SLJ, starred review “Immersive, captivating.” —ALA Booklist, starred review In a world dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated home. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek 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.

A Novel

Mirage

Corrie White 

In a world dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry; she dreams of having adventures, and travelling beyond her isolated home. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped and brought to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is to become a body double for the hated princess Maram

Gillian Rose

It was pretty slow but I appreciated the world building. It sort of reminded me of Star Wars with Padme and her handmaidens. I wish there had been some more action though.

Princess. Rebel. Spy. In a world dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated home. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek 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. “A beautiful and necessary meditation on finding strength in one’s culture.” —Entertainment Weekly, Top Pick of the Month “Somaiya Daud’s debut novel is a YA marvel that will shock breath into your lungs. If you loved The Wrath and the Dawn and Children of Blood and Bone, Mirage will captivate you.” —The Christian Science Monitor

Libby G

It's weird I liked this book a lot. And I wanted to like it a lot. It is a debut novel so the writer does have much room to grow and learn. My biggest complaint was not the characters, or the story, but the storytelling. With all the mention of poetry I was expecting a lot more poetic language. I was expecting to be carried by words to this far away world so that I could taste the food, and feel the wind. Instead I got descriptions like "dark wood and thick fabrics decorated the room." 
I am still going to read the next book in the series. I loved Amani and Maram's growth (which was very believe-able so kudos for that) I just felt the descriptive language could have been more especially from the pov of a poet.

Lila Harrison

3.5/5 stars

I'm so torn with this one. On the one hand, as a person of color, this book spoke to me so much and I didn't just love the themes and messages woven into Mirage, I also felt that I was reading a book that made me feel deeply understood and seen, and that is so, so, so very important. But on the other hand, while I enjoyed Mirage, I also had some technical issues, namely the plot (or lack thereof for the majority of the book) and pacing.

If you're looking for a fast paced, action-packed whirlwind of a novel, Mirage is probably not the book for you. Mirage largely centers around the explorations of interpersonal struggles between the oppressed and the oppressor and the social and political ramifications of those interactions. It's character driven and heavy on the political intrigue and on the world building. The world building is rich and lush and the character dynamics are ensnaring. But because this book is heavy on the relationship dynamics and the politics and the world building, the story does tend to lag and at times seemed to lack a concrete plot.

Despite my issues, I did really enjoy Mirage. Daud writes about what it means to be oppressed and to slowly have your culture and identity stripped from you from the lens that only one who has experienced it can and it really touched my heart because I've never read a book and felt so known.

All in all, I do see a lot of promise in Daud's talent and I will absolutely be continuing this series!

Joy KBA

I'm giving this book a 2,75-star rating because there was a time I couldn't take it anymore & stopped reading. While it was interesting, the writing style is just something I could not seem to get past or to like. I did finish it... However, I really love the concept: Moroccan scifi & cultural influences are definitely seen in this book. I also love the short chapters

Maria

seriously, people, why are you raving about this? nothing happens in this book!

the MC is extremely naive, i can't believe a person in her position can be so gullible. like ok, (view spoiler)[the boyfriend guessed she's not the princess but then he's like "could you also tell my grandma? and my cousin? yes, the ones you barely know, these ones?", and she's like - sure, no prob! and then the cousin is like - i told your secret to a bunch of people, don't worry, they are rebels and nice guys, oh, BTW you now work for them as a spy", and she's like - yeah, I guess I could endanger my life and the lives of my family some more, especially if some strangers ask me so politely!  (hide spoiler)] DA FUCK?

also, the whole attempt on sci-fi setting is ridiculous. why do you place your characters on some "moons" if you don't use it? they could have changed their endless qaftans and recite their poetry in some fairy land, why would you need space ships and droids?

i'm outa here

shalee olsen

DNF AT 75% of the audiobook. This book is getting a 2 based on my enjoyment level. Just a complete miss for me. It has great perspective and thoughtful commentary but I was just confused/bored out of my mind.

laura

* I got this book for review from the publisher* I gave this book a 3.5 stars for review*

I really did enjoy this book. I felt this book was a super fast pace read. I overall enjoyed it, but I did not feel as connected to the characters and the world as I wanted too. I thought the world was intreasting. I really thought the dynamics between the princess and her double and also liked the hints of romance. I did enjoy the end and I like how the book was structured. It just did not wow me. I will def be checking out book 2!!

The stunning and lushly imagined Sunday Times bestseller about a girl who is kidnapped and forced to become the body double for the princess of a ruthless empire. 'A smart, romantic, exciting debut from a rare talent' Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation and receiving a sign that one day, she, too, will have adventures, and travel beyond her isolated moon. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects. She is kidnapped by the government and taken in secret to the royal palace. There, she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double to appear in public, 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, and she soon realises that one wrong move could lead to her death . . . 'By turns thrilling and ruminative, sexy and heartbreaking' Sabaa Tahir, author of an Ember in the Ashes 'Enriching, thrilling, and captivating' BuzzFeed 'Lush and dangerous, Mirage had me entranced' Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Riot Baby

the captivating Sunday Times bestseller

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher on Netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Mirage

Author: Somaiya Daud

Book Series: Mirage Book 1

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: August 28, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling

Recommended Age: 14+ (kidnapping, some violence, swapping places, trading names)

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek 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.

Review: This book was a decent read. The book had a very intriguing premise and storyline. The world building was amazingly well done and the writing was gorgeous. I loved the space opera esque book and I could devour more of these in the future.

However, I do think that the book has bad character development. It’s really lacking and it could be better for a lot of the characters, the mains especially. I couldn’t really connect with them and that made this a hard read.

Verdict: Overall, a good read!

Alexia Cambaling

I really liked Mirage when I read it while in the mood for more YA Space Operas. I liked it a lot, although I did wish we could get more space opera and technology-related world-building given. What was in the book was pretty sparse for me, although I will admit it gets the job done and I was pretty sucked into this world. I was pleased enough when I saw that there are some inter-galactic politics involved though, as well as dynastic politics.

Mirage is about a girl named Amani, a simple peasant girl who bears a striking, near-perfect resemblance to Maram, princess and heir to the brutal Vathek empire. She becomes her body double and must therefore put her own life and safety at risk for this cruel and capricious princess. I enjoyed Mirage mostly for Amani's strength and the bond she grows to cultivate with Maram and Idris, Maram's betrothed. Maram is a more complex character than she lets on early in the book and I really enjoyed how multi-faceted her character is. I also liked Amani since she stayed strong and remained true to herself, her beliefs, and principles even while being held captive. 

Mirage is a strong first book in the series filled with lush writing and beautiful descriptions. It's Moroccan inspired and I liked how that seeps into the world-building, especially with the poetry. I found myself searching for many of the terms used and getting at least a little bit more familiarized with the culture and history. I hope the next books contain more poetry and I'll definitely be picking them up.

Samantha Bass

I read 90% of this book in one sitting and I thought it was so good. This story covers loss of family, of history, of culture, and of ones self in a beautifully heart breaking way. But in the end, hope is still there that things will change for the better. If you are looking for a creative and educational story about the suffering of conquest states in this beautifully depicted world, then get this book ASAP. It was so gorgeous and well written, I’m excited to read the next one!

Dana Musser

i enjoyed the writing style, but honestly nothing happened. there were SO MANY TROPES, and they weren’t executed well. characters were boring, everyone was whiny. while i would have hated to read this book any longer, it should have been. there was no time given for anything important. last 20 pages are the only thing that actually had things happen. the integration of cultural names was confusing and not done well. again, let me restate, there was NO plot. not worth it tbh, i’m about to lay down the law on my book club.

Manon van Heumen

I really wished this book was better. To me it felt like nothing happened for the first 300 pages, and then the book was done. It was hard to keep focused, even though I really took my time reading it, and I didn't connect with the characters. I hope I'll love it more should I try to read it a second time!

Casandra Sandu

4.5⭐️

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I initially picked it up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and I dove in without knowing anything about its contents. It was beautifully written and I could see a part of Somaiya’s heart between the lines of this book. I loved the Eastern references, the setting and how well they combined with Sci-fi elements.

Focusing on family, friendship, loyalty and tradition, Mirage was a strong debut that exceeded my expectations. This is hands down the feminist fantasy that I needed. Even if it was a more of a character-driven story than an action packed adventure, I loved the complex relationships between the characters. The most intriguing development was Maram’s, as it was very interesting to get an insight into the villain’s motives and past. 

I can’t wait to see how this story develops and to meet again these powerful and inspiring characters. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel. 

“The crown of Dihya had been stripped from me, my face changed, my body broken. But I was not a slave and I was not a spare. I was my mother’s daughter, and I would survive and endure. I would find my way back home.”

Lisa Beasley

I enjoyed this story quite a lot. It definitely focuses on character more than plot at times and there's a somewhat cringy instalove aspect but it's quite cute and not rammed down your throat. Marem was a really interesting character and I'm hoping we see more of her next time. A good 3.5 stars.

Liz Griffin

Incredible. Truly a delight to read (or in my case, listen to). The ending was a bit abrupt so I need the next one, pronto.

Mona

Laura 

Jazelle H

nads 

Kelly Cotton

The crown of Dihya had been stripped from me, my face changed, my body broken. But I was not a slave and I was not a spare. I was my mother's daughter, and I would survive and endure. I would find my way back home. **************** The instant Sunday Times bestseller! 'Prepare yourself for a story that's enriching, thrilling, and captivating' - BuzzFeed 'Somaiya Daud is a rare talent. A smart, romantic, exciting debut.' - Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent 'By turns thrilling and ruminative, sexy and heartbreaking' - Sabaa Tahir, author of an Ember in the Ashes **************** In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation and receiving a sign that one day, she, too, will have adventures, and travel beyond her isolated moon. But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects. She is kidnapped by the government and taken in secret to the royal palace. There, she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double to appear in public, 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, and she soon realises that one wrong move could lead to her death...

Corrie White &
Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Reviews

Join the club

Corrie White &Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Reviews

Join the club

Corrie White &
Mirage by Somaiya Daud