Mirage
Ratings20
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings20
Average rating3.5
“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.
Featured Series
2 primary booksMirage is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2015 with contributions by Somaiya Daud.
Reviews with the most likes.
Mirage, which is in part inspired by the author's Moroccan background, is the story of a young woman, Amani, who is forced to leave her family and home moon behind to become a body double for the daughter of the Conqueror of the Stars. Although I thought it took about 50-60 pages to get going, once I was hooked, I was hooked???not because of action or twists and turns, but because of the emotional intensity and beautiful writing that perfectly fit the main protagonist, reflecting her poetic soul. In particular, I loved Amani???her empathy, wisdom, and courage???and the development of her complicated sort-of-friendship with Princess Maram.
My Rating: 4.5
Full Review on My Website
2.5
‘twas alright, nothing too exceptional in the end. some nice writing!
MY GOD I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.
i am loathe to compare it to a juggernaut like str wrs, but it really had all that was missing and more. i loved the characters, the personal conflicts, the accidental blending of personalities while trying to stay true to oneself. i fell in love with both amani and maram, who felt so real the whole book. descriptions were fantastic, and the world building was there but not egregious instead sprinkled throughout as the plot continued. lowkey fell in love with idris...
Honestly, I dont really know how I feel about this book.
Wasn't really feeling it at the beginning. Almost on the edge of DNFing the books, but I'm glad I continued. It was good, but not with as much action as I expected. A little slow even, because it was mainly focused on the relationships. But, I liked it. The book was still a great read and I will read the rest of the series!
