“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 … —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.
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Mirage is full of characters who feel like they existed long before the story began, and a rich world that is as beautiful as it is cruel. Somaiya Daud is a rare talent. A smart, romantic, exciting debut.
With its breathtaking worldbuilding and characters who grabbed me from the first page, Mirage is by turns thrilling and ruminative, sexy and heartbreaking. Somaiya Daud has written a moving and unforgettable debut.
Mirage is smart, sexy, and devilishly clever. Somaiya Daud has penned a tale worthy of all the stars in the sky, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
A rich, dazzling, powerful debut. Somaiya Daud is an author to watch.
Daud is a masterful storyteller. Mirage gives readers an exquisitely wrought world with deft characters, death-defying stakes, and an aching romance. Bound to linger in your dreams.
Book 172 towards my goal of 290! 4/5 stars for this YA Sci-Fi read! Great for fans of Star Daughter! Loved the characters! Really enjoyed the storyline. Love the cover. Narration is great! Cannot wait to see what happens in the next book! Thank goodness this is a complete duology and I don’t have to wait for book 2! Highly recommend!
Why did I wait so long to read this?! Amani is such a badass character, and I loved the way that she came into herself and how she handled herself around Maram. A lot of action, and I really enjoyed how everything was explained throughout, without tons of info dumps, and it made it super easy to follow along with the world. Highly recommend!
Decided to check this out after seeing that Tahereh Mafi recommended it, as I felt coming from her this was high praise.
It’s an okay read, sort of slow-paced. I love dystopian type novels and this didn’t have the pace that these usually do for me. I’d check out more from this author, she’s clearly a brilliant writer, but this particular series may not be for me.
3 stars.
Note:
I listened to the audiobook. Narrator has a very smooth, comfortable voice, even on double speed. A 5-star performance.
Mirage is the first book in the Mirage series by Somaiya Daud and her book debut.
We follow Amani, a eighteen years old girl. The planet she lives on is part of a solar system that is dominated by the brutal Vathek empire. On her majority night celebration she’s kidnapped by droid. They were looking for her. She will learn soon that she look just like Princess Maram and will serve as a double for her. The Princess is cruel, hated by the conquered people and her live is in danger. Amani have always dream of living an adventure, maybe not like this but she can’t help but enjoy the beauty of the palace and her time with, Idris, the princess’s fiancé.
If Amani wants to see her family again and no harm done to them, she doesn’t have a choice but to do the princess perfectly. Also if she doesn’t wants to die at the hands of the rebels.
I have like this book and will sure be reading the sequel.
Mirage was a great lead-in for a series I enjoyed deeply.
Want to share my thoughts with you, about this amazing book.
“Mirage” by Somaiya Daud, is a magical, wonderful new book to the YA world. I fell in love with characters and importance of culture and family. I loved this story about a young girl named Amani and her family, who trying to live the best life, even with the bad things that happened. The book will show you how important friendships can be, and how you can be lonely in a whole world. 5/5
Amani, our 16 year old heroine receives facial tattoo’s that tell a story about her family’s history as well as attributes of her personality. When some robot type soldiers scan her face and take her hostage, I was intrigued. OK, this is a Moorish/Sci-fi book. Interesting! When Amani finds out why she has been taken, because she has features close enough to be their princesses body double I thought hmmm again. I’m not sure how this is all going to fit together. Even though at times I stopped to hmmm at the plot, I did think Samaiya Daud crafted a really interesting world.
As I read further the interesting bits seemed to fade away until I felt like I was reading another Alwyn Hamilton novel though not as exciting. A young woman finds herself in unfortunate circumstances and rises above her situation to take a stand against the evil empire and fall in love. Don’t get me wrong, it was an enjoyable story! It just felt kind of familiar. What wasn’t familiar was the science fiction aspect of it and I really wish that the feeling was more sci-fi than Moroccan? It was that that made this novel original, although I suppose a mash-up of the two hasn’t been done before.
Characters: Amani was a nice solid heroine. Once she got past her circumstance she was determined to make a difference. I always like a heroine who doesn’t turn to mush when things get difficult. The Vathek is a conquering race who has subjugated the natives, slowly killing them off (sounds familiar to us Americans, doesn’t it?) and Amani wants to do her part to help stop them. The evil Princess Maram, who’d had Amani kidnapped to be her stand in was the most interesting character. She was evil, anxious, and confused and her flaws made her interesting. As the story went on and we learned how sad her life was, she went from black and white 2D to full 3D technicolor. I wished that this book had been written from her POV instead of Amani’s.
Yes, there was also a love interest. Idris? Ilbis? I’ll be truthful, I couldn’t get Idris Elba out of my head and have smashed his name together in my head. Anyway, he was from one of the subjugated tribes, fated to be the sole survivor and marry the evil princess. Instead he hangs with her body double. You can guess what happens to that love triangle.
Did I love this book? No. Did I hate it? Definitely not! I just couldn’t get past some similarities to other novels I’d read and that kind of ruined it for me. If the pace had been a bit quicker, I might’ve enjoyed it a bit more. However, other readers have absolutely LOVED this novel. I say, read it and you be the judge!
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.
3.5 Stars. I was looking forward to this inventive young adult book with a sci-fi twist. It was a quick and enjoyable read, but the sci-fi elements didn’t really come across for me. Other than taking place on terraformed planets & moons, there was nothing sci-fi about the story. The story’s main focus is also a buddying romance, which really made the book feel like YA. I think the best YA does not feel like it’s made for teenagers. There was also no ending to the story; it’s definitely a first book in a series. Regardless, I think it’s still worth picking up if you’re looking for a quick read.
There wasn’t really anything awful or bad about Mirage: it just wasn’t quite to my personal taste.
It didn’t have that pizazz for me: not managing to either grab or retain my initial interest.
I even found myself having to concentrate and work really hard on staying the whole course and I started this three actual times before progressing any further than the first few chapters.
I think maybe there might have been a bit of an information overload when it came to the world building; too much info dumped on the reader in one go, I myself would have prefered to be drip fed.
This also wasn’t really what I thought it was going to be at all and considering I was actually so looking forward to this one I’m a bit bummed, to say the least.
My journey will definitely be ending here as I am just not invested in this at all.
So the premise here was intriguing eighteen-year-old Amani is taken to the palace to act as the body double to a princess; here she enters a whole new world of politics, intrigue and also romance.
The concept behind this story was fabulous indeed: just for me personally it worked better as that concept rather than in reality.
I also think this was much to heavily geared towards the romance and as a result, a large part of the story was lost.
For me, I was expecting a much faster pace with more of a sci-fi action vibe, but what I got was far from that.
this was more heavily steeped in legend, mythology and love.
Look don’t get me wrong if this is your thing then it’s probably going to blow your mind: Mirage is full of lyrical prose and fantastical descriptions throughout.
The language used here is so beautiful with an almost poetic flow to it.
I myself am not a big fan of this type of prose: I imagine if you were this would definitely be your thing.
Though I’m not much of a fan myself I can still applaud and appreciate the appeal of this type of literature and this as a prime example disregardless of my own personal taste.
I also wasn’t that keen on Amani herself and also found the fiance Idris a bit lacklustre as well.
In fact, if I’m being completely honest the cruel Princess Maram was perhaps the most interesting character here for me and I would have liked to have seen a chapter from her POV.
On a sidenote just want to add that the front cover here was gorgeous, very eye-catching indeed.
So Yeh, in a nutshell, gorgeous front cover, beautiful language overall but this was not quite to my taste.
Thank you to the Publisher, Author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of “Mirage (Mirage, #1) ” of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Somaiya Daud’s Mirage reads like the lushest of fantasies, set in an unforgettably immersive world that is both dangerous and impossibly lovely. The characters are complex and nuanced, and the story is by turns romantic, harrowing, climactic and hopeful, though the unresolved ending paves the way for an even grander sequel. I didn’t want it to end, and I can’t wait to return to the world Daud has created.
Mirage by Somaiya Daud is a beautifully written novel that is rich in detail from the world-building, to the culture, and deep thorough characterizations of the main characters of Amani, Princess Maram, and Idris.
Ms. Daud’s novel is full of description and visual. I was captivated by Amani as a narrator. From the touching moment in the beginning with her brother Husnain, to the startling anxious moment the Imperial droids arrive and take Amani, and then every moment that followed after that with her future left uncertain. Throw in the cruel Princess Maram and Nadine, and then the moments with Idris that were some of my favorites, and this novel completely had me from start to the end.
I really enjoyed Ms. Daud’s Mirage. It is fast-paced, well-written, and it has a strong heroine leading the way. Amani is true to herself throughout the novel and doesn’t give up hope . She’s a fighter and I can’t wait to read what Ms. Daud has in store for her in book two.
Another character I found intriguing was Princess Maram. The relationship that Amani and her form is tenuous and unpredictable with Maram holding all the power, but it is interesting with the dynamics these two have and how their roles in this story will play out within the trilogy. I want to know what happens next.
Overall, Mirage by Somaiya Daud is a great novel that really pulls you in and leaves you wanting more. It’s so richly woven with tension, romance, heartbreak and is simply just mesmerizing. I very much recommend and look forward to reading more by Ms. Daud.
(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)
Lush and dangerous, Mirage had me entranced. Amani’s journey―from rural innocent to calculating young woman, from village girl to royal impersonator―is galactic. Daud’s novel asks, ‘what does it mean to impersonate your enemy?’ And the answer she provides here is nothing short of thrilling. I was here for all of it, and I desperately need to know what happens next.
Mirage had me enthralled from its first page to its last. It’s a heart-wrenching, romantic, and exhilarating page-turner. Begin preparing yourselves for it now. Somaiya Daud is a brilliant writer and she has written a brilliant book.
Mirage reads as an impossible trick of the light, a feather that carves words into stone, a banquet of longing and loss. Every page comes roaring to life in a way that overwhelms and transforms you. This isn’t a debut novel so much as an heirloom, and the work of a master storyteller.
Mirage is full of my favorite things: secrets, intrigue, gorgeous mythology, and complicated characters. It will break your heart and fill you with hope.