Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Mirage (Mirage, #1)

by Somaiya Daud

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.

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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

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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...

Reviewed by lauriesbookshelf on

4 of 5 stars

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Review posted on https://lauriesbookshelf.comA few months ago, I heard about Mirage by Somaiya Daud for the first time. All the glowing reviews of this book made me decide to pre-order it immediately and I received it last week. I instantly read it and here is my review.




General impression
My general impression of this book was pretty good. The writing style was easy to read and therefore it was kind of a quick read. Kind of? Yes, kind of.

Slow sometimes
The story however, was sometimes a bit slow. A bit too slow. Amani was a little too innocent for my liking. I would have raged with fury if I were in her situation. I understand that she was not quite in the position to make mistakes or do stupid things. However, this gave a bit of slowness to the story.

Characters
The characters in Mirage were nice, except for Maram. I really disliked her arrogance and bitchiness. She had a nice turning point, but was she able to hold on to that? I know the answer, but I will not tell you.

Great first book
I am not too sure how to rate Mirage. I faced the same issues as I did with Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. Mirage was also more building up and little action packed, but in contradiction to Three Dark Crowns, we have one POV here. In my opinion, this is a great first book in a series and I have a feeling that we will find more action in the sequel(s).

Conclusion
Mirage is kind of a quick read, even though it being slow sometimes. I really disliked Maram, I got fed up with her arrogance and bitchiness. I think this is a great first book in a series and I have a feeling that we will see lots more action in the sequel(s).This review was originally posted on Laurie's Bookshelf

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 September, 2018: Finished reading
  • 1 September, 2018: Reviewed