Item: Mirage
Rating: 4.00
Author: novelsandwaffles

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...

"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."

- I love the setting! The world-building is intricate, well-developed, and completely unlike anything else currently circulating in this genre.
-The fact that this is an #OWNVOICES NOVEL made the culture and world feel that much more real and beautiful.
- I adore that it is so diverse! WE 👏NEED 👏MORE 👏DIVERSE 👏FANTASY 👏 Usually fantasy novels are set in countries based off of medieval Western Europe, so seeing something like this book makes my heart sing like an American Idol contestant.
- The mix of Sci-Fi and Fantasy was so beautifully done.
-I ended up loving Maram. My main complaint is that I wish she had a POV all her own (which is funny because usually I am saying the opposite).
-THE PROLOGUE IS A BRILLIANT MASTERPIECE. I LOVE IT.
- The incorporation of poetry was beautiful! I look forward to reading some of Amani's poetry in future books.
-The themes of colonization, family, culture, and self-actualization were explored in marvelous ways.
-The romance was meh, but I feel that way about almost every romance I've read lately, so maybe I just have a frozen, unfeeling heart.

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Mirage (Mirage, #1)

by Somaiya Daud

Reviewed by Kat @ Novels & Waffles on Nov 5, 2018

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