"Mirage" by Somaiya Daud | Book Review

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' fiance 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.

I know that the summary sounds like just another YA fantasy novel with lots of cliches, but this book was a breath of fresh air. The characters are fantastic and surprising and unique. But they're also very real. Amani especially defies a lot of YA stereotypes. She's strong without always having to be kickass. And the dynamic between her and Maram is so interesting and I was fascinated by how it changed through the book.

It's really the characters that drive the story. The premise is interesting, but the book is definitely to set up the series and that was my one issue. The ending just sort of fizzled in my opinion. But that was the only issue that I had with the book which means its pretty damn near perfection. And I tend to struggle with liking books that aren't plot heavy.

Part of what I loved about this book was how lush the world was. Somaiya Daud's writing is so good and it had me hooked so fast. The way she writes Amani's world makes it feel so real and I loved how she described things.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel. I'm hoping the plot will pick up in the next book and that I get more character development (since it was so damn strong in this one). I'm also extremely curious about what's going to happen with Maram.

Rating: 4.5