This book is going to be on my top ten reads for the year list I just know it. Mirage is a wonderful addition to the YA SFF genre and Daud does a impeccable job blending her background and culture space odyssey. This story is a blend of antiquity of historical cultures and a stark dictatorship set in space with the encompassing technological advances..

Amani is kidnapped from her family and take to the heart of the Vathek empire. Her resemblance to the empire's heir forces her to become her double, and her life is the consequence of failure. Amani eventually realizes that there might be more to the cruel princess than there appears to be, and decides to join the rebellion to bring back their culture. Amani doesn't find agency she takes it and makes use of the horrible position she has been put in.

The writing in this book was poetic, and no plot point was extraneous or uneeded. Each setting was built excellently and the cultures were rich and beautiful. I loved how complex each of the characters were and that the characters seemed to understand empathy and forgiveness even for the most horrible characters.

I cannot wait for the next book! Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC.

“On a small moon orbiting a large planet, in a small farmhouse in a small village, there was a box, and in this box was a feather.”

Mirage is a magical, wonderful, important, gift to the YA SFF world. From characters I fell in love with, to the messages about the importance of your culture and your family, to the most lyrical and beautiful writing. I loved this story with my whole heart, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to fall in love with it.

This story is an ownvoices Moroccan inspired story about a young girl named Amani, who has known nothing but oppression on the moon that she and her family live on. She and her family are farmers, trying to live the best life possible, even with the constant heartbreak surrounding them.

“You learned a different sort of fear when you grew up in a village like mine. Fear of hunger. Fear of Imperial droids. Fear of the low hum that came with Imperial probes. But that fear taught you endurance—you could let its unwavering presence wear you down, or you could learn to stand up despite it.”

In this galaxy, the Vathek rule, and are slowly trying to erase other cultures, religions, and beliefs around them. While also trying to do any and everything to ensure there is no uprising or rebellion. But the rebels have been planning, and calculating, and waiting, and will do anything to make sure that the Vath do not continue to oppress and rise.

Amani has finally turned eighteen, which means she gets to finally celebrate her coming of age with others in her village. She has been looking forward to this day, and the blessing that will be bestowed upon her, for her entire life. And Amani is able to get her daan, a tattoo that means everything to her; her family, her faith, her inheritance. But the celebration gets crashed and quickly comes to a terrible end.

“I’d dreamed forever of leaving Cadiz, of visiting other star systems in our galaxy. But I’d never thought I would be taken against my will. I was dragged through the building, pulled onto a ship, silent and numb, then finally deposited in a holding cell.”

Amani gets kidnapped by imperial droids and flown to the royal empire. Upon arrival, she soon realized the reason she was taken; she is nearly identical to the Princess Maram, the heir to the throne, a girl who is cruel, and is wicked, and is disliked by both sides of her people, because she is half of the other. Maram’s father conquered Andala, and violated galactic law, so the only way he could keep the planet was to marry and have a child, so Maram was born. And Maram has a half-sister that very much does not think that Maram should rule, and she might be willing to do anything to make sure of it.

Maram is in fear for her life, so she rationalizes abducting Amani and forcing her to make her public appearances, while promising her death if she fails to be convincing. Amani is thrown into a world that she has never known, while being constantly reminded of the family, culture, and traditions she had to leave behind.

Maram’s father also murdered most of the families that lead the resistance against him conquering their planet, even though they did surrender. A boy named Idris, was spared from the Purge, as a reminder what would happen if people tried to oppose this new ruler. But he was also promised to be married to Maram once she comes of age, so she will forever be tied to the planet her father bloodily conquered.

Trigger warnings and content warnings for kidnapping, physical abuse quite frequently and heartbreakingly, war themes, death, murder, forced body alterations, talk and depiction of sever grief and trauma.

“He a prince and I a slave in all but name. There was no happy ending to this story, no way for the two of us to make one.”

And Amani is forced to play so many roles, while she convincingly has to pretend to be a princess whose father has taken so much from so many. And Amani is therefore thrown into a world of politics, betrayals, secrets, and even love.

This book beautifully illustrates that we are not the actions of our parents and the terrible things that humans are capable of doing. We are only our actions, and we are only held accountable for our actions, and for the actions we choose to repent for.

“We are not responsible for what cruel masters enact in our name.”

This book perfectly talks about family, culture, religion, traditions, and the things we are willing to do for them and in the name of them. Honor and believing in something are one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, forces in any galaxy. And standing up for your convictions is sometimes the only thing we have in this world. Never, ever, stop believing.

“When Dihya wanted to give you a sign He slipped the feather into your hand. When He wanted to command you to a calling, to take action, He sent the bird itself.”

The book amazingly showcases how important friendships can be, and how loneliness can take many forms. Everyone deals with depression, grief, and trauma differently. And sometimes an unexpected friendship can be the thing that makes you feel even a little bit better. Kindness truly is sometimes the best thing that we can give to another living soul.

Overall, Somaiya Daud’s debut SFF novel blew me away. I loved this with my entire heart and soul. This book is beautiful, this book is powerful, and this book is completely captivating. I never wanted to put this down, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Don’t sleep on this book, friends. Preorder this before it’s August 28th release!

Beautifully written. Smart as hell. Heart wrenching. This is a book I didn't know I needed until I was reading it. Epic space romance with a dash of fantasy and rich world building. Highly recommend.

Wooowww, this book was fantastic! I loved the plot, the character, all of it! Wait, is this too short? There are so much i want to tell you in this review but i'm afraid i will spoil everything. Recommended!

‘Happiness is rebellion, but it will not win the war.’

On the night of the initiation ceremony into her clan, eighteen-year-old Amani is abducted from her family to become a political decoy for the princess of the regime that has conquered her family’s world. Body doubles are used to sample food and take bullets, to be the target for any potential dangers. Amani is taken to the palace as a mere doppelganger, a look alike, but must take on the callous personality and haughty mannerisms of Princess Maram. But how will she be able to learn all the fine points of living a royal life while being away from her parents, siblings, and friends?

Mirage takes place in a world made up of occupied moons and conquered planets, of family factions and angry rebels. Princess Maram is stuck between her conquering father and her dead mother’s native family. And Amani is painted into a corner of duplicity, servitude, and fear. And if her acting does not pass muster, she knows what will happen to her and her family.

I was continually impressed with Daud’s writing and adherence to Amani’s clan’s traditions. From the first page, her writing connected artfully with world’s mythos of poetry. Lines and full poems are quoted throughout and help to flesh out Amani’s character. Full of lush sensory details, the author shares the minutiae of dress, food, language, and court etiquette with care.

Somaiya Daud’s Mirage starts with a simple premise, yet quickly becomes satisfyingly complex, and very, very good. I raced through this book, particularly enjoying the complex relationships Amani has with Maram and her fiancé Idris. All Daud’s characters are caught in the bands that hold them to their stations. They all must contend with the pressure that comes with a life of expectation, loyalty, and maybe, love. I predict that Mirage will be a very successful book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Somaiya Daud for the advanced copy for review.

This book was such a great blend of science fiction and a heavy cultural presence. Loved it! Eighteen-year-old Amani is taken from her family by the Vathek, invaders of her home planet , to become the Vathek Princess Maram. The cruel princess makes Amani's life almost unbearable had it not been for Maram's fiance Idris. Struggling to play Maram to perfection, Amani's focus is to keep her family safe from the Vathek, but can it be more? Can't wait to read other books by this author.

Be still my heart. I loved this book. Cruel princesses. Fake princesses who are really farm girls. Lady rebels. A forbidden romance. Everything I love and never knew I needed all in one book. I love how Somaiya Daud mixes real parts of her Moroccan heritage with the made up and fantastical world she has created. The world is so detailed and vivid and I find myself drawn in as much by the history and culture as the story itself. I will admit I was slightly confused by some of the terms and warring groups at first but as soon as started getting into the story none of that mattered. (Reading on a Kindle and being able to look up words, especially those dealing with food helped.) The first book isn't even out yet and I immediately need to get my hands on the next one.

4.5 stars.
This is a fantastic story with great worldbuilding throughout, as well as a high-stakes plot and compelling characters. The only thing that I wasn't completely sold on was the romance, but that was a very small part of the book.

Totally interesting, innovative read. Would recommend.

A sci-fi Arabian adventure, with bad ass POC women on a war torn planet, paired with beautiful poetry and lush world building? The premise of this book blew me away. I think that the execution was pretty well done too but sometimes the prose was on the edge of being a bit much. But I think overall it worked.

4 stars!

We follow Amani as she is forcibly taken from her family on the day that she comes of age to become the body double of Princess Maram. The world building in this story is fantastic, you get pulled into the different races and the struggles of the Kushalia versus the invading Vathek. Everything in this story was very well thought out and I really enjoyed watching Amani embrace her position in this foreign land yet still hold true to the values she was raised with.

It took me awhile to see past the writing. It seemed overly flowery and a little off putting to me, but when I forced myself to see the plot and put aside my bias against more "flowery" writing, I began to enjoy the story. Amani's tie to her religion was wonderful and her the connection she had to poetry because of that was a beautiful aspect to the story.

The characters were each complex and well written. As much as I loved Amani, I enjoyed every character's development. From handsome Idris, to the mysterious Furat, to even the manipulative Maram- each of them have a story I want to learn more about.

The plot itself flowed very well and at the end of the book, I knew I wanted to see what would happen next. I am excited for the next book!

3.5/5
I enjoyed this book, but after giving it some consideration, I feel like there could be some improvements to it. I saw a bunch of 4 and 5 star reviews, and I was trying to get myself to like it, but in certain portions, I just found it boring. The concept sounded really great, as it kind of reflects back on the title of the book. The plot was just okay, and I felt like a lot of it wasn't necessary. Basically, the entire book was about Amari's developing relationships with Maram, Idris, and a few other characters. I feel like there wasn't any exciting events, as the entire book was about Amari going to a few events and pretending to be Maram. I did like the romance in the book, and I liked Maram's development all the way until the end of the book, where she turned against Amari and she went back to her undeveloped self. I mean, I might pick up the sequel to see if it gets any better, but this book wasn't bad as a whole. I can definitely see why others may like it, and it's all up to subjection.

I adored this start to the Mirage series. It was terrific, devastating, romantic, and heart-wrenching. Daud has penned an outstanding novel that is short enough to be devoured in a day. (And, you will be tempted to do just that.) 

The sincere empathy of the protagonist intertwined with her strength makes her one of the most intriguing female leads in YA fantasy. (That said, I think you could argue a decent case about her Mary Sue qualities. Yet, something about her did not feel obnoxious à la Twilight's Bella.) I adored her and thought she was a great character. 

While the other characters are not so well-known (as is expected with a first-person perspective), they are each given their own depth. The relationships are well-developed, sophisticated, and give the reader fair understanding of the motivations behind their actions. 

The world-building is incredible. Daud rivals Lawrence's world-building skills in this novel. It is an imaginative and expansive world, which unfolded delightfully throughout the story. Typically a story which crosses over planets and moons loses me. I get the names and places so mangled that I give up. Daud does not twist up the reader with these vastly different settings. Instead, she uses them to more clearly separate stages of the plot. And, it works very well. 

The tension between an occupied people and their oppressors is felt throughout the story. And, yet, there is always this feeling of hope. The reader never releases their desire for something more for the native people and the heiress. As a superior storyteller can do, Daud forces the reader to feel every bit of this hope throughout every obstacle and failure. 

Honestly, this book just works. It is an exciting debut that has left me breathlessly awaiting the sequel. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Somaiya Daud for the opportunity to read an eARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to the next books you produce!

I really wanted to enjoy this book because the artwork on the cover is so attractive. I love sci-fi and I love fantasy, but I just couldn't get into the story. It was hard for me to dig through and understand all the new terms that were used to create this world. I found myself going back to passages over and over to try and understand meanings and make connections to this world. It has great potential, I just got lost in the translation...

This book is AMAZING. I loved it so much. The world-building is super lush, the character development is excellent, pacing is wonderful. Wonderful romance, lots of feels. Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed this book and the unique story line. I haven’t read anything similar to it which made it even better. I loved the characters and their complexity. I definitely recommend it.

As soon as I read about this book, I knew I had to read it. And thankfully I was one of the lucky people to get a netgalley arc of this book. This book was crazy good. I couldn't put it down and I was obsessed with everything. The plot, characters, the writing. Even the author by the end of this book. Definitely one I'll be preordering and adding to my bookshelf.

I really really wanted to love this book. however, it was a disappointment. Maram was an amazing character, but everyone else were 2 dimensional. The plot was rushed and the romance was flat and didn’t make sense.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the Flatiron Books for the E-arc copy of this novel.
I cannot say enough about what a exciting and well written novel this really turned out to be. The main character, Amani, is spunky, witty, and intelligently written. #Mirage has the potential to be a wonderful series for fantasy readers. If the next one is as well written, I see these becoming the next big series in YA!

Mirage is a beautifully written book with amazing world building. It has deeply developed characters and relationships.

Even though I knew from the blurb about the book that Amani was going to get kidnapped, it still happened so abruptly that I never felt like I recovered! From that point on, I was instantly whipped into this world that was sometimes delightful and sometimes made me want to hold my breath in anticipation.

While reading you hope for things you know probably are not going to happen, but you allow yourself to wish for them nevertheless.

I really wanted to like this book. I love the fight for a kingdom, rise up from the ashes, girl finding herself genre, and this book seemed to be all of that, plus it was in space!
As I began reading, I kept getting caught up in the writing of the book. Unfortunately not in a good way. I felt myself rereading the same lines over and over without getting anything out of them. When I went back, there was a story, it just seemed to be elongated to add more and more details that may not have been necessary. I could not connect with this main character. She was both strong and weak, yet I couldn’t get behind her either way. There was a lot of world building with unfamiliar names of both people and places that all sounded the same that I couldn’t keep them straight.
Around 30% of the book I started skimming because I was just not interested in the story at all. I got all the way to 77% and had to throw in the towel. I admit that there is a story here, and probably a good one, I was just not a fan of this writing style and could not get into it. I liked the dynamic of the triangle between main character, Princess, and Prince (as I referred to them, usually by actions and tone rather than names). I wish there was a little more adventure/action to keeps things moving.
I will look for more in the future from this author to see how her writing style develops. It is a promising book that simply wasn’t my style.