Mirage

2.5
‘twas alright, nothing too exceptional in the end. some nice writing!

I didn't fully connect to the world. Maybe it was because this is the third or fourth book in a row I have read that is part of a series. Or maybe because I don't find court intrigue interesting, when it happened in this book. It was vague when it appeared and it remained through to the next scenes. I am interested in what all the clothing, food and accessories described as part of the culture. That is where one of the stars comes from.

I buy this book because it is on sale on my local book store. I read the blurb that this is author's debut.
It's not the best debut but not the worst either. It's still worth to read. As usual debut novel, I admit there are plot holes, here & there, but I can still enjoy the main plot.
I always like strong main female protagonist, and Amani satisfy me. The love relationship feels forced to me, but some other reader didn't think the same. Some may say it's slow burned romance.
Overall, it's still worth your time.

MY GOD I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

i am loathe to compare it to a juggernaut like str wrs, but it really had all that was missing and more. i loved the characters, the personal conflicts, the accidental blending of personalities while trying to stay true to oneself. i fell in love with both amani and maram, who felt so real the whole book. descriptions were fantastic, and the world building was there but not egregious instead sprinkled throughout as the plot continued. lowkey fell in love with idris...

The sci-fi worldbuilding in this book was really interesting, and I liked the nuanced outlook on the ways that colonization can affect a culture and people's lives. However, the characters kind of felt glossed over and the romance was pretty silly. 

This next criticism might be better in the next book but it definitely felt like Amani was mostly reacting to things happening around her instead of taking any kind of action as a character.

Meh. Yet another YA fantasy with an amazing premise and the bones of a wonderful story—that ends up not as great as it could be because of instalove, wonky pacing, and a lack of depth to several elements. I wish Amani and Maram had had more interactions together, to really build up their tentative friendship; it would've made the ending much more impactful. I wish some of the side characters had been more developed (especially Tala, there was so much potential there!!!) I wish the romance had developed more slowly, although I did enjoy the couple together.

What I did love was the message of rebellion against colonization. I think Duad did a wonderful job conveying how colonizers invade more than just the land—they create a haze of fear around every aspect of life for native people.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this, I just wish it had prioritized the rebellion and Amani's relationship with Maram a little more.

3.5* the first 120 pages were slow for me. Just too much descriptions... For a first in a series it was pretty solid and I will definitely continue.

Mirage, which is in part inspired by the author's Moroccan background, is the story of a young woman, Amani, who is forced to leave her family and home moon behind to become a body double for the daughter of the Conqueror of the Stars. Although I thought it took about 50-60 pages to get going, once I was hooked, I was hooked???not because of action or twists and turns, but because of the emotional intensity and beautiful writing that perfectly fit the main protagonist, reflecting her poetic soul. In particular, I loved Amani???her empathy, wisdom, and courage???and the development of her complicated sort-of-friendship with Princess Maram.

My Rating: 4.5

Full Review on My Website

Honestly, I dont really know how I feel about this book.

Wasn't really feeling it at the beginning. Almost on the edge of DNFing the books, but I'm glad I continued. It was good, but not with as much action as I expected. A little slow even, because it was mainly focused on the relationships. But, I liked it. The book was still a great read and I will read the rest of the series!

Really loved this story, all of the characters and all of the historical references in this futuristic fantasy setting. Looking forward to when this is made into a gorgeous film!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book; all opinions and thoughts are my own.

What to say about this book...

Well, I guess my major feeling, what I think of first when I think of this book is: I don't think much happened. It is unfortunate that I think this book feels like a prequel or set up for the rest of the story. Now, this isn't to say nothing happens– there are a few keep plot points... which I'm sure the next book will bring up. It just seems like there isn't much conflict and for someone being a body double of a princess who is being targeted, there should have more of a worried feeling to it.
I suppose I'm a bit tired of the first book in series not being able to stand on its own.

Yet, I was entertained while reading this. I didn't continue to look at the clock– I was waiting for more. This is an interesting concept, with vast characters to pull upon to give the book more oomph. I'm hoping that the next book will have more of the characters I'm interested in: Maram, the rebel leader, Amani's brothers, and a few more.

I wasn't a huge fan on Amani... I would have liked something more... I don't know it felt like something was missing to me. She has a lot of potential, like Idris, but sometimes they felt smoothed over – not much conflict so they didn't have chances to shine. Also, their romance felt like it happened so, so quick. especially how deep they fell for each other.

But, the setting and world-building, I think, were done well. There is Moroccan rep here which is something I've never seen or read about before. I didn't always remember the sci-fi elements when there wasn't space travel– this is an interesting mix of a futuristic setting while having a ton of historic feel.

So, will I read the next one? Most likely. I'm interested enough in the story and want to see some things really start to move. I'd recommend this if you like slight sci-fi and don't mind a slow start to a series to really get you involved in the world.