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Mirage

(Mirage #1)

Somaiya Daud (Goodreads Author)

3.72 · Rating details · 7,250 ratings · 1,959 reviews

'Somaiya Daud is a rare talent. A smart, romantic, exciting debut' - Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent.

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.

In a star system dominated ...more

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Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Published August 28th 2018 by Hodder & Stoughton

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May 22, 2018 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, young-adult, fantasy, 2018, sci-fi

“you are not defined by the men in your life, no matter how powerful. You lived before them and you shall live after them. You can’t let them determine your path.”

3 1/2 stars. Now THIS is the feminist YA fantasy of 2018, not Heart of Thorns. It's imperfect, yes, falling into a number of debut author traps, but it's a slow-burning, diverse fantasy with a rich, Moroccan-inspired setting.

Somewhat surprisingly, Mirage is a character-driven fantasy. Most YA fantasy I read is driven by mindless ...more

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Jun 15, 2018 Chaima ✨ شيماء rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Chaima ✨ شيماء by: Melanie

Shelves: young-adult, arc, fantasy, poc-rep, read-in-2018, fiction, own-voices

I am, as the poets say, a complete fucking mess over this book.

I love this book for many reasons. Least of which is that lately I’ve been full of the restless, dissatisfied energy that seemed to move into my heart after finishing a book, I’ve been chasing that particular high you only get from certain rare stories—the ones that make you want to press the book against your chest and try to soak up the gorgeous literature via osmosis, the ones that resonate with you on a strange personal level, ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Elise (TheBookishActress) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gen-series-books, gen-sff-high-fantasy, elise-s-to-buy-list, this-fucking-gorgeous-writing, z-coverporn, that-rep-of-characters-of-color, favorite-characters, elise-reads-arcs, books-released-2018, 5-star

Somaiya Daud didn’t have to come for us like this..... she’s like “here take this amazing multidimensional narrative about colonization and agency and internalized hatred for one’s culture, driven by a fantastic lady lead and her complex relationship with a fantastic lady antivillain, featuring fantastic setting descriptions and a really good romance, and also I write like a fucking Pulitzer Prize winner and this is my debut” and im just. out here eating a bag of chips

I know I just gave you a ...more

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Apr 10, 2018 Melanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: subscription-box-owlcrate, young-adult, own-voices, read-in-2018, fantasy, sci-fi, buddy-reads, arc

ARC provided by Flatiron in exchange for an honest review.

You all should check out this amazing ownvoices review from Em!

“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 ...more

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Feb 06, 2018 Sabaa Tahir rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have been waiting for this book and I didn't even know it. Smart, fast-paced, sexy, heartbreaking, with spectacular worldbuilding. The cultural details, from names to clothes to physical descriptions to poetry are so painstakingly and carefully done. It's a sci-fi that feels like a fantasy, which tbh is my favorite genre combo. You will be hearing me yell about this book all year. Add it to your TBRs, try to get your hands on an ARC. It is absolutely fantastic.

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Aug 12, 2018 Lola rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, fantasy, war-setting, feminism, prince-and-princess

A book, for me, can have a thousand tropes, but as long as it has this one specific element, it can be a thousand times glorious.

Intensity.

I don’t want to read a dull story. I don’t want to not feel anything. I want to be moved to ugly tears and be made so angry I can’t move my limbs and fumble with my words.

This was one intense book and, unsurprisingly, character-driven. Intensity is not brought to life by objects; it is created by people who feel, see, hear, touch and taste.

Who have A book, for me, can have a thousand tropes, but as long as it has this one specific element, it can be a thousand times glorious.

Intensity.

I don’t want to read a dull story. I don’t want to not feel anything. I want to be moved to ugly tears and be made so angry I can’t move my limbs and fumble with my words.

This was one intense book and, unsurprisingly, character-driven. Intensity is not brought to life by objects; it is created by people who feel, see, hear, touch and taste.

Who have personalities. Who shake things up. Who create or solve conflict. Who have a purpose and a goal. Who dream and fail, and rise and fall and, above everything, who attempt to conquer over their fears, their enemies, their inside voices telling them they are nothing and can achieve even less.

Such voices reside inside Amani. After all, she is just a village girl who was never meant for greatness. But change is knocking at her door in the form of a cruel princess who both needs and despises Amani and, to survive, she must learn to harness the power within herself.

You know what else I need in a novel? I need characters who are not as they appear. I like being surprised to the point of clutching my chest and swallowing mosquitoes. Not a pretty picture, I admit, but I don’t need pretty. I want to feel what I don’t want to feel and react in ways that I don’t every hour of the day.

We have that here. There is a heroine and an anti-heroine, each undergoing a character-development and putting our hearts and minds to the test. They challenge our prejudices and dare us to see beyond what is shown to us. Not everything is as it seems. And sometimes a strong woman is misunderstood for a straight out villain.

This is everything I wanted and more. A bit on the slow side, but definitely a tale that makes me wants to trade one of my all-time favourite books for the sequel. Anyone wants a copy of Captive Prince in exchange for book two? I’m mainly addressing the author’s computer.

Blog | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Google+ | Bloglovin’ ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, owned-physical, favorites, diverse-reads, own-voice, fantasy

Science fiction can be hit and miss for me, so I don’t request ARCs from the genre terribly often, but when I heard the synopsis on this one—and the fact that it has own-voice Moroccan rep, which I’d never seen in a story before—I knew it was one I couldn’t afford to miss out on, and for good reason. I don’t say this lightly in my advance reviews, but honestly, I believe Mirage is going to be one of the best, and most important, releases of 2018.

The crown of Dihya had been stripped from me, my

...more

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Sep 19, 2018 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-all, young-adult, hardback, own

Okay, I got the same book in my Sept Fairyloot Box! This is happening too much, but I loved the book from this box and all the stuff in it. I will leave a link below the picture!

AWESOME GOODIES LINK

I actually enjoyed this book, at first I wasn't sure and then it reeled me in closer to the end of the book! I couldn't give up on a book set in space and stuff! =)

•••••••

This was in my Sept Owlcrate box. I hope I love it as much as my friends have given it 5 stars! I must admit, I love the original ...more

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Aug 27, 2018 Hamad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: good-covers, 2018-reads, e-books

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription

Actual rating: 3.25 stars

“Even Your Happiness is rebellion.”

I don’t usually put synopsis but I felt it was important to understand this review and because I went into the story without even knowing what is it about!

I know this book will get a lot of good reviews and ratings which is cool and makes me happy for the author. The problem is that this is a debut novel and it felt like one!

I am not a big Sci-fi reader, This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription

Actual rating: 3.25 stars

“Even Your Happiness is rebellion.”

🌟 I don’t usually put synopsis but I felt it was important to understand this review and because I went into the story without even knowing what is it about!

🌟 I know this book will get a lot of good reviews and ratings which is cool and makes me happy for the author. The problem is that this is a debut novel and it felt like one!

🌟 I am not a big Sci-fi reader, I read a lot of fantasy and this was like a simpler version of Red rising (Where one character is basically trying to be another). I know they are quite different but I felt that most of the plot was easily predictable. And while I like the simplicity of this book, it was a bit lacking in the writing which also affected the characters.

🌟 There were a few beginner mistakes that should have been remedied by the editor. There was a lot of telling rather than showing. Since we are talking about Red rising which was much more complicated -and that may not have necessarily been a good thing- but character wise, it was exceedingly good! There was a slow build up and change of the MC from point A to Z. That happened in many long pages filled with conversations and hard situations and thought-provoking things. While here we were just told that and BAM, the character suddenly changed. After a few chapters and when you’re convinced that the 2 girls are the same now, another character shows you they are not. You can’t judge by yourself because once again, you are told not shown.

🌟 And the use of Arabic words was refreshing but why was it inconsistent: Why is the Prince called Amir while the princess is not Amira (The female equivalent of Amir), and why did she choose the word Shatranj while the board game they were playing is chess and nothing too fancy! And there are more examples…

🌟 And since I felt I read all of this before I was not thrilled and excited to know what happens next until the last chapters. I didn’t have problems with the world-building but I wish we had a bit more of it.

🌟 So, if you are new to the genre this book is not bad, but if you read a few books of this kind then you may want to skip this book. I ended up giving it 3.25 stars out of 5 stars.

🌟 Prescription: for fans of red rising and those new to the genre! ...more

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Sep 24, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

i got this book in owlcrates september box and im so happy because this wasnt even on my radar!

this book was relatively short and so it wasted no time with a slow build up. the story dived straight into the world building which, honestly, was a bit overwhelming. but eventually that overwhelming feeling developed into intrigue. and i felt like this story had a lot going for it - the cultural representation, the sci-fi feel within a fantasy centred story, and the characters.

i really appreciated ...more

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Jul 14, 2018 C.G. Drews added it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2018, young-adult, sci-fi

This is such a lush sci-fi with an AWESOME premise! Body-doubles and rich backstabby courts and rebellions and the actual most intricately detailed culture and world! (Although lowkey thought it was fantasy?! I think the non-galaxy-starry cover threw me haha.) It's also really important and special to see #ownvoices sci-fi featuring POC characters and culture.

I'm sad there were things that didn't work for me regarding plot logic/writing style...but I still think it's a beautiful book and will ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 may ❀ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kickass-heroine, look-at-that-beauty, 300-pgs, arab, fantasy, i-am-trash, sci-fi, trilogy, buddy-read

THIS WAS REALLY GOOD YOU GUYS IM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW

i really liked the pacing and the plot and the writing style and how the author seamlessly managed to incorporate her moroccan culture into sci-fi fiction, it's official y'all, shes an actual queen

i adored the art representing the cities/places they were traveling, honestly that was the highlight of the book

the characters were interesting, well developed, and i see so much more growth happening in the coming books im HYPED

maram's character in ...more

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Nov 28, 2018 Vibur rated it liked it · review of another edition

This resonated with me in ways I didn't expect.

At its core, Mirage was a story about culture—it was the main thread pulling the plot together, a thread that also wove through the fabric of the characters.
Surprisingly, I empathised the most with Idris, who struggled with the loss of his heritage language, who was forced to shed his culture and embrace another. And I adored the burgeoning relationship between Amani and Maram—two individuals who ended up opening their hearts to one another.
I This resonated with me in ways I didn't expect.

At its core, Mirage was a story about culture—it was the main thread pulling the plot together, a thread that also wove through the fabric of the characters.
Surprisingly, I empathised the most with Idris, who struggled with the loss of his heritage language, who was forced to shed his culture and embrace another. And I adored the burgeoning relationship between Amani and Maram—two individuals who ended up opening their hearts to one another.
I admired how the story didn't vilify Maram and how her character was beautifully imbued with layers, her cruel exterior hiding a girl who simply desired to belong somewhere. Who, because of her biracial identity, was always an outsider and never "authentic" enough for either.

The motif of language manifests itself throughout the story: through Amani's poetry, which she clung too in times of loneliness and despair; through the ceremonial practice of daan, tattoos that were inked onto skin as symbols of family and inheritance, as physical projections of hopes and dreams.
Because language isn't just a tool for communication—it's a bridge that connects and touches the feelings of people. Something that creates belonging and nurtures love.

Being a second-generation child, I know the struggle of being trapped between two cultures. So it was no wonder that Daud's treatment of cultural identity in Mirage was something that powerfully resonated with me:
Amani, who was separated from her roots. Maram, who was neither one nor the other. Idris, who was missing a part of himself.

Growing up in Australia, I was always striving to distance myself from my roots, always forsaking my Chinese heritage, because I wanted to be as "Australian" as possible. But it wasn't later that I realised that, in doing so, I was forsaking a part of myself—something that was rich, beautiful and inherent to my identity.
The story that Daud has created is so human, a story of faith, belonging and passion. Of growth and renewal, of connecting to people, and of discovering your identity.

3.5/5 ...more

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Jul 29, 2018 may ➹ marked it as need-to-finish · review of another edition

I made it to 3% and I’ve never been prouder of myself

(the writing is gorgeous and nothing is BAD about it, I’m just...not in the mood to read this AT ALL)

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Apr 17, 2018 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: characters-i-loved, arcs, swoony-swoony, 2018-reads, book-series, 5-stars, faves, book-subscritpions

5 Stars!

You do not kneel or bend, I told myself. To anyone. You continue.

You know when you need a book in your life, but you didn't realise what that was until you read it? Well for me, this was Mirage. I got an ARC from Netgalley and then two copies in subscription boxes, so I'm going to say it was a sign that I had to read it.

I'm quite surprised at myself, now I can be honest here and say Sci-Fi isn't usually for me, I'm normally very skeptical and it takes me a while to get into it. For some ...more

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Sep 14, 2018 Christian rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: i-turn-20-next-year-fuck-2018

One of the most ridiculously tedious books I have ever read.

I did enjoy the overall setting and some of the characters were mildly interesting, but every. Single. Scene. Felt so insignificant and useless, and if there was a somewhat exciting one, it was quickly skipped over just to resume the talking about tiles. I don't think I've ever read a book that talked about tiles more than this one.

And the climax? Massively underwhelming. I would have dnf'd this countless times had I not held onto the ...more

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Feb 20, 2018 Naima added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, diverse, muslim-shelf-space, arc

This was solid. I really enjoyed this. Review to come.

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Apr 14, 2018 Jasmine from How Useful It Is rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, from-publisher, young-adult

About: Mirage is a young adult fantasy written by Somaiya Daud. It will be published on 8/28/18 by Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, 320 pages. The genres are young adult, fantasy, and science fiction. This book is the author’s debut and is intended for readers ages 13 to 18.

My Experience: I started reading Mirage on 4/6/18 and finished it on 4/14/18. This book is an excellent read! I love that there’s a village on the moon. The body double is interesting to read, especially About: Mirage is a young adult fantasy written by Somaiya Daud. It will be published on 8/28/18 by Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, 320 pages. The genres are young adult, fantasy, and science fiction. This book is the author’s debut and is intended for readers ages 13 to 18.

My Experience: I started reading Mirage on 4/6/18 and finished it on 4/14/18. This book is an excellent read! I love that there’s a village on the moon. The body double is interesting to read, especially when Amani learn her subject mostly by observation. She doesn’t know the inside secrets of what Princess Maram revealed to her fiancé and friends. I like Idris and his cleverness. I like how Amani hold on to her language and culture like a precious stone and Idris regrets forgetting his mother’s tongue. “You can read?” “My mother taught me.” It’s a good reminder to me because as I live in a country I was not born in, I lose the feeling of importance to teach my son the language and culture I was born with because I want him to succeed where he born and lives.

This book is told in the first person point of view following Amani, 18, as she gets ready to attend the majority night celebration to celebrate her and fellow villagers’ coming of age by getting a face tattoo (daan). She lives on a poor forgotten moon in a small village with her parents and two older brothers in a tribe. The party was ambushed by droids and then Amani got taken away against her will leaving her family and all she’s known behind. She soon learns that she will become the body double for the wicked and cruelest Princess Maram, 17. Princess Maram’s life is in danger because she was born 50/50 between good & evil and since they both look alike, Amani is suited for the job. Amani will have to endure many harsh training lessons to eat, talk, and walk like Princess Maram. There are different cultures and languages in this book. Some languages are forbidden and some cultural practices are prohibited. The current King is ruthless and there are rebels that want to overthrow the King and Princess Maram. Amani is put to the test when she begins to journey to faraway places for an extended period of time as Princess Maram, but her challenge takes an unexpected turn where she least expected it.

A well written story, this book introduce an interesting plot and an unfamiliar language/culture to challenge readers. I have to admit that my pronunciation of names and locations in this book sounds as foreign to me as it looks. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to unravel how a village girl saves herself from her face when she no longer has her freedom. I like the forbidden love portion of the book as well as the importance of valuing your own history. I like that Amani know so much of everything even though she lives in a village far away from the city. I like the dispute Princess Maram struggles with, between good and evil and not knowing which direction to follow. The ending is a bit heart breaking as well as hopeful. I look forward to the sequel of this book. I highly recommend everyone to read this debut!

Pro: fast paced, page turner, adrenaline rush, outer space, cultural practices, forbidden love, espionage

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 maram ☂︎ marked it as on-hold-or-dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-dystopia, fantasy, 2018-releases, need

currently being hated by everyone ???? show me your worst, Princess Maram

buddy read with an angel

~~~

27.8.2018:
Mirage will finally be released tomorrow and I'm so here for an antagonistic character that's also called Maram Also, need the physical copy like yesterday IT'S GORGEOUS ...more

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Jun 27, 2018 Aimee ♥ | Aimee, Always rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-am-not-pleased-with-that-cliffie, wishlist-hardcover, own-print-arc, blog-tour, covergasm, from-publisher, aimee-always-blog-tours

giveaway for a copy of Mirage + free wallpaper download!

"You are not defined by the men in your life, no matter how powerful."

Mirage was definitely not what I was expecting--but not in a bad way! I was looking forward to reading a high-stakes survival story with lots of action and rebellion (I was totally imagining a fantasy version of The Hunger Games), but it was more along the lines of The Wrath and the Dawn with its slower pacing and intense focus on the romance.

Again, this is not ...more

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Jun 26, 2018 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Mirage by Somaiya Daud is the first book of the new young adult romantic science fiction fantasy series by the same name. Eighteen year oldAmani is from a poor family living in a village on a remote moon when droids show up scanning everyone they come across.

When the droids scanAmani they find something within her that causes her capture and to be whisked away from her home. The nextAmani knows she is meetingPrincess Maram and finds she is staring into what is practically her own face. That is Mirage by Somaiya Daud is the first book of the new young adult romantic science fiction fantasy series by the same name. Eighteen year old Amani is from a poor family living in a village on a remote moon when droids show up scanning everyone they come across.

When the droids scan Amani they find something within her that causes her capture and to be whisked away from her home. The next Amani knows she is meeting Princess Maram and finds she is staring into what is practically her own face. That is when Amani knows what her crime was, being a mirror image of the Princess.

Princess Maram is not a kind soul, following in the footsteps of her father she is known to be wicked and cruel and her first meeting with Amani proves to be no different than the rumors have led Amani to believe. Tortured and forced to learn the Princess' every move Amani is forced to become her body double and stand in during events in which the Princess' life will be in danger from assassins.

I finished reading Mirage a couple of days ago and had to give this one some thought as to how I wanted to rate this opener. It's not a bad read by any means but I did have a few issues with this first book. The first being one that happens quite often and that is just being reminded of other books, movies or television, it took awhile to stop thinking of other things and get into this one on it's own.

But the second is not necessarily bad but more my own preference when it comes to fantasy and that is this one is a heavily character driven read. The biggest portion of this opener is Amani and Idris and their goo goo eyes for one another then the next is Amani and Maram and their relationship forming and it seemed anything and everything else was buried within those interactions. Personally I like more action and more use of the scifi world and politics that the story is set in. The end of the book really picked up though which might give an indication of book 2 going a bit faster now that the character building is set. So in the end I decided to go 3.5 stars on this opener and hope for more in the upcoming installment.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more review please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/ ...more

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Aug 16, 2018 ambsreads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, young-adult, books-i-own, fantasy, science-fiction

Buddy Reading this with my favourite Chris Hemsworth lover

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC. I also received a review copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions on Mirage are my own, receiving a copy did not impact this at all.

Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, cultural erasure, physical abuse, war themes, murder, forced body altercations, talk of grief and trauma

MY REVIEW FOR MIRAGE WAS FIRST POSTED ON MY BLOG, CHECK IT OUT HERE

An ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Candace Robinson added it · review of another edition

This was another just okay read for me. I wasn’t a fan of some of the scifi elements, maybe that type of stuff just isn’t my thing. I did really like Amani and her poetry fetish. Although the writing was excellent and the romance was nice, I just wasn’t fist pumping over this one.

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Apr 25, 2018 Fadwa (Word Wonders) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, all-time-favourites, science-fiction, young-adult, ownvoices, 2018-reads, poc-indigenous-rep, 2018-releases, 2018-favourites

I..

am not okay.

I really am not okay.

This book was absolutely stunning and it broke me. I really do not have the words right now to form coherent sentences and express how much it means to me.

Review to come when can pick myself off the floor.

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Apr 16, 2018 Benjamin (The Maniac) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books

I received ARC in exchange for an honest review,

Full review posted

I just arrived back home after a long trip and I have the feeling that I have already forgotten how to write a decent review, so please don’t hate me if this review ends up being a mess. (I have only one free week left before college starts and I’m not feeling ready enough).
................................................................................................
Mirage is one of those books that since the first time you ...more

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Sep 24, 2018 rachel ☾ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: autoread-author, book-club-picks, recommendations, science-fiction, own, coverporn, 4-star, rep-poc

i didn't know how much i needed this in my life

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Aug 27, 2018 Yusra ✨ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

when i say I’M EXCITED

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Nov 16, 2016 FL rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-release

Ahh, this book. Loved it so much!

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Jan 15, 2019 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, hardcover, young-adult, owlcrate, science-fiction

3 stars

I've given this some thought and while I enjoyed this book, I didn't really love or really like it, so 3 stars it is. Daud's lyrical writing is beautiful, but the plot was a bit lacking in this one.

This very much reminded me of if Queen Amildala's body double in Star Wars Episode 1 had a body double. It's almost like the author watched that movie and decided to give her a story but with much better characters and world building.

I'm glad I read it but wouldn't read any future books in ...more

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Feb 15, 2017 ☾ h a d e e r ☽ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

Okay. To preface: this is not a bad book. This is a good book. In some ways, in fact, it's great. I just want to stress this because my review might seem overly critical, but most of my reasons are really all about me and my tastes, which seem to be changing.

So what is this book about? Well, the Goodreads summary does a pretty good job explaining about 50% of the book (which is part of the problem, but I'll get to it later). So, Amani is Princess Maram's body double, she predictably falls in Okay. To preface: this is not a bad book. This is a good book. In some ways, in fact, it's great. I just want to stress this because my review might seem overly critical, but most of my reasons are really all about me and my tastes, which seem to be changing.

So what is this book about? Well, the Goodreads summary does a pretty good job explaining about 50% of the book (which is part of the problem, but I'll get to it later). So, Amani is Princess Maram's body double, she predictably falls in instalove with the Maram's fiance, and she predictably decides to spy for the rebellion. That's pretty much it (also part of the problem, but again, later).

Right, so, first, let me talk about what I loved. First, the North African culture. Y'all. Y'ALL. I have NEVER seen North African culture in a YA fantasy. I mean, yes, I'm Egyptian and not Moroccan and those two things are waaaaay more different than most people think but I still recognized a lot of stuff and it just filled me with joy to be reading about food and words and customs I was familiar with. I loved how the author played around with fantasy and reality and how she adapted Morocco's Amazigh culture. Like. You barely see vague Arab/Middle Eastern culture represented, let alone specific Amazigh things like their tradition of tattooing their faces. Loved that. And I loved how the author talked about colonialism and its effects.

Second, the writing. The writing is what initially drew me in. See, I hadn't planned on reading this book now at all. But I saw someone on here review it and I thought I'd just see how it starts and I was hooked by the writing, which was really good. It's very descriptive without overdoing anything and it's just the right amount of formal without being stilted. Third, I loved the relationship between Maram and Amani. I thought it was a really fascinating dynamic they had going on especially as they started to become friends. Whenever they had a scene together I was hooked.

Okay, now for the not so great.

First, this was boring. Like, really boring. Remember how I said the summary explains 50% of the book? Yeah. It's really slow. Barely anything actually happens in this book. Amani only meets the rebels at the 51% mark. It's just endless stretches of nothing happening, then Maram attending a party or something as Maram, and then nothing again. It was boring, and it was repetitive. By the 30% mark I was struggling to get through it. I just wasn't interested. Part of that is because the characters weren't that interesting. Maram is fascinating - I kind of wish we'd had the story from her perspective, actually. Amani is fine, but I didn't get strong vibes off her, and Idris is suuuuuuuper dull. He serves no purpose. He may as well not have existed.

Which brings me to my second point. The instalove. So, I don't actually hate romance. It might seem like I do, but I don't. I've been known to swoon over well-done romances. But this felt very much like an Inexplicable Heterosexual Romance shoehorned into an otherwise decent story for no reason at all. The first time Amani meets Idris she finds him handsome and charming, the second time they're together they make out, and the third time they're declaring their love for one another? It was dramatic and boring and predictable and it did not need to be there. Every scene these two had together was boring. Amani's interactions with literally every other character were so much more interesting.

Third, okay, I'm just gonna say it: the setting of this book is fucking weird. I don't get it. So, they're in space...there's galaxies and spaceships and androids, somehow...but they still live like it's Olden Times? What? I feel like the author was going for a Firefly-type vibe here, but it didn't work for me at all. I would start to find my groove somewhere and then the story would drove a word like "droid" or "holoreel" and it would take me right back out. It was so jarring and inconsistent. It felt like the technology that was included was just included to make certain things more convenient for the plot. I don't understand why this couldn't have just been set in Olden Times and left at that. I would have liked it way more. This way it just feels gimmicky, because the whole space/galaxy thing doesn't really come in except when the plot needs a particular technology. It's not even clear how long these people have lived here or what existed before these planets or where exactly they came from.

Finally, and here's where this review gets a lot more personal, I'm just so over this type of YA fantasy plot. I keep seeing it recycled over and over again. Country is conquered/a people are discriminated against, MC joins rebels and fights conquerors. It's been done to death. And, I mean, that's not this book's fault. Not at all. Like I said, I do think it's a good book, and, like Laura Sebastian's Ash Princess, it does the job it's meant to do, and I know there will be a lot of people who will love it. I totally get that. I might have loved it too, if I had read it in, say, 2015. But at this point, I've read this plot SO many times, with little to no new variations, that I'm just tired of it, and all the inevitable tropes that come along with it. Again, not the book's fault, and I highly recommend this to people who still do love this sort of YA fantasy, but at this point I think it's just not for me. ...more

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About Somaiya Daud

Somaiya Daud

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Somaiya Daud was born in a Midwestern city, and spent a large part of her childhood and adolescence moving around. Like most writers, she started when she was young and never really stopped. Her love of all things books propelled her to get a degree in English literature (specializing in the medieval and early modern), and while she worked on her Master’s degree she doubled as a bookseller at ...more