Mirage /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"A refreshing and unique coming-of-age story...a beautiful and necessary meditation on finding strength in one's culture." -- Entertainment Weekly , Top Pick of the Month

"A YA marvel that will shock breath into your lungs. If you loved The Wrath and the Dawn and Children of Blood and Bone , Mirage will captivate you." -- The Christian Science Monitor

" This debut fantasy h as what it takes to be the next big thing in sci-fi/fantasy." -- SLJ , starred review

" Immersive, captivating." -- ALA Booklist , starred review

In a world 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 home.

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' fiancé, 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.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up-Amani is kidnapped from her village and groomed to be a stand-in for the hated crown princess Maram vak Mathis. Maram is the daughter of the leader of the Vathek imperialists, who are occupying Cadiz, a moon of Andala, Amani's planet. Daud's intricate sci-fi world is reminiscent of Morocco, and she addresses real-world issues of colonialism and loss of culture while giving readers a strong, rebellious protagonist to root for and a steamy romance. © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Daud's debut novel tells the story of 18-year-old Amani, whose planet is occupied by the Vathek empire. During a coming-of-age ceremony, she's kidnapped by the regime and smuggled into the royal palace, because she bears an uncanny resemblance to Maram, the cruel princess of the Vathek empire. Amani is to serve as Maram's body double for public events, and she must be ready to die in the princess' place, if required. Despite the beauty of the palace and the princess' fiancé, Idris Amani wishes to return to her family. If she's to have any chance of that, she must play the princess to perfection . . . but one wrong move could mean her death. Daud's gorgeously written novel features lush and poetic language that brings the setting into vivid color. In addition to the blend of sf and fantasy, Daud supplies a dash of forbidden romance destined to leave the reader gasping for breath. Every character is complex, and, while there is a clear demarcation between what is right and wrong, no one is beyond redemption, especially the women characters, who rarely get such a narrative arc in the genre. With an ending that is gut-wrenching yet still hopeful, this immersive, captivating series starter is sure to have fans eager for the sequel.--Qurratulayn Muhammad Copyright 2018 Booklist

Horn Book Review

In this sci-fi adventure, eighteen-year-old Amani lives on a small moon of the planet Andala, in the aftermath of the Vathek conquest of the Andalaan system. Imperial droids abduct Amani from her impoverished farming village, and its not until arriving at the Vathek palace that she understands why: she looks uncannily like Princess Maram. The Vath coerce Amani into acting as Marams body double in the dangerous months before the princesss confirmation as royal heir. Amani endures physical modifications, intensive training (and occasional torture), and the loss of her family, her home, and all aspects of her culture and faith. But the resilient and principled Amani succeeds; not only does she flawlessly impersonate Maram, she also makes allies, softens the princesss cruel heart, colludes with rebel leaders, and falls in love with Marams fianc Idris. The novel is most notable for its stunning world-building, with its Moroccan-influenced setting, culture, and religion vividly evoked (though the characters are perhaps a bit less distinctive). A good entry point for readers of speculative fiction ready to explore a wider, more diverse, and more nuanced universe. Hand to fans of Adeyemis Children of Blood and Bone (rev. 5/18), Onyebuchis Beasts Made of Night, and Kwaymullinas Tribe trilogy (The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf, rev. 3/14, and sequels). katie bircher (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Abducted from her small village, Amani finds that her survival depends on being the perfect body double to an arrogant and cruel princess. Amani lives with her family in an impoverished village on Cadiz, a moon of the planet Andala that has been occupied by the Vathek Empire. At her coming-of-age ceremony she is violently stolen away to the imperial palace, Ziyaana, where she is shocked to find that she looks exactly like the princess Maram vak Mathis, known to be as cruel and ruthless as her Vathek father but with the visage of her Kushaila mother. In response to increased rebel attacks, Amani is groomed as a body double and must navigate the complexities of court, including the charms of Maram's fiance, Idris. Daud's debut, set in a Moroccan proxy world, addresses colonialism, appropriation, suppression, and erasure, along with orientalist tropes. Readers may recognize a possible reference to William Beckford's gothic orientalist novel Vathek, used to describe invading colonizers. In addition to a cast of characters of color, Daud also introduces concepts specific to the Indigenous Amazigh of Northwest Africa, including the warrior queen Dihya, who serves as a symbol of feminism and anti-colonialism.Though the machinations of politics and identity create a slowly burning narrative, readers will appreciate the rich world and prose built by a much-needed diverse voice. (Science fiction. 13-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Somaiya Daud is a twenty-something writer and PhD candidate at the University of Washington. A former bookseller in the children's department at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC, Somaiya is passionate about Arabic poetry, the stars, and the Gothic novel. Mirage is her debut novel.