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.
Released August 28, 2018 by Flatiron Books
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My Thoughts:
Amani is forced to live the part of the Vathek queen, Maram, simply because they look identical and there are many people who would love to see Maram suffer. Amani is taken out of her life with her family and thrust into the palace where she is forced to look, act, and carry out duties as the "queen."
Mirage is a riveting sci-fi/fantasy novel with great world-building, action, and romance. It's something that was very unexpected, as I didn't expect so much of the political aspects that came along with this book.
While Amani was a great character, I felt that Maram had a much stronger development as a character. This book is set from the perspective of Amani, but we learn a lot about Maram and why she is the way that she is. As Amani slowly uncovered Maram's story and true personality, I started to really love Maram as a character, even though she had a stroke of darkness in her. She may seem like a ruthless queen who doesn't care for the thoughts or feelings of others, but Maram is deeply insecure and just doing her best to claim the position of the throne. I'm very curious to see how the relationship with Amani and Maram develops, as it was one of my favorite parts of the story.
Then, of course, there's the romance between Amani and Idris. It's one of those romances that you're not supposed to want to happen (because Idris is the fiance to Maram), but you can't help but love the two of them together. For some reason, I felt as though there was something lacking with them. They had a great storyline, but I feel as though there was something missing in their story.
The plot was slower paced, but it was the perfect pace for this type of book. Now that we understand the characters and the world, I'm excited to see what the upcoming books in this series are. I hope they're a little faster paced, because this setting could really work well with it. The political aspects intertwined with the romance and friendships makes a great set-up for future books.
Stars: 4 out of 5 star
What I Liked: Maram, pacing of the book
What I Disliked: the romance was just okay
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