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Emily May's Reviews > Mirage
Mirage (Mirage, #1)
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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 action and romance, but Daud crafts fascinating relationship dynamics between her female characters. Amani's romance with Idris was unexciting to me, but that's okay because it was totally eclipsed by the far more interesting growing relationship between Amani and Maram (I was kinda hoping the romance would be between them, to be honest).
In this world - a vaguely sci-fi setting that reads like a fantasy (not unlike Meyer's Lunar Chronicles) - Amani is kidnapped from her poor village on the moon, Cadiz, and taken to the royal palace, the Ziyaana, on the planet of Andala. There she finds she is the body double of the cruel princess Maram and must pose as the princess and learn to imitate her at societal events.
The book looks at themes of colonialism and the erasure of native cultures. Andala has been invaded and occupied by the Vathek Empire-- which cannot coincidentally share the name of Beckford's orientalist Vathek. Away from the prying eyes of the Vathek elite, Amani and Idris celebrate Kushaila poetry and bond over their stories of the occupation.
But what I enjoyed most was how Daud develops Maram into such a complex and interesting character. I love "villains" who are more than simply bad. I dislike so much that she does but I care about her, too. Also interesting is Amani's navigation through the political and social world she finds herself in, and how easily she soon finds it to become Maram, even seduced by the power she holds.
As I said, it's not perfect. The sci-fi elements are perfunctory in a novel that otherwise seems to be a straight-up fantasy book. The addition of droids adds nothing of interest, which is disappointing. There is also the standard "character made to recite world history for no good reason" that happens so often in YA fantasy. There has to be a better way to integrate this info.
It's a slower book than the average YA fantasy, focusing on conversations and exploring relationships. Amani must juggle allies and decide who, if anyone, she can trust. And, you know, it was actually really refreshing-- to have both a unique setting and a tale that focuses on character interactions and court politics. I'll be reading the sequel.
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by
“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 action and romance, but Daud crafts fascinating relationship dynamics between her female characters. Amani's romance with Idris was unexciting to me, but that's okay because it was totally eclipsed by the far more interesting growing relationship between Amani and Maram (I was kinda hoping the romance would be between them, to be honest).
In this world - a vaguely sci-fi setting that reads like a fantasy (not unlike Meyer's Lunar Chronicles) - Amani is kidnapped from her poor village on the moon, Cadiz, and taken to the royal palace, the Ziyaana, on the planet of Andala. There she finds she is the body double of the cruel princess Maram and must pose as the princess and learn to imitate her at societal events.
The book looks at themes of colonialism and the erasure of native cultures. Andala has been invaded and occupied by the Vathek Empire-- which cannot coincidentally share the name of Beckford's orientalist Vathek. Away from the prying eyes of the Vathek elite, Amani and Idris celebrate Kushaila poetry and bond over their stories of the occupation.
But what I enjoyed most was how Daud develops Maram into such a complex and interesting character. I love "villains" who are more than simply bad. I dislike so much that she does but I care about her, too. Also interesting is Amani's navigation through the political and social world she finds herself in, and how easily she soon finds it to become Maram, even seduced by the power she holds.
As I said, it's not perfect. The sci-fi elements are perfunctory in a novel that otherwise seems to be a straight-up fantasy book. The addition of droids adds nothing of interest, which is disappointing. There is also the standard "character made to recite world history for no good reason" that happens so often in YA fantasy. There has to be a better way to integrate this info.
It's a slower book than the average YA fantasy, focusing on conversations and exploring relationships. Amani must juggle allies and decide who, if anyone, she can trust. And, you know, it was actually really refreshing-- to have both a unique setting and a tale that focuses on character interactions and court politics. I'll be reading the sequel.
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Reading Progress
May 22, 2018
– Shelved
June 20, 2018
–
Started Reading
June 22, 2018
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Finished Reading
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Amanda
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rated it 4 stars
Jun 22, 2018 11:00PM
So excited to get to this one
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Can’t wait to get my hands on this one!!! It sounds so perfect. Glad you enjoyed it and great review as per usual.💛
Are you planning on reading the next trials of apollo book maybe?
Nina wrote: "Are you planning on reading the next trials of apollo book maybe?"Yes! I just have so little time and so many commitments right now :)
Wow, a good villain, so to speak. I love well developed villains as well.
I think you would also really enjoy "Forgotten Suns", by Judith Tarr, which I just finished reading; it sounds as though it's similar to this story in a way-- as another reviewer put it, it's a good space opera, but also has aspects of coming-of-age/YA and epic-fantasy elements as well; and with cultural diverse (and LGBT) characters as the main protagonists (but without that having to be the heavy-handed Message of the story-- it just IS since society is just integrated and accepting, especially in the future space colonies where this is all set, but with aspects of ancient history/archeology thrown in for good measure as well!). I think it's right up your alley as well! Check it out!
Karen wrote: "I think you would also really enjoy "Forgotten Suns", by Judith Tarr, which I just finished reading; it sounds as though it's similar to this story in a way-- as another reviewer put it, it's a goo..."Thank you! I will :)
I had my eye on this one for a while. Now I'm excited.
I would found Maram and Amani a strange couple seeing as they are split image of each other 😳 I hope to find in the consecutive books that they are long lost sisters...or some twist like that. It just seems too coincidental that they're identical and Masam's Mother no longer lives...I've yet to read the full book though 😆
Oh and how Amani's mother is proud, strong etc she seemed to have the makings of a Queen.
This sounds so good!! I'm adding it. Thanks!!
Oooooh this looks good! YA seems to be picking up a lot now with more diverse authors and also a push for more college-aged characters, so the genre really seems to be flourishing right now.
i'm not really into scifi inter-galactic 'chenes' (it's a Pinoy gay slang meaning 'and such') but your review sounds like this is worth reading. i'm convinced and will give it a try. thanks.
What page in the book does it say you are not defined by the men in your life
