"It’s a story about princesses in space. Or, it’s a story about imperialism, and the violence it wreaks on indigenous populations. Or, it’s a story about being stolen from your family and the only home you know, and being forced to lose your very selfhood in service of a regime (and person) you find abhorrent. Or, it’s about a forbidden romance, and finding understanding in unsuspecting places.
It is, as you might have guessed, all of these things—and more. Somaiya Daud has an incredible talent for weaving a suspenseful story with layered conflict and complicated characters, and doing so with affecting and lyrical prose."
Publisher Flatiron Books
Publication Date 2018-08-28
Section Young Adult / All Staff Suggestions / Fiction Suggestions
Format Hardcover
ISBN 9781250126429
“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 has 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.
