I found this book such a quick read. It was a fast-paced book with wonderful characters and worlds, and I really enjoyed the description of the places visits, worlds traversed and parties attended. The story is a crazy ride full of twists and turns, good and bad, and I'm intrigued to see what happens next.

Feel like this premise is trying to bring something new to a genre that is very popular at the moment, but unfortunately I just felt as though it was too similar to a lot of its contemporaries.

Captivating unique new duology! This character driven fantasy style sci-fi is a breath of fresh air. I love the character development- the way you can't hate Maram completely and can't help by hope for a way out for Amani.

I enjoyed reading this book, I also have a physical copy of it through fairyloot, it's a beautifully written book and it's massively enjoyable to read

Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

Where do I start with this book?
I went into this story expecting a sci-fi adventure, but I got so much more than that! Can I first just urge everyone to pick up this book because @som weaves together words like magic. The writing was so lyrical and beautiful. The imagery of the planets was so vivid and even without the (very very gorgeous) map, I knew exactly what was happening and where. It was unreal!

In a world where the Vathek empire have taken over, we follow Amani, a farmer’s daughter who is kidnapped from her home moon and forced to play the decoy of Maram (a half-Vathek princess). The Vathek are trying to eradicate the Kushaila people and everything they stand for.

The emotions Amani experiences as a result of being taken and tortured made me feel sympathetic towards her, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This book is about more than just Amani and her life. Its themes explore war, colonisation, power, loss and the consequences of violence. I loved Amani. She is such a strong character. Her relationship with Maram was so well-written. I can’t wait to see how it expands/changes in book two. And Idris (Maram’s betrothed) was so precious. He’s torn about his ancestry but after meeting Amani, puts in the effort to learn more about his culture and traditions. It was so heartwarming💕

And I’m loving the new covers! I can’t wait to see how Amani joins the rebellion against the Vathek and gets back to her family...

I highly recommend this space fantasy if you’re looking for complex characters, an overarching theme of colonisation, a dash of romance and gorgeous writing!

Mirage follows the story of Amani who is kidnapped due to her resemblance to Maram, a princess who is hated by her people. She is forced into a new life full of danger, politics and rebellion.

The book was hard to get into and I did not like the first half of the book, it was boring and there was nothing really happening however the second half of the book picks up and was way better. I also really liked the characters in the book, the growth/character development and the focus on the relationship between Amani and Maram and how it transforms. I liked the setting of the book and enjoyed reading about the culture and the history of the different groups of people. The world building was good and I liked the element of poetry in the book and enjoyed the themes in the book especially the politics.

The romance and the interactions between the characters was cute but it was insta-love which I personally find annoying.

3/5

I really enjoyed reading this book, I found the vibe really enjoyable and loved the characters and their changing relationships and growth, especially Amani and Maram. Full review to come

Wow wow wow, I cannot believe how long Mirage has been on my shelf! I definitely should have read it sooner. This was a fantastic start to the series because there is so much promise of more to come. I cannot even fathom what will happen. I just know that it will be epic.

For me, as a five star read. This is very hard to review. There is also too much positivity for me to focus on one thing, but I will do my best. I loved the richness, the depth, the story-telling. Mirage is the first book in a while where it has been so easy to imagine the world it is set in and stand by the side of the characters.

And then there is the romance between Amani and Idris. Sweet and perfect, their hidden feelings have a sense of danger and one that may combust sometime soon. It is only a matter of time. One problem it is a forbidden love. I cannot wait to see how this will play out.

Also I loved Maram and how she was portrayed. A villain at heart but perhaps there will be a time for redemption? I am really hoping that in the next book we see a lot more of her. And maybe a chapter or two in from her perspective (I can dream right?).

This was a fantastic book that was filled with everything I could ever want and much more besides. Filled with, fantastic characters, a lead to root for, as well as the villain (come on let's not be bias), a sweet romance, court politics, complex relationships, a sci-fi feel with all the droids,  and a small helping of rebellion. This is a book that will blow you away from the moment you start.

I didn't even realize that this is exactly what I needed. I stumbled across this title on Netgalley and thought the cover was beautiful and the premise intriguing. However it wasn't until I was submerged in this world that I realised I could not put this book down. This book is amazing and I cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out.

I was very reserved in picking up this book as ive heard alot of mixed feelings for this book but im so glad that having a buddy to read this book with it helped me to push and read it and i throughly enjoyed it. This story is an ownvoices Moroccan inspired story about a young girl named Amani, who has known nothing but oppression on the moon that she and her family live on when she gets kidnapped and has to train to be a princess body double. I really like Amani as a character, she worked hard for what she was being pushed to do to avoid hurting other characters around them. I liked the setting of the different Galaxys and drones in the book though while reading i kind of forgot the scifi part of this story as to me it seemed like it would work as a fantasy in like a desert or a place like India. The romance in this book was so lovely and i was there for it even though it wasnt the main aspect in the story but i did think it was well done and well needed. The friendships that formed during the book were all different some stronger than other and i cant wait to see how they grow or change in the sequel when it comes out. 

I gave this book 5 stars! I really enjoyed i and i cant wait for the sequel.

This was an interesting book with an interesting premise and decent execution. I enjoyed the story overall and the characters in the story. The romance I wasn't sure about, but it wasn't enough to put me off reading the next one.

I enjoyed mirage and the different elements to the book. It had an interesting premise and I enjoyed the romance even if it did feel a little forced. The fantasy elements were enjoyable and I would happily read the next instalment.

I may have taken a while to get into it, but only because I sometimes have trouble figuring out names of places and people and types of people without a backstory, but as soon as I got interested it this book sucked me in with how amazingly written the MC was. It was so good to see her not give up and keep herself despite everything she went through, and I also liked seeing Maram's journey too.
As soon as I got to the end I wanted the next book, so I'm definitely annoyed with myself for not reading this earlier than I did. I'd love to hear about more history of everything in the next book, we shall see how it goes and I'm sure it won't disappoint

Beautiful writing, beautiful characters and a beautiful message. Mirage is a fantasy exploring a culture I haven't seen much - or at all - before in YA fiction and it was a joy to read.

I started this book quite some time ago but just...stopped. It wasn't that the book wasn't interesting and more that I had lost interest in digital-books and this was too gentle to keep me going on that platform. I received a copy in the September Fairyloot box, but it still took me FIVE months to read it!

I didn't need to re-read the first 40 pages I'd already read though, which surprised me. I easily remembered what had happened! Not the names though - I never remember characters names...actually sometimes I'm sketchy on peoples names too, but shh.
The first part of the blurb - or the tagline or whatever - really confused me though, turns out she's not a princess. This means something different, so pay attention!:
"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."

I thought that he story was well paced. When I finally picked it up again I read it in 2 days. It wasn't terribly gripping - I'd put it down and go away quite happily, however I kept coming back because I just had to know what happened next!
I wasn't reluctant to read it exactly, just maybe in a little slump. I don't think the story was in any way too complex either, but I think I struggled with the world a little - most likely because of the mix of alien invasion tech and village life, horses and blasters and so on. It was a little weird.

I loved the culture of this world that we glimpsed and as this is a trilogy I'm terribly excited about learning more about the Andolaans history as well as more about Massina and how her story ties in.
I really liked who Amani, Idris and Maram were, or became or seem to be and I Have high hopes for them all. I think a lot of it's resting on Amani to be fair, but she can do it.

I would call this a soft book. Nothing too anxiety inducing happened - which was frankly a relief after my high anxiety last read!. That's not to say this book was dull, I was only 'bored' when they were traveling from one place to another. I didn't really care, I was impatient for them to get to where they were going so I could meet the people.

I did feel like the romance was a little insta-love. It started as just attraction I think, which was good and though they had three full weeks together as themselves, we saw hardly any of that. It might have helped to alleviate some of the insta-love if we'd spent some more time with them in those early stages. It only seemed to me that they'd met somewhere between five and eight times.

This was quite a short book and some fleshing out would really have helped, both with my world confusion and the insta-love feeling. Some more history dotted about would have been great and definitely more time in those three weeks with Amani and Idris!
But maybe those things were vague on purpose and we need to read the next two books to find out?!

I'd have liked this to be a duology rather than a trilogy - mainly because then I wouldn't have to wait so long to find out how this ends...
But I think this was a great start to a series. I hope book two will deliver us a bang that book three will wrap up nicely!

Also, I want Maram to have to stay with Amani in some bizarre twist.
And, I want Idris to grow a beard.

I don’t know why it took me so long to pick up this book. I read the blurb and badly wanted to read it and yet I kept putting it off. I have read it not though and I am so glad I did.
This book is intriguing and gripping, at first I wasn’t sure about the writing style but then I was 50% of the way in and wasn’t stopping.
It is full of interesting characters who are multifaceted and mysterious. I loved how the women were strong in this. They had power and there was the message that they were not defined by the men in their life.
I was also surprised about Maram and the growth of feeling I had towards her. I 100% thought I would hate her until the end... but I just couldn’t and that on it’s own is clever.
The only thing that I didn’t like was the space element. I honestly don’t think it is needed. At times it’s almost an afterthought and it detracts from the otherwise superb narrative.
Nevertheless I will probably pick up the next one soon as it’s out.

This book has amazing attention to detail! Each new place was described so effusively that I felt as though I was there and could touch and feel everything. The world building is just exceptional and I loved the imagery used in this book. A great debut. I thought the characters were well developed but perhaps needed as much attention as the settings got. All in all a very enjoyable read.

When I started this book I wasn't expecting it to be a sci-fi novel at all! It is a very decent debut novel, the story is rich in architectural detail inspired by Moroccan culture. I found the world building to be fascinating, usually too much detail bores me but not in this book, I was interested in each new setting we were introduced to.
However at times the novel focused so much on the locations that the characters sometimes lacked substance. It was only the main character that we got to know in more detail. I would definitely have enjoyed learning about the other character's backgrounds.
The plot moved along at a steady pace, which was satisfying but not exhilarating. I never felt the need to put the book down but neither did I feel the need to read at a faster speed to find out what would happen next.
As a debut novel it was good with an added surprise of an interesting new world and I'm looking forward to what the sequel has to offer.

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 appeal to many readers.