Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher on Netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Mirage

Author: Somaiya Daud

Book Series: Mirage Book 1

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: August 28, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling

Recommended Age: 14+ (kidnapping, some violence, swapping places, trading names)

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: In a star system 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 moon.

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.

Review: This book was a decent read. The book had a very intriguing premise and storyline. The world building was amazingly well done and the writing was gorgeous. I loved the space opera esque book and I could devour more of these in the future.

However, I do think that the book has bad character development. It’s really lacking and it could be better for a lot of the characters, the mains especially. I couldn’t really connect with them and that made this a hard read.

Verdict: Overall, a good read!