Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Genre: YA, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Diverse

People who should read this: If you like Star Wars inspired books, Moroccan culture, politics, romance stories, and world hoping sci-fi stories.

“The blood never dies. The blood never forgets.”

On one hand, Mirage is culturally diverse with a rich layering of Moroccan influences. While on the other, it reads like a debut book that followed a predetermined list of topics to cover. Mix these two points together and you get a middle of the road rating, 3.5 stars, with an added half star for the beautifully crafted world.

I read a question on Goodreads that asked if there was romance in Mirage. The answer said “Yes, but not an overwhelming amount!” Exclamation mark included. From my point of view, romance littered the page and led half the plot. It was overwhelming, predictable, and too insta-love-ish to be enjoyable. Amani’s feelings were established more on the way Idris looked than anything else. By the time Amani and Idris actually had a conversation, the relationship was too far gone to be saved. The words love and running away were thrown around too quickly.

I really wanted to love this book. Daud’s inspiration from Star Wars was a huge selling point. She played off of the part where Queen Amidala uses a body double and travels as a handmaid instead. I was hoping for more of those girl power, badass moments. Nope. The body double became less of a need and more of a way for Maram not to go to boring functions. And then a way for Amani to see Idris. Not until the end is there real danger, and even then, the body double felt inappropriate. Unbelievable if you want to push it.

“All may see the stars, but few will see their forebears.”

However, the whole book isn’t bad. There are beautifully details in the descriptions, food and culture. This is where Daud took great care. You are almost there in the moment, feeling and breathing the culture. I especially loved the inclusion of tattoos and poetry, fine details that make any story breath with life. Take notes here writers. A well built world is done with the little details. Things that make your story unique from the rest of the books out there. Things that are unique to your experiences too. Daud played up all her strengths.

Modern day themes filled every line in this book. We have the oppression of the conquering race, the Vath, and their cruelty. Things such as tattoos are forbidden in the upper classes. Does this sound at all familiar? I can name a large number of times and places where this happened in the past and is still happening today. I appreciate these themes in a book for the younger generation. Reading is where we grow and learn, and if they can read these words, feel the emotions of people being oppressed, they can learn the importance of equality for all.

And yet still, with all of these beautiful notes, I couldn’t enjoy the book. It had so much potential, but the debutness was too much. The plot was predictable; the plot was a checklist. I really hope that with more experience, Daud can become a fantastic arthur. I think that she has a lot of skill and I look forward to the next series she writes. I just won’t be continuing on with this one.

Happy Reading

Love Kait

Reading Challenge: 32/100