Flatiron Books, 320 pp.
Published August 28, 2018
DISCLAIMER: I received a free physical ARC of this title from the publisher for review consideration. This did not inform or influence my opinion in any way.
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.
Opening with an elegant style of prose, Mirage immediately draws in readers with its lush and mysterious introduction to Amani's world. A true cross between fantasy and science fiction, the Vathek empire and the cultures it has subjugated bring together the vibrant Moroccan-inspired setting and the endless possibility of a galactic society.
From the onset, Andala and its moon, Cadiz, feel fully-formed. Though some early details are handled through exposition most of the history and culture behind them unfold naturally throughout the novel. From technology to cuisine, religion to fashion, Vathek and Andalaan cultures are study in opposites. Each of the three main characters are forced to straddle the line dividing conquerors from conquered, pointedly drawing the reader's eye to a cascade of injustices that has brought Andalaans to the brink of revolution. A few small details don't quite fit—soldiers wield both "automatic rifles" and "blasters" with no further explanation for how the two disparate technologies co-exist—although it's far from enough to derail the rich world-building that goes on throughout Mirage.
Daud also expends a lot of energy developing Amani, Idris, and Maram, as well as the shifting alliances between them. Maram is by far the most interesting of the three, caught between two cultures that see her as "other" and lesser-than, regardless of her royal status. Beneath her cruelty lies a complexity of spirit, perhaps even a twinge of vulnerability, that signals her as more than a straw man villain.
Amani, by contrast, feels assured in both her heritage and her belonging in the Andalaan culture. Her empathy towards her look-alike counterbalances a justifiable rage at the Vathek regime and the cruelties it has inflicted. This juxtaposition drives some compelling growth for her character, yet it is at times offset by poor decisions made in service to the plot, rather than her own development. Idris, the princess' fiancé, trundles along well enough, but the real focus and depth lies with the two young women.
With so much focus on characters and setting, the plot does falter at times. Rather than being dispatched into dangerous public appearances, Amani's duties most often require her to attend parties and official functions that would otherwise bore the princess. While this behavior suits Maram's spoiled, entitled demeanor quite well, it also ratchets down the tension considerably. Several larger schemes are set in motion—namely a forbidden romance and growing rebellion—establishing Mirage as an introduction to the long game that will play out in its sequels. It may diminish some initial excitement, but it bodes very well for the coming installments.
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