ARC Review: Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Mirage
By Somaiya Daud
Mirage #1
ARC: 308 pages
Flatiron Books
August 28, 2018
Categories: Science Fiction, Ya, Fantasy
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| @Somaiiya 📷 | Official Site | Twitter |

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |5/5|
Spoiler-free review below

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.

Mirage was such a fun, fast-paced read for me; I finished it in less than 24 hours! It is a tale rich with Moroccan cultural influences, and the world building is fantastic. I loved the abundance of history and political conflict that was included throughout the story, not to mention the sci-fi vibes! I find that most books full of world-building are short on action, yet that was not the case with Mirage. The pacing flowed perfectly, and I always found a reason to read "one more chapter"! As a book nerd, I'm sure you understand what I mean when I say this. You finally turn to the clock and it is somehow 3am and you have no idea how you manged to keep your eyes open for so long. The need to know what happened next was strong in this story!

Amani is a strong female protagonist, my favorite kind. I have had an obsession with these fierce female leads as of late, and Amani did not disappoint. Her drive to protect her family and loved ones is stronger than her fear of her oppressors. She is born and raised a farm-girl on the moon of a distant planet, taken over by a violent race of peoples called the Vath. After the initial invasion and subsequent take-over, everything in her life changed. From surveillance to raids, these superior creatures controlled every aspect of lives in her small village. On the day of Amani's coming of age ceremony, the Vath kidnap her and take her to the capital city where the royals reside. Ziyaana is a city where you can trust no one, especially the royals. She is introduced to Princess Maram and finally realizes why she has been taken from her home. She looks exactly like the Princess. Amani is trained to become Maram's body double, as the Princess is always in danger of assassination. Amani is to replace her at gatherings that involve the public, basically risking her life for someone she despises. If that isn't bad enough, the Vath threaten the lives of her family if she doesn't comply with their demands.

Princess Maram is introduced as a vapid, hateful girl and the reader immediately despises her. I enjoyed her character growth throughout the story though, and found myself almost liking her by the end. Almost. I definitely enjoyed learning more of her back story and why she acts the way that she does. The hatred of her from both sides of her family is sad, and I felt pity for her more times than I care to admit. Maram is engaged to a young native prince named Idris, and his character is important to the story as well. I fell easily in love with him and his open-minded views on politics. Regardless of being forced into an engagement with the enemy, his hope for a better world outweighs his oppression. I enjoyed the inner conflicts of all of the main characters!

All in all, there was nothing about this book that I didn't like. I despised the villains of the story as the reader should, I loved the heroes, and the world was so rich in culture and political intrigue that I couldn't help turning the page over and over again. I highly recommend adding this one to your tbr!

Morrighan <3

ARC Review: The Darkest Star by Jennifer Armentrout

The The Darkest Star
By Jennifer Armentrout
Origin #1
ARC: 366 pages
Tor Teen
October 30, 2018
Categories: Science Fiction, Romance, YA
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My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |5/5|
Spoiler-free review below

When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen...but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she'd only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head...

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this brand new series, featuring beloved characters both new and old.

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

Holy alien babies!

Jennifer Armentrout is the jedi master of writing perfect male characters. I don't know how she does it, but her male leads never fail to make me swoon, and Luc is no exception. It could be the arrogance and sarcasm that she introduces them with, or the amazingly big hearts they always reveal-- but my lord. I officially have a new favorite male character in my life!

The story begins 4 years after the Luxen invasion that threatened to destroy Earth. If you read The Lux Series, you have already met Luc. He is an Origin, a hybrid alien/human created by the government to be a super soldier. If you have not, first of all, what the hell are you doing with your life? Second-- please go pick up this series and read it. It is such an amazing adventure. I never knew I would fall in love with sexy aliens, but I absolutely did and my life is better for it. Third-- I will explain a bit of the back story that leads us to the beginning of this book.

The Luxen are from another star system and fled to Earth when their planet was attacked and subsequently destroyed by the Arum, another race of extraterrestrial beings. They have lived among humans and assimilated our DNA to blend in and appear as one of us. The truth of the Luxens is known by only the government, and the Daedulus Group, responsible for creating Luxen/human hybrids known as Origins. Origins are crazy powerful, and since they have been raised in a lab, know nothing of morality. They are super soldiers in every sense of the word. Thankfully, when the enemy aliens invade Earth, hell-bent on exterminating human life and inhabiting our planet for themselves, most Luxen residing here as well as the Origins take up arms against the invaders. 4 years after the war that destroyed most US cities, Luxen are now known to humans. Regardless of the fact that they saved our species, they are under constant surveillance and required to register with the government. The remaining aliens on Earth are judged harshly for who they are and forced to wear bracelets that disable their abilities. It is the same sad story of racism that we see over and over again on this planet. I'm praying Bernie will be in office if ever we discover extraterrestrial life does exist. But now I'm rambling. Anyways..

Our main character is a 17 year old girl named Evie. She has little memory of the invasion and the subsequent war that follows. Her life has just begun to get back to normal. She is an only child; her father died in the war and her mom works long hours for the military. Evie is basically left to her own devices, which leads us to her decision to go to a club that is frequented by Luxen. Here, she meets Luc. He is cocky and annoying, basically telling that her she doesn't belong there. When the club gets invaded by military police looking for unregistered aliens, it is Luc that keeps her from danger. I enjoyed Evie's character; she is a strong female that makes the most ridiculous life decisions. I can totally relate! Her relationship with Luc is dangerous, frustrating, and at times, inconvenient. I. Loved. It. As their connection grows, so do the questions surrounding Evie's past. I don't want to give too much away, but the twists and turns throughout this story were wonderfully done. Yet again, Miss Armentrout's writing is superb. Her characters are among my favorites ever written! This heart-pounding, non stop adventure left me with tears on my cheeks and a smile on my face. I cannot wait to read more of Luc and Evie's escapades in the books to come. I highly, highly recommend putting this book, as well as the first series on your tbr. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Morrighan