Mirage

Gr 8 Up—On her majority night—the celebration of her entrance into adulthood—Amani is forcibly taken by Imperial droids and carted off her moon to the mother planet Andala, home of Vathek royalty. Amani grew up under Vathek occupation and knows their cruelty. She learns it was her looks that got her kidnapped; she is to serve as the hated half-Vathek Princess Maram's body double in potentially dangerous public appearances. With her life and her family's on the line, Amani sets out to perfect the role. Her new identity starts to feel too real as she begins falling for Maram's fiancé, Idris. But an encounter with the leader of the rebellion gives Amani the opportunity to take advantage of her situation and help her people. Readers are thrown right into this incredibly built world with fully developed cultures and characters. Daud expertly uses a sci-fi setting to explore issues within our own society, particularly the effects of colonization on both individuals and cultures as a whole. This poetically written novel will appeal to many, particularly fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. The ending will leave them excited for more.