"Mirage is full of characters who feel like they existed long before the story began, and a rich world that is as beautiful as it is cruel. Somaiya Daud is a rare talent. A smart, romantic, exciting debut." Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divergent and Carve the Mark
A stunning epic fantasy audiobook inspired by the author's Moroccan heritage about a poor girl who must become the body double of a princess of a ruthless empire hailed as "a rich, dazzling, powerful debut" by Tahereh Mafi, the New York Times author of the Shatter Me series
In a world 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 home.
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.
"Daud is a masterful storyteller. Mirage gives readers an exquisitely wrought world with deft characters, death-defying stakes, and an aching romance. Bound to linger in your dreams." Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
"MIRAGE reads as an impossible trick of the light, a feather that carves words into stone, a banquet of longing and loss. Every page comes roaring to life in a way that overwhelms and transforms you. This isn't a debut novel so much as an heirloom, and the work of a master storyteller." Margaret Stohl, #1 New York Times bestselling author Beautiful Creatures & Black Widow: Forever Red
"With its breathtaking worldbuilding and characters who grabbed me from the first page, Mirage is by turns thrilling and ruminative, sexy and heartbreaking. Somaiya Daud has written a moving and unforgettable debut." Sabaa Tahir, New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes