Debut author, Somaiya Daud has always been a lover of books. Daud received a degree in English literature and was a bookseller herself. Her education doesn’t end there, for she is preparing to write a dissertation on Victorians, rocks, race, and the environment.This new Young Adult fantasy captures the essence of royalty and adventure. In Mirage, eighteen year old Amani 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 will be in conversation with bestselling author and friend of Mysterious Galaxy, Kiersten White, for her newest book Bright We Burn.
This event is free and seating is first come, first serve. To get a book signed during one of our events, a copy of the event book must be purchased through Mysterious Galaxy. Event purchases through Mysterious Galaxy not only keeps our bookstore doors open, but also makes author signings possible.
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.
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.
