Mirage

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. 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.

Amani must make a devastating choice between revolution and family in the stunning second installment of the Mirage series! Two identical girls, one a princess, the other a rebel. Who will rule the empire? After being swept up into the brutal Vathek court, Amani, the ordinary girl forced to serve as the half-Vathek princess's body double, has been forced into isolation. The cruel but complex princess, Maram, with whom Amani had cultivated a tenuous friendship, discovered Amani's connection to the rebellion and has cornered her into silence, and if Amani crosses Maram once more, she will be revealed to everyone in the court. Amani is desperate to continue helping the rebellion, to fight for her people's freedom. But she must make a devastating decision: will she continue to aid them, and put her family-and herself-in mortal danger? And can she remain separated, forever, from Maram's fiancé, with whom she shares a dangerous attraction? Court of Lions is the stunning sequel to Somaiya Daud's debut Mirage, which School Library Journal wrote in a starred review "will appeal to many, particularly fans of Cinder by Marissa Meyer and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir...this debut novel has what it takes to be the next big thing in sci-fi fantasy."