After reading the author's first book in the series, Mirage, I am so happy that I got to delve back into this world! I really appreciate the Arab elements and language that is incorporated into the book. As a teacher, this is a perfect addition to include in your classroom library. I feel like a lot of the langauge used can be excellent ways to teach students to decipher foreign languages through contect clues.

A few years ago my friend recommended Mirage to me. I didn't read it until we had Somaiya on our podcast. Don't make my mistake. Read this now. Right now. Like, stop reading this review and go read this book.

I apologize for being unable to complete the reading of this book. I initially requested it because I read the first book, Mirage, years ago and enjoyed it. However, in having forgotten most of what happened in the first book I attempted a re-read to refresh my memory and found that I just did not enjoy it enough to finish the re-read and move onto the sequel.

I wasn't crazy about the first book in this series. I think that's because I didn't have a strong appreciation for a villainous main character when I read it. I grew to appreciate Maram in this book.

I liked the dual POVs and the dual timelines in this story. The first book was told from one POV and one time so this was a welcome change. I also liked that these elements heightened the sense of secret keeping and distrust that the reader felt between Amani and Maram.

I definitely feel like I barely remembered the first book when I dove into this book but it didn't seem to matter too much as the backstory I needed was more or less explained during book 2. On the other hand, this book is dense with concepts and proper nouns so that was a bit of a struggle to follow.

I liked this story. Liked the way things wrapped up. I also really liked Maram's romance story. Everything seemed to tie up rather neatly which was unexpected given how ruthless Maram's father was. Overall, good, not great.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel picks up where Mirage left off. This novel was a very hard read because there was a lot of disturbing content that made me uncomfortable to read! Still, I recommend this fans of Gilded Ones, Shadow and Bones, and Cinderella is Dead!

Satisfied with this wrap up of the series, decent duology to recommend to those newish to YA. While the explanation behind the shared likeness made a little sense, I would've respected the author's choices more had she leaned into the scifi for an explanation instead.

This was an epic way to end this duology! I really enjoyed the duology as a whole but, I feel like in this installment all the action happened. I really enjoyed the plotline of the series as a whole and I have no idea what took me so long to pick it up! I recommend this series to anyone who is looking to be introduced to fantasy but, isn't 100% sure they are ready for it yet.

This book gave me everything the first book set me up to want! I loved the development between the princess and her double, the rebellion, her home. Everything!

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4 Stars

I still remember getting an ARC of Mirage at Book Expo years ago – it was one of the ones I had been dying to get my hands on, and I read it almost immediately after getting home from the convention. It absolutely blew me away, seriously what a STUNNING and surprising debut. As I’m sure you can imagine, I had high expectations for the second book. I can absolutely confirm that they were met.

First, we need to give the Author a slow clap for the writing style. It is so beautiful and well done – seriously the prose in this book is stunning. The imagery swept me away and deposited me right into the story. I can’t even tell you how many times the food descriptions had me reaching for a reading snack, and I genuinely can’t wait to read more from Somaiya Daud.

There were a few parts about the overall climax of the book that felt a bit rushed, but that could also be my greed speaking. I feel like I always want a bit more in the height of the action. Overall, the conclusion fit perfectly and made sense with the plot progression of the duet. This book also felt a bit more political than the first, which is something I always love – I’m a sucker for political intrigue in any book.

I don’t want to give too much away because it is so easy to slip up and include a spoiler in a review for a sequel, but I will say that I really loved this duology and definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Daud’s writing can be easily compared to that of a tapestry; her words weave together so seamlessly and effortlessly that they create such a lush image, gradually entrancing the reader into this carefully crafted world. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that writing style plays a really important role in whether I will enjoy a book and make the investment in a story and this book beyond succeeded as far as I’m concerned! The pace of Court of Lions overall wasn’t as fast as Mirage, but the writing is so captivating that the reader can’t help but gradually get lost in this story and other elements got to shine even more due to this which makes up for the slower pace.

Now for the element that shone even brighter for me in the second book: the characters. I absolutely ADORED Amani, Maram, and Idris even more. Not only did they stand out as individual characters but their interpersonal character dynamics grew significantly in this sequel (not to mention the character developments * chef’s kiss *). 
Court of Lions includes Maram’s POV throughout the book compared to only having Amani’s perspective in the first book and I really believe that this was such a great addition, especially in making the slower pace well worth it! In Mirage, we get to follow Amani through her journey coming into herself as a person and discovering her strengths and weaknesses while assimilating into her role as Maram’s shield. I’m a sucker for characters that we get glimpses of their true selves in passing, having to figure out what makes them tick. 

This was the case with Maram; being the queen-in-the-making, she’s quick-witted and smart-tongued, lashing out when someone so much as attempts to approach the hard exterior she portrays to the outside world. Right as we get more frequent glimpses into who Maram really is, she closes right back up at the end of the first book. If we’re being honest, it was one of the many times I would smack my steering wheel out of frustration while listening to it on my commute to work. But that’s what made me enjoy Court of Lions even more than the first. Maram’s POVs gave us an exclusive look into her mind and what she was feeling immediately after the conclusion of the first book and throughout the sequel when we’re left questioning what’s going on inside her head through Amani’s eyes. Her character development truly blossomed in this sequel and I just want to hold her and give her the biggest hug possible because she deserves the world and all the happiness.
This is a quick sidenote and may not be very significant for many readers, but another aspect that I really enjoyed about Maram was her accepting that coming from two different heritages/backgrounds, she was more than enough for both and could identify as both (one not being exclusive to the other). Coming from two ethnic backgrounds myself, I could really relate to Maram as she first struggled with figuring out which heritage she most embodied. Often times you lose yourself when trying to figure out who you are as a person, when both sides of you feel mutually exclusive and that you can’t just “pick a side” and this played a big role in her internal struggles. But that’s not the case at all; the insecurity and struggle stops when you realize that you shouldn’t have to pick and choose a side, but rather come to the realization that you are even stronger when you accept and embrace both parts of you. So yeah, that was just a little tidbit that made me feel very validated and seen :)

Although Maram had the most significant character development of the three main characters, Amani and Idris went through their fair share of development in regards to their relationship. I love them SO MUCH and they also made up the other times I would smack my steering wheel from equal parts happiness/annoyance/distress, which only continued through the sequel. There are so many books where the characters as individuals are sacrificed in the sake of “romance” and that’s all there ever is to them once they’re paired up in a relationship. This was definitely not the case for these two and I think that’s a big reason as to why I love them so much. They both are such strong characters on their own and aren’t heavily dependent on each other. I wish there were enough words for me to properly express how much I adore them, but it’s safe to say that they are a new favorite ship of mine. Same goes for the sister dynamic that Maram and Amani have, that grew so much in this sequel and wow how many TIMES must I say how much I love these characters I just really do!!

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this duology and Court of Lions was such a great conclusion to this duology.

Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud is a lush, intrigue, and well-written sequel to Mirage. Amani and Maram are great heroines and I enjoyed reading more about both and how they developed since the first book as they deal with the court intrigues, the plot twists, and the romance! I am a fan of the romances in this book. This was a well-written novel and I would happily recommend.

Much like Mirage this book feels like they try to put a lot and do to much on not enough paper. I like the thought behind it and how we get to see from the others perspective but it still was a miss for me

Somaiya Daud doesn’t get nearly enough hype surrounding her books. I hope that she can continue to build traction and get more of a readership. She has so so so much talent!

Loved this, super excited that Maram turned out to be gay! The poetic language makes it hard to follow the plot at times but it rewards rereading, as political fantasy ought to do.

This was a good sequel, but as a conclusion to the duology, I felt like the end and the culmination of everything was very rushed and was tied together too conveniently. But overall I enjoyed this book, as well as Mirage, and I was glad to see that one of the main characters was revealed to be queer in this book.

I did not finish this ARC because I did not get a chance to read the first novel. I am hoping to check this series out soon. Thanks for the early copy.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I read the first book in this series Mirage and I would not wait to get my hands on this book. I wanted to know how the story continued. There is power of women in this book and growth. The setting is go wonderful and detailed gave me the impression of being there. The characters are dynamic and full that it added depth to already wonderful tale. It makes me crave more and more from this author. The things I felt while reading made me not want to put the book down. That is a sing of a well woven story for the ages.

Court of lions
4 stars
I loved the first book and this was a good sequel. (I am a little salty about the cover change though. I love book 1’s cover so much.) I was drawn into this story just like the first and I didn’t even have to reread to remind myself about the characters. There were a lot of new faces but I grew to love them as well. If you loved the first book then you will love this one. Oh! And can we talk about the importance of a LGBTQ relationship in a fantasy book? Every time I come across one I always hope it is done well and isn’t just thrown in for representation. This was not the case here. Well done.

I loved, loved this book. Mirage was one of my favorite reads and Court of Lions continued it. The female relationships really make this book shine

Dynamic and complex female characters? Yes. Compelling arc around colonialism? Yes. Focus on a friendship between two women? Yes. The concept of love under colonialism played out with two romances, one in which they’re both girls? Yes. Villain-to-hero arc for secondary female protagonist? Yes. Ending that made me start crying? Yes. Best ya series I’ve read in at least two years? Absolutely.

Court of Lions begins with Amani having recently attempted a failed action with the rebellion, and the relationship between her and Maram, the princess she has become the body trouble to, newly strained. It will take a rekindling of their connection, and their connections with the wider world, to begin rebuilding what they have.

After the incredibleness that was Mirage, I was hopeful for a good book two. Amani resonated with me so very much; her relationships with both Maram and Idris were fascinating. I was especially intrigued by Maram, the delightful antivillain we only got a brief glimpse at; though her ending was more negative, the glimpses we get of her reveal a complex, dynamic character. So when this novel added Maram as a new narrator, it’s exciting. It becomes even more exciting when she quickly becomes so fascinating.

Maram is a character who is terrified of vulnerability, scared that her love for other people makes her weak. When she loves, she is not what the Vathek want. She tamps the sides of her that are more like her mother into smaller stubs: redesigning a palace in her mother’s style, for example. Her arc, thus, revolves around two things. First, there is her attempt to assert her own agency. Daud does something particularly good here in making this such a wide scope. There are her attempts to break free from the control of both her father and a guardian to assert her own power, of course, which are cathartic and consistently interesting. But there is also her journey towards learning to engage with others, to befriend others as a future queen. To have power and use it fairly, she must build connections.

Maram has another arc, however, which is both a fundamental part of her journey towards building connections and something altogether distinct: she must learn to let her guard down. This, of course, occurs through a sapphic romance. The romantic plot between Maram and a new falconer at her palace, Aghraas, is a highlight of the book, written in a way I found deeply gut-wrenching despite the relatively small amount of pagetime. This romance is so very well-written and incredibly well-paced; though I knew what direction it was going fairly quickly, it did not stop me from waiting with bated breath for them to touch again, think of each other again.

Amani’s arc in this book is to me less about her growing and changing and more about her asserting some of the growth that she made in book one. She is still scared to help the rebellion, yes; she knows the danger to herself and others. But she also knows what she is capable of. Watching her through these conflicts is so compelling.

Amani begins her journey within this book with the first time Maram needs her again: for her marriage to Idris. This scene killed me and then it revived me. Idris and Amani had me invested in book one, but this scene was such a heartfelt and awful introduction to their dynamic as a couple: their kindness towards each other, their knowledge of each other. Honestly, I just think that Somaiya Daud understands yearning, and knows that it is about the tenderness, and I am so very obsessed with the way these two romance plots were written.

Though Amani and Maram are in a position throughout much of this book where they could easily be forced into fighting, they almost never do. Daud within the context of this book makes a very clear choice to focus on the love between them and grow their relationship; while there are natural setbacks, the narrative never forces any conflict between them. This makes it only more compelling to see the two of them interact with an increasingly complex political scene, bringing two different sets of talent to the table.

There is an element of slow expansion to this world, with Maram’s perspective alone expanding things; the setting of her palace is textured and fantastic. Daud also, in a move that in many ways defines the book, introduces a multitude of side characters whom I quickly grew to adore. These characters are often introduced in just a few chapters, but all feel distinct and compelling, and though they each are only a part of this story, they all add: not just to the breadth of this world, but to the humanity of it.

Fadwa @ Word Wonders made a point here that I want to mention:
“From the outside looking in, Amazighi tribes probably look the same, similar attire, similar languages and dialects, etc… but everything is so different when you’re in the thick of it living it, our customs are so varied, our dialects so numerous and different, and I could see that in every detail of the book.”

And I suppose for one other thing: the tone of this series never fails. This duology never babysits, never sugarcoats, yet it feels like a ray of light. And though the conflicts are often tense, the two novels are still each slow-burning. They feel welcoming, to you and to the characters; they feel loving. As a matter of fact, their love is what is so defining about them, as novels.

“We were both hostages, you and I. And we grew up understanding that loving anyone was a luxury neither of us could afford.”

This is, I think, a thesis of the book: this idea of how love under a colonial rule is too dangerous. Yet it is also the only thing that can destroy that regime. It is the friendship between Amani and Maram that truly hit me so hard about this book: it is their bond, the relationship between Amani and Idris, and the relationship between Maram and Aghraas that end up defining the novel.

And when I say the ending made me cry, I’m not joking. I was holding it together just vibing and then for some reason the epilogue made me absolutely lose it.

Court of Lions is, genuinely and honestly, one of my favorite novels I read in 2020. I loved the first book of this duology, but it is this book that truly solidified this as one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. I will be rereading this. I will not be shutting up about it ever.