Just when I thought my love for Mirage couldn’t get any more intense, Court of Lions dropped in my lap. It has everything I loved from Mirage PLUS a sapphic couple and my life became complete. Keep reading this book review from Court of Lions to see how much I loved this sequel!
Summary
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 complete isolation. The cruel but complex princess, Maram, with whom Amani had cultivated a tenuous friendship, discovered Amani’s connection to the rebellion and has forced her into silence, and if Amani crosses Maram once more, her identity – and her betrayal – 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 step aside, and watch her people suffer, or continue to aid them, and put herself and her family in mortal danger? And whatever she chooses, can she bear to remain separated, forever, from Maram’s fiancé, Idris?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I fell back in love with Maram and Amani from the beginning of Court of Lions. This stunning sequel to Mirage has fabulous, heartfelt, and emotional characters paired with a story of rebellion and bravery. There’s yearning which could fill an ocean with tears and a sapphic romance that had my heart in both knots and contagious grinning. I loved how Court of Lions was both character driven and action focused. Striking a great balance between high stakes and character depth, I found myself gripped in the clutches of Court of Lions.
Court of Lions had so many moments where my heart broke in a way that made tears leak from my eyes, but also in the best way? The ways Maram is struggling with her identity – having to erase and ignore pieces of herself – and her coming to terms with her queer identity. At the same time, there’s my precious Amani who is brave, clever, and totally fierce – her scenes with that yearning made my heart weep. Sometimes systems cannot be rebuilt. They cannot be fixed and, instead, need to burn down.
I seriously cannot get over how much I loved Court of Lions. The whole time I was reading, I was clutching my heart. Daud features such endearing, but also relatable characters. Being weighed down with expectations, having what we truly desire beyond our reach. Erasing pieces of ourselves to move throughout the world. And needing to find the bravery within ourselves to believe in ourselves.
Find Court of Lions on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.