Blog Tour: Court of Lions

Hello everyone and welcome to my tour stop for the #CourtOfLionsTour hosted by the lovely Shealea (Shut Up, Shealea) and Caffeine Book Tours! Also, special thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Now let’s jump into the review! (PS–stick around towards the end of the review for a chance to enter an awesome giveaway!)

Court of Lions (Mirage #2) by Somaiya Daud

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Publication Date: August 6th, 2020 by Flatiron Books

Links: Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Book Depository // Indie Bound // Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

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?

“Sacred fire only ever came to the brave and courageous. Hope was given to a person who might reshape the world.”

When I first read Mirage, I ended up enjoying it way more than I originally expected I would! What I thoroughly enjoyed the most was the character dynamics throughout the book as well as Daud’s writing style, and I’m so glad that this remained true for Court of Lions.

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.

“I was in the center of the world, but I was not its center. No one cared that my world was about to collapse.”

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 🙂

“All may see the stars, but few will see their forebears. And to those whose eyes see golden fire We say heed Us and listen. For we have sent unto you a Sign. See it and take heed.”

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!!

“The difficulty is in knowing when you have waited long enough, and when just surviving becomes untenable.”

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this duology and Court of Lions was such a great conclusion to this duology. I highly recommend it! Have you read this sequel/duology yet?? If so, please share your thoughts down below!

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About the author:

Somaiya Daud is the author of Mirage and holds a PhD from the University of Washington in English literature. A former bookseller in the children’s department at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., now she writes and teaches full time.

Author links:

Author website — https://www.somaiyabooks.com/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/somaiyadaudauthor

Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15179415.Somaiya_Daud

Instagram — http://instagram.com/somaiiiya

Twitter — http://twitter.com/somaiyadaud

GIVEAWAY!!

Prize: Five (5) paperback edition of Mirage and five (5) hardcover edition of Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud