Thank you so much Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Court of Lions is the last installment of the Mirage duology. This book was infused with Moroccan culture that brought the world to life. Daud did a fantastic job with the detailed descriptions in this book. From the food to the setting to the clothes, it was an immersive read that pulled you into the story. The beginning of the book flew by, but it dragged a bit and slowed down the narrative in the middle.


This was a strong political fantasy book that pulled the reader in and consistently kept raising the stakes with the battle for power between Maram and her mentor. The story tore at my heart with the relationships, they felt so raw and real that I was invested in the characters—the plot centers around a rebellion against colonialism, with technology and sci-fi influences. 


We also got more of an understanding of Maram as a character and had several chapters from her point of view that made her more human. It would have fleshed out the story more if we had more chapters from her POV. In the first book, Maram was cruel to a fault, and in this book, she is complex. Her kingdom has tied her, and she can’t be with who she loves and has to keep a charade with Amani. 


I love that there was LGBTQ+ rep in this book! Although the relationship between Maram and Aghraas happened so quickly. I thought it would have felt more real if their relationship had been drawn out more and allowed the reader to know more about Aghraas and Maram. In the first book, we were only in Amani’s head, diving into this novel having POV’s from Maram felt like the reader was just getting to know her. A solid and beautifully told ending to a duology.