Court of Lions was an absolutely captivating, inspiring, and lush world to fall into. In this stunning sequel, Amani and Maram continue to struggle to find their paths in a world defined by their identities and loyalties to family and country, and their relationship is truly the foundation of this duology. After the events of the first book, Maram and Amani have to repair their relationship and find trust in one another again. I appreciated the addition of Maram's point of view in this book, and it added a lot more depth to her character. With her relationship with Amani fractured at the start of this book, Maram is forced to depend more on herself to change, and her budding relationship with Aghraas was another stellar part of this book. In general, the amount of powerful and complex women within this series is one of my favorite parts. There are so many different characters that are women, and they're all different people, with different ways of existing in this world, and different methods of exercising agency and power within a colonial environment. These myriad personalities and realities of these women created such a fleshed-out feel to this world, and the representation of all these different stories was amazing. Another element of this series that makes it so powerful is the themes of colonization. power, and revolution. Continuing from Mirage, Court of Lions builds the action up, and furthers the plot of revolution and rebellion well. The anti-colonial narrative was powerful, compelling, and well-written. Once again, Court of Lions doesn't fail in capturing the different experiences of those under colonization. Between Amani, Idirs, Maram, and the other characters, this book isn't shying away from the consequences of colonialism, and how it shapes peoples' lives. With the three main characters we see different responses and experiences related to colonialism - and how people fight to exist and live within it. The tension and conflict between Amani and Idris about the rebellion was one of the best parts of the book for me, and their relationship never failed to make me feel all the feels. In conclusion, this book was amazing! The characters were all compelling and I felt invested in all their stories, the plot and action was also entertaining and filled with tension, and the cultural components that were interspersed in the world-building and throughout the series was beautiful as well, and finally, the core narrative of revolution against colonization was nuanced, powerful, and compelling.