I'd been waiting for COURT OF LIONS for such a long time, that by the time I got to it, I forgot how much I liked the creative elements in this book. I liked the subtle sci-fi elements, the political intrigue, and our protagonist's status of a body-double (a completely unique POV role in my experience). I was ready for Maram to rise up after MIRAGE and impress us. Forget Amani, I was ready for Maram.

Ultimately, I think this book went exactly where I expected it would. There was a little more romance, some added LGBTQ+ rep which was good to see. My biggest frustration with COURT OF LIONS is nothing that's *technically* wrong with the book, but is just that, a personal frustration - when I finished, I was unsatisfied. The story went quickly, new characters were not well-developed and explained, the plot went too smoothly, and there were a couple major events that were basically shrugged off in a conversation. I think this could have been a much longer book - twice as long, in fact - and would have been a much more immersive reading experience. Instead, it was a bit rushed and forgettable.

Still, I loved MIRAGE and I would recommend the duology as a whole. Just don't get your hopes up *too* much for COURT OF LIONS.

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A ending to a true duology? I hope so. The story of Amani, body double to the heir Maram, introduced in Mirage continues. Strong female characters, political intrigue, romances, lots of descriptive text characterizing the settings (and clothing! really enjoyed the details of attire), the merging of traditional and futuristic life. I was very happy with the ending, although the Court of Lions portion, while pivotal, seemed to unfold so quickly! ( )