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In Mirage, Amani was taken from her village to the royal palace and forced to train to become the body double for the princess, Maram. As time goes on, she built a friendship with the complicated princess, and she fell in love with Idris, Maram’s fiancé. Amani also aligned herself with the rebels, which not only put her in more danger but was sure to cause a rift between her and Maram and Idris.
At the start of this second book, which I was pleasantly surprised to find was the conclusion to the story rather than the second in a trilogy, Maram is angry with Amani because of Amani’s interactions with the rebels at the end of Mirage, though Amani is still loyal to Maram as well. As Amani mourns this loss of their friendship and worries about Maram, the princess then delivers news that pains her to her core: in just days, Maram will be marrying Idris — and Amani is going to stand in Maram’s place for the ceremony and public celebrations.
In Court of Lions, Amani has to find a way to draw Maram back out of her anger and silence and must decide if (and how) she will continue working with the rebels. She chafes at the cruel rule of the Vathek over her planet and people and is angry about her own situation, where she has no life of her own. But her unique position and access could allow her to make a real difference in helping the rebels — and perhaps, even, ridding their planet of the Vathek and being free again.
The story here in these two books is not original in basic components: girl from a simple background is put into a situation where she has potential for power but she needs to find that strength and courage within herself; a land/world/culture has been conquered by brutal outsiders and needs to be overthrown. But it’s no matter; most stories really aren’t and can’t be “original.” This story’s characters are compelling and their growth and experiences are what matter; in addition, the setting does a lot to make these books come alive. It’s a lush, Moroccan-inspired setting, replete with delicious-sounding foods, art, poetry, opulent and ornate clothing, lush locations and a proud cultural tradition. I enjoyed the books and was pleased with the conclusion.
Rated: Mild. There’s essentially no bad language; violence occurs but is not detailed or gory; there is a battle and some deaths but little that’s too disturbing. Sexual content here is a bit more than in the first book; characters kiss, and in one scene it goes further than that but stops before the characters have sex (still without much description); another time, characters have sex but there are no details.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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