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A review by ithiliens
Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud
5.0
Something I want to say about this right off the bat is that I think it's very important this book never once asks us to feel empathy of colonizers. SFF fiction is, in general, absolutely miserable about this and in fact often ignores the psychological and material suffering that colonialism causes even as it's maintained as the real crux of the genre. That is a whole OTHER topic but I wanted to highlight it because it's very clear Daud knows this and works SPECIFICALLY against that history. I just think it's noteworthy to kill both main colonizer characters on page and not have the MC think "oh but they had their reasons"; and to refuse to have a "good" Vath character as if to catch out the reader on wanting them expelled from the planet they invaded. I was extremely impressed with this.
And on more general topics, the writing is so lush and lyrical it was an absolute joy to read. I lived the descriptions of clothes, buildings, scenery, food... The culture feels very lived in and alive. I always appreciate when an author is able to weave sci-fi elements (blasters!) into a more fantasy setting -- it definitely creates something very memorable and unique.
And the poetry! What else is there to say but it was beautiful and added that extra layer of world building that again really shows the care that was taken in constructing this world.
I loved the romance between Maram and Aghraas especially; the longing and connection between them was so moving. I loved Amani and Idris too, and the different kind of push and pull between them.
Overall just a lovely, sparkling, and poetic read.
And on more general topics, the writing is so lush and lyrical it was an absolute joy to read. I lived the descriptions of clothes, buildings, scenery, food... The culture feels very lived in and alive. I always appreciate when an author is able to weave sci-fi elements (blasters!) into a more fantasy setting -- it definitely creates something very memorable and unique.
And the poetry! What else is there to say but it was beautiful and added that extra layer of world building that again really shows the care that was taken in constructing this world.
I loved the romance between Maram and Aghraas especially; the longing and connection between them was so moving. I loved Amani and Idris too, and the different kind of push and pull between them.
Overall just a lovely, sparkling, and poetic read.