You're new favorite South Asian inspired fantasy

I was feeling bereft after finishing the Ember quartet, but I think I've found a new brilliant series in that same vein. I was enjoying a build up of politics with less darkness and then Faizal chose violence; from then on, Zafira, who had started out as a compelling heroine in a strictly patriarchal caliphate, has the ground drop from beneath her feet and grows to meet it. Between complex and engaging side characters to our two MCs working like magnets at turns attracting and repelling each other (but more than that, understanding and empathizing with each other, even when they do not want to).

The only real gripe I have is with pacing, though this could have been me accidentally getting distracted while listening. The rest of our main cast appeared rather suddenly and there are several dreams/visions/changes in scenery that, to me, seemed to drop out of nowhere. But I love where we left off and can't wait to immediately dive into We Free the Stars.