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The Scorched Throne #1
The Jasad Heir
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Romantasy (2023)Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.
The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.
In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.
A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.
In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.
The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.
In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.
A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.
In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.
523 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2023
About the author
Sara Hashem
1 book1,280 followersSara Hashem is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Jasad Heir. An American-Egyptian writer from Southern California, she spent many sunny days holed up indoors with a book. Sara’s love for fantasy and magical realms emerged during the two years her family lived in Egypt. When she isn’t busy naming stray cats in her neighborhood after her favorite authors, Sara can be found buried under coffee-ringed notebooks.
You can find Sara on Instagram and TikTok under @shashemwrites!
You can find Sara on Instagram and TikTok under @shashemwrites!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,697 reviews
June 28, 2023
a very promising debut!
it follows a tried and true format for political fantasy stories, which most readers will find familiar and enjoyable. with tropes like a queen in hiding, the tension of enemies to lovers, a competition of champions, and scheming kingdom rulers, this ticks a lot of boxes. and the egyptian inspiration is also a really nice touch and creates a very vibrant atmosphere.
but the things that kept me from loving this were the unnecessary long length and inconsistent pacing, some weak editing, and awkward writing. not deal breakers but definitely things i would want to see improved before publication and/or as the series continues.
so again, a lot of promising components to this story and im looking forward to seeing how the next book progresses!
thank you, orbit books, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
it follows a tried and true format for political fantasy stories, which most readers will find familiar and enjoyable. with tropes like a queen in hiding, the tension of enemies to lovers, a competition of champions, and scheming kingdom rulers, this ticks a lot of boxes. and the egyptian inspiration is also a really nice touch and creates a very vibrant atmosphere.
but the things that kept me from loving this were the unnecessary long length and inconsistent pacing, some weak editing, and awkward writing. not deal breakers but definitely things i would want to see improved before publication and/or as the series continues.
so again, a lot of promising components to this story and im looking forward to seeing how the next book progresses!
thank you, orbit books, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
Shelved as 'fantasy-wishlist'
August 7, 2023I had literally zero interest in reading this until I saw someone trashing it on TikTok and literally everything that made them say HATE HATE HATE made me go WANT WANT WANT
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March 24, 2023The Jasad Heir takes familiar fantasy plot elements—a destroyed kingdom; a hidden heir to the lost throne—and gives them a thrilling extra layer of political complexity. The epic slow burn between protagonist and antagonist will have you frantically turning pages to find out if they’ll kiss—or finally successfully kill—each other.
May 25, 2023
2/5. Spoiler free!
Thank you netgalley for the e-arc! This was one of my most anticipated reads, plus to see a hijabi Arab author published in adult political fantasy made me beyond ecstatic. Unfortunately this was a 2/5.
The first 25% of this book was spectacular! Tight plotting & great tense dynamics with the commander. My only issue w/ it was the MC seemed kinda trope-y in personality in some cringe dialogue but even that was barely a flaw. The book was set up with a lot of potential. I also loved the prose & worldbuilding regarding culture & lore.
Everything completely fell apart after that. The premise of this book revolves around competition/trials that the MC is FORCED into, which again was the premise and set up of the whole story and conflict, but was not actually done at all until the 70% mark. I’ll get more on that later.
My first pet peeve is how the MC kept saying “it’s my choice! I’m not a captive” to humanize the ruthless (I think he’s also white!) colonizing commander that forced her into this traitor bargain/situation, so their romance could be justified. Because she apparently “chose” to enter a traitor bargain. The thing about colonization is when your ppl are pillaged & you’re on the run, & forced into a traitor bargain to save your life from persecution, that’s not a choice anymore. & that nuance commentary was bafflingly left out of the book to justify their toxic colonizer x colonized romance.
Now idc if romance in adult fantasy is “toxic” b/c we can deal with darker mature themes. In fact I liked their slow burn scenes, & they carried the book. Except yes their relationship veered off for me after the 60% mark. I don’t think the romance was necessary but I won’t say it was bad - given how I didn’t like the execution of much else, I would’ve DNFed otherwise. But the majority of their scenes after the 25% mark seemed like a means in justifying how he’s not actually ruthless horrible & to humanize him to showcase how soft the MC is for him & vice versa. Not to mention I was really annoyed how in every single scene with him, the MC would go on & on about his perfect brilliance & mind etc. You already proved it to me through action, you don’t need to say it constantly either. (I think the commander was intriguing and smart but flat overall because we have zero insight into his character besides their relationship and I would’ve liked to learn some backstory).
However the glaring error behind the relationship is there’s nothing to indicate why she started softening towards him & vice versa. Not once does he indicate humanity for her people. He firmly blames them until the end. & given Sylvia hates that she’s queen, she lets this slide & ignores that aspect when she falls for him. The morality of their relationship is never questioned nor confronted by either of them & that was bizarre for me.
Another thing that bothers me is we don’t know what the overall purpose of these trials are. It seems like they’re done for the fun of it? For example, ember in the ashes did this concept SO WELL bc we felt the stakes with every trial & they were central to the whole book from beginning to end to determine the next emperor. In this one the trials quite literally don’t determine anything? For example, the hunger games did the trials concept without the victors serving a royal purpose, but at least it was SUPER nuanced because we had strong class & colonial commentary behind the victors & function of the games. In this one, the trials seem low key barbaric because some poor underprivileged people are selected to compete and can die, but we don’t have ANY class or colonial commentary about it. They’re just celebrated & that’s it. the MC seems to think it’s all fine & all?
Before the trials we got copious amounts of filler but they were extremely repetitive for the same purpose. Some parts set up potential politics. There were also plenty of slow burn romance scenes. But it just made no sense why we got 0 gritty training scenes for the trials nor the trials right away. I wish we had the trials with training in between, with politics immersed within it through dialogue with other competitors & royals! Why disjoint & exclude the 2 from each other? This was the central flaw of the book for me. I also felt like we were getting info dumped a lot of politics by the same side characters but she flip flopped btwn readily believing them + the commander & siding w/ them versus randomly flipping to the other side to go against them. It all felt contradicting. btw these side characters served such little function, besides being caricature flat devices to move certain plot aspects along.
The politics were very messy but not layered. They’re typical which is not a bad thing. I did expect a little more complexity given this political set up is what I expect from YA. But even this was executed & explained very poorly.
The worst part about the politics was the political history. Essentially there’s 4 main kingdoms including Jasad. But there’s technically a 5th military-ruled kingdom called Nizahl. Now why is a there this 5th kingdom? Because the 4 kingdoms decided they wanted to balance out their own powers to keep themselves accountable & funded/created a collective “independent military”. Now let’s use some common sense politics 101. If a bunch of kingdoms create an independent powerful army, what’s gonna happen? 😐 that army is gonna establish their own national identity & state & invade/conquer etc. which is EXACTLY how Nizahl was created aka the place that love interest rules over aka the place that invaded Jasad. Tell me that’s not the most absurd contradicting no common sense political history ever 😭 I was baffled.
It also made no sense how readily she was to side with the commander to give up her people in certain later scenes w/ little confirmation on the info she was being fed. Her loyalties were extremely contradicting. Her bad loyalties made sense initially but later got very messy when she was preaching the opposite.
Her character itself was a mess because in the first 25%, I loved that she was a selfish queen because she valued her life more than her ppl & that made her morally grey. Very compelling! But later we got very LITTLE growth on this. She remained static until the 80%-90% mark. & even the motive behind her change was the weakest set up & the reasoning felt disjointed. Out of everything, THAT was the reason for your change? That climax was grasping at straws, because it felt like it was forced to be a climax for the sake of the book needing a last minute climax - the foundation behind it was extremely weak & left me surprised in a bad way.
Once we got to the trials, the author did what we all saw coming & squished rushed the trials so badly I had no idea what was going on. I skimmed at this point because clearly the trials weren’t that important. Also you can’t feel the stakes of them because the MC is SOOO confident she won’t get killed & says multiple times how she should pick out her dress for the victors ball WELL BEFORE the trials. so I don’t feel any tension from the trials at all. You can tell the trials were just sprinkled in like an afterthought
At the same time the author tried to throw in too much at once at the 70% mark onwards. She tried to throw in all the commentary, all the betrayals, all the “answers” tho I’m still left with too many unanswered Qs b/c she didn’t answer the main things I had questions about, ESPECIALLY regarding the magic system. I’m pretty lax with magic systems - I don’t care if they’re hard or soft as long as there’s a vague explanation of where it’s from & the limits. This one felt too unclear regarding rules & limits & abilities for everyone was changing every other scene.
Lastly I was sorely disappointed by the lack of nuanced themes. This was pitched as an anti colonial political fantasy, though the commentary was some of the most black & white contradicting commentary I’d read. It felt like the author got caught up in trying to humanize the commander. One example is a scene where the commander told the MC that in his kingdom, children are sent to citadel for conscription. Reading this, that sounds explicitly like child soldiers. The MC remarked that it was a “wonderful system he created” because the military properly (economic & food means) supported their families & conscription was not enforced on families where there was one child aka to support the family. Then she praised him for this & said don’t be embarrassed that you care about your people, you will be an excellent leader one day.
Now this commentary had my jaw on the floor. adult fantasy is where i expect nuanced commentary on military function & morals. I mean what more do I need to say? She’s praising the concept of child soldiers being done “ethically” when that’s just a contradiction in itself, solely as a means of humanizing the commander for the romance. It was crazy to read. Especially given the author said this is pitched as anti colonial & inspired by the Arab spring (in her authors note & Q&A on the back she also said she got this mostly from family experience & didn’t need to do much research. But now I’m questioning that because this is awful anti colonial commentary)
I also think the whole villianizing militant/rebel groups after brutal occupation is such a tired backwards trope that’s been done in so many YAs and some adult fantasies. It lacks nuance & is stereotypical. Yet this falls on that trope to humanize the commander & his kingdom once again. Even the propaganda the so called genius perfect Commander is fed is so weak that I’m shocked he bought it, but also it isn’t enough to justify genociding jasadi’s. So the fact that the MC Carries on in la la land with him? Absurd. Also Indicates some poor critical thinking skills on his part which goes against his character.
^ I don’t need new or fresh commentary, I just expect some basic nuance. Sure it might work successfully in YA, but this was published as an ADULT fantasy & hence missed the mark tremendously w/ strange contradicting commentary. Plus if you’re gonna do (white? His race doesn’t matter that much to me though) colonizer x colonized romance, make it nuanced & confront the morality of it to flesh it out. This is not YA - we can handle the blunt interrogation.
All in all, if you go into this wanting a romantasy albeit with messy politics, you’ll be satisfied. I was expecting gritty layered politics & tight plotting but was disappointed.
Thank you netgalley for the e-arc! This was one of my most anticipated reads, plus to see a hijabi Arab author published in adult political fantasy made me beyond ecstatic. Unfortunately this was a 2/5.
The first 25% of this book was spectacular! Tight plotting & great tense dynamics with the commander. My only issue w/ it was the MC seemed kinda trope-y in personality in some cringe dialogue but even that was barely a flaw. The book was set up with a lot of potential. I also loved the prose & worldbuilding regarding culture & lore.
Everything completely fell apart after that. The premise of this book revolves around competition/trials that the MC is FORCED into, which again was the premise and set up of the whole story and conflict, but was not actually done at all until the 70% mark. I’ll get more on that later.
My first pet peeve is how the MC kept saying “it’s my choice! I’m not a captive” to humanize the ruthless (I think he’s also white!) colonizing commander that forced her into this traitor bargain/situation, so their romance could be justified. Because she apparently “chose” to enter a traitor bargain. The thing about colonization is when your ppl are pillaged & you’re on the run, & forced into a traitor bargain to save your life from persecution, that’s not a choice anymore. & that nuance commentary was bafflingly left out of the book to justify their toxic colonizer x colonized romance.
Now idc if romance in adult fantasy is “toxic” b/c we can deal with darker mature themes. In fact I liked their slow burn scenes, & they carried the book. Except yes their relationship veered off for me after the 60% mark. I don’t think the romance was necessary but I won’t say it was bad - given how I didn’t like the execution of much else, I would’ve DNFed otherwise. But the majority of their scenes after the 25% mark seemed like a means in justifying how he’s not actually ruthless horrible & to humanize him to showcase how soft the MC is for him & vice versa. Not to mention I was really annoyed how in every single scene with him, the MC would go on & on about his perfect brilliance & mind etc. You already proved it to me through action, you don’t need to say it constantly either. (I think the commander was intriguing and smart but flat overall because we have zero insight into his character besides their relationship and I would’ve liked to learn some backstory).
However the glaring error behind the relationship is there’s nothing to indicate why she started softening towards him & vice versa. Not once does he indicate humanity for her people. He firmly blames them until the end. & given Sylvia hates that she’s queen, she lets this slide & ignores that aspect when she falls for him. The morality of their relationship is never questioned nor confronted by either of them & that was bizarre for me.
Another thing that bothers me is we don’t know what the overall purpose of these trials are. It seems like they’re done for the fun of it? For example, ember in the ashes did this concept SO WELL bc we felt the stakes with every trial & they were central to the whole book from beginning to end to determine the next emperor. In this one the trials quite literally don’t determine anything? For example, the hunger games did the trials concept without the victors serving a royal purpose, but at least it was SUPER nuanced because we had strong class & colonial commentary behind the victors & function of the games. In this one, the trials seem low key barbaric because some poor underprivileged people are selected to compete and can die, but we don’t have ANY class or colonial commentary about it. They’re just celebrated & that’s it. the MC seems to think it’s all fine & all?
Before the trials we got copious amounts of filler but they were extremely repetitive for the same purpose. Some parts set up potential politics. There were also plenty of slow burn romance scenes. But it just made no sense why we got 0 gritty training scenes for the trials nor the trials right away. I wish we had the trials with training in between, with politics immersed within it through dialogue with other competitors & royals! Why disjoint & exclude the 2 from each other? This was the central flaw of the book for me. I also felt like we were getting info dumped a lot of politics by the same side characters but she flip flopped btwn readily believing them + the commander & siding w/ them versus randomly flipping to the other side to go against them. It all felt contradicting. btw these side characters served such little function, besides being caricature flat devices to move certain plot aspects along.
The politics were very messy but not layered. They’re typical which is not a bad thing. I did expect a little more complexity given this political set up is what I expect from YA. But even this was executed & explained very poorly.
The worst part about the politics was the political history. Essentially there’s 4 main kingdoms including Jasad. But there’s technically a 5th military-ruled kingdom called Nizahl. Now why is a there this 5th kingdom? Because the 4 kingdoms decided they wanted to balance out their own powers to keep themselves accountable & funded/created a collective “independent military”. Now let’s use some common sense politics 101. If a bunch of kingdoms create an independent powerful army, what’s gonna happen? 😐 that army is gonna establish their own national identity & state & invade/conquer etc. which is EXACTLY how Nizahl was created aka the place that love interest rules over aka the place that invaded Jasad. Tell me that’s not the most absurd contradicting no common sense political history ever 😭 I was baffled.
It also made no sense how readily she was to side with the commander to give up her people in certain later scenes w/ little confirmation on the info she was being fed. Her loyalties were extremely contradicting. Her bad loyalties made sense initially but later got very messy when she was preaching the opposite.
Her character itself was a mess because in the first 25%, I loved that she was a selfish queen because she valued her life more than her ppl & that made her morally grey. Very compelling! But later we got very LITTLE growth on this. She remained static until the 80%-90% mark. & even the motive behind her change was the weakest set up & the reasoning felt disjointed. Out of everything, THAT was the reason for your change? That climax was grasping at straws, because it felt like it was forced to be a climax for the sake of the book needing a last minute climax - the foundation behind it was extremely weak & left me surprised in a bad way.
Once we got to the trials, the author did what we all saw coming & squished rushed the trials so badly I had no idea what was going on. I skimmed at this point because clearly the trials weren’t that important. Also you can’t feel the stakes of them because the MC is SOOO confident she won’t get killed & says multiple times how she should pick out her dress for the victors ball WELL BEFORE the trials. so I don’t feel any tension from the trials at all. You can tell the trials were just sprinkled in like an afterthought
At the same time the author tried to throw in too much at once at the 70% mark onwards. She tried to throw in all the commentary, all the betrayals, all the “answers” tho I’m still left with too many unanswered Qs b/c she didn’t answer the main things I had questions about, ESPECIALLY regarding the magic system. I’m pretty lax with magic systems - I don’t care if they’re hard or soft as long as there’s a vague explanation of where it’s from & the limits. This one felt too unclear regarding rules & limits & abilities for everyone was changing every other scene.
Lastly I was sorely disappointed by the lack of nuanced themes. This was pitched as an anti colonial political fantasy, though the commentary was some of the most black & white contradicting commentary I’d read. It felt like the author got caught up in trying to humanize the commander. One example is a scene where the commander told the MC that in his kingdom, children are sent to citadel for conscription. Reading this, that sounds explicitly like child soldiers. The MC remarked that it was a “wonderful system he created” because the military properly (economic & food means) supported their families & conscription was not enforced on families where there was one child aka to support the family. Then she praised him for this & said don’t be embarrassed that you care about your people, you will be an excellent leader one day.
Now this commentary had my jaw on the floor. adult fantasy is where i expect nuanced commentary on military function & morals. I mean what more do I need to say? She’s praising the concept of child soldiers being done “ethically” when that’s just a contradiction in itself, solely as a means of humanizing the commander for the romance. It was crazy to read. Especially given the author said this is pitched as anti colonial & inspired by the Arab spring (in her authors note & Q&A on the back she also said she got this mostly from family experience & didn’t need to do much research. But now I’m questioning that because this is awful anti colonial commentary)
I also think the whole villianizing militant/rebel groups after brutal occupation is such a tired backwards trope that’s been done in so many YAs and some adult fantasies. It lacks nuance & is stereotypical. Yet this falls on that trope to humanize the commander & his kingdom once again. Even the propaganda the so called genius perfect Commander is fed is so weak that I’m shocked he bought it, but also it isn’t enough to justify genociding jasadi’s. So the fact that the MC Carries on in la la land with him? Absurd. Also Indicates some poor critical thinking skills on his part which goes against his character.
^ I don’t need new or fresh commentary, I just expect some basic nuance. Sure it might work successfully in YA, but this was published as an ADULT fantasy & hence missed the mark tremendously w/ strange contradicting commentary. Plus if you’re gonna do (white? His race doesn’t matter that much to me though) colonizer x colonized romance, make it nuanced & confront the morality of it to flesh it out. This is not YA - we can handle the blunt interrogation.
All in all, if you go into this wanting a romantasy albeit with messy politics, you’ll be satisfied. I was expecting gritty layered politics & tight plotting but was disappointed.
Read
January 22, 2024dnf @ 50%
might revisit at a later date but i dread picking this book up. it's not bad and i absolutely love the world, but the pacing and plot are dragging so much i just can't rn
might revisit at a later date but i dread picking this book up. it's not bad and i absolutely love the world, but the pacing and plot are dragging so much i just can't rn
March 28, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Whilst I loved the premise and the plot and the characters, it all felt kinda surface level. I got confused at certain points (especially in the second half) as the plot seemed to move along but with no explanations of what was happening. There were so many characters and places it was kinda hard to keep track of them all too.
(Side note - these issues could just be a me problem as I only managed to read a chapter, or a few, at a time so it was probably interrupting the flow of the story.
Also another side note as I feel it’s important - I read it so slowly but that wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the book I was just in a slump).
But overall I love the whole world and storyline so I’m hoping the next book is better! One thing that was done really well though was the romance subplot!! This is true enemies to lovers 🤌🏻
—————————
been in a bit of a slump lately so I chose this at random, fingers crossed it helps 🤞🏻
Whilst I loved the premise and the plot and the characters, it all felt kinda surface level. I got confused at certain points (especially in the second half) as the plot seemed to move along but with no explanations of what was happening. There were so many characters and places it was kinda hard to keep track of them all too.
(Side note - these issues could just be a me problem as I only managed to read a chapter, or a few, at a time so it was probably interrupting the flow of the story.
Also another side note as I feel it’s important - I read it so slowly but that wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the book I was just in a slump).
But overall I love the whole world and storyline so I’m hoping the next book is better! One thing that was done really well though was the romance subplot!! This is true enemies to lovers 🤌🏻
—————————
been in a bit of a slump lately so I chose this at random, fingers crossed it helps 🤞🏻
July 9, 2023
Oh welcome, new favorite—if there's one book you'll preorder, make it this one. Addictive and exciting, this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy takes well-known Fantasy tropes and makes them *flourish* :
✔ the chosen one (who doesn't want to be chosen) and the overwhelming burden of other people’s expectations;
✔ a will they/ won't they (kill or kiss each other) slow-burn that WILL alter your brain chemistry;
✔ deadly trials filled with monstrous creatures and magic;
✔ war between political factions —their allure and their lies.
Set in an Egyptian-inspired world filled with myths, The Jasad Heir explores the themes of family, loyalty, finding oneself after being shaped by others all one's life, resilience, betrayal(s) and power, but it’s also about trauma—how it shapes us, and how we crave to raise above it anyway. I was hooked from the first page and in the rare moments I had to stop reading—because real life exists, rude—I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters I fell in love with:
✔ Sylvia, of course, our fierce and relatable heroine I came to adore—I loved her humour and her tenacity so much, and above everything, let it be known that I root for *her*;
✔ Arin, her enemy/reluctant ally/something-more-please-and-thank-you, is rigid, lonely, manipulative, brilliant, maybe evil, but oh-so-loyal… What's not to love, I’m asking?
✔ I also need to mention the supportive cast of characters because their interactions with our main characters were everything: from Effa & Marek, Silvia's friends (she'll have you know that she didn't ask for that!!!!) to Beru and Wes, Arin's guards—their scenes often made me smile so big and I’d protect Effa with my life, okay?
The last chapters kept me on the edge of my seat and now I have to ask: how am I supposed to wait for the sequel? Huh?
CW:
Thanks orbit books uk for the arc!
✔ the chosen one (who doesn't want to be chosen) and the overwhelming burden of other people’s expectations;
✔ a will they/ won't they (kill or kiss each other) slow-burn that WILL alter your brain chemistry;
✔ deadly trials filled with monstrous creatures and magic;
✔ war between political factions —their allure and their lies.
Set in an Egyptian-inspired world filled with myths, The Jasad Heir explores the themes of family, loyalty, finding oneself after being shaped by others all one's life, resilience, betrayal(s) and power, but it’s also about trauma—how it shapes us, and how we crave to raise above it anyway. I was hooked from the first page and in the rare moments I had to stop reading—because real life exists, rude—I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters I fell in love with:
✔ Sylvia, of course, our fierce and relatable heroine I came to adore—I loved her humour and her tenacity so much, and above everything, let it be known that I root for *her*;
✔ Arin, her enemy/reluctant ally/something-more-please-and-thank-you, is rigid, lonely, manipulative, brilliant, maybe evil, but oh-so-loyal… What's not to love, I’m asking?
✔ I also need to mention the supportive cast of characters because their interactions with our main characters were everything: from Effa & Marek, Silvia's friends (she'll have you know that she didn't ask for that!!!!) to Beru and Wes, Arin's guards—their scenes often made me smile so big and I’d protect Effa with my life, okay?
The last chapters kept me on the edge of my seat and now I have to ask: how am I supposed to wait for the sequel? Huh?
CW:
Thanks orbit books uk for the arc!
November 21, 2023
Overview:
💋 Enemies to Lovers
💋 Super slow burn
🤯 Twists Twists Twists
🤯 Betrayal from multiple sides
♥️ Vast expansive world
♥️ Morally grey characters
🤔 Political intrigue
⭐⭐ Read more of my reviews and get tips on the best Enemies to Lovers books by checking out my Blog, Enemies to Lovers Source ⭐⭐
I DNFed this book when I first read it, and it my opinion, it is a 5 star read and one of the most unique and fun fantasy books I've picked up this year. Let's talk about what changed.
10 years ago, Sylvia fled her homeland and went into hiding after the Nizahl kingdom invaded and laid waste to the land. As the heir to the Jasad throne, the last kingdom with dangerous magic, she and her kind are hunted to the ends of the earth, put into sham trials, and executed. She lived a life of peace until the Nizahl Heir Arin finds her in her village and chooses her to be his champion in a deadly game between kingdoms. As Sylvia trains for this competition, she must keep her identity hidden, or face death.
I will start with the book's flaw; this is a debut novel, and the first 100 pages are a tad slow with quite a bit of exposition and info dumping. Not so much that it is unreadable, but its clear the author really wants to connect you to the world but struggles to find natural places to put the information. Sara Hashem clearly has planned out every inch of her world and there is a lot of information to keep track of- yet I also found that this information is naturally expanded on as the book progresses. Moreso, you can tell that she is plotting out a massive world expansion in books following. This is a fantastic series if you like a big fantasy universe with a lot of thought put into the intricacies.
Sylvia is one of the most beautifully written main characters I've spent time with in awhile. She is a deeply conflicted person wrestling with a troubled past and the crushing guilt she feels in collaborating with the kingdom that slaughtered every person she has ever loved. Her adventure slowly begins to reveal dark details about Jasad that force her to reconcile with the past of her own people. Her story asks the reader to examine their ideas about perfect victimhood- and whether nations that perpetuate atrocities deserve to experience those atrocities inflicted on them. Why would every nation want the Jasad gone, and what does one do when an enemy is vanquished?
Sylvia herself is a survivor, and it's established early on that she does not have a lot of moral hangups when It comes to protecting herself and those she loves. She is not an "everyman" main character; but a woman plagued with a troubled past who is not afraid of using violence
Arin is the secondary main character worth talking about- the Nizahl Heir. Hia character is written strictly as a villain for a major portion of the book. Arin is an icy shrewd warlord able to swiftly sniff out secrets and lies. he is emotionally distant from his allies and brutal on his enemies- willing to kill or torture to achieve his goals.
The books is written in first person, so the characters are seen though Sylvia's point of view, thus many remain relatively mysterious. There are some fun side characters here, but they don't have a lot going on in terms of independent storylines. This actually worked for me because there are many characters that all have plot threads connected to Sylvia, and her relationships with all of them range from warm and emotional to devastating. I was particularly affected by her relationships with certain characters from her past that show up a bit later in the story. The other characters of note appear in the back half of the story: the nobles of the kingdoms and their selected champions. This includes a manipulative and fearsome sultena, an axe wielding brute, and a whole cast of interesting characters.
But how is the enemies to lovers promise?
The romance in the book is easily one of the best I've read in fantasy fullstop. This is the slowest burn possible. every single moment between these characters is earned. Arin and Sylvia start out as enemies when she is captured. He isn't seen as a handsome rogue- she truly sees him as a detestable monster who is beyond humanity. Because both characters are deeply broken, romance and attraction is not on their minds. Instead, the two slowly grow to trust each other as reluctant allies and then friends. Feelings play a part only towards the end of the book.
If you like romance where the leads attempt to kill each other and don't feel shy about harming each other, this one is for you. Sara Hashem creates a truly national progression to romance that starts with bitter enemies from different factions carrying prejudice and hate with them. She carefully plans a story where each plot points brings the characters closer to each other against their will.
Sometimes there is banter, but the book strays away from "two quick witted people shooting off Joss Whedon lines at each other" focusing on darker conflicts between the two. Namely, Arin is predudice against Sylvia's people. His father destroyed her lands. He genuinely fears the power that magic has and carries the generational trauma of that; motivating what he does and how he treats others. The pair struggle to feel safe under normal circumstances, but working together to achieve a goal puts the mistrust both of them have to the test.
This is NOT a romance where the main character's heart flutters right away, or the villain love interest does something shockingly sweet early in the book. Arin and Sylvia are ice cold, and their adventures with each other thaw years of trauma and social conditioning. The Jasad Heir truly is the story of two broken people harming and hating each other because they can't fathom a world where love and companionship is possible for them.
The Jasad Heir sometimes demands work from you. Its not always an easy read, but it works to reward you at every turn with shocking twists, excellent character development, and a 5 star romance.
💋 Enemies to Lovers
💋 Super slow burn
🤯 Twists Twists Twists
🤯 Betrayal from multiple sides
♥️ Vast expansive world
♥️ Morally grey characters
🤔 Political intrigue
⭐⭐ Read more of my reviews and get tips on the best Enemies to Lovers books by checking out my Blog, Enemies to Lovers Source ⭐⭐
I DNFed this book when I first read it, and it my opinion, it is a 5 star read and one of the most unique and fun fantasy books I've picked up this year. Let's talk about what changed.
10 years ago, Sylvia fled her homeland and went into hiding after the Nizahl kingdom invaded and laid waste to the land. As the heir to the Jasad throne, the last kingdom with dangerous magic, she and her kind are hunted to the ends of the earth, put into sham trials, and executed. She lived a life of peace until the Nizahl Heir Arin finds her in her village and chooses her to be his champion in a deadly game between kingdoms. As Sylvia trains for this competition, she must keep her identity hidden, or face death.
I will start with the book's flaw; this is a debut novel, and the first 100 pages are a tad slow with quite a bit of exposition and info dumping. Not so much that it is unreadable, but its clear the author really wants to connect you to the world but struggles to find natural places to put the information. Sara Hashem clearly has planned out every inch of her world and there is a lot of information to keep track of- yet I also found that this information is naturally expanded on as the book progresses. Moreso, you can tell that she is plotting out a massive world expansion in books following. This is a fantastic series if you like a big fantasy universe with a lot of thought put into the intricacies.
Sylvia is one of the most beautifully written main characters I've spent time with in awhile. She is a deeply conflicted person wrestling with a troubled past and the crushing guilt she feels in collaborating with the kingdom that slaughtered every person she has ever loved. Her adventure slowly begins to reveal dark details about Jasad that force her to reconcile with the past of her own people. Her story asks the reader to examine their ideas about perfect victimhood- and whether nations that perpetuate atrocities deserve to experience those atrocities inflicted on them. Why would every nation want the Jasad gone, and what does one do when an enemy is vanquished?
Sylvia herself is a survivor, and it's established early on that she does not have a lot of moral hangups when It comes to protecting herself and those she loves. She is not an "everyman" main character; but a woman plagued with a troubled past who is not afraid of using violence
Arin is the secondary main character worth talking about- the Nizahl Heir. Hia character is written strictly as a villain for a major portion of the book. Arin is an icy shrewd warlord able to swiftly sniff out secrets and lies. he is emotionally distant from his allies and brutal on his enemies- willing to kill or torture to achieve his goals.
The books is written in first person, so the characters are seen though Sylvia's point of view, thus many remain relatively mysterious. There are some fun side characters here, but they don't have a lot going on in terms of independent storylines. This actually worked for me because there are many characters that all have plot threads connected to Sylvia, and her relationships with all of them range from warm and emotional to devastating. I was particularly affected by her relationships with certain characters from her past that show up a bit later in the story. The other characters of note appear in the back half of the story: the nobles of the kingdoms and their selected champions. This includes a manipulative and fearsome sultena, an axe wielding brute, and a whole cast of interesting characters.
But how is the enemies to lovers promise?
The romance in the book is easily one of the best I've read in fantasy fullstop. This is the slowest burn possible. every single moment between these characters is earned. Arin and Sylvia start out as enemies when she is captured. He isn't seen as a handsome rogue- she truly sees him as a detestable monster who is beyond humanity. Because both characters are deeply broken, romance and attraction is not on their minds. Instead, the two slowly grow to trust each other as reluctant allies and then friends. Feelings play a part only towards the end of the book.
If you like romance where the leads attempt to kill each other and don't feel shy about harming each other, this one is for you. Sara Hashem creates a truly national progression to romance that starts with bitter enemies from different factions carrying prejudice and hate with them. She carefully plans a story where each plot points brings the characters closer to each other against their will.
Sometimes there is banter, but the book strays away from "two quick witted people shooting off Joss Whedon lines at each other" focusing on darker conflicts between the two. Namely, Arin is predudice against Sylvia's people. His father destroyed her lands. He genuinely fears the power that magic has and carries the generational trauma of that; motivating what he does and how he treats others. The pair struggle to feel safe under normal circumstances, but working together to achieve a goal puts the mistrust both of them have to the test.
This is NOT a romance where the main character's heart flutters right away, or the villain love interest does something shockingly sweet early in the book. Arin and Sylvia are ice cold, and their adventures with each other thaw years of trauma and social conditioning. The Jasad Heir truly is the story of two broken people harming and hating each other because they can't fathom a world where love and companionship is possible for them.
The Jasad Heir sometimes demands work from you. Its not always an easy read, but it works to reward you at every turn with shocking twists, excellent character development, and a 5 star romance.
July 23, 2023
“What appeal can reason have in the face of your tears?”
I have been waiting for this book for a year and around four months at least. I've been so exited for it, so sure I'd love it, and there's no better feeling than proving yourself right when it comes to a book, I think.
The Jasad Heir is one of those brilliant books that sucks you in so fast and doesn't give you time to breathe until it's over and you're left in a puddle of your own tears.
THAT'S RIGHT FRIENDS, I CRIED. I have been HURT by this book to extreme levels that I'm wondering how I'm even writing this now. But it's a good kind of pain, the best, caused by the best book in the universe. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
If I could give this 10 billion stars I would, but not even 10 billion would be enough. Sara Hashem, you have ruined me for all future books. I've said this once before, but NOW I am well and truly ruined.
I just love everything about this, the writing, the story, the characters, the setting, the magic the romance. How is it possible that everything was so perfect???
Sylvia is our main character, a Jasadi queen hiding in a village until her past catches up with her. Hers is the main PoV we follow throughout the book. The other PoV is that of Arin, the heir to another kingdom and the villain.
I have loved both of them from the moment they were introduced on page, and I kept wondering if we'd get Arin's PoV at some point. Lo and behold, we did!! I think it's only around three chapters, but I adored reading them. I hope the next book will have even more of him.
Both Sylvia and Arin developed from start to finish, I'm of the firm belief that it wouldn't have been possible if they didn't have each other.
They start off as enemies and become lovers while still wanting to end the other person, naturally. It's so delicious to read, and the fact that it's a slow burn too makes it even better. I was SUFFERING, waiting to see if they'll kiss or not. And you know what? My suffering paid off, that's all I'll say.
I also loved Sefa, Marek, Fairel, Rory, Dawoud, Wes, Jeru, Diya, all the Jasadis (even the not-so-nice ones)...
Speaking of Sefa and Marek, their relationship is unclear until a certain point where we learn that it's a relationship on the ace spectrum which is so cool!!! I was not expecting ace rep at all, if I didn't already love this book, then this would make me love it for sure.
Now let me complain about the ending and by complain I mean scream at the sky in frustration because the second book isn't available yet. Of course, we get a cliffhanger that's perfectly designed to make you frantically flip the pages hoping there's more and that it's not truly the end.
SADLY, it is the end. For now. I am not okay. I need another box of tissues and a hug. Many hugs.
If you trust my taste in fantasy books, and want to read something that's proper enemies to lovers, full of politics and magic then READ THE JASAD HEIR!!!!! You won't be disappointed.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I have been waiting for this book for a year and around four months at least. I've been so exited for it, so sure I'd love it, and there's no better feeling than proving yourself right when it comes to a book, I think.
The Jasad Heir is one of those brilliant books that sucks you in so fast and doesn't give you time to breathe until it's over and you're left in a puddle of your own tears.
THAT'S RIGHT FRIENDS, I CRIED. I have been HURT by this book to extreme levels that I'm wondering how I'm even writing this now. But it's a good kind of pain, the best, caused by the best book in the universe. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
If I could give this 10 billion stars I would, but not even 10 billion would be enough. Sara Hashem, you have ruined me for all future books. I've said this once before, but NOW I am well and truly ruined.
I just love everything about this, the writing, the story, the characters, the setting, the magic the romance. How is it possible that everything was so perfect???
Sylvia is our main character, a Jasadi queen hiding in a village until her past catches up with her. Hers is the main PoV we follow throughout the book. The other PoV is that of Arin, the heir to another kingdom and the villain.
I have loved both of them from the moment they were introduced on page, and I kept wondering if we'd get Arin's PoV at some point. Lo and behold, we did!! I think it's only around three chapters, but I adored reading them. I hope the next book will have even more of him.
Both Sylvia and Arin developed from start to finish, I'm of the firm belief that it wouldn't have been possible if they didn't have each other.
They start off as enemies and become lovers while still wanting to end the other person, naturally. It's so delicious to read, and the fact that it's a slow burn too makes it even better. I was SUFFERING, waiting to see if they'll kiss or not. And you know what? My suffering paid off, that's all I'll say.
I also loved Sefa, Marek, Fairel, Rory, Dawoud, Wes, Jeru, Diya, all the Jasadis (even the not-so-nice ones)...
Speaking of Sefa and Marek, their relationship is unclear until a certain point where we learn that it's a relationship on the ace spectrum which is so cool!!! I was not expecting ace rep at all, if I didn't already love this book, then this would make me love it for sure.
Now let me complain about the ending and by complain I mean scream at the sky in frustration because the second book isn't available yet. Of course, we get a cliffhanger that's perfectly designed to make you frantically flip the pages hoping there's more and that it's not truly the end.
SADLY, it is the end. For now. I am not okay. I need another box of tissues and a hug. Many hugs.
If you trust my taste in fantasy books, and want to read something that's proper enemies to lovers, full of politics and magic then READ THE JASAD HEIR!!!!! You won't be disappointed.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
August 29, 2023
I finally finished this! Whew what a struggle
It started off so well and I was so invested and intrigued but towards the middle it started to drag, I was promised a deadly tournament however that didn’t even start until 3/4 of the book.
My main issue with this story was the fact the main character has cuffs on her wrist that prohibits her from using her magic, she was held hostage for 5 years and tortured and still her magic didn’t work. However as the story progressed she was able to not only use her magic with the cuffs but use it whenever she wanted… how??
Unfortunately I didn’t buy the romance either, it was once again a promising start with true enemies to lovers vibes but to me there was no slow build it was 300+ pages of enemies then the next minute there in love…when did this happen!
I was going to give it a 3⭐️ but as I read through the ending I just realised I’m not enjoying this at all its taken me all month to even read it even accompanied with the audiobook I just couldn’t bring myself to care for these characters or plot
It started off so well and I was so invested and intrigued but towards the middle it started to drag, I was promised a deadly tournament however that didn’t even start until 3/4 of the book.
My main issue with this story was the fact the main character has cuffs on her wrist that prohibits her from using her magic, she was held hostage for 5 years and tortured and still her magic didn’t work. However as the story progressed she was able to not only use her magic with the cuffs but use it whenever she wanted… how??
Unfortunately I didn’t buy the romance either, it was once again a promising start with true enemies to lovers vibes but to me there was no slow build it was 300+ pages of enemies then the next minute there in love…when did this happen!
I was going to give it a 3⭐️ but as I read through the ending I just realised I’m not enjoying this at all its taken me all month to even read it even accompanied with the audiobook I just couldn’t bring myself to care for these characters or plot
July 15, 2023
"Your soldiers cannot take me to your kingdom and put me before a court, because I do not exist. According to your history texts, I died almost eleven years ago. I burned to death alongside my grandparents and a dozen others. I believe my crown was taken for display in a war monument. Tell me, how can the dead stand trial for the living?"
A kingdom in ruin, the royalty massacred, a race hunted and persecuted, magic outlawed. Welcome to The Jasad Heir, the stunningly fiery debut by Sara Hashem.
Jasad was once a powerful kingdom, rich with culture, prosperity and magic. Jasadi’s thrived and lived freely until the fateful events which lead the Nizahl armies to burn their lands, kill their people, prohibit magic and annihilate every last royal. Or so they thought. Sylvia is the Jasad Heir, the sole survivor after her entire ruling family were brutally murdered at the Blood Summit. In the aftermath across the four kingdoms of Omal, Lukub, Orban and Nizahl, formerly known as Jasad, the Jasadi race are hunted by Nizahl soldiers and put to trial for any illegal use of magic. No Jasadi can live openly and no Jasadi is shown mercy by Supreme Rawain. Sylvia, now living in a quiet village in Omal spending her days apprenticed to a chemist, has mastered the art of concealing her true identity and has little desire to be found. Yet underneath her magic burns with rage. When the Nizahl Heir, Arin, visits the village of Mahair in Omal for the traditional Waleema celebration, Sylvia unwittingly captures her most feared enemy’s attention. What follows from then is a game of high stakes, for Sylvia must become the Nizahl Champion in the Alcahal, a game of three deadly trials where the winner receives much wealth and ultimate freedom, and she must also enter a bargain with Arin and aid him in the capture of two Jasadi rebel factions. As the chains that bind Sylvia tighten from all sides she must choose whether to seek freedom for herself or to free her people.
In the opening chapters we learn a great deal about the four kingdoms as Sylvia reluctantly remembers her past. This did take some time for me to fully comprehend and to visualise where all these places were in relation to one another. My ARC didn’t include a map and so I was struggling, but fortunately I was able to message the author and Hashem was kind enough to send me a digital copy. Immediately the detailed map clarified everything and I was able to immerse myself into the story, which kicks events into action rather rapidly. Readers are delved into a world that is filled with much political strife dating back many centuries ago before the Nizahl armies were even formed. Here is where Hashem seamlessly blends together history, politics and mythology. The roots to the downfall and suppression of Jasad began when the Jasad Awal, a godlike figure of pure magic, lost control and burnt his own followers. From then each kingdom’s Awal began their slumber and as a result each kingdom began to lose their magic—except Jasad which still thrived and thus remained powerful. We all know power breeds corruption but it also breeds jealousy. As the novel progresses we discover how far the Nizahl strayed from their original purpose, how much was lost and the blood that had been spilt, and how history became distorted. Buried or suppressed truths is a key theme throughout, it is a concept we are familiar with even today, and I feel Hashem explores this superbly as she shows that all political sides of this war, in various ways, are at fault. No one’s hands are entirely clean.
"There is much you don't know about me, but understand this: I will fight for my freedom until my last breath. You took it away, and you cannot fault how ardently I choose to take it back. Until you have felt hunted, less than human, rejected from the moment you were born for something you did not ask for and cannot control—until then, do not speak to me of martyrs and mercenaries."
Speaking of dirty hands, this leads me to discuss our cast of wilful characters. My favourite kind of characters are those that are morally grey, that have goodness and darkness within them, that have a complicated, often traumatic backstory. Well Sylvia and Arin fulfilled all of this. Sylvia’s questionable actions throughout show she holds many dark secrets—she does not shy away from violence, her mind is always two steps ahead predicting the outcome of a situation before it happens and it is clear she has been shaped to think this way. Sylvia has been trained to survive knowing exactly when to fight and when to be submissive, to bide her time and plan her escape. Yet for all her strong, practical demeanour she has also faced much trauma and abuse in her life, which have inevitably left scars. She cannot tolerate anyone to physically touch her, she cannot accept kindness, friendship or love. Hashem uses Sylvia’s first person narration to reveal her true thoughts, her true intentions and though we build a picture of Sylvia being quite selfish in her self preservation, we do come to understand why. In turn I came to love her character all the more for this understanding. Fear, grief and rage consume Sylvia but her character grows slowly, naturally, and by the end she leaves us in awe.
As headstrong as Sylvia is, so too is our Nizahl Heir, Arin. On first appearances Arin seems to live up to his feared reputation as the tyrant Heir, but as we read on we discover that his character is far from what he seems. Piece by piece Arin’s acts of mercy, his code of honour shines through. For example in the poorer regions of Nizahl, Arin’s newly installed laws help those in need, restricting the age of those who could be conscripted into the Nizahl army and ensuring the families of those who are conscripted are provided for. We cannot mistake his character as any less dangerous though, as shown when those around him betray or cross his path, but Arin is certainly not a character prone to unnecessary acts of cruelty. What I loved most was his fiery connection towards Sylvia. The fantasy genre has seen a resurgence of the enemies to lovers trope, and whilst I’ve read a few of these myself recently, none have been as subtlety developed as Hashem does here. Sylvia has the ability to get under Arin’s skin, to rile him up, to make him blush. As he so eloquently puts it, Sylvia has the temperament of a “deranged goose” and he’s not wrong! Yet slowly she breaks through Arin’s hard exterior and they begin to understand one another. Their relationship maturely blossoms yet also retains its element of fun with their witty banter!
Romance, however, is not at the forefront of this novel, I believe the friendships hold a much more prominent part. Once again, Hashem shows herself to be the master of slow-burn, mature relationships. Marek and Sefa were two characters I adored right from the onset, they both show their love for Sylvia in the most tender ways given that Sylvia is a somewhat difficult person to become close to. Then again, once you find friends that will help you dispose of a dead body with no questions asked, you should never let those people go and this is something that Sylvia comes to realise! However what impressed me was the way, given Sylvia’s aversion to affection, they both respect her wishes and keep their physical contact minimal showing affection in other ways by gifting her favourite sesame seed candies or by caring for her plants or even, later on, by plotting to rescue even when it risks their own lives. They love her even though she tells them she doesn’t deserve it, they often do what she would not in return. In my eyes, that is true friendship.
“You entered a world where magic is corrosive and Jasadis are inherently evil. I entered one where turning a shoe into a dove made my mother laugh. Have you considered, in that infinite mind of yours, that the truly brilliant people are the ones who understand the realities we build were already built for us?"
Hashem often takes many fantasy tropes and portrays them in impressive ways. The most significant ones being the lost heir and the reluctant hero which is at the heart of this novel. However, I’ve always loved the forbidden magic trope and Hashem explores this fantastically too. Though magic has been outlawed there are remnants of its existence throughout the world. Certain monsters, inspired from Egyptian mythology, still persist and are drawn by magic, and the Jasadi rebels, the Mufsids and the Urabi, use it in their uprising. During these scenes I loved visualising the powers that the world once inhabited. Nevertheless in order for Sylvia’s identity to remain hidden she must keep her magic concealed, not that she can use it much anyway, but also entering a Champions game where her biggest advantage to win is her magic, proves somewhat difficult. Following Sylvia overcoming all the obstacles of her forbidden magic throws at her was deliciously entertaining, particularly in those last few explosive chapters.
Hashem has well and truly grabbed my attention—this first instalment of The Scorched Throne duology absolutely triumphs. The Jasad Heir blazes with rich worldbuilding, compelling characters and magic that will leave you singed.
“One day, I would stand trial before the spirits of my dead. One day, the bodies I never buried would call upon me to answer for my sins. One day, but not today.”
ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
The Jasad Heir is out 20th July 2023
A kingdom in ruin, the royalty massacred, a race hunted and persecuted, magic outlawed. Welcome to The Jasad Heir, the stunningly fiery debut by Sara Hashem.
Jasad was once a powerful kingdom, rich with culture, prosperity and magic. Jasadi’s thrived and lived freely until the fateful events which lead the Nizahl armies to burn their lands, kill their people, prohibit magic and annihilate every last royal. Or so they thought. Sylvia is the Jasad Heir, the sole survivor after her entire ruling family were brutally murdered at the Blood Summit. In the aftermath across the four kingdoms of Omal, Lukub, Orban and Nizahl, formerly known as Jasad, the Jasadi race are hunted by Nizahl soldiers and put to trial for any illegal use of magic. No Jasadi can live openly and no Jasadi is shown mercy by Supreme Rawain. Sylvia, now living in a quiet village in Omal spending her days apprenticed to a chemist, has mastered the art of concealing her true identity and has little desire to be found. Yet underneath her magic burns with rage. When the Nizahl Heir, Arin, visits the village of Mahair in Omal for the traditional Waleema celebration, Sylvia unwittingly captures her most feared enemy’s attention. What follows from then is a game of high stakes, for Sylvia must become the Nizahl Champion in the Alcahal, a game of three deadly trials where the winner receives much wealth and ultimate freedom, and she must also enter a bargain with Arin and aid him in the capture of two Jasadi rebel factions. As the chains that bind Sylvia tighten from all sides she must choose whether to seek freedom for herself or to free her people.
In the opening chapters we learn a great deal about the four kingdoms as Sylvia reluctantly remembers her past. This did take some time for me to fully comprehend and to visualise where all these places were in relation to one another. My ARC didn’t include a map and so I was struggling, but fortunately I was able to message the author and Hashem was kind enough to send me a digital copy. Immediately the detailed map clarified everything and I was able to immerse myself into the story, which kicks events into action rather rapidly. Readers are delved into a world that is filled with much political strife dating back many centuries ago before the Nizahl armies were even formed. Here is where Hashem seamlessly blends together history, politics and mythology. The roots to the downfall and suppression of Jasad began when the Jasad Awal, a godlike figure of pure magic, lost control and burnt his own followers. From then each kingdom’s Awal began their slumber and as a result each kingdom began to lose their magic—except Jasad which still thrived and thus remained powerful. We all know power breeds corruption but it also breeds jealousy. As the novel progresses we discover how far the Nizahl strayed from their original purpose, how much was lost and the blood that had been spilt, and how history became distorted. Buried or suppressed truths is a key theme throughout, it is a concept we are familiar with even today, and I feel Hashem explores this superbly as she shows that all political sides of this war, in various ways, are at fault. No one’s hands are entirely clean.
"There is much you don't know about me, but understand this: I will fight for my freedom until my last breath. You took it away, and you cannot fault how ardently I choose to take it back. Until you have felt hunted, less than human, rejected from the moment you were born for something you did not ask for and cannot control—until then, do not speak to me of martyrs and mercenaries."
Speaking of dirty hands, this leads me to discuss our cast of wilful characters. My favourite kind of characters are those that are morally grey, that have goodness and darkness within them, that have a complicated, often traumatic backstory. Well Sylvia and Arin fulfilled all of this. Sylvia’s questionable actions throughout show she holds many dark secrets—she does not shy away from violence, her mind is always two steps ahead predicting the outcome of a situation before it happens and it is clear she has been shaped to think this way. Sylvia has been trained to survive knowing exactly when to fight and when to be submissive, to bide her time and plan her escape. Yet for all her strong, practical demeanour she has also faced much trauma and abuse in her life, which have inevitably left scars. She cannot tolerate anyone to physically touch her, she cannot accept kindness, friendship or love. Hashem uses Sylvia’s first person narration to reveal her true thoughts, her true intentions and though we build a picture of Sylvia being quite selfish in her self preservation, we do come to understand why. In turn I came to love her character all the more for this understanding. Fear, grief and rage consume Sylvia but her character grows slowly, naturally, and by the end she leaves us in awe.
As headstrong as Sylvia is, so too is our Nizahl Heir, Arin. On first appearances Arin seems to live up to his feared reputation as the tyrant Heir, but as we read on we discover that his character is far from what he seems. Piece by piece Arin’s acts of mercy, his code of honour shines through. For example in the poorer regions of Nizahl, Arin’s newly installed laws help those in need, restricting the age of those who could be conscripted into the Nizahl army and ensuring the families of those who are conscripted are provided for. We cannot mistake his character as any less dangerous though, as shown when those around him betray or cross his path, but Arin is certainly not a character prone to unnecessary acts of cruelty. What I loved most was his fiery connection towards Sylvia. The fantasy genre has seen a resurgence of the enemies to lovers trope, and whilst I’ve read a few of these myself recently, none have been as subtlety developed as Hashem does here. Sylvia has the ability to get under Arin’s skin, to rile him up, to make him blush. As he so eloquently puts it, Sylvia has the temperament of a “deranged goose” and he’s not wrong! Yet slowly she breaks through Arin’s hard exterior and they begin to understand one another. Their relationship maturely blossoms yet also retains its element of fun with their witty banter!
Romance, however, is not at the forefront of this novel, I believe the friendships hold a much more prominent part. Once again, Hashem shows herself to be the master of slow-burn, mature relationships. Marek and Sefa were two characters I adored right from the onset, they both show their love for Sylvia in the most tender ways given that Sylvia is a somewhat difficult person to become close to. Then again, once you find friends that will help you dispose of a dead body with no questions asked, you should never let those people go and this is something that Sylvia comes to realise! However what impressed me was the way, given Sylvia’s aversion to affection, they both respect her wishes and keep their physical contact minimal showing affection in other ways by gifting her favourite sesame seed candies or by caring for her plants or even, later on, by plotting to rescue even when it risks their own lives. They love her even though she tells them she doesn’t deserve it, they often do what she would not in return. In my eyes, that is true friendship.
“You entered a world where magic is corrosive and Jasadis are inherently evil. I entered one where turning a shoe into a dove made my mother laugh. Have you considered, in that infinite mind of yours, that the truly brilliant people are the ones who understand the realities we build were already built for us?"
Hashem often takes many fantasy tropes and portrays them in impressive ways. The most significant ones being the lost heir and the reluctant hero which is at the heart of this novel. However, I’ve always loved the forbidden magic trope and Hashem explores this fantastically too. Though magic has been outlawed there are remnants of its existence throughout the world. Certain monsters, inspired from Egyptian mythology, still persist and are drawn by magic, and the Jasadi rebels, the Mufsids and the Urabi, use it in their uprising. During these scenes I loved visualising the powers that the world once inhabited. Nevertheless in order for Sylvia’s identity to remain hidden she must keep her magic concealed, not that she can use it much anyway, but also entering a Champions game where her biggest advantage to win is her magic, proves somewhat difficult. Following Sylvia overcoming all the obstacles of her forbidden magic throws at her was deliciously entertaining, particularly in those last few explosive chapters.
Hashem has well and truly grabbed my attention—this first instalment of The Scorched Throne duology absolutely triumphs. The Jasad Heir blazes with rich worldbuilding, compelling characters and magic that will leave you singed.
“One day, I would stand trial before the spirits of my dead. One day, the bodies I never buried would call upon me to answer for my sins. One day, but not today.”
ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
The Jasad Heir is out 20th July 2023
Read
September 5, 2023THIS WAS SO GOOD I NEED BOOK TWO IMMINENTLY 😭
August 7, 2023
Egyptian inspired political enemies to lovers fantasy by a Muslim author
My favourite quote:
"She had the temperament of a deranged goose. Every interaction he'd shared with her had thoroughly convinced him he was not dealing with a stable woman."
Also not the dedication having my name, never happened to me before
My favourite quote:
"She had the temperament of a deranged goose. Every interaction he'd shared with her had thoroughly convinced him he was not dealing with a stable woman."
Also not the dedication having my name, never happened to me before
March 19, 2024
"His will is strong. It always is, in the self-righteous.”
“But the will of the damned is even stronger.”
the way my heart is beating so fast because um THAT ENDING??? im both excited and absolutely *terrified* for book 2. i need some news ANY NEWS PLEASE on a release date, how am i expected to wait?? you cannot make these characters and story have such a hold on me and expect me to be okay without book 2 in my hands right now. i am broken.
"When you choose who you are willing to fight for, you choose who you are."
from the very first chapter, The Jasad Heir immediately gripped me and caught me in its thralls. (like come on, how is it not hot for Sylvia to break a man's back in such a brutal way?? yes you read that right. girls covering up their murders!!! we love to see it and what a way to get someone hooked!!) but truly not one moment was i bored and was completely at these characters' mercy, your honor i am OBSESSED. the writing, the plot, the magic, the characters, the romance--literally everything about this story was so compelling and beautifully written, there is no doubt that this book has put me in a slump and i eagerly welcome this for once because i do not want to move on anytime soon. this is 100% an all time favourite book of mine. i mean i loved this so much that even before finishing it as i neared the end, i immediately ordered the Illumicrate edition because i absolutely need a SE of this masterpiece. i will most certainly be rereading The Jasad Heir so many times, which makes it all the more perfect because its THAT kind of book: one that can be reread over and over and you never get tired of it. if this doesnt tell you how loved this book is to me, then don't worry im not done.
She had the temperament of a deranged goose. Every interaction he’d shared with her had thoroughly convinced him he was not dealing with a stable woman.
it's impossible to write this review and not speak of the characters. Sylvia, my fierce, ruthless, gorgeous queen. i would lay down my life for her in a heartbeat, i just love every part of her. her strengths, her weaknesses, how she copes by rambling or making jokes, how she loves so fiercely despite trying not to show it, how she longs for a peaceful life where there are no expectations of her, how even when she tries to not feel the guilt it claws at her like it would any human, how hard she tries to build walls around feeling any sort or attachment for anything or anyone but really she feels so alone and theres so many layers of trauma and distrust to unpack my heart breaks for her. it's how she's so strong and cool and even in the face of her fear she fights. its how she has the temper of a deranged goose and its really such another lovable quality of her😂❤ and how her dry sarcasm and jokes are actually FUNNY?? the amount of times I laughed bye I dont think I've read about a MC that's made me laugh this many times, really what's not to love about her? i'm probably missing many other beautiful qualities in Sylvia, but truly her character is such a delight and feels so real, I just want to give her a big hug. It's no wonder Sefa and Marek were so willing to lay down their lives for her I mean who wouldn't?? and no surprise that a *certain* heir fell for Sylvia completely👀
“Arin is consumed by what he loves. If asked, he would get on his knees and let it kill him. He withholds his heart out of self-preservation."
which brings me to the other new love of my life: Arin of Nizhal!! From the moment he stabbed Sylvia in the leg and arm standing atop a horse saddle near the edge of a cliff... i knew it was true love. i too would happily be stabbed by Arin. and then when he caught her before she fell into the river, shielding her from any further damage, i was absolutely even more sure🥰
IM NOT BEING SARCASTIC BTW I LOVE HIM SO WHOLEHEARTEDLY. if that makes me completely unhinged, i welcome that. but truly his character is so!!! his need for organization, his attention to detail, his politeness, his brilliant mind, his bluntness, the dangerous air surrounding him,
and THIS is what I call a true enemies to lovers marketed correctly!! not the "enemies to lovers" that's really hate to love and they're "enemies" but constantly think about how attractive the other is. i need that muderous tension between them!! i need that constant thinking of "oh how i want to kill him/her". the bloodthirstiness!! the electric and dangerous tension!! and it so served here.
The way he looks you at sometimes. Like you are a cliff with a fatal fall, and each day you move him closer to its edge.
Arin and Sylvia's dynamic was absolutely delicious and so so well written, the slowww burn was truly everything and their chemistry (THE ANGST??) was pure perfection. i would change nothing. (in fact please give me more i'm starving for more ArinSylvia scenes, my greedy, hopeless heart is begging for it) the way Arin was caught folding her clothes, handling her belongings with thoughtfulness and care and then Sylvia noticing that when Arin was in a good mood he ate with his right hand, and left when in a bad mood i mean just???🥹 her "Why do I even remember that?" please they are so gone for each other.
Love was not submission. It was not testing how far I could bend before I broke. Love was Sefa’s hand finding mine in the dark to reassure herself of my presence. Love was Marek entering the kingdom of his nightmares to help me.
also shoutout to the side characters whom i adore!! Sefa and Marek are the best friends a person could have, they're so sweet i love love loveee them and no harm had better come to these two or there will be therapy bills to pay!! Wes and Jeru were also interesting and funny guards, and i cant wait to see more of them, and hopefully less of a *certain* guard although i know that's very unlikely unfortunately.
truly The Jasad Heir is a book i highly HIGHLY recommend to anyone who wants an enriching and true dynamic in enemies to lovers, with well written characters, magic, plot and politics. i still cannot believe that ending, it wrecked me and i knew it was coming but the way it came?? im destroyed, please take me back. i will be suffering in wait for the next 9735972 days on news of book 2's release and will definitely be rereading this book many times. hell, i already am resisting the urge to do a reread right away--another sign of this book's magnificence.
Arin and Sylvia, my OTP <3
10 billion stars⭐
April 6, 2024
Enemies to Lovers at its finest
Setting it up!
⚜Theme: Epic cultural Fantasy with a hint of romance
⚜Characters: Jasadis (magic wielders) and humans
⚜TW: a lot! A whole fucking lot! violence- child rape - torture - abuse - and many more
⚜ tropes: chosen one (I think)- Enemies to Lovers (but not the main focus)
⚜ POV: one POV (with three chapters only from Arin's)
⚜ spice: 1/2 🌶 it's mostly NA, but there is a scene at the end
⚜ rating: 4.25🌟🌟🌟🌟🔅
⚜standalone: no, part of a series
⚜Ending: cliffhanger
Main characters
Sylvia
Arin
I started this book about two weeks ago, read about 50 pages, then had to stop because of my job commitment. I picked up yesterday, and when I tell you I couldn't put it down I mean I slept two hours then woke up at dawn to continue reading couldn't put it.
I even forgot to share many updates on GR.
Please note that this is a spoiler-free review but there will be a disclaimer at the end that may contain spoilers
The Story
The ruler of Nizahl saw that any person who used magic was an abomination. So he declared war on the Kingdom of Jasad, got rid of the royal family, persecuted any Jasadi, and his Heir, Arin, hunted any fleeing Jasadi.
Sylvia is hiding out the fact that she is a Jasadi, and something else. When she has a fateful encounter with Arin and he chooses her to be his Champion for the Alcalah trials, her fate is set.
The overall story itself is not new. An heir hiding in disguise falls under the hands of her nemesis while discovering who she truly is.
however, it's the setting and the cultural references that make this story special. The use of all the Egyptian lures and words made it all the better.
The political undertone and allusion to actual incidents in history elevated the plot into a beautiful read.
"Children are not meant to bear the woes of this life, Sylvia. It breaks them. They will spend their adult lives doing everything in their power to never feel the weight of the world again"
this quote is very important later in the plot twists
Fast Pace
I've seen some 1 star reviews here saying that nothing happens in the book! I mean they are entitled to their opinion, but seriously! Did they read the book?
Almost every chapter something happens
from the very one
and they made it seem like the trials did not occure! All three trials took place in the book
The story takes you from one plot twist to another with surprising turns of events
The characters
Sylvia may appear as this passive, aloof, and stoic character. But who could blame her? the life she had, and the things she'd seen would make anyone think a hundred times before cracking a smile
and still, she delivers some burn responses that left me smiling
the sole company I'm permitted to keep is the handful of soldiers whose conversational skills peaked in the womb
Arin, just like Sylvia, has been handed blow after blow since he was a baby. He is tasked with a heavy burden and a bit of a curse. We only get three chapters from his point of view and what he tells Sylvia, but still you get the sense that he is harboring a great plan.
He is a theorist, a schemer, and absolutely smart. Always two steps ahead of others
I hope we get more of him in his own POV in book 2
The World building
it was simple, yet understandable
it left nothing for speculations except minor questions that hinted to be solved in later books in the series.
You don't have to have a dense background on Egyptian culture to understand all the words used
As someone who is a Native speaker of Arabic and has a close connection with Egyptians, I was extremely happy reading a Fantasy where I understood everything.
I believe representation and amplifying POC writers are important
so as we read Fantasies inspired by Gaelic or Irish or English or any other culture, why not one inspired by Egyptian one?
The Enemies to Lovers
There is a misconception about this trope
little banter ≠ enemies to lovers
secretly love her ≠ enemies to lovers
rivals ≠ enemies to lovers
enemies to lovers is when they both want to literally and almost kill each other
Sylvia and Arin are from two kingdoms that hate each other
Sylvia's kingdom killed Arin's mother
Arin's kingdom wiped out Sylvia's Kingdom
at one point (I do not consider this spoiler but skip if you want) he breaks both her hands and shoots an arrow to her thigh
she almost cuts his throat and holds him at knife point twice
The wholesome kingdom (Maybe spoilers)
I loved that non of the kingdoms were pure and innocent
each kingdom and their rulers did evil things to their people
but this bears the question "is it just to wipe out entire people to punish the sins of the rulers?"
DISCLAIMER AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS
in one of my previous reviews I talked about originality and the difference between inspiration and literally taking everything from other works
When some authors are inspired by a culture, events, or other authors and their books, it is natural that we see glimpses of this in said authors' books. However, these authors still bring their own
Like when you do a fairy tale retelling, or Shakespearean retelling, or cultural fantasy, or even a realistic story based on true events
This is inspiration
It is clear that this book is inspired by
1- Egyptian Culture and History
- The sacrifices to the River
- The Mawlid
- The burial rituals
- The words used ( ya amari (my moon), halawani (the candy man), oota (tomato)...
2- The Hunger Games
the trials where each kingdom presents a champion to compete and only one Victor remains
3- Shatter Me series (and this one I did not like at all and the reason I deducted 1 star from the perfect 5)
so the main two characters
Arin = very close to Aaron. Son of the ruler. Commander of the army. White blond hair, blue eyes (Aaron has green thou). has resistance to Sylvia's magic?????
Sylvia = brunette, possesses powerful magic, reluctant to use it at first. and her name? Juliette is the main character in Shatter Me, like the Shakespeare Juliet?? Shakespeare has another very famous sonnet called "Silvia"
and the whole "if I touch her with her full power I'll die"?
IDK, maybe it was just me, but I did not like this part
Also, what up with Silver hair vs Burnett hair!!!! Is it the norm now???
But all in All, amazing book
cant wait for book 2
Setting it up!
⚜Theme: Epic cultural Fantasy with a hint of romance
⚜Characters: Jasadis (magic wielders) and humans
⚜TW: a lot! A whole fucking lot! violence- child rape - torture - abuse - and many more
⚜ tropes: chosen one (I think)- Enemies to Lovers (but not the main focus)
⚜ POV: one POV (with three chapters only from Arin's)
⚜ spice: 1/2 🌶 it's mostly NA, but there is a scene at the end
⚜ rating: 4.25🌟🌟🌟🌟🔅
⚜standalone: no, part of a series
⚜Ending: cliffhanger
Main characters
Sylvia
Arin
I started this book about two weeks ago, read about 50 pages, then had to stop because of my job commitment. I picked up yesterday, and when I tell you I couldn't put it down I mean I slept two hours then woke up at dawn to continue reading couldn't put it.
I even forgot to share many updates on GR.
Please note that this is a spoiler-free review but there will be a disclaimer at the end that may contain spoilers
The Story
The ruler of Nizahl saw that any person who used magic was an abomination. So he declared war on the Kingdom of Jasad, got rid of the royal family, persecuted any Jasadi, and his Heir, Arin, hunted any fleeing Jasadi.
Sylvia is hiding out the fact that she is a Jasadi, and something else. When she has a fateful encounter with Arin and he chooses her to be his Champion for the Alcalah trials, her fate is set.
The overall story itself is not new. An heir hiding in disguise falls under the hands of her nemesis while discovering who she truly is.
however, it's the setting and the cultural references that make this story special. The use of all the Egyptian lures and words made it all the better.
The political undertone and allusion to actual incidents in history elevated the plot into a beautiful read.
"Children are not meant to bear the woes of this life, Sylvia. It breaks them. They will spend their adult lives doing everything in their power to never feel the weight of the world again"
this quote is very important later in the plot twists
Fast Pace
I've seen some 1 star reviews here saying that nothing happens in the book! I mean they are entitled to their opinion, but seriously! Did they read the book?
Almost every chapter something happens
from the very one
and they made it seem like the trials did not occure! All three trials took place in the book
The story takes you from one plot twist to another with surprising turns of events
The characters
Sylvia may appear as this passive, aloof, and stoic character. But who could blame her? the life she had, and the things she'd seen would make anyone think a hundred times before cracking a smile
and still, she delivers some burn responses that left me smiling
the sole company I'm permitted to keep is the handful of soldiers whose conversational skills peaked in the womb
Arin, just like Sylvia, has been handed blow after blow since he was a baby. He is tasked with a heavy burden and a bit of a curse. We only get three chapters from his point of view and what he tells Sylvia, but still you get the sense that he is harboring a great plan.
He is a theorist, a schemer, and absolutely smart. Always two steps ahead of others
I hope we get more of him in his own POV in book 2
The World building
it was simple, yet understandable
it left nothing for speculations except minor questions that hinted to be solved in later books in the series.
You don't have to have a dense background on Egyptian culture to understand all the words used
As someone who is a Native speaker of Arabic and has a close connection with Egyptians, I was extremely happy reading a Fantasy where I understood everything.
I believe representation and amplifying POC writers are important
so as we read Fantasies inspired by Gaelic or Irish or English or any other culture, why not one inspired by Egyptian one?
The Enemies to Lovers
There is a misconception about this trope
little banter ≠ enemies to lovers
secretly love her ≠ enemies to lovers
rivals ≠ enemies to lovers
enemies to lovers is when they both want to literally and almost kill each other
Sylvia and Arin are from two kingdoms that hate each other
Sylvia's kingdom killed Arin's mother
Arin's kingdom wiped out Sylvia's Kingdom
at one point (I do not consider this spoiler but skip if you want) he breaks both her hands and shoots an arrow to her thigh
she almost cuts his throat and holds him at knife point twice
The wholesome kingdom (Maybe spoilers)
I loved that non of the kingdoms were pure and innocent
each kingdom and their rulers did evil things to their people
but this bears the question "is it just to wipe out entire people to punish the sins of the rulers?"
DISCLAIMER AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS
in one of my previous reviews I talked about originality and the difference between inspiration and literally taking everything from other works
When some authors are inspired by a culture, events, or other authors and their books, it is natural that we see glimpses of this in said authors' books. However, these authors still bring their own
Like when you do a fairy tale retelling, or Shakespearean retelling, or cultural fantasy, or even a realistic story based on true events
This is inspiration
It is clear that this book is inspired by
1- Egyptian Culture and History
- The sacrifices to the River
- The Mawlid
- The burial rituals
- The words used ( ya amari (my moon), halawani (the candy man), oota (tomato)...
2- The Hunger Games
the trials where each kingdom presents a champion to compete and only one Victor remains
3- Shatter Me series (and this one I did not like at all and the reason I deducted 1 star from the perfect 5)
so the main two characters
Arin = very close to Aaron. Son of the ruler. Commander of the army. White blond hair, blue eyes (Aaron has green thou). has resistance to Sylvia's magic?????
Sylvia = brunette, possesses powerful magic, reluctant to use it at first. and her name? Juliette is the main character in Shatter Me, like the Shakespeare Juliet?? Shakespeare has another very famous sonnet called "Silvia"
and the whole "if I touch her with her full power I'll die"?
IDK, maybe it was just me, but I did not like this part
Also, what up with Silver hair vs Burnett hair!!!! Is it the norm now???
But all in All, amazing book
cant wait for book 2
October 18, 2023
Initial Reaction: I have… thoughts
Okay, let me get started with one of my favorite parts of this book: the EGYPTIAN REP!! I am an Egyptian American and while I have been fortunate to find Muslim and Arab rep in the books I read, it's been harder to find Egyptian rep. This book nailed it on the head, I was SO happy to see my culture on the page and it was done beautifully. I laughed so hard at the "birds' tongue soup" joke because I had the same exact experience growing up. I can never speak enough about how special it is to read your experiences and feel represented on the page, it's one of the best feelings.
Moving on, I did feel that overall the book needs a little more editing. Like everything just needed to be polished and pulled together. It is a debut and it reads that way. It needed to flow better. I'm hoping to see the writing improve in the next book because the potential to be a 4 or 5 star read is there.
I had heard that this book has a "colonizer romance" and honestly it's what made me delay reading it for so long. I will say it's not as bad as you might think when you hear those words but I'm still super iffy on the romance as a whole. I think nationalities aside, they would make for a great enemies to lovers, but as I'm reading, I can't forget that Arin is the Heir of the kingdom that destroyed Jasad. I'm leaving my opinion on this romance open minded because I can see the potential for a great pairing but I need massive development from Arin (and Sylvia).
Side note: I don't know why we've seen so many colonizer romances this year. Authors, y'all can write tension without this dynamic. Just make them from opposing kingdoms. Why does his kingdom have to be colonizing hers?
Speaking of Sylvia, I'm back and forth on her character. Sometimes I love her, but most of the time she frustrated me. She has a lot of feelings towards Jasad and I don't completely agree with them, neither do I fully understand her motivations. I understand wanting to distance yourself from the past but I wanted more. All that said, with the way the book ended, I could see Sylvia fully embracing herself and her identity in the next book and I hope it goes that way!
Overall, this book was good! I had a decent time and I DO recommend it to everyone looking for an adult fantasy and Egyptian rep!
TW: colonization, grief, murder, violence, mentions of torture, discrimination
I received an arc of this title from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, let me get started with one of my favorite parts of this book: the EGYPTIAN REP!! I am an Egyptian American and while I have been fortunate to find Muslim and Arab rep in the books I read, it's been harder to find Egyptian rep. This book nailed it on the head, I was SO happy to see my culture on the page and it was done beautifully. I laughed so hard at the "birds' tongue soup" joke because I had the same exact experience growing up. I can never speak enough about how special it is to read your experiences and feel represented on the page, it's one of the best feelings.
Moving on, I did feel that overall the book needs a little more editing. Like everything just needed to be polished and pulled together. It is a debut and it reads that way. It needed to flow better. I'm hoping to see the writing improve in the next book because the potential to be a 4 or 5 star read is there.
I had heard that this book has a "colonizer romance" and honestly it's what made me delay reading it for so long. I will say it's not as bad as you might think when you hear those words but I'm still super iffy on the romance as a whole. I think nationalities aside, they would make for a great enemies to lovers, but as I'm reading, I can't forget that Arin is the Heir of the kingdom that destroyed Jasad. I'm leaving my opinion on this romance open minded because I can see the potential for a great pairing but I need massive development from Arin (and Sylvia).
Side note: I don't know why we've seen so many colonizer romances this year. Authors, y'all can write tension without this dynamic. Just make them from opposing kingdoms. Why does his kingdom have to be colonizing hers?
Speaking of Sylvia, I'm back and forth on her character. Sometimes I love her, but most of the time she frustrated me. She has a lot of feelings towards Jasad and I don't completely agree with them, neither do I fully understand her motivations. I understand wanting to distance yourself from the past but I wanted more. All that said, with the way the book ended, I could see Sylvia fully embracing herself and her identity in the next book and I hope it goes that way!
Overall, this book was good! I had a decent time and I DO recommend it to everyone looking for an adult fantasy and Egyptian rep!
TW: colonization, grief, murder, violence, mentions of torture, discrimination
I received an arc of this title from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2024
Strong start in the first 25%, but it didn't really feel like it went anywhere. Very YA fantasy coded and as things lingered on as I waited for the trials, it made me think about how a lot of the math for the geopolitics didn't add up
September 3, 2023
ur actually joking. this book was life changing
July 30, 2023
Thanks for the arc. I'm sorry for what follows.
Usually, I don't give 2 stars unless the book actively bothered me in some way, but I suppose an exception must be made here. I really wanted to like this one. Truly. It brings me no joy to rate this poorly, and so I'll try to keep it brief. I think the author's prose is proficient enough where she can get better, but as a debut, ohhhhh it's not the best.
The Jasad Heir, above all else, is boring. It took me so long to get through because it was just boring. I really don't have much else to say. Sylvia didn't particularly stand out to me in any way. I didn't find her compelling. I actively disliked the love interest. There were too many named characters, and I found myself losing track, especially as new ones meant to be significant players were introduced after the halfway mark.
Probably the most bizarre thing about this book was its pacing. I can seeeeee in the author's mind how she decided to pace it out and theoretically went "I'm spacing out all the subplot plot points at an even distance from each other so it won't ever lag" but it still did. The way the book split itself into acts was very disjointed. The third act break event should've been the midpoint, since all the interesting stuff happened in the second half of the book, but it wasn't. I suspect it's because the author really wanted to place the bulk of romantic development and self exploration in the second act, but the downside is that it feels like nothing's ever happening. And then she would shove in scenes that should feel exciting but since plot-wise we're in a lag, we know that nothing's /actually/ happening.
The chapters are longer than they should be, usually beginning with a frustrated Sylvia and ending with a conversation between her and the love interest that's meant to liken the audience to the thought of them together, but I did not feel very likened. I did not like them together, and when their scenes started near the end of the chapter, I would groan. It dragged soooo badly. I'm sorry. I don't understand how we were constantly learning new things and yet I didn't care for any of it. I do not know how I was /this/ bored.
I like the enemies to lovers, but the love interest has to be, at the very least, compelling for it to work. Maybe not a good person, but at the very least, interesting. He was neither. He'd walk on stage and I'd be like oh maybe we'll finally find out something about him that would lead us to like him or side with him or maybe even understand his perspective more, but nothing did the trick for me. I know that Egyptians come in all sorts of shades but I'm getting tired of seeing love interests exclusively aligned with western beauty standards and colorist ideals, especially if it's supernaturally and inhumanly so. He isn't just pale. He's super mega-charged pale with unnatural silver hair. The author is free to portray her SWANA characters however she sees fit, I'm not here to police her, but I'm also allowed to be sick as hell of this trope. Do whatever, but are we aware that this is a trend? I'm tired grandpa.
I know there's possibly something to be said about the way themes operated in this book and the politics and how power operated but you have to understand, I've been pulling my teeth trying to finish this, and I cannot trust myself to tackle any of those things in a truly comprehensive way.
Also, tack on near the end, but there was. like. So many villain monologues and explanations in this thing. I felt like I was being explained to a lot, if not by a secondary character, then by the main character. I'm kinda glad for that, because I was really bored and found myself drifting so it reminded me what was going on, but also damn like maybe I would've been more engaged if you let me think for myself during the book. I kinda hate being explained to. It was almost comical sometimes because characters would go on their little monologue for what felt like 15 minutes in-universe to people who were actively bleeding out and should've died within 2 lines. It just didn't feel real. It didn't give any of these scenes any weight. The tension is phony, the stakes area made up, my disbelief has been unsuspended.
Yeah. Not sure what to say here. I think most of my dissent is subjective. It's hard for me to qualify the kinds of people who would or would not like this book, because it was sold to me with a genre and a premise that I usually enjoy, and it did not click for me. C'est la vie I guess.
Usually, I don't give 2 stars unless the book actively bothered me in some way, but I suppose an exception must be made here. I really wanted to like this one. Truly. It brings me no joy to rate this poorly, and so I'll try to keep it brief. I think the author's prose is proficient enough where she can get better, but as a debut, ohhhhh it's not the best.
The Jasad Heir, above all else, is boring. It took me so long to get through because it was just boring. I really don't have much else to say. Sylvia didn't particularly stand out to me in any way. I didn't find her compelling. I actively disliked the love interest. There were too many named characters, and I found myself losing track, especially as new ones meant to be significant players were introduced after the halfway mark.
Probably the most bizarre thing about this book was its pacing. I can seeeeee in the author's mind how she decided to pace it out and theoretically went "I'm spacing out all the subplot plot points at an even distance from each other so it won't ever lag" but it still did. The way the book split itself into acts was very disjointed. The third act break event should've been the midpoint, since all the interesting stuff happened in the second half of the book, but it wasn't. I suspect it's because the author really wanted to place the bulk of romantic development and self exploration in the second act, but the downside is that it feels like nothing's ever happening. And then she would shove in scenes that should feel exciting but since plot-wise we're in a lag, we know that nothing's /actually/ happening.
The chapters are longer than they should be, usually beginning with a frustrated Sylvia and ending with a conversation between her and the love interest that's meant to liken the audience to the thought of them together, but I did not feel very likened. I did not like them together, and when their scenes started near the end of the chapter, I would groan. It dragged soooo badly. I'm sorry. I don't understand how we were constantly learning new things and yet I didn't care for any of it. I do not know how I was /this/ bored.
I like the enemies to lovers, but the love interest has to be, at the very least, compelling for it to work. Maybe not a good person, but at the very least, interesting. He was neither. He'd walk on stage and I'd be like oh maybe we'll finally find out something about him that would lead us to like him or side with him or maybe even understand his perspective more, but nothing did the trick for me. I know that Egyptians come in all sorts of shades but I'm getting tired of seeing love interests exclusively aligned with western beauty standards and colorist ideals, especially if it's supernaturally and inhumanly so. He isn't just pale. He's super mega-charged pale with unnatural silver hair. The author is free to portray her SWANA characters however she sees fit, I'm not here to police her, but I'm also allowed to be sick as hell of this trope. Do whatever, but are we aware that this is a trend? I'm tired grandpa.
I know there's possibly something to be said about the way themes operated in this book and the politics and how power operated but you have to understand, I've been pulling my teeth trying to finish this, and I cannot trust myself to tackle any of those things in a truly comprehensive way.
Also, tack on near the end, but there was. like. So many villain monologues and explanations in this thing. I felt like I was being explained to a lot, if not by a secondary character, then by the main character. I'm kinda glad for that, because I was really bored and found myself drifting so it reminded me what was going on, but also damn like maybe I would've been more engaged if you let me think for myself during the book. I kinda hate being explained to. It was almost comical sometimes because characters would go on their little monologue for what felt like 15 minutes in-universe to people who were actively bleeding out and should've died within 2 lines. It just didn't feel real. It didn't give any of these scenes any weight. The tension is phony, the stakes area made up, my disbelief has been unsuspended.
Yeah. Not sure what to say here. I think most of my dissent is subjective. It's hard for me to qualify the kinds of people who would or would not like this book, because it was sold to me with a genre and a premise that I usually enjoy, and it did not click for me. C'est la vie I guess.
May 19, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!!
I am feral I have never needed a second book more in my life please
This book was, hands down, one of the absolute best fantasies that I've read this year. The characters were stellar, the enemies to allies to friends to enemies to whatever they ended as was absolutely wild and the tension was insane, the twists gave me whiplash, the world-building was done so well, and the writing was amazing. I honestly couldn't believe this was a debut, it was so good! The fact that I don't have the second book right now is a crime; I cannot wait to see where the author takes the next book, and would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy.
I am feral I have never needed a second book more in my life please
This book was, hands down, one of the absolute best fantasies that I've read this year. The characters were stellar, the enemies to allies to friends to enemies to whatever they ended as was absolutely wild and the tension was insane, the twists gave me whiplash, the world-building was done so well, and the writing was amazing. I honestly couldn't believe this was a debut, it was so good! The fact that I don't have the second book right now is a crime; I cannot wait to see where the author takes the next book, and would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy.
July 13, 2023
I thought this was a fantastic debut by Sara Hashem. Exciting, immersive, and full of twists and turns, the novel gripped me from the first pages and didn’t let go until the very end.
This is one of those reviews where I struggled to organize my thoughts. I enjoyed so many elements of the book that I wasn’t sure what to focus on in my review without giving too much away. The characters, the world-building, the fantasy elements, the themes, the plot, the gorgeous writing style – I loved it all! I actually have another post scheduled that spotlights a bunch of my favorite quotes from the book because there were so many poignant and powerful lines.
And the characters! They’re fascinating. Often torn between loyalties, Sylvia, Arin, and so many others have a moral greyness to them. I loved Sylvia. The story is told from her unreliable perspective, and her story is tragic, complicated, and mysterious. This is a young woman with a ton of secrets, many of which would put her life at risk if exposed. I like how we slowly learn more and more about her past and what happened to her that led to the present. There’s also a strong cast of supporting characters, and I particularly like Sylvia’s friends and the found family aspect of the story.
And the romance! Ahh! I, of course, have to talk about the explosive enemies-to-lovers romance because IT. WAS. EVERYTHING. Sylvia and Arin hate each other, and they butt heads through most of the book. Their relationship is slow-building and contentious, and the tension is so thick! Through it all, Sylvia and Arin have an amazing amount of chemistry, and their banter is top-notch. I’m all for an angsty love story, especially when it feels forbidden, which is exactly what Sylvia and Arin’s feels like. Both characters fight their feelings, but how can you fight something so strong? There are so many scenes where I was all but chanting “Kiss already,” and the build-up and constant push and pull between the couple was perfection.
The Jasad Heir has everything I love in a YA romantasy. I’m so glad I buddy read this because I was screaming through most of it. Between the layered and nuanced characters, the twisty plot, the complex world-building and political intrigue, and that fantastic romance, there was a lot to gush and ruminate about! There are also some really thought-provoking messages and questions posed throughout the story about what makes a monster, how people define themselves, and what we owe our country and our culture. This is definitely a strong introduction to the series. And after that ending, I NEED to get the next book ASAP! lol This is definitely going down as one of my top fantasy reads of the year.
Thanks so much to Orbit books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
This is one of those reviews where I struggled to organize my thoughts. I enjoyed so many elements of the book that I wasn’t sure what to focus on in my review without giving too much away. The characters, the world-building, the fantasy elements, the themes, the plot, the gorgeous writing style – I loved it all! I actually have another post scheduled that spotlights a bunch of my favorite quotes from the book because there were so many poignant and powerful lines.
And the characters! They’re fascinating. Often torn between loyalties, Sylvia, Arin, and so many others have a moral greyness to them. I loved Sylvia. The story is told from her unreliable perspective, and her story is tragic, complicated, and mysterious. This is a young woman with a ton of secrets, many of which would put her life at risk if exposed. I like how we slowly learn more and more about her past and what happened to her that led to the present. There’s also a strong cast of supporting characters, and I particularly like Sylvia’s friends and the found family aspect of the story.
And the romance! Ahh! I, of course, have to talk about the explosive enemies-to-lovers romance because IT. WAS. EVERYTHING. Sylvia and Arin hate each other, and they butt heads through most of the book. Their relationship is slow-building and contentious, and the tension is so thick! Through it all, Sylvia and Arin have an amazing amount of chemistry, and their banter is top-notch. I’m all for an angsty love story, especially when it feels forbidden, which is exactly what Sylvia and Arin’s feels like. Both characters fight their feelings, but how can you fight something so strong? There are so many scenes where I was all but chanting “Kiss already,” and the build-up and constant push and pull between the couple was perfection.
The Jasad Heir has everything I love in a YA romantasy. I’m so glad I buddy read this because I was screaming through most of it. Between the layered and nuanced characters, the twisty plot, the complex world-building and political intrigue, and that fantastic romance, there was a lot to gush and ruminate about! There are also some really thought-provoking messages and questions posed throughout the story about what makes a monster, how people define themselves, and what we owe our country and our culture. This is definitely a strong introduction to the series. And after that ending, I NEED to get the next book ASAP! lol This is definitely going down as one of my top fantasy reads of the year.
Thanks so much to Orbit books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 22, 2023Soft DNF at 33%
I could be convinced to start this again depending on later reviews and the reviews of my mutuals.
I need to collect my thoughts on what exactly didn’t work for me with this one. I will say that if the book had been marketed to me as what it actually is, I would not have picked it up. The fantasy tournament trope and the (unrecognized as toxic) enemies to lovers romance are not selling points for me.
This is not a bad book but I can already tell it would be a 3/3.5 star read. And I can’t find the motivation to finish something I’m not loving right now. Honestly I might even come back to this because I’m sick of DNFing anticipated releases this year.
I could be convinced to start this again depending on later reviews and the reviews of my mutuals.
I need to collect my thoughts on what exactly didn’t work for me with this one. I will say that if the book had been marketed to me as what it actually is, I would not have picked it up. The fantasy tournament trope and the (unrecognized as toxic) enemies to lovers romance are not selling points for me.
This is not a bad book but I can already tell it would be a 3/3.5 star read. And I can’t find the motivation to finish something I’m not loving right now. Honestly I might even come back to this because I’m sick of DNFing anticipated releases this year.
November 17, 2023
3.5 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/8VKj00tz9b0
This was a familiar, yet enjoyable epic fantasy story. The narrative felt a fair bit trope but they happened to be tropes I liked.
As someone who enjoys diverse stories, I enjoyed the Egyptian inspired worldbuilding in this novel.
The characters were fairly interesting but sometimes felt a bit young which made this adult fiction book feel like a YA crossover.
Overall, I liked most aspects of this book and am interested enough to continue on with this series. I would recommend it to readers looking to read a diverse, yet familiar piece of epic fantasy.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/8VKj00tz9b0
This was a familiar, yet enjoyable epic fantasy story. The narrative felt a fair bit trope but they happened to be tropes I liked.
As someone who enjoys diverse stories, I enjoyed the Egyptian inspired worldbuilding in this novel.
The characters were fairly interesting but sometimes felt a bit young which made this adult fiction book feel like a YA crossover.
Overall, I liked most aspects of this book and am interested enough to continue on with this series. I would recommend it to readers looking to read a diverse, yet familiar piece of epic fantasy.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
April 7, 2023
“the jasad heir” follows a young queen of a kingdom that has been destroyed. sylvia, as she calls herself, hides in the shadows as a chemist’s apprentice in a small village, when in reality, she is essiya, queen of jasad. the jasadi people have been facing genocide due to their ability to use magic. when her cover is almost blown, everything changes. this is the first novel of a planned series.
the first quarter of this novel was phenomenal. i was heavily interested in the plot as well as the world building. however, when the enemies-to-lovers love interest showed up, i felt the novel became too generic. the first quarter doesn’t have any tropes, is descriptive of the nature and forests surrounding this village, and explains the political unrest very well. when i realized an abusive, royal heir would be the love interest, i felt bored. it fell away to tropes (like fighting others in a ring for freedom) and i felt that the magic system wasn’t explained well enough. overall, it’s a good debut. it’s great to see more arab and muslim representation in fantasy.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
the first quarter of this novel was phenomenal. i was heavily interested in the plot as well as the world building. however, when the enemies-to-lovers love interest showed up, i felt the novel became too generic. the first quarter doesn’t have any tropes, is descriptive of the nature and forests surrounding this village, and explains the political unrest very well. when i realized an abusive, royal heir would be the love interest, i felt bored. it fell away to tropes (like fighting others in a ring for freedom) and i felt that the magic system wasn’t explained well enough. overall, it’s a good debut. it’s great to see more arab and muslim representation in fantasy.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
April 27, 2023
3.75 stars
Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Jasad Heir is an Egyptian-inspired political fantasy, and it's an incredibly solid debut. I went into it expecting certain tropes - enemies to lovers, forbidden/lost magic, hidden identities - and I think this book delivered these in a very satisfying way. I had a great time reading this book, and while I think there could be aspects of the book that could be improved upon (this is a debut, after all), I personally didn't find that the flaws took away from my enjoyment overall.
In The Jasad Heir, we follow our main character Sylvia, formerly known as Essiya, the Heir to Jasad, a fallen kingdom in their world. She witnessed the massacre of her family when she was 10 years old, and is believed to be dead. However, she is now 20 years old and living as a chemist's apprentice in a small village in a neighbouring kingdom. The Jasadi are persecuted throughout the four kingdoms for their magic, and an incident occurs where Sylvia is forced to reveal her magic and threaten the life she's built for herself.
I really enjoyed Sylvia as a character, despite her sometimes having absolutely no braincells and feeling so frustrated with her. I think she's flawed, and at times, extremely unlikable, but she's also sarcastic and just so incredibly jaded by the world and her circumstances, that you can't help but root for her. I also really ended up loving Arin, again, despite his flaws and the terrible things he's done. He's an interesting character in that he's the type of character that is so one-track minded and genuinely thinks that everything he does is for the good of his people. It doesn't excuse the atrocities he's committed, but it definitely adds a layer of nuance and complication, especially since the book is told mostly from Sylvia's POV, who is a bit of an unreliable narrator. I love that we as the reader are made to question who's actually on the right side, or if there even is a right side at all.
I've seen this book pitched as a fantasy romance, and while I did really enjoy the romance in here, I actually personally would not classify this a fantasy romance. I don't think there's nearly enough romance to call it that, and readers going into this expecting the romance to be the main plotline of the book are probably going to be disappointed. The political intrigue and Sylvia's personal journey is definitely the main focus of the book, with the romance being only just a subplot, in my opinion. Not a negative thing by any means (I really enjoyed the politics of the world and where the author took us with certain political plot points), but I just wanted to mention this so that others can go into the book with the right expectations. It's also slow burn, so you really are just getting crumbs for approximately 90% of the book.
My main critique of this book is that the last 30% of this book is just way too rushed. There is a sort of competition element in this book, and it honestly just was so underdeveloped and felt a bit pointless in the sense that it felt like it was simply a means of getting our characters from one place to another or providing a tidbit of worldbuilding. It didn't feel integral to the story, and it wouldn't have changed the book overall if those worldbuilding details and travels were included in some other way.
Overall, I had a really good time with this book. I think if I were to go out on a limb and make a bit of an indirect comp, I'd say if you like The Unbroken by CL Clark, you might enjoy this book. While the stories are very different, they do share some similar tropes and themes, and most notably for me, both books are told from the perspective of a main character who really struggles with their identity and purpose. The core internal struggle in both books, in my opinion, can be boiled down to one question - how much does one owe to their country, their land, and their people, when they've spent most of their lives away from it? And I think that if that sounds interesting to you, then you should definitely give The Jasad Heir a try.
Thank you to Orbit for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Jasad Heir is an Egyptian-inspired political fantasy, and it's an incredibly solid debut. I went into it expecting certain tropes - enemies to lovers, forbidden/lost magic, hidden identities - and I think this book delivered these in a very satisfying way. I had a great time reading this book, and while I think there could be aspects of the book that could be improved upon (this is a debut, after all), I personally didn't find that the flaws took away from my enjoyment overall.
In The Jasad Heir, we follow our main character Sylvia, formerly known as Essiya, the Heir to Jasad, a fallen kingdom in their world. She witnessed the massacre of her family when she was 10 years old, and is believed to be dead. However, she is now 20 years old and living as a chemist's apprentice in a small village in a neighbouring kingdom. The Jasadi are persecuted throughout the four kingdoms for their magic, and an incident occurs where Sylvia is forced to reveal her magic and threaten the life she's built for herself.
I really enjoyed Sylvia as a character, despite her sometimes having absolutely no braincells and feeling so frustrated with her. I think she's flawed, and at times, extremely unlikable, but she's also sarcastic and just so incredibly jaded by the world and her circumstances, that you can't help but root for her. I also really ended up loving Arin, again, despite his flaws and the terrible things he's done. He's an interesting character in that he's the type of character that is so one-track minded and genuinely thinks that everything he does is for the good of his people. It doesn't excuse the atrocities he's committed, but it definitely adds a layer of nuance and complication, especially since the book is told mostly from Sylvia's POV, who is a bit of an unreliable narrator. I love that we as the reader are made to question who's actually on the right side, or if there even is a right side at all.
I've seen this book pitched as a fantasy romance, and while I did really enjoy the romance in here, I actually personally would not classify this a fantasy romance. I don't think there's nearly enough romance to call it that, and readers going into this expecting the romance to be the main plotline of the book are probably going to be disappointed. The political intrigue and Sylvia's personal journey is definitely the main focus of the book, with the romance being only just a subplot, in my opinion. Not a negative thing by any means (I really enjoyed the politics of the world and where the author took us with certain political plot points), but I just wanted to mention this so that others can go into the book with the right expectations. It's also slow burn, so you really are just getting crumbs for approximately 90% of the book.
My main critique of this book is that the last 30% of this book is just way too rushed. There is a sort of competition element in this book, and it honestly just was so underdeveloped and felt a bit pointless in the sense that it felt like it was simply a means of getting our characters from one place to another or providing a tidbit of worldbuilding. It didn't feel integral to the story, and it wouldn't have changed the book overall if those worldbuilding details and travels were included in some other way.
Overall, I had a really good time with this book. I think if I were to go out on a limb and make a bit of an indirect comp, I'd say if you like The Unbroken by CL Clark, you might enjoy this book. While the stories are very different, they do share some similar tropes and themes, and most notably for me, both books are told from the perspective of a main character who really struggles with their identity and purpose. The core internal struggle in both books, in my opinion, can be boiled down to one question - how much does one owe to their country, their land, and their people, when they've spent most of their lives away from it? And I think that if that sounds interesting to you, then you should definitely give The Jasad Heir a try.
August 21, 2023
OBSESSED with this fantastic start to a series, which had me hooked from page one. While it dipped a little in the middle, the last 15% more than made up for it. Looking for a real enemies-to-lovers with political intrigue, courtly scheming, forbidden magic, a lost princess and plenty of mortal peril? The Jasad Heir has all that and more. Highly recommend it to everyone who needs a gripping adult fantasy to sink their teeth into.
October 26, 2023
— 3
» thank you to netgalley & orbit books for the arc !!
» thank you to netgalley & orbit books for the arc !!
October 23, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
Mixed feelings on this one. I think it could be a good crossover title for YA readers getting into adult fantasy, it's action-packed, has kind of a political enemies to lovers trope going, and a morally gray heroine. The plot gets a little convoluted and confusing by the end though and I'm not sure I find some of the key character choices to be super believable. But they are necessary to make the story go in the direction that it does. A decent debut political fantasy that is Middle East inspired and I'm curious to see what else we get from this author. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Mixed feelings on this one. I think it could be a good crossover title for YA readers getting into adult fantasy, it's action-packed, has kind of a political enemies to lovers trope going, and a morally gray heroine. The plot gets a little convoluted and confusing by the end though and I'm not sure I find some of the key character choices to be super believable. But they are necessary to make the story go in the direction that it does. A decent debut political fantasy that is Middle East inspired and I'm curious to see what else we get from this author. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
May 15, 2023
You guys, I am living proof that Goodreads giveaways are in fact legit! I entered a giveaway for this book (one of dozens over the years, none of which I ever won or heard back from or knew if anyone else ever won) and was surprised to learn that I won it and received an e-copy of this book!
I'll break this review down into three of the most important elements of any book: worldbuilding, plot, and characters.
The worldbuilding:
Two things excited me about this book before I started reading. One, that it is written by an Egyptian American Muslim woman--like me! Two, that it is advertised as an Egyptian-inspired historical fantasy.
I was let down by the second factor. I really didn't see any resemblance in the book to Egypt at all--not the nature/ecology (luscious forests and lakes and mountains?), not the religion (it was a fantastical religion that venerates the "awaleen" - aka gods - and modern Egyptians are either Muslim or Coptic. The author said this was modern-Egypt-inspired, not ancient Egypt), not the culture, not the politics. The only similarities I found was in some food references and Arabic names. I really couldn't see anything similar to Egypt beyond that and I felt like the "Egyptian-inspired" label was very close to a false advertisement.
It felt like very token-level "representation." There was no depth. Just a bonus ~quality~ that the book can claim it has some ~unique representation~ so that it can be sold more.
Also the magic was not very well-explained. Nor were the politics. I wasn't even sure why the games were so important--what consequence would they have that would make the Nizahl Heir want to win it so desperately? It was never explained.
The plot:
The book reminds me a lot about the Hunger Games. Sylvia, the MC, must survive on her own, loves the forest, bottles up all her emotions, realizes that she loves a few close people in her life, suffers from childhood trauma, and is recruited to participate in multi-national deadly game and aims to emerge as victor. Besides these big similarities, the plot was decent and I felt it was pretty well-paced. I was always engaged and interested in what will happen next.
The characters:
The characters were pretty interesting and unique. I felt they were well-developed. I really liked Sylvia's arc, how she went from being stoic and bottling her emotions to being caring and realizing that she actually does love others. Not my favorite arc to read through (I feel like too many female heroines in fantasy these days go through a similar arc) but it was fine. The side characters, Sefa and Marek, were cute, although their relationship was super weird and left me with lots of unanswered questions, and I felt that they were just there for the sake of the plot and for Sylvia's growth.
And Arin. Sigh. Arin. This book is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn. I usually don't like enemies-to-lovers, and the way it was handled in this book is the reason why. It never ceases to bother me how sometimes, enemies-to-lovers involves ignoring GLARING RED FLAGS in others because of lust and physical/sexual attraction. It's one thing if the "enemy" is a competitor or was rude in their childhood and went through some massive change. It's another if the "enemy" is manipulative and lowkey abusive and has MASSIVE anger issues.
To be fair, I did find myself invested in the enemies-to-lovers arc, and I did enjoy the moments of realization between the two characters as they slowly realized they were falling for each other. I just see pretty problematic flaws in this relationship.
Conclusion:
I really didn't appreciate the ending. It's sort of a cliffhanger ending that feels like a blatant ad to read the sequel whenever it comes out. It's one thing if certain things are not wrapped up because it's the first book in a series. It's another thing if it feels like things could've easily been wrapped up but then--SURPRISE! CHAOS! Wait another year for the next book.
But it's a pretty good read for a debut. Definitely kept me engaged and curious about what happens next.
I'll break this review down into three of the most important elements of any book: worldbuilding, plot, and characters.
The worldbuilding:
Two things excited me about this book before I started reading. One, that it is written by an Egyptian American Muslim woman--like me! Two, that it is advertised as an Egyptian-inspired historical fantasy.
I was let down by the second factor. I really didn't see any resemblance in the book to Egypt at all--not the nature/ecology (luscious forests and lakes and mountains?), not the religion (it was a fantastical religion that venerates the "awaleen" - aka gods - and modern Egyptians are either Muslim or Coptic. The author said this was modern-Egypt-inspired, not ancient Egypt), not the culture, not the politics. The only similarities I found was in some food references and Arabic names. I really couldn't see anything similar to Egypt beyond that and I felt like the "Egyptian-inspired" label was very close to a false advertisement.
It felt like very token-level "representation." There was no depth. Just a bonus ~quality~ that the book can claim it has some ~unique representation~ so that it can be sold more.
Also the magic was not very well-explained. Nor were the politics. I wasn't even sure why the games were so important--what consequence would they have that would make the Nizahl Heir want to win it so desperately? It was never explained.
The plot:
The book reminds me a lot about the Hunger Games. Sylvia, the MC, must survive on her own, loves the forest, bottles up all her emotions, realizes that she loves a few close people in her life, suffers from childhood trauma, and is recruited to participate in multi-national deadly game and aims to emerge as victor. Besides these big similarities, the plot was decent and I felt it was pretty well-paced. I was always engaged and interested in what will happen next.
The characters:
The characters were pretty interesting and unique. I felt they were well-developed. I really liked Sylvia's arc, how she went from being stoic and bottling her emotions to being caring and realizing that she actually does love others. Not my favorite arc to read through (I feel like too many female heroines in fantasy these days go through a similar arc) but it was fine. The side characters, Sefa and Marek, were cute, although their relationship was super weird and left me with lots of unanswered questions, and I felt that they were just there for the sake of the plot and for Sylvia's growth.
And Arin. Sigh. Arin. This book is an enemies-to-lovers slow burn. I usually don't like enemies-to-lovers, and the way it was handled in this book is the reason why. It never ceases to bother me how sometimes, enemies-to-lovers involves ignoring GLARING RED FLAGS in others because of lust and physical/sexual attraction. It's one thing if the "enemy" is a competitor or was rude in their childhood and went through some massive change. It's another if the "enemy" is manipulative and lowkey abusive and has MASSIVE anger issues.
To be fair, I did find myself invested in the enemies-to-lovers arc, and I did enjoy the moments of realization between the two characters as they slowly realized they were falling for each other. I just see pretty problematic flaws in this relationship.
Conclusion:
I really didn't appreciate the ending. It's sort of a cliffhanger ending that feels like a blatant ad to read the sequel whenever it comes out. It's one thing if certain things are not wrapped up because it's the first book in a series. It's another thing if it feels like things could've easily been wrapped up but then--SURPRISE! CHAOS! Wait another year for the next book.
But it's a pretty good read for a debut. Definitely kept me engaged and curious about what happens next.
July 21, 2023
ARC provided by Orbit Books through NetGalley.
Okay, this book slapped. For a debut this was really really excellent. If you're looking for your next adult fantasy book, look no further!
→ Egyptian-inspired world
→ Court politics
→ A chaotic, fugitive queen
→ Slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance
→ “Who did this to you?”
I had a such a fantastic time reading and I cannot wait for the sequel!
Okay, this book slapped. For a debut this was really really excellent. If you're looking for your next adult fantasy book, look no further!
→ Egyptian-inspired world
→ Court politics
→ A chaotic, fugitive queen
→ Slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance
→ “Who did this to you?”
I had a such a fantastic time reading and I cannot wait for the sequel!
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