𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐀𝐃 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 #𝟐

In the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen may be the key to restoring her lost kingdom of Jasad, but it could cost her everything and everyone she loves.

I loved this installment so much! The emotional depth, the characters and the world was so much more richer and beautiful to the point of heartbreak and disaster. The tone and plot of this book is darker and more complex than the first-- the stakes are higher, and the angst is angsting.

The political intrigue became much more descriptive in the second book. I feel like I understood the kingdoms and their rules much better and I really enjoyed watching it all play out as a part of the war strategy. The romance between Essiya and Arin continue to be slow burn and heat up over the course of the book. I feel like the author did a really good job about making the romance intriguing and interesting, but not overwhelming the overall fantasy story with it.

Essiya is the embodiment and epitome of rage, and she was such a complex and badass character. She was fascinating throughout the book and her magic is so powerful and had my jaw dropped many times. For Arin, we truly see the complexity of his character and how deep his layers run. We got to see a lot about his backstory and the curse, which made so much sense to the plot-twists and made my heart break for this man. He's so brave, even after everything and my heart broke for him when he was so afraid to love himself and Sylvia, vulnerable and defeated after everything unravelled and destroyed him.

Overall, it's a wonderfully heart-breaking, gut-wrenching and bittersweet ending to a beloved duology!

The Jasad Heir was one of my favourite books last year, the tension between Arin and Sylvia was perfect as well as the politics and world building.

This books frankly knocks it out of the park, I’m sat writing this at 12:23am after having sobbed for approximately an hour and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

This was just such a perfect book:
• a strong bad ass TALL!!! FMC
• an unbreakable found family
• enough tension that you could slice it with a knife
• BOTH OF THEM BEING OBSESSED WITH EACH OTHER!!

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the Scorched Throne Duology and I will be forcing everyone to read it

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the honour of reading this phenomenal book

A very solid conclusion for the series- I appreciate that this wasn’t dragged out into 3 books, but I do think that the second half of the book was a little rushed. I believe this could have benefitted from being long as the book 1 with a slower paced conclusion. The inclusion of different perspectives was done much better than in the first book, I liked that we didn’t linger too long in Sefa and Marek’s heads. I do wish that I could have understood Marek’s dedication more after being in his perspective.

Emotionally, I’m devastated! I needed more from the conclusion to satiate me but I did like that we weren’t left us waiting for their reunion the entire book. I also think that Marek’s death was a little unnecessary but I suppose that’s war. I also did think Arin’s rise to Supreme was a little too easy, or perhaps it just appeared that way since he had been plotting and planning 10 steps ahead.

In terms of the Awaleen, this could have been fleshed out more, I would have liked the epilogue to have been the final chapter to have had a separate epilogue that showed more of the Awaleen’s reintegration as well as Arin and Essiya’s life together. I also would have liked to see more of Sefa’s time as Sultana or how Vaida chose to spend her second chance at life. I think we could have gotten more from the Rovial in her head.

Overall I enjoyed this thoroughly, and was genuinely laughing constantly, humour can be hard to translate on text but it was done very well.

Will be reading more of Sara Hesham’s work to come!

The perfect sequel! I loved every minute inside this book. True enemies to lovers and a impressive worldbuilding. I will read anything by this author.

What in the feet kicking, giggling, heartbreaking, laughing out loud, tears streaming down my face, complete emptyness was this????

I can’t thank NetGalley enough for this ARC!!! I’m left speechless.

I writes this in a state of tears….

Let’s start with The Jasad Heir. One of my favorites read of all time and so captivating with the story, characters, found family, banter, writing, world, creatures every damn thing. Read book one in 2023 and till this day I still think about that book …

Now to book two.

I’m in agony because it’s over and I have left one of my favorite worlds ever created.

I can’t even begin to describe how this books make me feel.

Sara Hashem is and absolutely beautiful storyteller and her world and characters come alive when you read.

The angst and the tension between the main characters are exquisite. The Egypt inspired world, the political landscape between four kingdoms with each of the heirs with a ”few” flaws are so fascinating to follow. How the stories moves by themself but are yet so connected to the whole picture and all the pieces fall in to place one by one. Not just with the present but the history hundreds of years back.

I want to share a Arin quote but I want you to read it for yourself, but I will say this, if you like a man on his knees saying things that will make kick your feet and giggle, please read this book.

A fantastic conclusion to two amazing books and with a fitting ending. Only wish there were 10 more books…

When I first read The Jasad Heir a few years back, I was stunned. I didn’t expect to be such in awe with the prose of the author, in so much pain with the stacks nor end up being so attached to the characters. For those reasons and more, I was so happy to get back in that universe. I missed it so much and was not disappointed by the second installment of that amazing duology. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Littlebrownbookgroup UK for this arc.

No spoilers here of course, but if you haven’t read the first book, what are you waiting for? The Scorched Throne saga is an Egyptian-inspired fantasy tale about a lost heir who ends up fighting as a champion to her worst enemy. The slowest-burn ever. It’s epic and tragic. The fight scenes are fantastic and don’t get me started on the magic system and lore of this incredible world. I think it’s safe to say that the second book was even better than the first. I loved the depth of the characters. The political plot was so intense, so good! It’s not a short book yet, I wanted more. I’m still not over the epilogue. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS EPILOGUE!! 😭 I feel so broken. We need a novella, please.

The only thing that was, while loving every character of this book, I didn't care much about the more secondary ones. But again, I'm not a fan of multiple pov in general so that's just my preferences.

There are minor spoilers for The Jasad Heir and The Jasad Crown in this review, so please be cautious.

This book deals with the aftermath of Sylvia’s actions at the end of book 1.
We get some additional POVs – Sefa and Marek – and Arin’s POV is more prominent here, almost equal to Sylvia’s, so we got more opportunity to be in his head, which was a plus for me. Her POV remains a first-person POV, the others are all in third person, and I preferred it that way. Marek’s doesn’t add too much to the story, even though I adore him, despite his personality seeming to begin and end with Sefa.
There was more romance in this instalment, which is great. Sylvia and Arin together equals chaos meeting order. And apparently beating each other up is their love language. Her magical creature basically adopts him – swoon.
The plot seemed to meander a lot and there were a variety of convenient things happening, supported by the soft magic system that allowed for just the right powers to be available when needed. One of the conveniences gave our two lovebirds the opportunity for fade-to-black sex in a freaky, magical part of the Essam Woods, though – so good for them, I guess. Otherwise, his magic-sucking ways would have turned this into a deadly experience for them both. A missed opportunity for some near-death thrill?
Both Arin and Sylvia were a bit too overpowered – Arin with his resistance to magic, his magic-depleting abilities, and his strategic mind always having a plan ready for everything, and Sylvia with her immense magical powers – so I never truly feared for their safety. It significantly lowered the stakes. Some adversaries have been got rid of way too easily to be believable, compared to their evil shenanigans in the past. I think that’s probably why I enjoyed Sefa’s side plot in Lukub so much – she had to rely on her more human-feeling abilities to survive and gather information there, her kindness being both strength and weakness. The threat of discovery and its consequences felt more real. I can understand the escapism and comfort that overpowered and highly competent characters can provide for a reader, though, so someone looking for that will probably find this aspect more enjoyable than I did.
So this is definitely more of a character-driven duology and my love for the main characters kept me reading. Sylvia’s downward spiral into madness the more magic she used was an interesting aspect that I would have liked to delve deeper into. I’d have liked to feel the danger of that looming consequence more. I liked Arin’s inner conflict concerning Sylvia's identity, and as he uncovered new truths, how it broke his cool façade. The rebels were surprisingly incompetent, acting way too impulsive. It’s telling when our chaos queen has more common sense than these people. How did they survive this long? I wish I could have got a better grasp for their characters that went beyond their individual powers being needed for plot reasons. The friction between the Sylvia-sceptical Efra and Sylvia was fun to read, though.
The writing excels in describing places, creatures and scenes – I could imagine everything vividly.
All in all, despite the weaker plot and lower stakes, I enjoyed my time with this sequel and can recommend it to anyone who loved the characters, Egyptian-inspired setting, political manoeuvring, and the hate-to-love, dagger-to-your-throat, forbidden romance of the first book.

Ratings:

- Characters: 8/10 x4
- Relationships: 9/10 x4
- Atmosphere/Vibes: 10/10
- World-building/Setting: 7/10 x2
- Writing: 8/10 x4
- Plot/Pacing: 4/10 x3
- Enjoyment: 7.5/10 x5
Total: ~ 7.54 = 3.75*

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in this duology was utter perfection. The romance between Arin and Sylvia was all consuming and the world building was enticing.

The first half of this book was good, I enjoyed how Arin and Sylvia reacted and encountered each other. Their love language of fighting was fun to read 😊 I liked how Arin continued to be his amazing self throughout.

I like the side characters Sefa, Marek and even Jeru. Although I found the different POV chapters boring and all the new characters, especially the Urabi were very forgettable.

The story fell flat for me in this finale. I thought Sylvias choices and actions made no sense or were very rushed so they seemed to come from nowhere. I had no time to feel anything (view spoiler) or let it sink in what Sylvia was doing, then suddenly it was all resolved. The End.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for the earc!

I made it no secret that I had many issues with book one. I loved the main idea, but a few extra rounds of edits would have been nice. But still, it was interesting enough to make me want to read the sequel. And oh my gosh, it was amazing.

The story doesn’t pick up exactly where it left in book one, but there wasn’t such a huge time between the end and the beginning. We learn what happened to Sylvia, Marek, Safe and how Arin processed everything that was revealed.

I love the characters. My biggest reason to continue the doulogy was the epilogue, because it was intriguing, especially being in Aron’s POV. Well, in this book we have so much more from his perspective! I was ridiculously happy about this. We also got chapters from Marek’s and Sefa’s POV (for reasons I’m not spoiling) and it was so interesting to see the world from their eyes. Though the fact that only Sylvia’s chapters were in first person added a twist to all the other narratives. For me it felt like it was to highlight the fact that she is the main character, but we need the others to get the full picture. And I think it worked really well.

I still love Arin, that’s all I can say about him. (I fear I’d spoil too many things, if I continue.)

But at the same time I forgot how much I love Sylvia too. Her sense of humor, her sarcasm, her strength, everything. I was really happy to be reminded of what an amazing character she is!

One of my biggest issues with the first book was the fact that it needed another (or two) round of edits. Sometimes things didn’t make any sense. Luckily it was not the case this time! This might be the reason why it took 2 years to release, but I’d rather take a longer break between books than have something that isn’t up to my standards.

I still wish the book had a glossary, it’s filled with (possibly) Egyptian inspired words, and I’m not sure what all of them mean. I could usually guess from the context that it must be a title or a food or a piece of clothing, but it’s really annoying to stop to figure out what they mean. Oh and also a map. I need a map. I’m so lost with all the kingdoms and cities and everything.

Also I’ll never forgive a few things (again spoilers) and those last 2 lines?! Cruel. I need another book or a short story or something.

Anyway I loved The Jasad Crown, it was a beautiful closure for the duology. If you read the first book, but weren't sure if you want to continue, trust me, you do. Just read my review for the first book and see the difference!

Great, it’s over. What the f do I do now?

This is the second in a duology, and will be released in July. Therefore, minor spoilers for the first book ahead.

ARC from Netgalley.


Ok, I absolutely loved every second of this. I was here for the vibes, and it’s probably one of the best enemies to lovers stories out there. I would give this all the stars! Magic, war, politics, mythical creatures, and two characters that are on opposite sides of a war but can’t help being drawn to each other.

Told from multiple POV, we get to see each of the characters deal with the fallout of the end of book 1. There’s a lot going on here. Current events, back story for characters and then the history of the world. I found myself a little confused at times - I definitely should have done a re-read of The Jasad Heir first 🤦‍♀️ I also had a mild panic that the book was going down a very odd and creepy route until I realised I’d just misread a name 😅

There was zero spice, which was refreshing. There was no need as Hashem depicted the romance perfectly. There are some beautiful and touching moments.

This is a garbled review - but if you take one thing away from it, it’s buy and read The Jasad Heir immediately and then wait anxiously for the release of The Jasad Crown.

Oh, the emotional damage this book left me with.

The Jasad Crown leans more heavily into worldbuilding and politics, so I found the first half a bit “slower” than usual. Understandable, though - and honestly, necessary. At one point, I thought some parts were mostly filler, but by the time you reach the end, you realise just how crucial they were in laying the groundwork for what unfolds. That said, it did take me longer than usual to feel fully immersed in the story.

Sylvia’s journey in this book is far from kind. While she’s fierce, she’s in constant conflict with herself - torn between survival and justice for her people. Driven by her magic, she’s forced to make some incredibly difficult choices that had me on the verge of tears (if not actually screaming).

And then we have Arin - sharp, composed, unreadable… until he isn’t. He has some major moments in this book that left me gasping. And the yearning from this man… oh my. I’ll just say this: I love this man so much.

Arin and Sylvia’s relationship, while central to the emotional heart of the story, is never the main focus... but that doesn’t mean we don’t get some beautiful moments between them. Quite the contrary. I found their moments truly special.

We also get more POVs in this book - no longer just Sylvias and Arin’s, but also Sefa’s, and Marek’s. I adore all of these characters, so I welcomed their perspectives with open arms. And trust me, they did not disappoint.

The plot twists. Oh, the plot twists! I did not see them coming. Some were mind-blowing, others completely heartbreaking... it absolutely kept me on my toes.

And that ending? I was sobbing. That’s all I’ll say. I genuinely had to sit with my emotions for a while before I could write this review, because I was too wrecked to put anything constructive into words.

Sara Hashem, you’re officially on my auto-buy list. Congratulations on this incredible duology. I can’t wait to see what you write next.

4.5 stars
The Jasad Heir was my favourite book of last year, and this conclusion did not disappoint.
The Jasad Crown expanded the world, enriched the magic, and the characters were everything.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, its just not a full 5 stars because there were parts of the book that were a bit too drawn out.
Overall, this duology is fantastic, and I highly recommend that everyone reads it.

I just finished the Jasad Crown and although I wanted it so badly to be a 5 star read I feel somewhat unsatisfied. On reflection, I think it's largely down to two things - Sefa and Marek's storyline and the ending.

Sefa and Marek both get their own POVs in The Jasad Crown and in the first half of the novel, Sefa and Marek are separated from each other (and Sylvia) and there is clear character growth for Sefa and Marek but the moment they are reunited with each other (and Sylvia), they both somewhat fade into the background and any and all growth stops and by the end of the novel their character arcs feel incomplete. While I appreciate a duology in genre filled with too many drawn out series, part of me feels that if it was a trilogy, Sefa and Marek could have been fleshed out more.

For me, the ending was weak. Throughout the novel Sylvia grows and matures which is fine because she has a lot more responsibility but her character seems somewhat divorced from the Sylvia we met at the beginning on the duology who would survive at any cost. And by the epilogue I'm not even sure who Sylvia/Essiya is. While, I like a happy ending, the events of the epilogue make it seems like a cycle starting anew and I'm not completely convinced that the history wouldn't just repeat itself.


Clever, cunning Arin was the best part of the novel. While he grows through the novel, he is still at his core the same person who we met in The Jasad Heir. He remains one of the few fantasy romance leads who I actually believe is a competent leader.


Despite my criticisms, I finished The Jasad Crown in one sitting and I found it to be an engaging read that I'd happily recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I really enjoyed the Jasad Heir and was looking forward to coming back to this story. There were elements I really enjoyed, including the world building and many of the reveals which answered many questions from the first book. I enjoyed seeing all the varied types of magic in the Jasadi society. However, I think perhaps this series would have worked better as a trilogy. I felt like there was too much crammed into this, so I felt the pacing and my overall enjoyment was a little lacking compared to the previous instalment. Nonetheless, I did enjoy it and the ending was very fitting.

The Jasad Crown | Sara Hashem
Book two of The Scorched Throne

What to expect:
💕Enemies in Love
Multiple POVs
Unleashed Magic
🗡️ On the Edge of War
Yearning
☠️ Her Touch Could Kill Him
🌶️Fade to Black
Secrets Upon Secrets
✨Magic-Madness

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“It is impossible to watch you two and not recognise how deeply in love you are.”

The Story:
Essiya wakes to find herself captured by the Jasadi group, the Urabi, one of the two that had been following her through the Alcahal. They believe she is the only way to restore Jasad to its former power and bring their people out of hiding. Whereas Essiya is just trying to keep her feet planted on the ground, now her magic has finally been unleashed. She’s surrounded by strangers who want to use her power and her name, and who trust her little, all the while still in love with the greatest enemy the Jasadi have, the Nizahl Heir.

The Good:
Immersive world-building
Complex magic system
fully realised characters
doomed romance
beautiful friendships
a bittersweet ending

Sara Hashem has written a spellbinding, hypnotic and addictive duology. It’s filled with an impressively complex array of characters, heart-pounding romance, tension-filled yearning, beautiful friendships, intriguing plots and immersive histories. The Jasad Crown starts where The Jasad Hier left off, and weaves us through an atmospheric and emotional tale of rising above oppression, the will to survive and enduring love. I loved everything about this story (obviously Arin the most).

The Less Good:
The length

The Scorched Throne could have easily been a trilogy without any compromise to the story. There was so much packed into this second instalment that I wish it had been spaced out into three. This doesn’t, however, negate my love of this duology; it just means I wanted more!

R E V I E W

The Jasad Crown by Sarah Hashem

Advanced Reader Copy graciously provided by Little Brown Book Group UK | Orbit via Netgalley

☆☆☆☆☆

Whilst a little YA in the romance department, the Jasad Heir, the first instalment in The Scorched Throne duology, still managed to get its claws in me with its complex morally grey characters, Egyptian-inspired world and menagerie of fantastical magical creatures. After the conclusion of book one, with Sylvia's magic unleashed and her identity revealed, I couldn't wait to see how this story would end with so much in the air and so many questions unanswered.

Fast forward to book two, and I was utterly hooked. The romance, whilst still off-page in terms of intimacy, was infinitely better in this one, and we finally got some answers to the mysteries that have plagued us since the first instalment.

These books are chunky and not for the fainthearted but definitely worth delving into if political machinations, warring kingdoms, morally grey characters, and a doomed romance tick the boxes for you.

I found Sylvia far more likeable in The Jasad Crown, most likely as a result of her and the Nizahl Heir's undeniable chemistry and connection. Despite Arin's formidable and apathetic mien, that boy was obsessed with the Malika and somehow softened her abrasive personality to the reader. Even when the two were separated and Arin felt betrayed, I appreciated how the author didn't immediately turn him against Essiya despite her misteps and instead, regardless of his duty to his kingdom, allowed him to remain the curious and contemplative man we knew him to be - that the Jasad Malika needed him to be.

The yearning, the constant descent towards an ending none of us were ready for, the surprising loss of a core character and then that epilogue? The Scorched Throne series is a very good example of how effective a duology can be and even more so, how gripping a YA fantasy can be in a world where sensationalism (see: smut) often supercedes narrative. A great read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

In all honesty, I was a bit nervous going into reading this book, as I adored the first book so much, and duologies tend to underdeliver on the second book. I am extremely happy to report this wasn't the case here.

This book wraps up our story following our wonderful main characters, Sylvia and Arin. I have to say, I have not loved main characters this much in such a long time. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, Sylvia is a dynamic and complex character, full of depth and moral ambiguity, which is well explored in this book as we see her inner turmoil regarding being the leader that Jasad needs.

She is such an interesting character to read, and exploring her development over these two books was so bittersweet. Arin is also everything I want out of a male lead. He actually has a well-developed background of his own instead of "ahhhh brooding grumpy strong tough man", and the yearning on this man?? EXCELLENT.

Hashem has done an amazing job with this world, which is so immersive and atmospheric, it really feels like you are there with the characters. I really appreciate the work she put into her side characcters as well, really making you care for them, and even empathise with some of the more questionable ones. The addition of chapters from Sefa and Marek's point of views was well done, and super advantageous to learn more about them and their relationship to Sylvia.

The only reason that this book wasn't quite 5 stars for me is that I think it was missing a little bit of the charm and banter from the first book, particularly between Arin and Sylvia, and these interactions were some of my favourites from the first book, so I wish there were more of them in this one.

As I touched on earlier, I usually find a lot of second books in duologies fall short because of pacing issues. I think this book gets out everything that needs to be said without it feeling too rushed and without noticeable pacing issues. That being said, I think it could also have been made a trilogy and it wouldn't have impacted the story too much (although that could be my greed talking because I want more of Sylvia and Arin).

Speaking of concluding a series, the last 15% of this book had me screaming, crying, and throwing up. Very well done, and I couldn't imagine a better ending for these characters. I only hope that we will get to see more of them in the future (novella maybe?).

I WANT TO CRY. This book is everything I needed and more. I never wanted it to finish!!
The storyline perfectly blends with the plot of the first book and satisfactorily solves any remaining mysteries. I'm a person who doesn't really like multiple povs (especially the ones including side characters) but this was refreshing in a way many books aren't.
By the way, I don't forgive the author for making the characters suffer so much. It was disheartening to see what happened to them. I'm not giving any spoilers but my heart is completely broken and it won't work the same way again (I'm crying myself to sleep...).
There is just one thing I'm disappointed in and that is the short epilogue. I mean give us something more, just a little more and I won't pester you so vehemently about this.
I hope others also pick up this duology and experience this wild, savage and beautiful world the author has created and love and adore it as much as I do.
**Thank you Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for the ARC**

A superb sequel which carries the intense mystery and intrigue of its predecessor to new heights. An immersive, full throttle tale that will have you on the edge of your seat.