This book was very much not for me. It was slow, I hated the main character and the romance really creeped me out. I just don't think that there should be romance between an oppressor and the oppressed. I just couldn't get it out of my head that he was trying to wipe out her entire country. Others may disagree but I don't think genocide has a place in romance.

I did like the setting though. Though I kept getting a couple of the kingdoms confused because of their very similar names, it was interesting to explore each of the kingdoms through the different challenges of the contest.

I also liked how challenging it was for her to use magic. The presence of the cuffs really changed things up.

It ended in an interesting way, but I have no desire to read on with this series.

The Jasad Heir ist ein tolles Buch mit einer einzigartigen Geschichte und doch einer Geschichte, die man kennt und liebt. Ich mochte gerade die Dynamik zwischen den beiden Hauptcharakteren, wie sich langsam die Bindung aufgebaut hat und nicht dieses abrupte, wie es häufig in Büchern so ist. Genauso ist auch die Beziehung zu den Nebencharakteren gut inszeniert und aufgebaut. Die Buchwelt ist sehr detailliert und man kann sich hervorragend in diese Welt hineinträumen. Gerade nach der ersten Hälfte bekommt die Handlung immer mehr Dynamik und es kommt zu einem fantastischen Finale, wie man es sich oft bei Büchern wünscht. Genau das bekommt der Leser hier.
Der Epilog ist grandios und rundet das Showdown davor perfekt auf. Ich freue mich auf den zweiten Teil.

Ich habe vier Sterne dem Buch gegeben, da mir in der ersten Hälfte einige Passagen dann doch etwas lang waren und ich mir hier vielleicht mehr Szenenwechsel oder ein schnelleres Fortschreiten gewünscht hätte. Im Nachhinein denke ich, dass es gerade dies vielleicht auch gebraucht hat, um die Buchwelt und die Charaktere richtig kennen zu lernen.

This was a somewhat typical political fantasy with a hidden heir. Which was enjoyable but didn't wow me.
I'm glad I had the audiobook for this as it helped with the inconsistent pacing. Had I read it just physically I may have struggled to stay invested.
I don't really care about the hinted romance side plot. But maybe that will change in the future.
I also found that this was too long for the content inside. Which made it feel a little dragging in the middle before it picked up again at the end.

4.5 stars
The Jasad Heir is the first book in a new Egyptian inspired fantasy series and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There are so many amazing fantasy tropes used in this one and whilst I was concerned that it would be similar to other fantasy series, this book sprinkled new life into them for me! I always loved a hidden royalty and enemies to lovers fantasy and this ticked all the boxes for me!

I liked Sylvia from the very beginning and quickly found myself loving her humour and her strength. She is faced with tough decisions and I was rooting for her the whole way. Arin was an amazing character, even if we aren't meant to like him so much. He's clever, closed off and it was impossible for me not to love him. This book also had amazing and memorable side characters who are all unique and all play a part in this amazing story!

Honestly I can talk about this book for hours. I loved Sara's writing and storytelling. The fact that I have to wait for the second book is making me want to scream! I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 out of 5 stars

The Jasad Heir is a book that instantly drew me in once I started reading. It takes enemies to lovers, the chosen one and a war, and makes it all work in a way that I feel I haven't read before. It worked really well for me. At one point I constantly wanted to keep reading to the point I purposefully had to put the book away or I'd run into the chance of being late to work.

The characters are interesting and something I loved, a lot. One thing I did think wasn't really necessary was Arin's POV. It didn't happen often but aside from the end I felt it wasn't necessary really. Sylvia is someone I can't wait to read more about, how am I supposed to wait for the sequel? Is it coming out soon? Tell me it's coming out soon!

Really great debut by this author, can't wait for more.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Jasad Heir was one of my most anticipated reads this year… but sadly, it did not deliver on the expectation. I had really hard time getting into it. It was very slow—and although I typically enjoy slow pacing, Jasad Heir did not feel like it was slow in the way some stories are where they take their time to develop, steadily steeping in their own world building and gradually developing like an unravelling flower in a tea cup. No, Jasad Heir was slow in the way that felt cumbersome and heavy, like it was being dragged down by unnecessarily by awkward attempt at mystery and artless political intrigue.

There were a lot of promising components in the book, however, and I do so enjoy reading a diverse story as Jadad Heir is an Egyptian-inspired fantasy written by a Muslim author. A solid debut. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is intriguing and shows promise -- there's definitely some cool world building. The magic system is very soft, and not very well explained, but it works. The main issues I had with this book is that the pacing is bizarre and desperately needs some editing. The second half of the book alternates from going incredibly slow to rushing through everything. My second issue is that none of the characters were likeable or relatable. I found myself completely uninterested in their struggles and it was difficult to get behind either of the POV characters. I doubt I'll read the second one, but I think the world has potential.

The Jasad Heir is about a young woman, Sylvia, who is manipulated into entering a tournament to win her freedom. Sylvia is a Jasadi, a persecuted community whose members are hunted by the Nizahlans, led by Arin, the Nizahlan Heir.

Political intrigue, loyalty and found friendship are just some of the themes that Hashem explores in her debut novel. I loved reading the antagonistic interactions between Sylvia and Arin which followed the slow burn, enemies-to-lovers tropes.

I enjoyed seeing how the author incorporated her Egyptian heritage into her writing from the foods featured within the book, to her use of Arabic words ‘Gedo’ (grandpa) and ‘Teta’ (grandma). Sylvia’s complex history is revealed in bits and pieces throughout the story, reflecting her status as an unreliable narrator. Sylvia is described as a “woman tall enough to tickle the moon”; I found this hilarious as a taller woman myself.

After the initial worldbuilding stages, I was hooked and the story only got better as I continued. I did feel that the ending could have been drawn out more, or maybe I just wasn’t ready for the book to end. I requested this title because it was an upcoming Illumicrate pick. Overall, The Jasad Heir was a fun read and I am excited for its sequel.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.
All opinions are my own.

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem Review 📚​​​​​​​​​

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, I'd like to say thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC 🥰

The Jasad Heir is an Egyptian-inspired political fantasy book with an enjoyable and intriguing story. This book had a lot of my favourite tropes including enemies to lovers (my absolute favourite in a fantasy read). Sara has written a enticing world of deadly trials, monsters and magic while following an actual slow burn romance between the protagonist and antagonist. I have to say, I loved these characters!

Although I really did like this book and the premise was really good, I did struggle with the pacing and sometimes slightly too convenient plot points.

Overall, it’s a great debut read by a new author but it could do with a bit more steady pacing.

Genre/Tropes 💙:

○ Adult Fantasy
○ Slow Burn Romance
○ Enemies to Lovers
○ Magic
○ Politics
○ “Who did this to you?”

I loved this!

An Egyptian inspired debut fantasy with enemies to lovers romance which follows the lost heir to a fallen throne.

Magic is outlawed and Sylvia, the heir to the Jasad Kingdom, is in hiding until events force her into the path of Arin, the heir to the nation that destroyed her own. This book was filled with political strife and plotting, morally grey characters, and found family - this was such a great fantasy book and I can't wait for the sequel.

I've been following Sara Hashem on TikTok since before she got published so it was amazing to finally read her book!

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for this eARC!

Thankyou to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

Going into this i wasnt entirely sure it would be my kind of book and in total hoensty i only picked it up as i knew it was coming in an illumicrate book box- this book right here reminds me that i subscribe to book boxes to help push me out of my usual reading habits and comfort zone and to try new things- I loved this book so much!

-True enemies to lovers
-Who did this to you
-Morally grey strong MFC
-Brooding and a little stabby at times MMC
-Gave me the gushy feelings
-Found family
-Persistent friends

I need the sequal NOW- easy 5 star

I gotta admit, when I saw the cover for this one I knew I had to pick it up. This is exactly the type of aesthetic I want. But while the package is gorgeous, the inside contains a VERY impressive debut that puts a new spin on classic fantasy tropes. Not to mention, the world is inspired by Egypt, which I definitely want more of!!

It was just such a blast! It kept me at the edge of my seat at times, and the romance developed really well (slow burn my beloved).

By far my favourite thing here was the main character, Sylvia. She was such a fresh take on the secret royal trope (usually love this trope but I found it executed so well here). She’s complex, she’s badass, and she’s absolutely hilarious! One of the other characters described her as having the “temperament of a deranged goose”, and I think that sums up why I love her pretty well. Never change Sylvia!

So, if you like:

- deranged female characters
- gray morality
- enemies to lovers romance (??)
- harsh and unforgiving worlds
- found family

I highly recommend giving this a go!!

Thank you to the publisher and #netgalley for the arc!

I received this ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have been following along with Sara Hashem’s journey to publish this story since 2020 via Tiktok and I was really looking forward to reading and supporting it regardless but I have to say the hype is real!

The world she has created and the clearly Egyptian inspired elements are so interesting to read and the horrors and tragedy of the world is done so well that when you see how Sylvia navigates this, everything she does to survive feels so understandable. She’s survived this long, why would she not want to keep doing so. Now Sylvia… she was my absolutely favourite character. She is what a main character should be in a story like this - a little unhinged, a lot broken and strong in her own way. Her decisions were chaotic at the best of times but she had such an interesting narrative voice and it was so fun to read and understand her.

The enemies to lover trope was so beautifully done in my opinion. I loved every tortured interaction between Sylvia and Arin and I just wish there was more of it!

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I am eagerly awaiting the next one!

DNFed this one at page 375, just couldn't get into it. I started this back in June, read the first 80 or so pages, and then decided not to re-start at the start of this month. Bad call Maddie, bad call. I didn't realise how dense this book would be with the history, and not re-starting really set me off on the wrong foot. I couldn't keep towns straight, let alone their histories, and there were a lot of characters constantly mentioned. I couldn't feel for anyone, and when it got to the point where I couldn't be bothered turning the pages anymore, that's my signal for a DNF. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, I loved the atmosphere and I could really see the setting in my mind, but I couldn't keep things straight

Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this book. I have been seeing glowing reviews all of Bookstagram and it looked amazing but sadly it was not for me.

I love the world and thought the magic and everything was so cool and was really well developed. However I found it was hard to follow and it seemed to jump around quite a bit to the point that I didn't know what was happening.

I found the main character really annoying with how they went back and forth from 'I am the lost ruler and I know all these cool things' to 'oops while trying to pretend to be a normal person and remembering to change my accent I forgot this is a language nobody in hundreds of years has read aloud infront of my enemy' I understand that they are human and a teen so they will make mistakes but still.

I'm rating it 3 stars because everything else about the book was amazing just the main character was annoying and despite my best efforts it was really confusing to follow.

For these reasons I thought it best to cut my losses and DNF at 48% rather than struggle through it and make me lose all interest in enjoying it another day.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read your book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an Arc of The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem!

The Jasad Heir is the first book in the Scorched Throne series. I cannot wait to read more of what Hashem has to offer in this thrilling Egyptian-inspired political fantasy series.

This book is packed with action, politics, and romance. I found it to be a very exciting read with twists and turns I wasn’t anticipating. I was extremely investing in Sylvia and Arin’s relationship and character development— the slowburn was so intense I enjoyed every second of it.

The world-building was rich and detailed as well as being coupled with an even more interesting and complex magic system!

Overall, this was a gripping read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Fantasy.

The Jasad Heir is the first book in the Scorched Throne series, an Egyptian inspired political fantasy novel. This was a really enjoyable debut and a good solid start to the series. It focuses on Sylvia who is the rightful heir to a fallen kingdom, however she is believed to be dead and has been in hiding in a small village since her childhood. An incident occurs in the village and Sylvia subsequently finds herself face to face with the tyrant Nizahl heir, Arin. Sylvia and Arin are true enemies and the majority of the book there is a lot of animosity and tension between them, which gradually starts to develop into something else. This is slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance done really well and I enjoyed every minute of their interactions.

I had such a good time reading this book, there’s lots of action and excitement, political intrigue and romance. Yes it’s a little slow in parts and perhaps in retrospect a tad too long but that didn’t hinder my reading experience at all. I’m looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley.

An exciting debut full of all the tropes I love- enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, hidden queen. The world building is thorough and rich while the plot is full of twists and turns. One to be savoured and I think we can expect exciting things from Sara Hashem in the future.

well, well, weeeeeeell….AAAAAAARGH I NEED BOOK 2 ASAP!! this book was just soooooooo good OMG, I simply cannooooot. it’s that kind of fantasy in which the world is developed as you go on, you figure out the political structure, the characters, the traditions, the history and i think it’s one of the best written world building. yes, the first 15% are confusing AF but all you need is a little focus and to push through and THEN you start really giving with the story. i was hooked after that, although i kinda lost interest around the 70/80% mark but then things picked up again (stuff were happening i was just a little bored) and i finished it in one go. i absolutely loved out 2 main characters and the slow burn romaaaaaaance OMG. if you want slow burn, you WILL get slow burn in this book. i just think the world building was very unique and detailed as well as the magic system and i’d be curious to learn more about the author’s inspiration for this book (i know it’s egyptian folklore/mythology but i’d like to know which myths/deities/tales in particular 😅). a solid 4.5⭐️, please read this.

4.5 stars

This is an Arab Spring/Egyptian-inspired fantasy by an Egyptian Muslim hijabi author. I am 2.5 of those things (only half Egyptian, in case you're wondering), so this review is probably going to be at least a little bit biased.

For example, even though this is set in a fantasy world with made up countries, the language is Arabic. I don't think I can describe the sheer joy of understanding every single word (except "suraira" for some reason, but I'm sure that's on me, and that made it more fun anyway). Now, I am also honest enough to admit that if this was a different book, for example European-inspired, and the language was Latin, I would have issues with it, because I would consider it kind of lazy worldbuilding. But it's my language, and I've never seen it in a fantasy book before, so basically, I don't care. I loved it. Also, all the mentions of familiar food made me instantly want to travel to Egypt just to eat.

There are a lot of mysteries within this book, and by the end of it, I was left with more questions than answers. But the central piece of it is the relationship between Sylvia and Arin. If you're looking for an actual, high stakes enemies to lovers romance, I would definitely check this out. It's very slow burn, which is the only way I can buy into that trope, but by the time their relationship hit its stride, I was so invested that every scene had me clutching my e-reader with "will they won't they" tension. That's exactly what I want from a romance, and the author absolutely delivered.

It also helps that I actually like both characters. Sylvia is a Chosen One in the sense that she's the heir to a kingdom that no longer exists, and whose people are being murdered, but she doesn't want to be. She doesn't want to feel anything for other Jasadis, or carry the responsibility of their lives and future on her shoulders. To her, nothing is more important than her own survival, and the further you get in the story, the more you understand why she grew up to be the way she is. But even though she's very careful, she's also a hothead with a "fuck it" attitude that I really loved. Arin, meanwhile, is someone who takes his responsibilities very seriously. My first impression of him was that, despite everything Sylvia tells us about him, his actions show that he has a sense of honor. But that doesn't mean he isn't guilty of hunting down people just because they have magic, even if they have never used it to hurt anyone. I think both characters definitely grow as a result of having to deal with each other.

Even though we spend a lot of time watching the relationship between our main characters develop, that doesn't mean the fantasy elements aren't well done. The magic system is pretty simple, but the secrets surrounding Sylvia and Arin were really compelling. There are deadly trials, magical creatures, the constant danger of Sylvia being discovered, political machinations, and so much more. This is a very strong start to the series, and I can't wait to see what the sequel brings. The only reason this isn't a full five stars is because it starts off a bit slow and takes a while to really get going. But I think this might be one that could be 5 stars on reread.