This was such a delightful, thrilling adventure and I cannot wait to see where this series goes. I both loved the development of the magic and lore of this world, and found the characters incredibly memorable, compelling, and emotionally available as a reader.

The Jasad heir by Sarah Hashem

An Egyptian inspired fantasy debut from author, Sarah Hashem about Sylvia, an orphan living in Mahair as a chemist’s apprentice but actually is the lost Heir of Jasad. Jasad was a magical kingdom that burned, its royal family murdered. Sylvia intends to live a lowkey life and stay hidden, especially from the armies of Nizahl that continue to hunt her people. Her magic, a literal death sentence.

However, a moment of anger changes everything when she captures the attention of the one and only heir of Nizahl…

Although it kicks off quite slowly, once it picks up the story gets better. It’s very addictive, leaving you wanting to flip the next page as fast as possible. It’s fun, there’s intrigue and simmering tension. There’s a little bit of pacing problems here and there and the world building was a bit confusing but that doesn’t take away the fun in my opinion. The representation is sweet and beautiful. I was so happy reading this. I can’t explain the joy of reading a book and understanding the words because it’s your culture.

Sylvia is a character that grows on you. She’s really funny and I really enjoyed following on her journey of self discovery as she seeks her freedom and discovers disturbing and painful truths about her history along the way. We follow her as she battles internally with her identity, her past and morals. I love how she wanted to survive more than anything. How refreshing is it to see characters being selfish and not wanting to be the hero. I appreciate seeing smart female characters. I loved the other characters too. The side characters are just as awesome.

The romantic tension between her and Arin is built in the most spectacular way. Days after and I’m still thinking about it. Their every interaction had me giggling and blushing. The romance isn’t much but it was perfect. I don’t think I’d be a fan if it was otherwise. But I want more in the next book !

The magic system isn’t explained thoroughly but I expect this is because it’s the first book. I would really love to learn about Sylvia’s powers and I want more stakes in the game. I want to be scared for Sylvia. I felt scared for her towards the end. That ending , btw !!! NEED THE NEXT BOOK FAST


Quick recap, this a fun book filled with intrigue and travels. I really enjoyed it. It was good. It’s probably a teeny bit predictable but if you want to have a good time while experiencing a slow burn ship - forbidden romance of course then this is the book for you. Perfect if you’re looking for something to feel the void after This woven kingdom by Tahereh mafi. Shoutout to the beautiful representation in this book.


Read if you want :
forbidden romance , the chosen one who dgaf and found family

Thank you to Nazia/Little Brown Books for the Review Copy!

Magic is the lifeblood of this world. It is the very thing that I would say sustains life. Yet, there are those who would hate it, be envious of it, and oppress others simply for even wanting to use it. Because it is the envious that rules this world, and the passion that is perscueted. Sylvia, or shall we say the Heir of Jasad lives a life in hiding, trying to keep her magic hidden from the glaring eyes of the Nizahl Kingdom, who had destroyed the once glorious Kingdom of Jasad. And that’s when life begins to change. Arin and his cold calculating method of persuasion and torture slowly brings Sylvia into his side.

It is always fascinating to see this new world of Arabic-inspired fantasy that is coming onto the scene of traditional fantasy. I applaud it and want more. Playing Assassin’s Creed Mirage which is set in 8th century Baghdad has got me more interested in Medieval Arabic culture, and when I read this novel, I could only think of where the author has been inspired from, including Medieval Egypt under the Ayyubids. There is immense worldbuilding provided and I want more. That’s it. This is another world of magic vs non-magic yet told in a different way.

I would say that sometimes the pacing of the novel slowed down a bit, and a world glossary would have been needed as it would have helped. Writing big epic fantasy novels requires a lot of work, especially from the author’s side and sometimes little details like this can be missed. What you read will be the product of countless hours of draft and Sara, the author also told about how she rediscovered her Arabic heritage by learning about it. There is special care and attention to detail that you can see in this novel. That said, I think this is a fantastic novel, and you need to go and read it now!

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars. This is the first instalment in The Scorched Throne series.

Would you make a deal with your greatest enemy to save your kingdom? This is what Sylvia must do as The lost Heir of Jasad.

I loved the political focus and fantastical lands that featured in this. It was a very strong debut and had me excited for all that is to come in this series.

Thank Net Gslley for the free digital copy!
A fantastic introduction to this world! Great world-building with intriquing characters.
I love the slow burn, between Sylvia and Arin while being enemies was delicious.
Can't get enough of their dynamic.
I have received my physical copy and rereading it while waiting for the second book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing, the world, the main character. Everything was trult amazing, except for the elephant in the room. I absolutely detested the romance. I'll probably give the rest of the series a chance, but that part really souered the experience for me.

I was attracted to this book by the premise - lost heir to a kingdom living in a backwater village in a time when magic is forbidden.
Our protagonist is Sylvia ( born Essiya) a Princess of Jasad which is one of the five kingdoms of the realm, Omal, Orban, Lukub and Nizahl. Each Kingdom has a mythical ruler and a different flavour of magic, however magic has been chained and the rulers disappeared.
The story was fine but did follow the classic ' Romeo and Juliet' trope with Sylvie meeting Arin heir to the Nizahl throne, initally hating each other at first sight but with time and contact coming to find love.
As a read it was engaging and would be interesting how the story lines develop.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

If there's one thing I enjoy it's a reluctant hero/ine. The Jasad Heir almost takes this to the nth degree, with Sylvia refusing to acknowledge her past or potential responsibilities towards her fellow Jasadis. I enjoyed the back and forth between her and Arin, though the slow burn was perhaps a little TOO slow and I'd have preferred a closer balance between their two perspectives in the narrative - perhaps this will be rectified in the next book. However I really enjoyed the found family element and the slow reveal of the corruption of the Jasadi rule.

This author is definitely one to watch, with this promising debut! I really loved this Egyptian-inspired world, and I loved the main character Sylvia - she was fierce and funny, and I think a fantastic main character for this series. I also enjoyed the romance and the love interest; while the romance wasn't my favourite part of the story, I did love the tension and the angst between the two characters and there was a great buildup to the romance as well. My favourite part was definitely the court politics - there's a whole lot going on, in a very corrupt world where everyone is only looking out for themselves, I liked how the author explored all of these intricacies throughout the book and I'm excited to see how they will continue to play out in the next book.

There were some aspects that I felt could be improved upon; there are a series of trials within this novel, which felt rushed and not exactly necessary to the plot - there was never any tension or worry that the main character wouldn't win, so I struggled to care during these chapters.

I am excited to see where this series will go however, and I hope this brings on more Egyptian-inspired fantasy books to the world!

This is only my second ever Egyptian mythology inspired book and this was definitely better than the first I read!
Really enjoyable to read!

I loved the Jasad Heir!! I loved the story that manages to involve the reader and keep him glued to the pages until the end. The book is a very enjoyable read, and the characters are magnificent. Everything is well structured and the world building is crazy. The relationship between the protagonists is so well done that I kept reading to see how their story evolved. I can't wait to read more from this writer!

I loved this! The Egyptian inspired fantasy adventure took me on the best kind of roller coaster and if I'm honest, I didn't want to get off!

The Jasad Heir was one of my most anticipated releases of this year. The second I read Egyptian inspired fantasy I was convinced and in a hyperventilating state. What could go wrong? Everything and nothing. It wasn’t what I expected and it was so much more. It was almost a DNF, it could have been a favorite. I take ages to read half of it, I finished the other half in a day. Yes it was a rollercoaster of its own.

So what happened? It seemed like I read two different books. The first half of the book was slow, too long even for me, because nothing was really happening. Everything was taking forever. I wasn’t connecting with the characters and I wasn’t seduced by the story. And then, suddenly, everything changed. And when I say everything is EVERYTHING. I was connecting with the characters AND rooting for them. I was completely hooked by the plot. The politics and court intrigue on this let me over the moon. The pace changed completely. Now it was fast paced and action packed, with amazing twists and I was holding my breath and desperate to know more. The worldbuilding was finally a thing and that end? That end let me obsessed.

And the same happened with the characters. I wasn’t caring for them at all and now I’m living for them. Sylvia seemed an uninterested character without feelings or anything and then, she was angry and fierce, unapologetically witty and manipulative… she was amazing and I was completely rooting for her. Arin seemed a robot, and now I was living for their excruciating and awesome slowburn romance and, how they hate each other and everything they represented for one another, but that attraction was a living thing that was killing me.

So yes, I’m mad the first half wasn’t as good. And yes I will definitely read the second one. And yes, please, read it. I swear it will be worth it.

Thank you to netgalley UK for providing me an arc in exchange of an honest review

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC of The Jasad Heir.
This book is everything you could wish for. Hidden identities, enemies-to-lovers and a deadly tournament. I can't wait to read the second book. The writing style is easy to read and really compelling.

A book I would have loved to love but sadly didn't.
The premise is great and the worldbuilding is promising. I also have developed deep affection for the MMC.
However, Arin had just very few chapters from his POV (absolutely adored them) and the rest was in Sylvia's POV. Sadly, because she kinda annoyed me as a character. I can't put my finger on it, as for the most part she was a generic 'reluctant chosen one' character, but she seemed to be flipping through her own life's story without much of an agenda (until the very last part of the book, but that was too late for me).
The pacing was fast but also weird at times, and for many sections the plot seemed to be going in circles. It all seemed to be built towards the trials, but then these were just mentioned without much depth or enthusiasm.
All this said, I know that many peeps in my buddy read group absolutely adored the book and so it was probably just me not warming up to it.
As I can totally appreciate the worldbuilding and the magic system (even though I couldn't fully grasp it yet), I wanna give this book 3/5 stars.

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the eARC!

#JasadHeir #Netgalley #Bookstagram

This was a solid fantasy novel that I didn't wholly love, but can appreciate what was achieved within.

I personally didn't really believe the romance enemies to lovers angle but I think this is just a personal preference with these two characters in particular as usually I enjoy this trope.

I do have a lot of questions about the magic system, but I'm hoping that these will be answered in book two.

While there was a bit of a cliffhanger ending I do think I am happy to wait for a while, but that I will read book two.

I want to see my fave characters in book two, but don't want to say who they are...

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very much looking forward to reading this but was a tad bit disappointed.

Its still a good story and kept me hooked throughout but the entire time I was reading it, I couldn't shake the feeling that I have read this before, which ultimately made the book somewhat predictable for me.

The story utilises a lot of familiar tropes, some of which I enjoyed while some where just okay. I definitely think the whole training sequence could have been better executed as it felt very lacklustre. On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the competition and the stakes truly felt quite high.

The characters are good, and I loved following their personal journeys. The FMC's internal struggle and her dilemma about whether she really owes her country anything just because she was born royalty felt very riveting.
I especially enjoyed the slow burn romance and thought that it was executed quite well.

Overall, I enjoyed some parts of the story but didn't care about some parts. It still makes me interested in reading the next book though so I will look forward to it.

4,25 / 5

Shoutout to whoever is responsible for the cover. 10/10.

The first moment I got hooked was about midway through chapter 2, when Sylvia did a thing. And it was glorious. Iykyk.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between Sylvia and Arin. The slow burn was *REAL* with those two! Chin tilting, lips slightly curving upwards, cheeks blushing here and there. You know the drill.
But there was always this sort of tension when you don’t know if one (or both) will start attacking the other person. Great work on the enemies to lovers trope. Living for this.

Something I wasn’t expecting, but was pleasantly surprised with, were the witty comments from Sylvia throughout the book. It made me giggle and ugly laugh several times.
Very unexpected though very much appreciated.
The book had also a lot of great quotes, not only in general but also showing Sylvia’s struggle being in her position siding with the literal enemy without betraying her people.

The writing overall was really good and made me even like first person single narration (but only with this book), even though I like to consider myself the biggest hater for this type of pov.

I highly recommend paying attention from the beginning to all the different terms being dropped. Or have the map next to you. Because clearly I wasn’t paying enough attention which led me to puzzle everything together as the book progressed, so I kept on having a “?” throughout a lot of the explanations, revelations and “connecting the dots” situations.
So: don’t be like me.

After about 150 pages in, the feeling of “ok I finally arrived in the book” settled, which made me enjoy it even more.

The book does end with a cliffhanger, so be prepared.
Very excited for the sequel!!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Whoa. This book was EXCELLENT. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this one was done was beautifully that I couldn't put down the book. I loved it.

I absolutely loved this book! It takes all the tried and tested fantasy plot points and puts its own unique spin on them. I loved Sylvia, I loved Arin, I loved the whole enemies-to-lovers trope. This book sucked me in from the very beginning and I could not read it fast enough!
That ending though 😫😫
I am counting down to the next one in the series