How wonderful to see another new author coming through with such a superb first book? A story full of adventure, tension and magic - my students are going to adore this!

The Jasad Heir is absolutely staggering. I was truly not ready for this incredible Egyptian-inspired adventure to end and I need the next book right now.

Sara Hashem has developed an intensely lush world that is completely immersive. I adore when a fantasy book is able to fully draw me in and sweep me away with its magic. This author has a stunning writing style, with beautiful dialogue and lush characterisations. I loved Sylvia; what an unbelievably strong and intelligent character! The romance subplot was a delightful addition with a significant helping of pining and tension. “…the way he looks at you sometimes. Like you are a cliff with a fatal fall, and each day you move him closer to its edge”. If this quote doesn’t sell you on that then I don’t know what will; this is so much more than just enemies to lovers.

I have read a lot of books this year and this has to be up there with my favourites. I cannot express how much I connected to this story and struggled to pull myself away from devouring this book so quickly.

The Jasad Heir is a true epic fantasy that is fast-paced, action packed and unpredictable. I would highly recommend this to absolutely everyone!

The Jasad Heir was totally underrate epic political fantasy debut! Following a fugitive orphan Queen whom lost everything since young age. From her hiding place she saw how enemy armies burned and destroyed her kingdom then hunt down her people. But she only want disappear, stay alive and free without big responsibility.

Sylvia is interesting character. She fierce, loyal and keep all her feeling close to her heart. I love seeing her progress to warming her feeling and trusting other people. I saw there is hidden layers from her memory that open for extra development. I wont talk about Arin because he is manhwa classic hero streotipe. This book was marketed as Egyptian inspired fantasy but I cant find the parts represent Egypt as mentioned.

It is debut, so I am understand that so many aspect from the story wasn't perfect...yet. From the lukewarm romance, less development worldbuilding until monotonous practices plot at beginning. But I am happy enough with bloody competition part with real high stakes.
In the end, I enjoying my spent my reading time with this book. I cant wait to get my hands on the stronger second installment.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit from Little Brown Book Group UK for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting release date : 18 July 2024

This book was a total whirlwind adventure and I’m so here for an enemies to lovers romance - especially one with this much tension! I could totally tell their relationship was going to be electric and it didn’t disappoint. Sylvia’s an intriguing character and more of her past comes to light through the book, along with many twists and turns. She has a great relationship with her boss, Rory, and with her friends from the orphanage, despite the secrets she holds and everything she’s been through. I was a little confused that her character’s meant to have trained for years in different ways to fight but seems to be pretty bad at it, but it’s not like I’d do any better! Sylvia’s world is well crafted and her backstory complex, and though I’m still curious about Arin and maybe got a bit confused at times about the different parts of the world and its groups of people, I enjoyed this one and look forward to seeing where the series takes us.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I’m literally in class trying to stop myself from crying. I don’t have anything to say. The only word that comes to mind is wow. Because as simple as that is, it fully explains how INCREDIBLE this book is. I genuinely loved every single aspect of this book. I can’t tell you anything bad about it because nothing bad exists. I don’t even have the words. Infinity stars honestly, five stars doesn’t even fully explain how much I loved it. My favourite read of the year

This was a great political fantasy book with strong Egyptian influences and representation.

What to expect:
✨️ Enemies to Lovers
✨️ Coloniser x Colonised romance
✨️ Magical Trials
✨️ Little to no spice
✨️ Hidden Identity

Whilst this book slightly dragged in the middle, I really enjoyed reading a fresh take on some tropes that have been so popular in fantasy books recently.

I love a hidden identity, and the tension between the 2 MCs was interesting, with some fun banter. And the burn was the slowest of slowwww, but I kind of like that, and can't wait to see how this develops in the next book!
Sylvia goes through some great external and internal conflicts, and I really like how this was developed throughout the book.
Arin was a super interesting character and person, I would more of his POV in the next book.

Even though the magic system was confusing at times, I'm excited to learn more about it, and whether it is a corrupting as some of the political groups think it is.

This book obviously touches on some sensitive themes, so please do check trigger warnings before reading.

I'm so glad this book has become traditionally published, and I know it's going to be super popular!

I must begin with "oh my god please read this". This is genuinely one of my favorite reads of the year - it has everything. Enemies to allies to ????, betrayal, hidden identities, magic, friendship, difficult trials, a complex character and world building that really had me engulfed in the story and the book.

The story follows Sylvia, the Heir of the Jasad empire. She is in hiding, as Jasadi people are hunted by different empires for their magic. She eventually gets entangled with the heir of Nizahl, Arin, and participates in a series of trials all while needing to hide her magic and pretend that she is something she is not.

Everything about this was amazing. Maybe because I did not love the book I read before this, or because it took me a while to get back to reading, but this was just chef's kiss. The banter, Sylvia's character, the world building and the environment Hashem creates is just incredibly rich and vibrant and really had me thinking (and even dreaming!) about this world. It kept my attention and I struggled putting this down once I really sank my teeth into it, and I just cannot wait to read the Jasad Crown, the conclusion to this duology, because if this is any sort of preview of what is possible and what might unfold for Sylvia and her friends then I need to read it as soon as it comes out!

honestly, a really good debut!!

it took me a little while to be fully emersed in the story, i was struggling to keep my focus on the book. but around the 25% mark, everything started to come together and i couldn't put this book down.

the story was fantastic, and i really liked the world building. i often struggle imagining places in books, but my imagination went wild with this one. the characters were awesome, both main and side characters felt so real, you could tell sara put her time into characterizing them. im so excited to see, were the story is going to lead us next. i'm expecting big things!

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬

⟡

I absolutely loved The Jasad Heir! I DEVOURED it.

I was so hooked on this book like there are some drugs or something in here because I couldn't put it down and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. It's fast paced, it's engaging, it's atmospheric and the characters are so likable.

The general concepts of the book are actually not that original, you've got enemies to lovers, an heir in hiding, political intrigue, trials etc, but the way they're done? Perfection. So it feels fresh and exciting while also giving you the comfort and familiarity of widely loved tropes and themes.

I loved all of this but the romance was probably my favourite. This is ENEMIES to lovers. They were truly disgusted by each other at first and had zero qualms about stabbing and hurting each other. It's also a true slowburn but it doesn't feel rushed in the end like so many slowburns do, you really see them open up inch by inch with each other until they finally crack and literally collide in their first kiss! This book has the perfect who did this to you scene I mean this man UNRAVELS, I can only describe it as if Aaron Warner and Jude Duarte were enemies to lovers. They're so intense with each other but they also have the best banter and they mock each other mercilessly, he calls her a deranged goose and his pet name for her means a bridge troll who leads people to their doom😭

This could have been such a dark book but the banter and humour really kept it light at the right times so it didn't feel too heavy but was still serious and deep when needed. The writing is so gorgeous, my highlighter actually went dry I was using it so much.

I loved the world building. There was no info dumping in my opinion, you find out more as you go along and I definitely prefer it that way. Doing it that way means you might be confused at times but it kept the mystery up, kept me wanting more and didn't overload my brain. I will say there are a LOT of minor characters to keep track of and I felt like there needed to be more on them individually, especially Soraya because a particular scene didn't do much for me because I didn't remember who she was.

The characters, friendships and relationships felt very authentic. I believe Sylvia has PTSD and the exploration of that was done really well. Seeing her discover repressed memories was heartbreaking but so well written. She is very angry, keeps herself at a distance from everyone and is really just a shell of who she could be so seeing her growth was amazing and she actually blew my mind by the end I was so proud of her. Sefa and Marek truly had her back every step of the way and I love them! And Arin?? He is pretty much Aaron Warner 2.0 but I LOVE him, the man has a way with words and I absolutely fell for it. I loved getting a sprinkle of his POV I would have loved more, and I think there could definitely be potential for book two to be dual POV!

The exploration of genocide and how the Jasadis had to have done something to deserve what was done to them was very interesting and honestly heartbreaking. Sylvia is a really strong character but she's also just a girl who is so broken from living through this and trying to escape the pressure of having the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders. Her journey is truly amazing.

The competition was brief which I appreciated. The trials weren't overly long, they got to the point while still being action packed and quite moving at times. There was more focus on the scenes surrounding the trials, the political intrigue and relationship and character development that came with that build up.

THE ENDING?? Sylvia girl I love you so much I can't wait to see what happens next and I might die without book two honestly

Wow!

It took me a while to come back to the 21st century on the Earth after reading this masterpiece. The writing, the characters, the world all felt so real and were explained masterfully so that it was not an info dump and made the characters likeable and realistic. I LOVED the Jasad Heir and can’t wait to read more of The Scorched Throne series.

Summary: At ten, the Heir of Jasad fled a massacre. At twenty, Sylvia’s magic is exposed by the Nizahl Heir, Arin, to survive she strikes a deal betraying her country.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

At ten years old, the Heir of Jasad fled a massacre that takes her entire family. At fifteen, she buried her first body and fled to a quiet village. At twenty, Sylvia waits for an attempt to go home. Nizahl's armies have laid waste to her city and banned magic across the four remaining kingdoms. Fortunately, Sylvia's magic is as good at playing dead as she is. When the Nizahl Heir tracks a group of Jasadis to Sylvia’s village, the quiet life she's crafted unravels. Calculating and cold, Arin's tactical brilliance is surpassed only by his hatred for magic. When a mistake exposes Sylvia, Arin offers her an escape: compete as Nizahl’s Champion in the Alcalah tournament and win immunity from persecution.

This Egyptian inspired fantasy was so well crafted in terms of its worldbuilding. You can tell how much care was put into every little detail, even down to things like food and weaponry. It felt very atmospheric. I also loved the side characters, especially Sefa and Marek. Honestly, give me their story please!

However, the pacing really threw me off. It took 128 pages (from my copy) for a second POV to be added (which didn't feel necessary anyway). Also, I picked up this book for the action in the trials and didn't get much of it. (The first trial is a chapter long).

Don't get me wrong, the action that happened outside of the trials was well written. However, I'd love to have seen more of it during the trials itself.

Also a little nitpicky thing was that I hated the swearing element. There were too many different versions of swearing and profanity that it got a bit cringy.

This is the first in a series, and I feel like the ending was enough to make me pick up the next book.

If you want an Egyptian-inspired series with loveable characters, banter and great worldbuilding, pick up The Jasad Heir.

If you're a fan of Throne of Glass or The Prison Healer I think you'd like this book. We've got a main character with a hidden identity, who is given the opportunity to work with her opposition to fight for her freedom. While she thinks of herself as a bit of a loner that will be able to leave everything behind when she needs to, over the course of the book she realises that actually she has a select few people she truly cares for and she actually wants to save them too.
I found the world building a little heavy in the first half of the book, but I've come to expect this from most fantasy novels nowadays. I made the mistake of reading this book whilst moving house so it did take me a little longer than I think it usually would have to read, so the length of time it took me to read isn't a true reflection of the heaviness of the story.
I found it a bit obvious that there would be an enemies to lovers aspect within this story, however that being said it wasn't too smushy too quickly, we only really get a bit of the romance aspect almost right at the end and then things go south very quickly. And because of how this book ends I will definitely pick up a sequel.

I tried to like this, I really did and really hoped I would enjoy it as much as anyone else.

It’s perfect for people who loved Throne of Glass with similar tropes like lost heir to a throne

I think what didn’t work for me was the pacing, there’s far too much description on each page on not enough quick movement in the story and the plot

I did however love the mmc, he’s so enjoyable to read off the page and instantly intriguing as well as the friends Safa and Marek - I would’ve loved to read their POVS

DNF, I really struggled to get into this for some reason I can't even say why so it could be a me issue. I might give it another go in the future.

3 stars

i'm very conflicted over this one.

i loved the writing style, even if the pace did feel a bit slow at times, i loved the fmc, sylvia, even if her characterisation didn't completely make sense at times. i loved the setting and the atmosphere, and the way the world was written. however, i really disliked the romance subplot. the romance was cute, but it felt eerily like a coloniser romance story, which just felt very icky to me. i know that this wasn't exactly a romantasy either, but it really did feel like it,

i may write a longer review later to expand on my points

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

This is a master class on enemies to lovers. I would give it 4.25 stars. There were a few moments pacing was a little bit off and her motivations were making lacking for the plot (like just wanting her freedom, I felt like there were other options for her). But overall I really enjoyed this, the friendships and the slow burn tension and betrayal. I liked the characters and their imperfections. I’m so excited for the next book!

Some notes related to editing:

At the start of the book I really utilise the map to help build the image in my head and the map didn’t always match up with the text. For example at the start Sylvia is going into the woods from her village and I assumed that meant she had to cross the river to get there, but apparently there were woods the same side of the village. Just threw me off a bit when the directional descriptions in the text didn’t match the map.

Also in chapter 30 it says Ren lead Sefa and Marek away to their lodgings, but I thought Ren had already been killed by an arrow by the eye when they had been ambushed previously.

An interesting story with an original world that fans of the Prison Healer will enjoy.

It was a full and engaging world with a rich history and complex politics to delve into. The story was exciting and I was constantly wanting to know what happens next.

The main plot is focused around trials but we spend little to no time understanding how they work and even less time actually in them. This is a much bigger focus on politics which was intresting but unexpected. The rules of the competition, scoring and the actual trials are not explained and we get a little training montage at the beginning but it felt more there to show off the budding romance.

The relationships were complex and I loved the tension between our FMC and Arin. There is a big cast of characters to keep track of but I can't picture or differentiate many of the smaller characters, like the guards, and they felt redundant in parts. It was also difficult in parts to tell the difference between present story and the MCs flashbacks as they have no differentiation from the rest of the text.

My main problem was around how the worldbuilding and the character's past were introduced into the story. There is a lot of information that gets dumped in parts that feel unnatural and make scenes choppy with information that doesn't add much to the characters or story.

I was eagerly awaiting this book's release and then, when I had it, I got wary. First person POV, magical games, enemies-to-lovers - I've been burned before on all of these. But this book has single-handedly restored my confidence in all three of those points.

This was pretty wonderful. I loved the vast world building, and I actually really loved Sylvia's first person POV. Through her eyes, some of the secondary characters weren't super developed, but I found her biases often translating to me as well. And this became very important as we got to see more of Sylvia's past, so it worked well for me, intentional or not.

The plot was well-paced, to me, which can be tough to do when weaving in flashbacks. And the twists weren't big, book-changing twists, but they were well-done and kept me on my toes.

Now, the romance. First, I'll be clear: this isn't a romance book. This isn't a romantasy book. Not only has the "enemies to lovers" trope become a phrase easily thrown around at a lot of books, but the phrase "slow burn" seems to be a popular one right now too. So much so that whenever I see either of those two phrases, it's not only something I don't really believe will be true, but it's also a bit of a red flag. But this? This was good. The relationship between Sylvia and Arin progressed naturally over the course of these 500+ pages, and yes, they really were enemies to begin with.

This is a rounded up 5 stars for my enjoyment of the book and how much fun I had reading it.

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC

When I saw this was set in an Egyptian inspired kingdom I knew I had to pick up this book. The setting is lovely, with plenty of nods to Egypt but the main focus is on the political intrigue and characters. Our FMC is a lost heir in hiding, she is still suffering with trauma and is living a closed off life. I loved the opening part where she was collecting frogs 🐸 for her work. The plot is great and engaging, magic is outlawed and the rebels continue to cause disruption. I like enemies to lovers and this book has executed it perfectly with a deal with the enemy and a slowest of slow burns. There is a bit of a trial trope, that I always enjoy but this was not a main feature. The ending is epic and I can’t wait for the next instalment. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

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.

The Jasad Heir was a fun read and I cannot wait for the sequel, The Jasad Crown.

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