This was easily one of the top fantasy books I've read this year! The Jasad Heir has so many things to love--a fierce protagonist with trapped magic, found family, an heir in hiding, political machinations, a complex world, terrifying monsters, and a set of magical trials between champions. There's even a generous dash of humor, and plenty of love. It's complex, but all of the different aspects of it received their due time and attention instead of just being wedged in, making this read like a complex and well-developed world. My favorite thing about this book was the developing relationship between Arin and Sylvia, going from deep hatred to allies to perhaps something more. The tension between them was thick enough to blunt a knife--so well done.

This book gave me big emotions and completely drew me in. I can't wait for the rest of the series--especially after that ending!

I can't say enough good things about this book! It hits all of my favorite elements- fantasy romance, enemies (and actual enemies) to lovers, slow burn, court politics, and amazing world building in a unique Egyptian inspired setting. Sylvia is the lost heir to the defunct Jasad kingdom, her powers restrained by magical shackles. She has been in hiding for over 5 years, thanks to a cruel former general of the Jasad kingdom, and has the emotional and physical scars to prove it. The author brings us to her covert existence in a neighboring kingdom, where she has become a healer's apprentice and has reluctant friendships. The side characters are fully fleshed out and I loved them just as much, as they keep Sylvia's humanity grounded while we get to know her. Make no mistake, this book has brutal depictions of death early on, so these moments were pivotal for us to care for Sylvia. Unfortunately, her rash choices lead her into the clutches of the Nizahl Heir's attention; the very symbol of her kingdom's downfall. She becomes his kingdom's champion for Hunger Games-esque trials. Throughout the book, Sylvia faces multiple trials, attempts to escape several times, and battles a war within of who she owes her life and loyalty to. As the lead characters get closer through their shared scars, so do they get closer to danger and the clashing of kingdoms with a palpable cliffhanger ending. If you're looking for the next read that will keep you turning the page long into the night and give you the best tension leading into a book hangover, pick this one up!

I have so much respect for how incredibly slow the burn on the romance plot is here. Queen in disguise, forbidden Prince, awww, so good. The worldbuilding here is also fantastic, rich, robust cultures for each region. I'm only taking a star off because the secondary characters feel a bit shallow still. But it is in the "I'm sure we'll fill them out in future books" way. I do wish that the tournament was a bit better explained. Fights to the death always feel out of place to me. But I'm still all in for the fantastic setting and watching the two main characters slowly, slowly get together.

I received an eARC of this book for review from the Orbit Books via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
• The Brief: This first book in a planned fantasy series is a well realized epic set in an Egyptian inspired world shattered by war. The protagonist is the last royal of a defeated kingdom who is struggling to survive the ongoing hunt to eradicate all survivors.
• Anyone who enjoys fresh world building, complicated characters, and political intrigue should give this one a chance!

The Jasad Heir is about the reluctant hero of a conquered kingdom: the last kingdom to hold on to magic handed down by the ancestors. Sylvia lives in hiding with no goal beyond surviving the unending eradication of her people. She is drawn into a local dispute, which brings her to the attention of more dangerous enemies that may expose her secret, reveal the true past, or both. There is also a dash of dash of romantic tension and a pinch of gladiator-like competition.
I enjoyed the internal journey of the protagonist as she struggles to understand herself, her past, and her future. Also, the world building is fascinating. It stands out as one of the best aspects of this story. I look forward to learning more about the politics and history in the sequels. The political machinations are the framework of the plot, and are tense and interesting but not particularly unique. Go into this one for the character work and world exploration.

I enjoyed Hashem's writing and I think this was a great first book for a series. The characterization was great and the world building was interesting. I loved the setting and I look forward to reading the next one.

This was a great story set in an Egyptian inspired fantasy world. Hashem is a great writer when it came to writing the world and the story. I was very intrigued by the summary so I knew this book would be great. The pacing was very slow for this lengthy book so at times I did get bored unless there was a very great conflict. The characters were fun and amazing and I loved Sylvia and Erin. They were well-written characters and their romance was great. The enemies to lovers, slow burn romance was a perfect touch to the book. The side characters were great too and were very involved in the story. Overall a great book, but I wish it was a bit shorter or split into two books. I can’t wait to see what the second book in the series holds for us.

Absolutely devoured this book! The hatred that Arin and Sylvia have towards each other had me so invested. I loved how hard Arin worked at guessing who Sylvia truly was. It took me a minute to get into the story but when I did I was completely hooked. Can’t wait to see what’s next in book 2! Thank you to netgalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a tough read for me. I liked the premise, though the beginning was over-expositioned. I liked Sylvia's friends, but they kind of got lost behind the rest of the very long and circuitous plot. Overall, though there were parts I enjoyed, I didn't feel like the political system lived up to its potential, I didn't really enjoy the romance, and I felt this book was in need of some tighter editing and more fleshed out worldbuilding.

If you like:
- angry feral women
- enemies to lovers with forced proximity
- competition plots
- forbidden magic and corruption

Check out The Jasad Heir by Sara Hasheem!

One of my favorite things about this book was the dialogue. The character interactions are sharp and entertaining. Each character had their own style. I especially loved Sefa and Marek, their acespec relationship was really touching to see normalized. 

I loved Sylvia's character. She is sharp and very prone ot violence. Her point of view is very engaging to read, she sees the world in such a black and white way. It’s fascinating to see how that evolves as she learns more and is forced to adjust her views. 

Hashem has a really beautiful and vibrant writing style. There were so many lines I highlighted in this book.

Positives aside, there were many things I did not enjoy about this book.

A pet peeve of mine is when an author tells us things as facts and then with no explanation changes those. There were two characters from Sylvia’s past that she was so certain were dead, you’d think she had seen it happen with her own eyes. And yet they aren’t? And there’s no explanation as to how they got out alive? It’s fine for people to have survived but it needs to be explained otherwise it’s impossible to rely on the narration.

The pacing of this book felt very off to me. The first 70% is spent on training and then the last 30% is the competition. There were moments that felt incredibly rushed through and others that were entirely unnecessary.

As for the characters and the enemies to lovers romantic subplot. On a day to day small scale, I loved Sylvia and Arin. Their banter and hatred was just delicious. I was kicking my feet and screaming at their interactions. However I couldn't really ignore the large scale set up to their status as enemies. Arin is the son of the man who is presumed to be responsible for the destruction of the Jasadis and he is white. Sylvia is the royal heir to Jasad and has a darker complexion. I didn't notice in the text if her darker skin was specifically a Jasadi trait, I don't think it was since she was able to live in hiding. But even if that wasn't the overall NizhalxJasad situation, there's an uncomfortable layer of light skinned conqueror and darker skinned conquered to their direct relationship

Also, Jasadis are stereotyped to be violent and dangerous. This is part of why they are hunted down. Sylvia is like this, clearly because of her past. And truthfully I love violent disastrous MCs. However putting together the Jasadi stereotype and Sylvia being a person of color, it made the situation all the more icky. 

I don't think any of the above is a reason not to read, I'm not saying that at all. I did enjoy parts of this book alot. I just think these underlying themes, intentional or not, within the enemies to lovers make it hard to root for the characters to get together and convey a questionable message. 

Arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Jasad Heir is an amazing debut fantasy novel and I cannot wait for the next one! This is a great example of enemies to lovers with *actual* enemies, and the slow burn was *chef’s kiss*. The overall world building was great, I particularly enjoyed the (scary) mythological creatures built into the plot. There is quite a bit of political intrigue that is very complex- it was hard to tell which kingdoms/groups were good or bad, which really elevated the plot. If you enjoy morally gray characters, this book is for you. All of the characters were so well written that I was rooting for everyone. I would definitely recommend this to fans of YA fantasy wanting to get into adult fantasy. My only complaints are that the magic system was not well defined and the big reveal at the end did not make sense to me. I’m very excited for the next one and I just know the tension in that is going to be amazing!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an arc to review!

There is so much I love about this book that I don't know where to begin. To say I loved this book and author would be an understatement. I stayed up until 9am finishing the book because I kept telling myself "just one more chapter and I'll go to bed". I just could not put the book down.

The writing style of this author is top tier. From the first chapter she had me completely enraptured by both the plot and characters. This book had me in an emotional rollercoaster; my feelings on many characters changed with their character developments and the different journeys.

The plot is absolutely amazing and the use of Middle Eastern culture was perfection! I've always had a love and affinity for Arab culture and am always drawn to those types of books and authors. I'm so happy that I can say I've found another amazing author who uses their own background and culture to their stories. She is now one of my favorite authors without a doubt.

This book gave off major Dramione vibes, something I'm a huge fan of. If you are too you'll definitely love this book. I have a few book series that are my comfort series. These series are ones in read when I'm in reading slumps and or depressed. Series that I read over, over, and over again. I can honestly say that this book and this series is now a part of those select few.

If you love beautifully written fantasy, with well developed magic systems, characters full of depth, and amazing imagery then this is the book for you. I 100% recommend and think it's a must read. Definitely a contender for my favorite book of the year.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Never have I been more relieved to find out that the romance plotline wasn't endgame.

***END SPOILER ALERT***

I'll admit, I'm honestly not quite sure how I feel about this book.

By the end of the story, I got the feeling that the FMC, Sylvia, is a wholly unreliable narrator. Seeing her this way helped me understand some of her actions (particularly the extremely problematic romantic plotline). But unreliable narrator or not, I'm still confused and disgusted by how that particular plotline went down.

I'll start with the positives. The worldbuilding (well, mostly the accompanying mythology) wasn't too difficult to understand. It gave me The Isles of the Gods vibes with how each god/Awala was the creator of each kingdom. And of course, our FMC is the heir of Jasad, which was created by an Awala who ended up committing massacres because he suffered from "magic-madness."

It was all in-depth and was mentioned a lot over the course of the story, so by the end, you understand the lore and cultural beliefs well enough to know where the characters were coming from.

But tbh, the role of the Nizahl empire didn't make any sense at all. It was created as a military arbitrator between the other kingdoms, but eventually became way too powerful and ended up being a colonizer.

Like, duh? How did no one predict this??

Anyway.

On to things I didn't like or felt meh about:

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Sylvia's characterization. She's incredibly psychologically damaged and keeps everything to herself. So, by the end of the novel, you never truly understand or even know her motives.

I won't lie. Part of me feels cheated by this, while the other part is intrigued enough to pick up the sequel so I can attempt to understand Sylvia's thought processes and motivations.

Unless, ofc, this is one of those things I'm overthinking. (There's a high chance of this.)

I didn't care too much for Arrin, Nizahl Heir/love interest/colonizer extraordinaire. The author tried really hard to make him a complex character, but he came off as extremely abusive, self-centered, and just plain flat.

Were we supposed to feel something for him by the end of the novel? I don't know, nor do I really care at this point.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Dude threw knives at Sylvia, stabbing her multiple times, when she tried to run away from his capture. He provoked her on more than one occasion in order to bring her magic to the forefront (her magic is restrained by invisible cuffs). In one instance, he was totally chill with killing one of Sylvia's friends to achieve this goal.

Sexy.

***END SPOILER ALERT***

Even after Arrin and Sylvia warmed up to each other near the very end, and when the reader is made to believe that the romantic subplot is past the point of no return, the whole thing felt incredibly disgusting and disturbing. So, kudos to the author for evoking such strong emotions within me. I literally couldn't stop blogging about it. (Sorry not sorry, booksta and GR friends.)

The entire Sylvia/Arrin will they? won't they? romantic plotline ended up overriding the secondary characters. Sylvia's two friends, Sefa and Marek, Arrin's guards, etc. felt very two-dimensional. They solely existed as plot devices. I'm not sure if this was due to Sylvia's first person POV and her extremely "woe is me" attitude, but it certainly didn't help.

The ending... I wish there had been a lead-up of some sort. There were little hints and clues, but at the end of the day, I'm still not sure if that ending happened because it was due to Sylvia being an unreliable narrator, or due to the author's intention to misdirect readers. Or both.

It's been two days since I've finished the arc, and I'm still at a loss as to whether the ending was written skillfully, or if it was just a Hail Mary.

Ah well, on to the next one.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.

This was definitely an interesting read. I’m thankful I was able to receive an arc of this but I just don’t believe it was my cup of tea.

This book was so fun! I had been seeing this author throughout her progress on tiktok and knew I had to immediately request the ARC when I saw it on here! The romance is very fun and not over or under shadowed by the plot either. Can't wait for the next one!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Jasad Heir is a promising debut fantasy. Steeped in Egyptian history and lore, I loved this immersive and expansive world, chock-full of political intrigue. It’s a bit messy at times, but it’s also fairly well-constructed and compelling. And while it’s combined with some familiar tropes, the spin Sara Hashem puts on them felt unique enough to keep me engaged.
Sylvia is a great spin on the “Chosen One” archetype. She has trauma and baggage due to her past and the tragic losses she’s dealt with early in life, and she struggles with the pressure of the expectations of her role. I also like that she’s not perfect, messing up and making poor decisions on occasion.
Arin is a great secondary character/love interest. They have an intriguing dynamic, being somewhat enemies-to-lovers, and while some aspects are a bit questionable, I appreciate the sensitivity with which Hashem approached these potential issues. And while the romance is more of a subplot, it’s no less engaging in the midst of everything else going on
The plot is pretty engaging overall, although I’d say the pacing is a bit uneven, with some bits feeling very rushed. I’d have liked more emphasis on the competition aspect, for example, but I feel like that got glossed over. To be fair, this is already a lengthy book, but I can’t help but feel a bit let down.
In spite of my minor issues, I am immersed enough to see where this series goes. If you’re looking for a culturally rich debut fantasy with strong romantic elements, I’d recommend checking this one out!

4.5 stars

There were some predictable moments in this story. From early on, I knew what was going to happen to make Sylvia expose her magical ability, and who was going to be the cause of that spark of revelation, and I was completely right. From there, Arin is aware that Sylvia is Jasad…but that’s where the knowledge ends…and Sylvia is pretty darn keen to keep her true identity hidden.

Even from the beginning though, I could definitely feel the sparks, the chemistry, between Sylvia and Arin. And I actually really enjoyed that so many characters were hiding things and keeping secrets. It absolutely made it seem even more tense and you didn’t know who to trust or how much to trust them, which I actually really enjoyed.

When it came to the worldbuilding and magic, it felt like we got a decent amount of information about the world’s history and lore in the beginning, as the world is preparing for this competition, but I felt like since we were in a community that’s very anti-magic, we didn’t really get information about magic, and when we did, it was the biased and incorrect knowledge of people who are scared of or hate magic wielders.

It certainly made for an interesting set-up.

I enjoyed that this had so many fantasy elements I do tend to enjoy: magic competitions, a more political fantasy, and there’s a lost hidden royal, plus a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers sort of situation. And unintentional (by our leading lady, anyway) found family elements as well.

There were some bits that felt a bit slow, while others felt a bit rushed, but overall I still did have a nice time reading this book. And it only took me a couple days to finish it all, which is also pretty darn great. I’m definitely intrigued, and look forward to both having a finished copy of this on my shelves, but also reading the sequel when it comes around.

I really enjoyed this book. I absolutely loved that it was Egyptian inspired. I loved the tropes and plot throughout the book. The romance was enemies to lovers, which I’m a big fan of.

The pacing was a little off for me. The middle of the book felt pretty slow, just for the ending to be very rushed.

Definitely recommend anyone who loves fantasy to give this book a try!

Thank you so much for providing me access to The Jasad Heir! I was really excited about this novel, but unfortunately I really struggled with it. Out of respect for the author, I do not plan to write a review online.

For feedback to you all, my critiques are as follows:
1. I found the writing to be confusing. While I recognize that this was an ARC, I would oftentimes find myself having to reread passages over and over to figure out what was happening. It felt like the narration would be on track, and then all of a sudden there was a time jump between two paragraphs.
2. I didn't feel the stakes of the trials. I never really bought in to the idea that these trials carried any real weight or risk. Plus, we only got to them in the last 70% so it felt really rushed once we did get to them. Also, the Timur plot line felt incredibly familiar. I can't say to what, but I was having incredible deja vu.
3. I never bought in to the romance between Arin and Sylvia. Arin was a brutal killer basically committing genocide. I was never able to redeem him in my mind to feel any sort of connection between him and Syliva. I just kept being told that he was complicated, but that wasn't enough to forgive him.

I will say this had great bones. I was also really into the first 25% before it lost steam. I really hope that I will enjoy the next novel that Ms. Hashem writes because she definitely can write. This one just wasn't for me.

I attempted this twice with two different formats, but it was still a no-go. I was expecting to love this, but I felt it got bogged down in world-building. And the main character didn’t seem fully fleshed out.

The writing is good and sometimes humorous, but overall, it is not that engaging.

I could force myself to read it, but I have a suspicion it would end up sitting at three stars, possibly lower. I might try again when the mood strikes.

The Jasad Heir is an adult fantasy novel that follows Sylvia, the young heir of a conquered kingdom who is in hiding. After she's discovered by the heir of the conquering kingdom, Arin, she strikes a bargain to enter into a deadly tournament in order to save herself.

At the start of every year, I create a list of my most anticipated reads, and The Jasad Heir was definitely near the top of that list. The premise, the tournament (one of my favorite tropes), the Egyptian-inspired setting, everything about it was calling out to me. So with such high hopes, I am relieved to say that this definitely lived up to the expectations I placed on it!

I'll start first with what I loved:

- The tournament! I love a good tournament to the death in a fantasy book. I wish we maybe got a little more of it, as this didn't start till over halfway in, but I still loved it!
- The enemies-to-lovers trope (another of my favorites). The tension between these two was so great!
- The two main characters, but especially Sylvie. They were great and well filled out characters
- The various mysteries that slowly unfold throughout.
- The ending! Can I have book 2 already?!

Some minor adjustments:
- It is a little long. On the one hand, it's great because everything gets set up and it flows and happens naturally, but at the same time, we didn't get to the heart of the book till over halfway in.
- The magic system was a little confusing in the beginning.

Ultimately, this was a 5 star read for me. I would recommend it to all fantasy lovers and I can't wait for book 2!!