4/5 stars

This book had everything I love: strong female character, magic, intrigue, enemies that could be lovers. Sylvia spent years hiding after her kingdom was burned down, her family slaughtered. Staying far away from any of her people, keeping her head down. All for naught when she encounters the Nizhal heir and the son of her mortal enemy. Without giving too much away, he realizes she is Jasadi but has no idea who she actually is to the Jasadi people. He makes her an offer she can't refuse in exchange for taking part in a Hunger Games like competition against people chosen by the heirs of the other kingdoms. Such a wild ride, my only complaint being that the pacing was a little slow at points. I easily got over that, and the ending! Oh man, can't wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

Just want to thank Orbit for the chance to read The Jasad Heir early! Very much appreciated.

Now comes the bad part. I just could not connect with this book. The pacing was so weird, the dialogue didn’t feel genuine or seem natural at all and the MC is a little insufferable. Not to mention the complete lack of world building, which is the part I was most excited for given I haven’t seen any other Egyptian political fantasy. The romance is so wildly unbelievable. I’m sorry, I’m not swooning for a guy who utilizes child soldiers and thinks it’s okay because they’re safe if they’re an only child. Lol, what?

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. I really had high hopes for this series. I won’t be continuing it.

My feelings for this book are so muddled and complicated that it's taken forever for me to find the words to describe this reading experience. But now I know that I'm definitely disappointed. The Champion tournament becomes a focal point for the story about 10%-15% into the novel, so why did it take until 60% into the book for us to actually get to the trials for the Champions competing. The downfall of this novel is that it took too long to get to the core part of the story. This book could have started mere minutes before Sylvia stands up to Felix when he's in her village and cut out a ton of the training scenes/traveling. I know the slow pacing was probably meant to build the relationships between Sylvia and Arin (as well as Jeru, Sefa, and Marek), but ultimately, the slow pacing meant I lost interest. I went three weeks without reading this novel because I did not feel any urge to pick it up. The characters and writing had not captivated me within that first 25%. Now I pushed through because The Jasad Heir was one of my highly anticipated releases of 2023, but my opinions were only intensified that this novel should've started closer to the action and left out tons of unimportance scenes. We do not need to go to all of the other kingdoms and meet the rulers/rulers to be. We do not need to have multiple independent rebel events. It detracted from the core part of the story, and overall, it detracted me from this story to the point where I just wanted it to be over. Is the concept of this story great? YES. Are the characters great—minus the whole slow pacing? I would argue YES. The pacing and sequence of events just did a number on me in terms of my enjoyment.

BUT I want to also give shoutouts to the good things within this novel. The first person narration being one of my absolute favorite parts to this story. Sylvia's voice is very distinct, and while many don't prefer first person, when done right (which happened here), it's my favorite form of POV. Sylvia's sass, loyalty, and sense of survival were music to my ears when it comes to complicated character traits. She's fearful of what her past and identity could do to her, and I loved getting to see her turmoil roll throughout the entirety of this book. Sara Hashem's writing reminded me why I love first person so much, and also, speaking of the writer—Sara can write a damn good sentence. I have SO MANY quotes highlighted in my kindle because they're either lyrically genius or sent my mouth dropping to the floor. I think with more time her writing will get better (referring to pacing and plotting0, and once that is better, her prose will shine through as it deserves,

Overall, I want to read the sequel. I know this review leaned heavily into the negative, but since the ball is rolling, I believe the next book will (hopefully) not have the pacing issues. I want to give it a chance because the story still has tons of potential. I'm still curious about how it will end, and to me, that's the most important part when leaving a story. Do you want to stay, or are you ready to let go? I'm not ready to go, so I'm excited for The Scorched Throne.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a lost heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. In a moment of anger when her magic is exposed, this fugitive queen is forced to bargain with her greatest enemy.

In this Egyptian-inspired fantasy, Jasad is a destroyed kingdom and the Jasadis are condemned due to their magic. Sylvia is the survivor of her kingdom/family's massacre and she feels the weight of duty. Guilty and hurt, when grappling with her inner conflict, the 'voice of conscience' gives the narrative a hilarious tone to balance the heavier aspects.

The (protagonist) character arc is deeply satisfying - following her come to terms with her identity, emphasized by her instances of blessed emptiness; as she ultimately questions the value of loyalty in the face of freedom. I adored the bargains, the insidious alliance and especially the dynamic between the protagonist and Arin (her enemy). The author's strength is in the art of deceits, the 'game of minds' between a ruthless controller and an infantile mastery of emotions offers a great dose of entertainment.

Hashem doesn't meander at delivering a consistent plot, which events and potential greatness unfold in a juicy way. Themes of magic-madness, found family, enemies-to-lovers, politics, revenge, scheming, inheritance by blood, hidden identity and secret past allow one to slowly dig the rotten roots beneath. Grief. rage. fear drive the protagonist and the pages. The characters are textured, multi-dimensional, often finding themselves torn between different loyalties and against the tyrannies of magic and power.

This novel feels expansive and the transporting storyline is coated by a veil of mystery. The immersive setting and successful attempts at humor have a great capacity to fascinate. There are also trials with The-Hunger-games-vibes, action-filled pages yet not devoid of its emotional moments. Finally, the last 100 pages had me tear up a bit.

THE JASAD HEIR reminded me of how I bound my heart to fantasy. This is a wonderful debut and I am looking forward to the next installment. A new favorite!

Highly enjoyed this book! The pacing is a little off at times but I enjoyed everything about book. The world building was simple but unique. The characters were relatable and so charming. I can’t say enough good things about this book.

ten years old, the Heir of Jasad flees a massacre that takes her entire family.At fifteen, she buries her first body.At twenty, the clock is ticking on Sylvia's third attempt at home. Nizahl's armies have laid waste to Jasad and banned magic across the four remaining kingdoms..The Jasad Heir takes familiar fantasy plot elements—a destroyed kingdom; a hidden heir to the lost throne—

Intense and engaging read! This follows Sylvia, who has had her magic “cuffed” since she was a child, and an Heir to a throne that has made it his mission to find and arrest all those with magic.

I really enjoyed this! I’ll be honest, I thought about DNFing around 25%—there were just too many kingdom names and random people mentioned in the “history” that didn’t matter. All the names were thrown in suddenly and I didn’t really get a chance to absorb what each was before the plot was chugging right along and almost left me behind.

Despite those issues, I really did come to love this book. Sylvia is a badass, and I loved how she could find the humor in situations, and Arin’s responses to her attempts at humor were to die for. Their dynamic was cute (and hot), and the plot (once I could follow it better) was pretty engaging. I can honestly say I can’t wait for book two!

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Title: The Jasad Heir
Tagline: A queen rises.
Author: Sara Hashem

Release Date: July 18th, 2023*

Category: Fantasy

Synopsis: Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

Quote: “Every truth has its time.”

The UnReel Take:
Story: 6.5
Writing: 7
Characters: 9
Setting: 7
UnReel AR: 7.4

Bottom Line: The Jasad Heir has a lot of elements recognizable to the modern fantasy reader. A royal from a conquered kingdom living in secret, a main character with unusually powerful magic, political machinations, a survival-based competition, and a romantic subplot that is just *chef’s kiss.* Happily, though by no means a perfect book, TJH takes these familiar ideas and does something fun and uniquely complex with them.
I’m not surprised this is a debut novel, as the writing is pretty inconsistent. There are beautiful, descriptive passages that evoke imagery without feeling purple, mixed in with vague passages that leave you confused. This is a common “new writer” issue, and nothing that hampered my enjoyment. Some info-dumps pop up early on and the writing can be repetitive but, again, that’s common with a debut; there’s also some made-up swears and y’all know how I feel about that. TJH is a slow-burn of a novel, which is quite a diversion from a lot of stories using similar tropes, but it worked. The extra time lets you really sit with the characters and get your bearings in a complexly built world. The author does commit the grave sin of having characters engage in full-on dialogue in the middle of a fight, but I think we can forgive her.
The characters are the shining stars of The Jasad Heir. Sylvia, our titular main character, is damaged beyond belief and has been through trauma I can’t even imagine but still managed to make understandable decisions and her development was outstanding. Arin, the Nizhal Heir and sort-of antagonist, is cut from the cloth of a million “fantasy hot guys” but rises above his peers by actually being a developed character with a personality and flaws. There are several secondary characters but Sefa and Marek, Sylvia’s BFFs, have my whole heart and added to the narrative in a way many side characters don’t. For all that it’s quite a dark story, TJH has a not-insubstantial amount of humor, but it never falls into the “Marvel humor” trap of interrupting what should be impactful moments. Each character’s humor (if it exists) also relates to who they are as a person, as opposed to everyone being generically snarky.
I almost don’t need to talk about the setting because how on earth could “ancient Egyptian-inspired magical continent” not be cool? Suffice it to say, the worldbuilding is pretty fleshed out, though maybe a little overwhelming for a first entry. TJH clearly sets up the coming series, but some of the details we receive probably could’ve held off until later entries. I also really could’ve used a map, though it does look like one will be included in the final release.
I can’t wait for book two and really, what more is there to say?

Ideal Reading Location: Ideally the Egyptian desert but a hookah shop is a respectable alternative.

Drink Pairing: A good strong cup of Arak.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars because this book was everything that promised and so much more!
I might be biased because I'm obsessed with Egyptian mythology and history but I just couldn’t stop myself from saying “one more chapter” as I was getting ready for bed.

I loved the slow burn and how the author introduced us to both MC in separate ways before the inevitable happened. Sylvia is not your typical FMC, or at least not the typical heroine I’m used to read about but she won my heart in a way that I've been rooting for her besides her imperfections. On the other hand we have Ari who is as closed up as it gets but I loved being inside his head and realize that not everything it’s what it seems.

The world-building was rich and I really loved the dive into politics with the mix of magic, backstabbing,mythological creatures and romance that this first installment had to offer.

The Jasad Heir promises a few different things, and for me the main appeal was the whole idea of this girl surviving when so many others were killed, and having to hide in plain sight. In that sense, the book was really good and solidly delivered tension and a good deal of world building effectively.

My main issue, though, was the romance aspect. The problem is that both sides of the love interest are working to keep fairly cold and distant from everything. This is understandable given their circumstances, but it meant I never really felt much for either of them, especially in terms of a romance. For me, that plot was just there without doing too much. There’s still a lot of good here and this is a promising start of a series, but had I been reading this mainly for the romance I would’ve been disappointed.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hard-copy. All opinions provided are my own.

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem has a killer first line. You know, one of those that kind of stops you in your tracks.

Though there were moments after that where I was temporarily confused by the worldbuilding, at a certain point I became totally invested in this story & couldn’t wait to see what happened. The ending left me shocked to my core (!) & waiting to see what happens in book 2.

The premise of this fantasy is that magic is not allowed to be performed any longer, but our heroine Sylvia does it in front of the greatest threat to her: the leader of the monitoring force that makes sure magic isn’t being performed, & an heir, Arin.

If you want forced proximity, slow burn with eventual kissing & a stunning ending that will make you wonder what & how & when things will happen in book 2, check this one out. It’s a lot of fun!

4.5⭐️. Out 07/18.

Please see a trusted reviewer's list of CWs.
[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a black & white striped tank dress, holds a copy of the book in front of a yellow wall.]

This book single handedly had me enthralled for the last few days I spent reading it. The world in which the Jasad Heir was written is one of the most stunning and beautiful complex reads. The way in which Sara tells Sylvia’s story is layered in such a complex layer of weaving a story with deep tied culture along and the chaotic inter-relationships between characters is phenomenal.

The characters are woven with such depths that you can see every character’s personality, beliefs, and even their struggles of split loyalties.

Everything about this book challenges so much of where views of a child intersect with the views of an adult that truly understand and learns that history is gruesome and not what we remember as children. Sylvia learns her culture through memories and through experiences with others.

The ending was slightly predictable and the slow burn was slow but so juicy. But this book has so many twists and turns and things you won’t expect that you’ll stay awake until the wee hours in the morning trying to read.

This book has hit my top 3 books I’ve read this year and I don’t see any way in which it will be bumped out. It was that good. I cannot wait for the sequel now!

I want to Thank Orbit Books, Sara Hashem, and NetGalley for giving me the absolute honor of reviewing this ARC.

● Book Review ●
▪︎ Name: The Jasad Heir
▪︎ Author: Sara Heshem
▪︎ Genre: Fantasy
▪︎ Rating: 4 ⭐️
▪︎ Release Date: 7/18/23
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● Thoughts ●
I'm definitely in my fantasy era for sure! Before proceeding into this book, there is TW associated with this book so please search the TW! TW includes murder, abuse, death, etc. Once I read the synopsis, the book definitely ignited my interest immediately. This book is a fantasy book that is Egyptian inspired and there are aspect to politics to this as well as it has magical aspects which I love. There are elements of hidden identity which I enjoyed. The book is mostly in Sylvia's POV and her character is interesting and I enjoyed the chemistry between Sylvia and Arin! I'm so excited to read the next book and so excited for this book release!
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● Appreciation ●
Thank you Netgalley, Orbit Books, and Sarah Hashem for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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● Tags ●
#thejasadheir #sarahashem #enemiestolovers #fantasy #booktok #books #bookish #bookrecommendations #fantasybooks #fantasybookrecommendations #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #fantasybookrecommendations #booksta #orbitbooks #booktoker #orbitbooksus #arc #arcreview #netgalley #netgalleyarc

DNF at 25%. I realized I'm not an enemies to lovers person. I much prefer rivals to lovers, and this book is truly an enemies to lovers. I like Sylvia, but I cannot stand Arin, her enemy to lover interest. I'm sure he will end up not being a genocidal maniac in the end, but it's weird reading about how attractive/powerful he is from Sylvia's POV when he (to her and the reader's knowledge) is systemically murdering and torturing her people. I just can't get past it. And I know it's enemies to lovers, so the book is just accurately described. It just wasn't the story for me, but if you like the enemies to lovers trope you'd probably enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: July 18

An excellent beginning to a fantasy series! I liked it so much I pre-ordered before I even finished the book and I am excited for next in the series. I also wanted to support the author who wrote this while she was in law school which is totally bad-ass.

It is a fantasy series but I found the world building to come gradually and at times that made sense instead of front-loading like a lot of first of fantasy series do. I also found just the right amount of tension to move things along and keep things interesting. It is mostly told from one point of view but there are a few small sections from another point of view which I thought really helped with understanding the character and motive without being too heavy with it.

Once again, I find myself at a loss for words over how incredible this book was. I’ve been looking for something that gives me THRONE OF GLASS vibes and oh wow did THE JASAD HEIR deliver!

Slow burn enemies to lovers, rich world building, political intrigue, and found family are just a few of the gems in this book. I literally have no idea what I’m going to do with myself while I wait for the sequel because this was phenomenal.

One note, which in no way lessened my love of this book, is that the world building is very dense in the beginning of the story. I had to take it slow initially while learning the names and concepts but it only made the rest of the story that much richer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*4.25 stars*

Thank you so much to Orbit Books Publishing and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of The Jasad Heir to read and give a fair review!

"There is no such thing as a worthy sacrifice. There are only those who die, and those willing to let them."

While I didn't necessarily get a lot of Egyptian elements (though this may be because I'm not as familiar with its history, aside from Napoleon's conquest and ancient times), this book was a really interesting and different read for me! I've tried to read political fantasy previously, and it was too confusing for me. This one was still a little confusing (some of the names were too similar to not be), but the world was definitely developed to its fullest. The writing was also very captivating.

My favorite part about this book was the worldbuilding. Did it get confusing at times? A little bit. However, you can tell that Hashem worked hard on developing every minor detail of this world. From the descriptions of the setting to the politics of the five kingdoms (and their history) and to the magic system, it was one of the best worlds I've probably ever read. Especially since Hashem managed to describe everything (for the most part) by showing, not telling.

However, I almost DNFed this book due to the overly long introduction and rising action. Both led up to the climax of the book, but it took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long for it. When 60-70% of the book is rising action, you can get bored pretty quickly. IMO the trials that Sylvia had to compete in should have been much longer (each only lasted about a chapter) and closer to the middle of the book.

The other little thing about this book that bothered me was that the characters just felt meh. There were a few moments in the story where I was like "That's my girl/guy!" but for the majority, I just didn't care about them at all.

Those two things being said, I really loved the last 30-40% of the book! And after that ending, I can't wait for book 2!

This book was fan-freaking-tastic. I am obsessed. And I would like book 2, like, right meow. I received a copy for review from Netgalley, THANK YOU Orbit and Netgalley and Sara Hashem.

The plot follows Sylvia, a refugee in hiding following the destruction of her home kingdom, Jasad. All Jasadis are killed upon being found. And Sylvia is the heir in hiding—so, extra reasons to be secret.

Sylvia deals with a lot of inner-turmoil about wanting to live her (secret) life versus the duty her identity as the heir imposes. Her inner dialogue is really interesting and engaging.

Eventually the heir of the kingdom that destroyed Jasad, Arin, finds her and because of reasons he makes her be his tribute for the hunger games. It’s way more nuanced and exciting than that, of course. It’s a tournament in honor of ancient gods (or god figures? I guess this part is a little hazy to me) and each of the four kingdoms chooses a champion to compete in three trials.

Arin is a very black and white guy. His internal dialogue was actually very frustrating because how can he sit there and talk to a person he knows is Jasadi and NOT consider that they maybe all don’t deserve to die just for existing? But I have faith in his ability to grow, and I really liked him as a character.

There are just tons of secrets and plots Sylvia discovers as she competes in this tournament, and some of them are truly heartbreaking. Her past is sad, and her coping is also sad. She’s broken and so angry. She’s also a bad ass and WILL get things handled. I want to be her friend, but I know she wouldn’t like me. I give too many hugs for her taste.

The supporting cast was really great! Many fleshed out, unique characters that were all distinct from each other and had their own flavors. I really enjoyed that.

The world building was amazing. Just, so good. This is high fantasy, so the author built it from the ground up. From the very beginning, it was all explained so well. And it’s not like we stayed in one place so we only had to learn one thing. This tournament took us all over the world! And each place was distinct and understandable. I was REALLY impressed!

For what it’s worth from me, I know that there are Egyptian mythology inspired aspects to this. I didn’t recognize any of them, and I know they weren’t written for me. I AM going to go google Egyptian mythology and look for more, though! I loved loved loved the fantasy/magic/creatures/world and I am super interested in learning (if I can) which parts came from mythology!

Finally, as a lover of romance, I must give my opinion: it was great! It was slow, a TRUE enemies to lovers that took TIME and WORK because these two actually hated each other for very valid reasons!!!! Not Arin, for the aforementioned crap about thinking all Jasadis should die. Like, it was so rewarding to finally get a moment of romance in the last 30 pages. Usually that annoys me, but it worked well here. And there is a “who did this to you” moment that made me SCREECH.

No explicit romantic scenes. Mean cliffhanger.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading this book but it sure surprised me in unexpected ways. This book is dark and haunting in a way that makes you think. Can one truly ever give up on their destiny? Sylvia (or better known as Essiya, heir of Jasad) struggles with this question a lot. At the beginning of her journey we see her reject Jasad, her name, her birthright. Nizahl has destroyed her home, Jasad, and they hunt down anyone with magic. While her trapped magic helps her disguise herself she is anything but weak. Arin, the heir and commander of Nizahl, sees through her disguise and while he may not like working with her, he needs her to hunt down rouge Jasadi’s. Their alliance is this curious push and pull that soon starts to become something else. But their love is doomed as they are enemies and Essiya can never forget what his father has done nor can she let Arin find out who she truly is. The twist and turns in this book were intriguing as well as heart-wrenching. These are complex characters that I didn’t want to let go off and now I absolutely can’t wait for book 2.