A very promising debut!

It follows a tried and true format for political fantasy stories, which most readers will find familiar and enjoyable. With tropes like a queen in hiding, the tension of enemies to lovers, a competition of champions, and scheming kingdom rulers, this ticks a lot of boxes. And the Egyptian inspiration is also a really nice touch and creates a very vibrant atmosphere.

But the things that kept me from loving this were the unnecessary long length and inconsistent pacing, some weak editing, and awkward writing. Not deal breakers but definitely things I would want to see improved before publication and/or as the series continues.

So again, a lot of promising components to this story and I'm looking forward to seeing how the next book progresses!

What a ride!! This one started out slow for me but once I got about 20% in, I was so entranced with the story of Sylvia and her unwanted adventures. I really enjoyed the immersive history woven into this story. If this book was a movie, I would be gripped to my chair. There was a long slow burn that I hope comes to fruition in the next book.

Thank you to Orbit and #NetGalley for the ARC. As I am my own person, the above opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. Phew this one took me quite a while to get through. I could have probably put it down and not picked it up for a while maybe just wasn’t in the mood but I pushed forward! Can’t leave Netgalley and review readers hanging.
Overall I enjoyed the book, I struggled with it in the sense that I had no idea how to visualize most of the action/magic/ creatures etc. I feel like the world building could be a bit more fleshed out, examinations of the of the Magic system etc. I enjoyed Arin and Sylvia’s dynamic and the slowest slow burn ever (never a bad thing in my eyes bc they are of course enemies). I hope book two is a bit more fleshed out and the writing is more descriptive. I felt somewhat lost at times and just thinking to myself maybe it’ll be explained later and pushing on. Excited to see more Arin pov and I hope we get it next book.

I absolutely loved this. How was this so good?! I really appreciated how different the world was than your typical fantasy novel. The unreliability of the main character’s memories, paired with the fact that Arin also had some misconceptions, made for some fun plot twists. I enjoyed feeling like we were learning about the history of the world in a way that made sense for the story instead of just info dumping. I still have a lot of questions about the reality of the world—is magic madness real, what was the Supreme’s motivation and role in the downfall of Jasad, what is up with Arin’s power. But my lingering questions make sense in the context of the book and the fact that a sequel is planned.

Ultimately, I was rooting for the main character even if I generally disliked her. Her motivations made sense given her background—until about 80% of the way through, where the unreliability of her memories is called into question in a way that really isn’t fully explained and doesn’t fit with her current character. The way aspects of her were slowly revealed over time was really enjoyable.

As far as the romance elements, this is definitely a fantasy with political intrigue and a minor romance subplot. Having said that, it’s a nice enemies to almost lovers back to enemies setup and I could see future books having more romance in them. I actually liked Arin a lot so his heel turn was a little painful. I also wonder if his “curse” turns out to not be a curse at all, but that will have to wait for book 2 to find out. I’m much more interested in that than whether they end up together, which to be honest I could take or leave.

All in all, I will absolutely be first in line to read the sequel. This is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

Sara Hashem’s debut novel is full of political intrigue and magic. Set in Egypt. It follows Sylvia who is the Jasad Heir. Her family murdered led to her going into hiding. Magic is forbidden in this kingdom.

One day she skips and her magic is exposed. She’s coerced to compete in a competition to earn her freedom. There’s an element of romance but as a subplot.

While I liked this book I had some issues with it:

Enemies to lovers trope - I’m not sure I believe the attraction and romance between these characters. Especially after what the MMC does to Sylvia.

Felt like the prose dragged after a promising start. The games themselves took too long to begin. I also had trouble following what was happening on page.

In the end, I’m really conflicted on this one. With its faults, I still want to know how it ends with the next book. I just wish there had been a tighter storyline and Told over fewer pages. Ironically, some parts were drawn out too long and then others felt rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

“Power is a choice, Sylvia. When you choose who you are willing to fight for, you choose who you are.”

Sylvia, an orphaned girl getting by as an apprentice of a chemist in Mahair is keeping a secret that could bring down the empire. A Jasad Queen in hiding from the Nizahl Kingdom as they have spent the last years hunting down her people and killing them. Nizahl thinks magic is the root of all evil and will exterminate any Jasadi who has any semblance of magic. The Nizahl Heir, Arin, finds Sylvia and forces her to become his champion or die in a tribunal trial. Sylvia embarks are a journey of finding her true self and what is worth fighting for and that she must fight for those she loves even if it means being who is she is running from.

I want to thank Sarah Hashem and Orbit Books for giving me the opportunity to read this early in exchange for an honest review. This book has everything you need in a book:
-a magical queen in hiding
-enemies to lovers to enemies
-forbidden love
-political fantasy
-who did that to you?
-competition for riches and freedom

I could not put this book down, the pacing was probably the best I have read this year. Every moment of this book I was on the edge of my seat to see if these two extremely stubborn and traumatized people would break and let each other in. Sylvia was written magnificently and I fell in love with her, she was witty and complex and loved hard. Arin was like Hashem described him “sculpted from ice” he was brutal but calculated and a true mastermind who was fooled by the beautiful Jasadi. I cannot wait to see what she does with this series further. I loved loved loved this book!!!!! I would recommend everyone to read this.

JUST FREAKING PHENOMENAL!!!! AND THAT CLIFFHANGER OH MY GOD I NEED BOOK 2 ASAP!! Enemies to lovers, I absolutely adored arin and sylvia

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5/5 stars

What an incredible ride, especially for a debut! This has it all - magic, political intrigue, betrayal, a heart-racing completion, slow-burn and enemies-to-(almost) lovers, morally gray characters, a hidden past….all set in a stunning Egyptian-based world that is rich and fascinating.

My only complaint was length and pacing - while I love a long book and the writing was excellent, there were times where it felt like it dragged and maybe didn’t need to be as long as it was. But even so, it was phenomenal.

Sylvia is a fantastic main character - she’s badass, tormented, powerful, morally gray, and makes choices you’ll rarely expect and often disagree with. She isn’t a cookie-cutter female main character and doesn’t feel tropey in the slightest. You want to cheer for her but you also feel conflicted.

Arin….whoooo boy the enemies-to-lovers, morally gray adoring girlies are going to SWOON over him. He’s a great counter to Sylvia and a super interesting character.

I am very invested in this world and these characters and I have no clue what’s going to happen next - the sequel needs to be here NOW! Everyone should pick this one up, it’s amazing!

The Jasad Heir is an enjoyable Egyptian-inspired escape from reality.

“Sylvia” is the hidden heir of a kingdom of scattered magic-wielders who finds herself in a deadly competition with far-reaching consequences.

The world building is pleasant, as was the character development. Hashem has created a world full of intrigue and danger and a story that you will continue to get more invested in as time goes on.

It’s important to remember that while this is a political fantasy, it is also a YA one. It gets dark- but not too dark. There is a slow burn romance and the ending will leave you wanting more (good thing more is coming)!

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

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for providing the arc!

I was immediately interested when I saw this was an Egyptian-inspired political fantasy. Not to mention magic!! And I was not disappointed.

The world-building and intrigue kept me on the edge of my seat. Can't wait for book two!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it exceeded my expectations. It was everything that I wanted in a fantasy book and more. I finished this two weeks ago, and I've thought about it every day since I finished it. The writing, the characters, the world-building, the angst, the slow burn: all of it was perfection. I'm distressed that I have to wait for the second book.

I absolutely loved the Jasad Heir! Easily one of my favorite female led fantasy novels I've read this year. I thoroughly enjoyed the enemies to lovers arc - and a true enemies to lovers at that! I personally love when a tropes are used effectively and subverted when necessary - and this novel absolutely did that. I think with most early novels in a series, there's a lot of world building but the tools the author used to share not only context about the enviornment but the inherent bias and stereotypes of her world were super effective and didn't feel overwhelming. I cannot wait for the second book in this series, I was so depressed once this novel was over - excellent debut and excited to see where this goes!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for this digital arc! The Jasad Heir comes out on July 18, 2023, and here are five reasons why you should preorder and pick it up ASAP:

1. Complex characters like no other. Sylvia's arc is incredible throughout this book. Her inner struggles with identity and responsibility to a people she barely knows color every action she takes. Survival has been her priority for so long, but time and again we see her risk herself for the very few she's allowed into her circle of trust. Being in her head makes you question what separates sacrificial heroes from survivors doing their best.

2. An immaculate enemies to lovers tale. Is this trope tired? Yes. But instead of feeling overdone and redundant, the relationship in this book reminds me of the OG enemies-to-lovers stories, where you actually believed they would kill each other. These characters didn't experience insta-love and start making out halfway through. They went through ups and downs, didn't act on their feelings (or name them) until much later, and left you BEGGING for more after the cliffhanger ending.

3. An immersive, well-thought-out world and lore. It was so easy to slip into the five nations of this world. While the world-building was a bit heavy-handed at times, it was also fascinating to learn about the history of each nation and the mythology surrounding them. Politics and magic play a massive role in the plot and Sylvia's character development, so each nugget of information adds value to the story.

4. Exciting action with the tournament/competition trope. I cannot get enough of tournaments and competitions in books. Give me high stakes, friendly and not-friendly opponents, and a deadly arena or course. This book was also training heavy, which was great for the enemies to lovers development.

5. Moral dilemmas in every direction. I loved how everyone's beliefs were challenged throughout the book. Sylvia clung to the childhood conceptions of her home and loved ones for so long that it was heartbreaking to see her discover new truths as an adult. I felt for her and hope she'll have more time and space to process this information in Book 2.

Speaking of Book 2, I needed that sequel yesterday. That cliffhanger was criminal, and I need more chapters from Arin's perspective. If you're looking for your next great fantasy obsession, go pick up The Jasad Heir ASAP!

My feelings after finishing this book can be boiled down to confusion and indifference. I was originally excited for this one—I love the hidden identity and enemies-to-lovers tropes, and I love fantasy worlds inspired by the Middle East/North Africa. However, there was so much confusing world building and info dumping in the first half that I struggled to really connect to the world and the plot. I couldn't distinguish the kingdoms from each other, and the politics were complicated and hard to understand.

I do love Sylvia as a character though. She is crazy competent in fighting and staying secret, and I liked how her relationship with Arin unfolds. It's a huge slow burn with them learning to trust each other even though they should be sworn enemies. If I do decide to read the sequel, it will be for these characters.

I think if the plot moved quickly and was more exciting, I would have liked this book a lot more. But it was just too slow. The tension didn't build quickly enough, and the direction of the plot was very predictable. I'm sad we didn't get to the actual competition until about 70% of the way through. For me, there was too much subplot action and not enough focus on the main plot of the competition and politics.

This was a miss for me, but I can see this book doing well with the right audience.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 4
Overall: 3

Thank you, Orbit Books, for the arc!

Trigger/Content Warnings: genocide, murder, gory descriptions, fighting violence, wounds, makeouts

I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful cover and the interesting summary. Sadly this was a let down. This is one of several books I’ve read this year marketed as adult fantasy that read like ya romance with a dash of fantasy.

Wow, wow, wow. I LOVED this book. It’s a gripping story with delightful characters and unpredictable turns. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I need number 2 asap!

4.5/5 Stars (Waiting to post to Goodreads, etc. closer to publication date)

Please excuse me as I try to form coherent thoughts after Sara Hashem wounded me with that ending—WOW. My heart was in my throat as I read it (especially the epilogue). You better believe I will be picking up the sequel, too.

If you loved the “secret princess with magic she has to hide after her whole family is killed who can also kick butt” vibes of Throne of Glass, the enemies to lovers tension of Jude and Cardan from the Cruel Prince, and want more fantasy worlds based on non-Western mythology, do not sleep on this book.

Sylvia is angry, selfish, and just wants to be left alone, and you know what? I don’t blame her. She went through a lot (the genocide of her kingdom and extreme physical and psychological abuse by a captor after that), so I completely empathize with her yearning for a quiet life instead of taking up the mantle of revenge. Stories of the “wronged heir” seeking the return of their throne are so common, that it was extremely refreshing to see one in which the protagonist very clearly does not want her birthright.

That being said, she is angry, violent, absolutely not a pushover. And I am here for it. I am a total sucker for “unlikeable” female protagonists, and Sylvia was perfect in that regard.

The first 20% of the book was painfully slow for me, to the point that I was actually disappointed because I wanted to like this book so, so much from the description. However, once Arin, aka the Nizahl Heir and Sylvia’s greatest enemy showed up, I blinked and was already over halfway through the book because I inhaled it. I judge a good book based on how frequently I am daydreaming about when I can next pick it up, and let me tell you, I was doing that with this book.

Many books claim to be “enemies to lovers” when they really mean “dislike/hate to lovers.” Let me tell you, this one nails the former. I haven’t read enemies to lovers tension this good since Holly Black gifted us Jude and Cardan in the Cruel Prince. The tension and slooooowwww burn between these two was perfect, so I highly recommend it if you are a fan of this trope.

And don’t even get me started on the twists in this book. Some of them I could see coming, but I still thought they were well-executed. Others hit me like a sucker-punch to the gut (iykyk). The world, the culture, and the political intrigue were all so complex and well-done.

I also loved the themes of guilt and trauma, as well as breaking the cycle of abuse. I think I read a review criticizing Arin as abusive, which I couldn’t disagree with more. He is solidly in the “morally gray” zone of characters and absolutely NOT Prince Charming, and yet, it pretty quickly becomes clear that he is trying so hard NOT to be like his father (who is, in fact, abusive). Arin (and Sylvia) are deeply damaged people who suffered very abusive and traumatic situations as children (to the point that neither of them can handle physical touch), so they are not going to be able to show affection in the traditional snuggly/kissy sort of way. Yes, he does injure her…when fighting back after Sylvia either escapes or attacks him. Yes, he is mean to her at first…they are ENEMIES. She isn’t exactly nice to him, either. Neither were “kind” to the other at first, which makes complete sense considering who they both are.

Overall, I loved this book and have already been telling all of my friends about it (in addition to eagerly awaiting the sequel).

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

DNF @ 20%

I am calling it quits for this one even though I was really looking forward to it.

I don't think that there is really anything wrong with the book. The characters have secrets, there is magic, and it has all of the things that I enjoy about a fantasy book. I have tried my best to get into it and give it time but I find myself not wanting to pick it back up. The plot seems interesting but the writing style and me are just not vibing which makes it hard to find a connection to the story. I may give this one another try at a later date but would wait to do it as an audiobook. Sometimes a different reading format helps when it comes to the writing.

Wow, all kinds of feels coming out of this surprisingly intricate and engaging debut novel! I had a hard time putting it down and was supremely sad when closing that last page. The particulars are a contradictory bunch, though. While I loved the overall story, there are a couple of points that kept it from a perfect five star read (which it really could have been). SO, the great and the frustrating!

First, the great: Although at first glance, one might think this is just another in a looooong line of similar tropes with a “been there done that” feel - An heir to the throne who has immense magic but cannot access it, hiding out from the bad guys, forced into a “game” of trials where she must fight for her life, yada, yada. BUT, don’t assume this story is in any way the same! Ms. Hashem took those much used tropes and completely set them on their end!

Although Sylvia is the “hidden” heir, she witnessed the complete massacre of her family and people only to be secreted away and tortured and shaped into an unfeeling weapon by a sadistic and vengeful commander. After years of that deplorable treatment, Sylvia is able to escape, but the experience has left impenetrable scars and she is determined to live for herself and forget everything else. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with all the political machinations or the plight of the remnant of her people. See? Quite the twist even there! But, when the rival king’s son and commander of his forces finds out she has magic, she has a choice of death or betraying the people she turned her back on. And, that my friends is when things get dicey! The twists and turns, Sylvia’s hard, cynical personality and the events that propel her onward are absolute fantasy reading magic!

The not-so-great: These come in small but consistently annoying pests sprinkled throughout all that awesomeness. First, all the new and unknown names and references one has to keep track of with very little help. SO many created words that the reader is expected to miraculously remember and know slowed the reading down. One has to stop often to remember who or what each new word is! Just a few more hints (such as Essam Forest rather than just Essam) until we get it would help tremendously. Along with and maybe because of those things, the story seems just a bit disjointed at times and doesn’t flow as smoothly as it could.

Then, of course there is that ending. It is not only a HUGE cliffhanger but it leaves that cliff on a decidedly “down” note (pun intended). What could have been a nail-biting but hopeful end turned into a frustrating and cynical one. And that needn’t have been.

SO…. did I love it, yes! Is it perfect, no. Will I read the second book? Probably…. There are all kinds of amazing options for the next story - but the good feelings developing between characters that twisted on the last page really was disappointing enough that I hesitate. Still, I would heartily recommend reading it and discovering for yourself!

I loved this book. I instantly fell in love with all the characters and to watch their journey through this book was great. Learning everything that Sylvia went through was heartbreaking. I also always craved the chapters from Arin’s point of view. I am excited to see where the story goes and look forward to the next.