it was lovely to see my origins being represented in such a mainstream genre. Hashem uses popular fantasy elements and spins them in a unique and refreshing way that i absolutely loved. i loved sylvia as a character sm. often times female protagonists are flawless baddies or naïve and clueless and constantly rely on others around them. i really liked how sylvia is both smart and firece, but she does get confused and makes bad decisions sometimes. it’s about the duality. i also loved the tension between her and arin. very much your typical enemies to lovers storyline, but the tension and chemistry were there so my applauses to the chef.
ALSO THE ENDINGS??? SEQUEL RN!!!!

I have so many things to say about this book, so bear with me while I try to concisely scream about all the reasons you need to drop what you’re doing and preorder #thejasadheir.

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1. Lyrical prose and easily quotable material. I have 91 highlights on my kindle for this book!
2. Slow-burn enemies to lovers. Literally the most epic of all time.
3. A witty, clever, strong-willed MC who gets a great character arc.
4. Action, political intrigue, madness, and betrayal.

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Need I say more??

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This is a new favorite. I cannot wait to get my hands on the beautiful paperback edition when this book releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review!

This book has a fairly standard storyline, which some fascinating twists. Sylvia is a Jasadi - though no one can know that, because all of the Jasadis are (allegedly) dead, and they have magic that is no longer allowed. Sylvia is a great character, and you really get to watch her grow throughout this first book. She is generally very closed off - she cannot handle any physical affection - and is afraid to let in anyone she loves based on trauma she has experienced in the past. She really explores that aspect of herself throughout the story, and I enjoyed getting to hear her thoughts throughout.

The setting and premise were wonderful. This book is Egyptian-based, and it was so much fun seeing how the author's culture influenced the setting of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and the setting was one of my favorite aspects.

Sometime the pacing was a bit off, with the first 25% being extremely exciting followed by a ~10% lull. Sometimes in action scenes, I would lose track of what was going on. But it was not enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the story. I loved this, and I immediately wanted to read the sequel. I cannot wait to see what Hashem has to show us next!

"In her captured corner, the soft girl who had known a bird by its song and calmed at the touch of another was burned away. I am what remains."

When Jasad burned to ashes 10 years ago, its magic was prohibited, and the entire royal family was slain. At least, Sylvia wants everyone to think that. Sylvia, the absconding Heir of Jasad. To survive, she must stop thinking about how Nizahl's army destroyed her kingdom and shed her old identity, especially the magic that comes with it. In a fit of rage, Sylvia accidentally reveals her magic to the person she must avoid at all costs: Arin, the Nizahl heir. Sylvia will now have to strike a bargain with her worst enemy in order to save her life. In the end, Sylvia has to decide, if she will become her people's savior, or cling to the safety of anonymity.

I had to muddy through the first 20% before the pieces started coming together. Many characters, places, and political facts are thrown at us without enough context. I kept flipping back pages to make sure I had not missed anything. Right at the 17% mark, we are given some key clues and backstory to connect the dots and form the overarching picture in our heads. I wish the advanced copy had given us a map, as I had quite a hard time picturing where we were, since the book covers so much ground, literally. Hopefully, that will be included in the finished version!

The overall world-building was not as intense as I was expecting it to be. Really it is quite simple for what I initially considered a high fantasy. However, it was enough to keep me satisfied. There are Egyptian elements throughout the book, but it's not heavy-handed. It is subtle enough without some of the themes I have seen popping up in an array of Arabic-inspired fantasies lately. The lore behind the magic was so fascinating, and one of my favorite parts of the book.

Sylia was not your typical hero. In fact, she is the quite opposite of it. Selfish, guarded, and often brutal, she is jaded to the world and still nursing the wounds caused by her trauma. Throughout the book, I felt like I was getting to know all three versions of her: the young, scared self, the guarded woman she has become, and what remains when both of those personalities are shaken to their core. She remains a defiant and strong woman from beginning to end, but as the reader we get to see how much chaos resides within her. I do not think she is a character written for everyone, but I loved her. There was something refreshing about seeing a main character actively rebuff the hero or villain part everyone else wants her to play in history.

I am not a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I enjoyed it here. I found it worked well within the context of the plot. Sylvia and Arin really did hate each other in the beginning. Their upbringing is so morally different that they have no common ground. The forced proximity of their situation was even better with the added layer of they could not touch each other without harming the other. While enemies-to-lovers is the main trope, the author snuck some smaller ones that the romance readers will especially love. While the enemies-to-lovers pipeline felt somewhat natural, I hesitate to say they actually fell in love. To me, it felt like they had grown to see each other as slightly more complex individuals, which meant they could finally give in to their baser desires. Overall, I liked their interactions, especially the barbed dialogue. I'm excited to see how their relationship continues to grow in the second book, especially after that ending...

The writing in this book took me by surprise. The writing style is something that usually does not affect my opinion of a book that much, but it was absolutely stunning here. I have so many quotes and sentences that I cannot wait to highlight them in a physical copy. A piece of writing advice that I have never forgotten is, "leave your most impactful sentence for last." Sara Hashem applied that beautifully. Every paragraph ended so seamlessly that I couldn't stop myself from reading the next. Her way with words lent to the immersive quality of this novel.

Even though I give this book a five-star rating that I will stand by, there are a few minor things that I had problems with. There are a few plot holes that I found throughout this book (which will be put in the review after the release date to avoid spoilers.) There is a competition in the book that I was really looking forward to, but it was rushed in favor of character development; I wish there had been a tad bit more balance between both. The beginning was confusing, which put me off from reading the book (which was mentioned in the beginning). To me, this quickly became inconsequential because of how deeply I fell in love with this book, but I would be doing other readers a disservice to not mention those things.

Overall, I found this book to be a great start for a series that I will definitely keep up with. I have been following Sara Hashem since she first started posting, so it was beyond satisfying to finally read her work!

Big thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

(Review will be posted on external sites two weeks before the release date.)

When I requested this book, I really thought it was YA, when I saw it was 528 pages I went online to see what I missed, and sure enough it is considered an "Adult Fantasy" and in the process I read some of the (negative) reviews about the book.  I grew nervous as I'm not naturally a fantasy fan, mg fantasy is more my level, with occasional YA entrapping me.  I told myself 25% is the least I could do, and if it wasn't clicking, I'd know I gave it a genuine shot.  By about 21% I couldn't put it down.  I think not expecting the complexities of an adult book was a benefit.  The book has no Islam, it contains Egyptian cultural references, but religion is not present, and thankfully that means no djinn either (they seem over represented these days).  The protagonist is in her early twenties, it has an enemies to lovers trope, and magic is central to the storyline, but aside from frequent unremorseful murder and torture, an intimate make-out scene at the end, and some drinking of ale, the book is fairly clean. I feel like there might have been some plot holes, but I honestly was so swept up in the story and proud of myself for understanding the world building and politicking, that I am just going to assume I missed something or it will be addressed in the next book of the series.  The author is Muslim and while it is labeled Adult, I think high school juniors and seniors and up, can and will, love Sylvia and Arin and sorting through the lies and deception to see the Jasadi heir rise.

SYNOPSIS:

The book follows Sylvia a young woman apprenticing with the village chemist, living in a keep (aka orphanage) and hiding her magic, or rather hiding that she is Jasadi, her magic is useless with the invisible handcuffs placed on her as a child before the kingdom burned in the Blood Summit.  She is unkind, harsh, and selfish, but somehow a few other orphans have not been scared off and on her birthday she is forced to acknowledge that people in her life might care about her.  There are four kingdoms that remain (Lukub, Omal, Orban, and Nizahl) and every three years they participate in the Alcalah, a battle to pay honor to the founding siblings who were entombed to cease their magic from destroying others and going mad.  The tradition makes no sense as the champions often end up dead (think Hunger Games), and the people acknowledge it, but none-the-less, they all get caught up in the excitement and entertainment.  Since the destruction of Jasad, the magic kingdom, magic everywhere has been outlawed.  Originally all people had magic, but it was lost over time.  Sylvia is the heir of the Jasad kingdom, and with no magic and no sense of obligation to Jasadis that have scattered, she carries on hoping to one day take over for the aging chemist.  When the son of the Supreme responsible for the death of her loved ones and all of Jasad crosses her path, deals will be made, a champion will be crowned and love will felt. Sylvia will also have to reexamine people from her past, her selective memories, and decide what type of future she wants to fight for.

WHY I LIKE IT:

Phew, even writing that lame summary was challenging, the book weaves a lot together and I loved the politics and world building, but clearly don't feel confident enough to discuss it.  I think the slow burn romance was a little obvious, but I also think the author knew it would be obvious and rather than try and disguise it, she embraced it, and provided actual obstacles in their coming together (they cannot touch), not just that they want to kill each other.  I am assuming that the physical copy (I read an electronic arc), will have a map and perhaps a list of the kingdoms and characters.  It wasn't hard to keep it all straight, but it will definitely add to the overall packaging.

I would have liked a little more explanation at points, even if it is my own weakness requiring it, but I didn't understand the magic mining, the handcuffs, and would have liked a little more back story on the warring magic factions, their splintering timeline, and Soraya's fallout.  I also would have liked more about Sylvia's parents relationship and how that union came to be across two kingdoms.  Honestly I didn't even quite get Sefa and Marek's relationship.  I probably needed to slow down and read, but I couldn't it was action packed, fast paced, and I needed to know what was coming next.  The climax was a little weak and the book ended on a cliff hanger as a book two is already forthcoming, but the fact that I read it and enjoyed it, speaks volumes as to the characters, story quality, writing, and approachability of the book.

FLAGS:

Mention of rape, whores, sexual assault, sex, a character is asked if a character's needs are met by a man or a woman, an intimate male/female passionate scene at the end, using physical flirting as a distraction, theft, killing, lying, torture, murder, poisoning, breaking of a back, stabbing, it is an adult fantasy, there is all sorts of deviant behavior, but I really think 17 and up even in an Islamic school can handle it.

TOOLS TO LEAD THE DISCUSSION:

The backmatter and author reference the book to Egypt, yet aside from the names and some foods and clothing, there isn't a lot that a casual reader would catch.  I think discussion about the Arab Spring and linking the plot to real politics could make for a fun discussion in a high school book club setting.  There is some Arabic sprinkled in that I would assume is accurate and would enjoy having translated by students as well.

Thank you to Orbit Books for sending me an arc in exchange for review.


THIS WAS SO GOOD. an Egyptian fantasy? YES PLEASE. I loved all of it, it’s a bit of a slow burn but I couldn’t put this down. I needed book 2 YESTERDAY.

Man I am NOT having much luck with ARCs lately…This book was one of my anticipated reads for months and it pains me to say I barely made it past the 10% mark before I wanted to DNF. Nothing about the main character captivated me enough to want to continue.

This book was, hands down, one of the absolute best fantasies that I've read this year. The characters were stellar, the enemies to allies to friends to enemies to whatever they ended as was absolutely wild and the tension was insane, the twists gave me whiplash, the world-building was done so well, and the writing was amazing. I honestly couldn't believe this was a debut, it was so good! The fact that I don't have the second book right now is a crime; I cannot wait to see where the author takes the next book, and would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy.

Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Before I get into this review, let me just *scream*.

I have been so stressed over this book…losing sleep over this book…thinking NON STOP about this book since the very first page. It is all-consuming. This is an epic fantasy filled with magic, betrayal, political intrigue and passion.

The kingdom of Jasad has crumbled. After an invasion by neighboring Nizahl forces, the once sprawling and magical land lay in ruins; it’s royal family dead. At least that’s what was supposed to happen. Somehow, Essiah, daughter of the Heir of Jasad, managed to survive the siege. With the rest of her family slain, she remains the only Heir and rightful Queen of the lost land. After surviving the attack, she is taken deep into the woods of Essam where she is kept prisoner by another Jasadi. Essiah is subject to unspeakable horrors and trauma in those woods, as the Jasadi tries to draw her magic out by force. After escaping the woods 5 years later, she starts a new life in Mahair of Omal, as Sylvia; an unremarkable orphan and certainly not the fugitive Queen of Jasad whom everyone assumes is dead.

A cruel chain of events brings Sylvia face to face with Arin, the Heir of Nizahl, whose father led the attack on Jasad. The Heir of Nizahl is known for his ruthless, exacting and cold nature; and his unique ability to sense magic. Upon meeting, Sylvia’s carefully crafted anonymity is shattered, as Arin realizes that she is Jasadi. But the Heir of Nizahl has plans of his own. Instead of swiftly ending her life, he enlists her as his Champion in the Alcalah, a convoluted and dangerous tournament, with the promise of freedom should she emerge as victor.

As Sylvia struggles with the immense shame of representing Nizahl in the Alcalah, she is forced to confront her contrasting feelings of responsibility as Essiah towards a fallen kingdom that she barely knew, and her current life as Sylvia that she wants desperately to protect. As if surviving these deadly games while keeping her true identity a secret wasn’t enough, throw in rogue Jasadi groups hunting her, twisted memories unraveling, and a slowly growing, peculiar fluttering in her chest whenever she looks at the Heir of Nizahl.

I will never stop gushing about this book. The writing was just sublime; brimming with quotes that I cannot wait to physically annotate once it’s published and I have a hard copy in hand. The worldbuilding and character development was so rich; magical creatures, cities and landscapes, foods and smells, all described in such detail in the most immersive way. Arin and Sylvia each made me so emotional, reading about their own respective trauma and struggles. Their relationship evolution was SO perfectly paced, natural and realistic. Additionally, the supporting characters felt so full of life and individuality. I really appreciated the dialogue between everyone. The banter, the conversations, it was all just so perfectly executed. The fact that I have to wait for this book to actually be released to the public, and then wait even LONGER for the sequel is actually making me ill to think about…I need more IMMEDIATELY.

This is a solid political fantasy with good world building and a really interesting story. Unfortunately, it really didn't grip me and I struggled to finish it, although I can't put my finger on why. I'm sure other fantasy fans will love it though!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I had long been awaiting this book, and I was quickly sucked into the story. However, I had difficulty keeping track of the politics, and a map and list of kingdoms would have helped. A glossary of Arabic/cultural
words would help the reader, as there are many unfamiliar terms for most readers. The book is clean enough and the violence isn’t too gruesome, but suddenly near the end a passionate scene shows up. Towards the end, I thought this story would wrap up nicely and provide closure, but surprise! The reader is left on a cliffhanger, and I eagerly wait for the sequel. I would recommend this book for our high schoolers.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!

This was a really fascinating intersection of a lot of different fantasy tropes and themes I've seen in other novels. I still think, though, that the myth system and the setting is done really uniquely. I am a huge fan of fantasy and sci-fi that is not set in a standard Western world. This Egyptian-inspired fantasy about a lost heir and a kingdom in turmoil was so fascinating. I loved the dialogue between our main characters and the slow-burn was done really, really well. The world-building was done well and I was really immersed into the history and features of the world our main characters reside in. I think my only negative was that the pacing in the second half of the story does slow down a bit, so I found myself itching a bit for the pace to speed up. But overall, this cover is beautiful and this story is absolutely wonderful. I cannot *wait* for the next installment in this story!

This was a fantastic book. It was a mash up of Throne of Glass and This Woven Kingdom and Ash Princess. I enjoyed the very slow burn enemies to lovers, A semi-typical approach to the MFC who happens to be a queen in hiding due to her kingdom being attacked/destroyed/etc. But Sara Hashem makes it interesting and draws you in right away.

Ahhhh! This book! It is everything. The way the story unfolds one layer at a time to build and build…it is masterful. We are given tidbits at all the right moments to stay completely submerged in the story. I absolutely love the characters and the slow burn was done so well! The way the author writes lets you really feel the characters emotions. I cannot tell you how angry I am that we were left where we were in the story though….like how could you do this to us?! I need the next one right NOW!

I admittedly skim-read in several places so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Because I didn't HATE anything about this book. But around 30% in I started feeling the itch to DNF... and by 55% I REALLY wanted to DNF... but I've DNF-ed a couple of NetGalley arcs recently and wanted to actually complete one.

For the most part, I simply wasn't captivated by the main character very much, nor by the overall plot. The "secret, reluctant lost heir" trope wasn't working for me here. Nor was the "suppressed magic that we just can't figure out how to fix" trope. Most of the book felt quite meandering to me. A lot of scenes with so much lead-up to a conversation, where the inner monologue of the MC is telling us background information or world-building information, and that was grating on my nerves a bit.

I can absolutely see there being a pretty wide audience for this who will really enjoy it. I don't think it's a "bad" book and I would certainly recommend it to people who enjoy these tropes generally-speaking and who enjoy a lot of inner monologue from a main character.

From the ashes, a queen rises.
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The Jasad Heir is an Egyptian inspired fantasy about a kingdom in ruin and its lost heir, Silvia. Everyone believes the entire Jasad royal family was murdered, which is what Sylvia wants everyone to keep believing. However, when she accidentally uses her outlawed magic in the heat of the moment, she becomes the Nizahl heir, Arin’s, champion in a deal to draw out other Jasadi rebels and save her life.
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Hashem’s debut fantasy is a heart pounding battle of the minds as Sylvia fights to keep her true identity a secret from Arin. I loved the detail Hashem used in the world building throughout the story as Sylvia traveled for the Alcalah. Hashem also wove a richly detailed history of the various areas as well as the history of magic. I also found my new favorite way to describe someone “she had the temperament of a deranged goose.” I loved the back and forth banter between Sylvia and Arin. It constantly felt like the story was balanced on a wire as to whether Arin would pick up on Sylvia’s true identity. I also enjoyed the tropes used throughout the story: found family, enemies to allies to more, lost heir, and a competition to be named victor. Overall, I felt this was a great debut and can’t wait to see where Hashem takes the rest of the series.

A fantastic debut, The Jasad Heir is engaging, thoughtfully approaches morally grey characters and situations, and handles the violence of war and inequality frankly but not excessively.

The plot does drag a bit in the second half, but ends on a satisfying, inevitable rather than predictable note (note that this is not a standalone and ends on a small cliffhanger, though not a terrible one). I’m a little mixed on the romance; I’m generally very into enemies to lovers, but this one sat a little funny because of the past of the two characters.

I can’t quite articulate why, but the tone of this novel reads more YA than adult to me, just something to keep in mind. It actually reminded me a lot of An Ember in the Ashes (which I loved).

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm normally quite hesitant about anything labeled as a TikTok sensation, but the premise for this sounded really interesting (Egyptian fantasy!!! outlawed magic!!!!), the cover really drew me in, and I actually really love reading debuts, so I was was thrilled when I got approved for an ARC.

I ended up really enjoying this! Hashem does really excellent character work with her main character and narrator, Sylvia, that unfolded itself in a really compelling way—at first I didn't know if I wanted to punch her or wrap her in a blanket, and at times she does things that can be infuriating, but at a certain point (a certain line!!!!) I found everything clicked into place. Arin was also interesting and I am a sucker for Emotionally Repressed Guy who is liable to rip his still beating heart out of his chest, so that was catnip for me. Further, I really loved Sefa and Marek and what I read as a queerplatonic relationship.

The plot felt like fairly standard fare, but Hashem definitely was able to keep things interesting and fresh and left some threads for book two that I am super eager to see play out. I will say that the first half or so of this book definitely feels tighter than the latter half. A lot happened that almost felt like too much too fast, but I do think it all pulls together by the end—some uneven pacing is more or less what I'd expect from a debut, though, and there's a lot of political maneuvering going on at the same time that it kept me on my toes.

Overall, this was a really fun read and an excellent debut, and I'm kind of mad I have to wait so long for the sequel.

This was one of my most high anticipated reads of the year, so I was ecstatic when I got an ARC of this one. This book could have easily fallen to the problem of writing to the tropes rather than writing a good plot that happened to hit those tropes, but it didn’t, and I am thrilled. Sylvia, our main FMC is well-developed and tough but with plenty of her own issues. Arin, our main MMC starts out intriguing and gets better throughout, although I wish we got more from his POV because I am a sucker for dual POVs. The front half of the novel is a bit exposition heavy, but I have come to expect that of all high-fantasy novels so just buckle in and try to absorb as much as possible. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you to Orbit books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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