This started off so strong and idk it fell hard at around the halfway mark. I enjoyed the prose in the first bit and loved the court politics and the found family trope but I quickly lost interest. This book had quite an enjoyable unlikeable FMC. I enjoyed the way she was characterized and the exposition on her character. What I didn't enjoy was the bully romance. I felt way the power imbalance was done to be really off putting. I also do think that there was a really big pacing issue that after the 40% mark it just doesn't pick back up.

Mind officially blown!!! If romantasy is written like this then I am all for it.
The plot - kept me on my toes with its unpredictableness
Characters - so complex that my mind scrambled itself trying to unravel them
Chemistry - sizzling hot!!!
And that awful awful cliffhanger has me wanting to hibernate till the next book is released.
One of the best books I have read this year. Simply mindblowing!

This has the common tropes so adored by me personally in YA fanatasies: queen in hiding, enemies to lover, a competition of champions, and a vibrant atmosphere set not in the more main stream atmosphere of queens and lands, but with an Egyptian vibe.

The voice is that classic wit-sarcasm that had me laughing from line one!

This book’s premise though is a very nuance hard topic that I don’t think this book as a stand alone handled well, but the promise of it still remains as this is a series. This has to do with colonialism and imagining what it means for a main character to have to work with those who have stolen everything and everyone from her. For there to be a character arc, mistakes must be made and realization must be made and I don’t think we’ve reached that in book one and it makes it hard to judge that aspect fully beyond the pages of this book, but I will say I look forward to seeing where that will go. The morality of their relationship hasn’t been questioned and I think it’s a huge part of what this story wants to tell, and I’m disappointed we have to wait until book 2 to maybe get it, but I did enjoy the trip so far.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated books of the year early.

The Jasad Heir is a special kind of book that includes everything we love in fantasy--enemies of lovers, murder, hidden powers, deadly games--but turns all these tropes on their head. Sylvia is a fantastic main character, full of complex emotions and reconciling with a traumatic history.

With seamless world-building and engrossing storytelling, this book is definitely an introduction to a new favorite series. I already cannot wait for book 2.

ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!

Sylvia is the lost heir to a magical kingdom. The world believes her to be dead, and she wants it to stay that way. When her magic is exposed, she must make a deal with her enemy to stay alive. She finds herself in the middle of a complex game where she has to choose between the life she left behind and the life she wants.

This book had such good pacing, and it didn't feel like 500+ pages. Sylvia had such a fantastic character arc, and I loved the slow burn romance.

Forced proximity enemies-to-lovers romance is my catnip. Everyone who enjoys fantasy should read this book.

Thank you to Orbit Books for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

While I can't deny Sara Hashem's writing is compelling and fast-paced, THE JASAD HEIR struggles to balance conversations around what is essentially ethnic cleansing and genocide within a police state with a romance that is difficult to root for given that context.

Sylvia, who is the last surviving member of the Jasadi royalty who were all massacred by the Nizhal, is living in hiding and unable to access her magic before she is discovered by the heir of the Nizhal, Arin, who decides to use her in a deadly competition of champions. Forced to be in proximity to her enemy, the two... fall in love... as she struggles to keep her identity a secret and grapples with her feelings for the heir to the regime who has murdered her people.

Again, there is much in this text that I found compelling. Sylvia struggles with the desire to live her own life and write her own story while also feeling the call to stand with her people who are being slaughtered - especially because of her bloodline. Her magic, which has been long repressed, is awakened by moments of grief and anger at the injustices around her. Despite these contradictory emotions, reflection and discussion are sidelined by the main romantic plotline. And yet, I found that Arin's character is much too two-dimensional for this to be justified!

I am interested in reading the second book of this duology after THAT ending, but I hope that there is more focus on Sylvia and the Jasadi over the relationship she has to Arin and the Nizhal soldiers... Maybe it's the timing, but colonizer romances just don't quite feel good under the guise of "enemies to lovers".

A really great new fantasy book! For readers looking for a fantasy that's not white/euro centric, this is original, complex and makes me want to read a lot more by the author!

Hands down one of my favorite reads this year! The story is compelling, the fantasy elements are vivid, and the writing is brilliant. Hashem is so skilled at creating character profiles that are to die for. Sylvia is an unhinged curly-haired queen with anxiety? I can relate! And Arin….I am such a fan of the seemingly cruel and cold villain who secretly has a soft spot for the girl - you know, the iconic Tahereh Mafi men like Warner or Cyrus. Hashem nails it with Arin’s icy and calculating broodiness. I am counting down the days until book 2!

I really wanted to love The Jasad Heir, but it was disappointing. I'll start with the good news:
The beginning was very strong and it had a promising start. Unfortunately, after that it was anticlimatic. Favorite line: "She had the temperament of a deranged goose." It was trying really hard to be the next hunger games, but it didn't pull it off. The MC would constantly say "It's my choice, I'm not captive!" sounds eerily familiar to "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" Not to mention the talk about the victors, too. I'm over the whole colonizer romance. I really wanted to love this especially since it's a middle eastern fantasy written by a middle eastern Muslim author, but unfortunately I didn't. I would be willing to read the author's next book in the hopes that it's different.

Perfect for fans of Moon Knight, this high stakes game will have readers on the edge of their seat till the very last page.

For the first 10% and last 15% I was extremely invested and the ending itself made me want to move on with the series. The issue I had really came down to pacing, repetitiveness, and feeling like we were almost leading no where. It wasn’t until that last 15% that I felt the story really starts to gain upward momentum. I’m also confused as to why this is being categorized as fantasy romance, when it absolutely does not feel like a fanro in any capacity.

The positives: I loved the characters and their dynamics so much! It’s especially what’s making me want to move on with this series. And I think the magic system was super interesting, cannot wait to learn more.

Overall it was a fun time but fell a bit flat pacing wise.

4.5 stars

This book was catnip. I stayed up until 4 am reading it, and would have stayed up even later if reason hadn’t kicked in. It was fast-paced, tense, and packed with action, emotion, magic, and a butterflies in your stomach kind of romance. I found the world building took me a while to wrap my head around, I think partially because some of the Kingdom names were similar, I had a hard time differentiating between places, and confused myself a couple of times. (It could just be me!) — aside from that, this was a fantastic whirlwind, that leaves readers breathless and itching for book 2!

I struggled with this one. I just couldn't connect with the characters and the pacing of the book really frustrated me at times. The romance didn't work for me because I'm not a fan of instalove :(

I had higher hopes for this but I just wan't a fan.

This could have made zero sense to me and I still would have rated it five stars.

The streets were saying it was good and were they ever right. This was such a fun read and I'm obsessed! A slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance, excellent political intrigue, a dangerous competition, terrible monsters, and a magical inheritance that begs to be revealed to the world. It's well-written, perfectly paced, and boasts an incredible cast of characters I would die for.

Sylvia could step on me and I would say thank you. That's just the kind of woman she is and I had no choice but to love her. She is such a layered character. Heir to a throne that no longer exists after her entire family was killed, made tough through the worst means possible after being hidden for five years, and kept constantly on her toes as an adult by waiting for the slightest indication that her false identity has failed and she needs to run. And somehow she still finds it in herself to love her friends fiercely and protect those around her no matter what it might cost her and her magic.

The political aspects of this world were so good! The tensions between the individual thrones, who to trust and who not to, made this so interesting. Of course, the relationship between Sylvia and Arin, the heir to the kingdom that destroyed the Jasadis, is the most intriguing. He is the most dangerous person for her to encounter yet she finds herself completely at his mercy for the sake of her safety. It's a dynamic that promises will they won't they, yes, but it's much more nuanced than that because Sylvia's trust in him is so tenuous and reluctant. I loved every scene with them!

After that ending though, I am half-feral waiting for the sequel! I hope it comes sooner rather than later because I need to see how all this plays out! Thank you to Hachette Canada for the early copy, but this is also a hint hint to them that the sequel -- I need it.

Sidenote: genuinely baffled as to why this has been nominated in the Goodreads awards for romantasy ... because it's simply not? Like, it got my vote in a heartbeat but this was a fantasy first and foremost. The romance was very much an added element but it is a fantasy, full stop, and I don't want people going into it expecting one thing and bashing it because of false advertising.

The blurb for this novel doesn't really indicate that it the plot turns into the magical trials trope, which is a shame, because I don't love that trope. I feel like it has been overutilized in recent years and can also make a story feel predictable and on-rails. I also find myself tiring of enemies to lovers - altogether, just too many overused tropes make this one not for me personally.

Ten years ago, the Royal family was murdered with one exception. The Heir of Jasad was able to escape. She now goes by a new name… Sylvia. Her people are still being hunted and killed by the Nizahl soldiers whether they have a lot of magic or little to no magic within them. While laying low, Sylvia ends up using magic to save a friend which catches the attention of her enemy. The Heir of Nizahl ,who goes by the name of Arin, gives her an ultimatum either she helps him find the Jasadi rebels or she dies. Things eventually shift with Arin and Sylvia further complicating everything! Can Sylvia figure things out while keeping her life intact??! Just gotta read it and find out!!

I kinda feel like the stuff with the Alcalah was rushed at the end just a little bit compared to the pace of the book from the beginning to middle but it really didn’t affect how much I liked the book. It’s definitely a lot of information through out the book and I did get confused on some of the names like who was who. Resulting in me having to refer back to what I read previously. That’s the only reason it wasn’t a 5 star read for me. Apart from that I loved the book and can’t wait for the next one!

DNF at 15%. I tried but just could not get into this one. It sounded like such a cool concept but it just did not work for me. The pacing was slow and I just didn't find myself caring about the characters. I would give this author another try, but unfortunately I don't have much to say because it wasn't very memorable and I did not finish.

Spoiler free!
Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!
The Jasad Heir was full of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, forbidden esque love, and betrayal. Definitely a great debut for a new author. I loved that it wasn’t an insta-love situation and they were true enemies for majority of the book. Definitely did not give the romance book vibes I was hoping for initially. It was hard to get into with a lot of world building and political systems. But towards the end, I finally felt the draw of the characters and the plot!!

I really enjoyed this lush and beautifully written fantasy! I love the characters in this book they are so intriguing and well written! The plot was fast paced, add full mystery and action. The world building was interesting and complex. I love the slow burn chemistry between Arin and Sylvia! After that ending, I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next book!

3.5/5 Stars

Strong Willed FMC,
Unique & Refreshing Plot & Setting
TRUE enemies to lovers, must be patient because it burns slow… all the best ones do though right?
Intricate & whimsical world building
Medium pacing, promising premise

You’re thrown into the action straight away, & there were so many people introduced initially that I had a hard time following… BUT I see that think there’s a lot of potential for some amazing supporting character arcs along the way. I’m happy I stuck with it even when I felt lost in the beginning. After the first 80-100 pages I settled in quickly.

Constantly kept me wanting more when I was immersed into the world. I did feel some moments were a bit dragged out. However the story had many twists and turns that kept me hooked.

I will definitely continue on with this series, and hope to see a bit more character development, and multi POV’s as the story goes on. This book will stick with you long after you finish the last page.

Thank you so much to Orbit & Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.