Jasad Heir is a political fantasy and while I wanted to love this one, quite a number of things made that impossible. The first bit of the book was great but the plot sort of got lost amidst the unnecessarily extensive length. Too many moving pieces with not enough spots to fit them all. I do look forward to reading the next book series and I hope the author does a much better job and gives us a well rounded story.

Initial Reaction: I have… thoughts

Okay, let me get started with one of my favorite parts of this book: the EGYPTIAN REP!! I am an Egyptian American and while I have been fortunate to find Muslim and Arab rep in the books I read, it's been harder to find Egyptian rep. This book nailed it on the head, I was SO happy to see my culture on the page and it was done beautifully. I laughed so hard at the "birds' tongue soup" joke because I had the same exact experience growing up. I can never speak enough about how special it is to read your experiences and feel represented on the page, it's one of the best feelings.

Moving on, I did feel that overall the book needs a little more editing. Like everything just needed to be polished and pulled together. It is a debut and it reads that way. It needed to flow better. I'm hoping to see the writing improve in the next book because the potential to be a 4 or 5 star read is there.

I had heard that this book has a "colonizer romance" and honestly it's what made me delay reading it for so long. I will say it's not as bad as you might think when you hear those words but I'm still super iffy on the romance as a whole. I think nationalities aside, they would make for a great enemies to lovers, but as I'm reading, I can't forget that Arin is the Heir of the kingdom that destroyed Jasad. I'm leaving my opinion on this romance open minded because I can see the potential for a great pairing but I need massive development from Arin (and Sylvia).

Side note: I don't know why we've seen so many colonizer romances this year. Authors, y'all can write tension without this dynamic. Just make them from opposing kingdoms. Why does his kingdom have to be colonizing hers?

Speaking of Sylvia, I'm back and forth on her character. Sometimes I love her, but most of the time she frustrated me. She has a lot of feelings towards Jasad and I don't completely agree with them, neither do I fully understand her motivations. I understand wanting to distance yourself from the past but I wanted more. All that said, with the way the book ended, I could see Sylvia fully embracing herself and her identity in the next book and I hope it goes that way!

Overall, this book was good! I had a decent time and I DO recommend it to everyone looking for an adult fantasy and Egyptian rep!

TW: colonization, grief, murder, violence, mentions of torture, discrimination

Sara Hashem's "The Jasad Heir" is an electrifying addition to the world of fantasy fiction, marking the author's promising debut. Transported to a realm steeped in the allure of ancient Egypt, readers are introduced to Sylvia, a young woman whose life takes a spine-tingling turn when she uncovers her true destiny as the rightful heir to the throne.

What follows is a breathtaking odyssey as Sylvia, fortified by her loyal comrades, endeavors to master her newfound magical prowess. Her mission: to topple the tyrannical leader and reclaim her birthright as ruler. Along the way, she confronts a labyrinth of trials, including the anguish of betrayal, the sting of heartbreak, and the constant shadow of mortality.

Sara Hashem's penmanship is nothing short of enchanting, painting a vivid canvas where the known mingles seamlessly with the mystical. The characters she crafts possess a depth and complexity that breathes life into every page.

What I found particularly enchanting about "The Jasad Heir":

- Worlds within Worlds: Hashem's world-building is a masterclass in itself, crafting a universe that feels both tangible and otherworldly.

- Character Arcs That Shine: Sylvia, our protagonist, is a revelation. Watching her evolve and metamorphose throughout the story is a testament to Hashem's storytelling prowess.

- A Thrill a Minute: "The Jasad Heir" is an unputdownable thrill ride. The narrative surges forward relentlessly, leaving no room for dull moments. I was truly never bored with this book!

In summation, "The Jasad Heir" is a must-read for enthusiasts of epic fantasy. With its finely woven prose and an ensemble of indelible characters, it stands as a testament to Sara Hashem's storytelling brilliance. Highly recommended!

I could not get into this story no matter how hard I tried. My attention was not gripped by anything in the story. I tried reading it maybe 5 times and no go. I hope others can like it though.

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook!

A thrilling, magnificent fantasy. Sara Hashem writes in a way that lingers with readers long after closing the book. THE JASAD HEIR deserves its spot among the ranks of the bst fantasy of the year, this book is truly a masterpiece.

“Arin of Nizahl was maddeningly elegant. I wanted to cut him open and compare our bones to understand why his gave him grace and mine gave me back pain.” This was the line that absolutely sold me on The Jasad Heir, an irresistible enemies-to-lovers fantasy that reminded me why I’ll never quit this genre.

Headstrong Sylvia is the presumed dead heir of Jasad, a kingdom that was destroyed by the neighboring Nizahl and saw its citizens’ innate magic outlawed. Sylvia managed to carve out a relatively normal life for herself as a chemist’s apprentice, but everything falls apart after she accidentally reveals her magic to the heir of Nizahl. Using her life as leverage, the calculating Arin strikes a deal with Sylvia to help him capture a group of Jasadi rebels and act as his champion in a series of deadly trials. It’s a familiar setup, but one impeccably done by Hashem, who delivers sharp political intrigue, sparkling banter, and touching friendships on top of Sylvia and Arin’s simmering romance.

Thank you to the publisher, Orion Books and to NetGalley for this eARC for review.

5/5 stars!

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this since I was getting behind in my reviews, and I honestly think it made me enjoy the story even more than I would have. The narrator was fabulous!
I absolutely LOVED the main character's ferocity and anger throughout the book. Her anger and determination being woven through the plot as the story progresses really allowed us/me to truly bond with her and become invested in her journey. Her story and what happened to her kingdom was SO painful, and it's even more painful going on the journey with her to find out that her family were not the innocent rulers she believed them to be, and her power being so strong that it fractured her mind? Insane. Also we love a hate to love relationship.

I was really excited to read this one. Egyptian inspired enemies to lovers "romance" with trials, I was set. Unfortunately this one fell flat for me. The "romance" wasn't really there for me, it was very slooooow burn. So slow it was almost nonexistent. I really think this story could have benefited from glossary because there were so many fantasy words used that had very little description and there wasn't enough context clues to guess their meaning. I would have also liked to see more of Arin's POV. We only got 3 little blips and this could have helped with world building and some of the court politics. I also wish spent more time in the trials. Trials is one of my favorite tropes and these were so condensed that we barely spent any time struggling with the tasks.

I loved the setting and concept, but I'm afraid once I got into it this one wasn't quite for me. I gave both the ebook and audiobook a try several times, but neither clicked.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but it fell a little short of my expectations. I think the writing needed a little more polishing or tightening up in places. It felt very slow for the first half. I found myself putting it down after a few pages every time I picked it up. It wasn’t until the latter half that I became invested in the story and the relationship between our two main characters.

It is a very politically driven fantasy and took me a little bit to get all of the different factions straight, but I loved the world building as a whole. The mythology felt rich and well-developed.

I will definitely be continuing on with the series now that I am invested!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Sara Hashem for an e-arc of The Jasad Heir in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the the first third and the last third, but the middle really struggled for me. The main character was great! I liked hearing about the setting and this world.

If you are looking for a *genuine* enemies to lovers fantasy read then this one is for you. This is the first book I've read since the Cruel Prince where I felt like the characters started off as genuine enemies and worked their way to lovers in a suuuuuper slow burn manner. Sylvia and Arin are both morally ambiguous characters and are really quite similar, though while Sylvia runs from things that are difficult, Arin embraces them head on and closes himself off even further from everyone else. I really liked Sylvia's character and felt that she was a character that a lot of people could relate to.

The lore itself is fun and enjoyable to read about. I liked how Jasad was portrayed as just of a corrupt kingdom as the remaining ones. It added a few layers of depth to all the political intrigue.

I did feel like this book could have used a smidge more proof-reading/editing before it was published. I found a few instances of continuity errors as I read. One was where Sylvia was talking about her wearing sandals but a page later she was wearing boots. Another referred to a character who had long since died but was referred to as interacting with some other characters way later in the book. All in all though, this is a super strong debut and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the serie

I pre-ordered this book as well as requesting the ARC from NetGalley (which I was approved for) and then I took a thousand years to actually read the thing and I apologize for that! I got distracted by so many other books that I never actually sat down to read this. Let us get on with the review, yeah?

I did like how we were not actually told anything at first. We open up the novel to a seemingly young woman hunting for frogs. We're told, through her grumbling about it, that she is the apprentice for an older apothecary who cannot go out himself to get them and that she does it in order to earn a place. To eventually be given (or purchase) the apothecary shop so that the man running it now can retire. Nothing seems particularly out of place.

Then everything kind of goes sideways. Sylvia, as we come to know her, accidentally murders a soldier from an enemy nation and has to hide the body. She then attends a waleema (is that right...I think it is), a kind of festival to celebrate the end of a god who nearly caused the destruction of the entire world as they know it. While there, what she did is revealed. The Nizahl Heir, Arin, who is looking for someone to represent his faction in this contest called an Alcalah is there and notices what she did to the soldier (and knows its her), so he picks her to be his champion. With no idea who she really is.

I liked the way she thought she was hiding stuff from Arin as they trained. I also loved her interactions with the various guards. Wes and Jeru both understood that she was the Champion of Nizahl whether they liked it or not, and just took it in stride. Vaun could have been dealt with much earlier and relieved some of the pressure that was on Sylvia to do what she needed to. I didn't like him at all and how he tormented her. It was interesting that Arin knew she was Jasadi and kept her around anyway. Did he know who she was under the mask of Sylvia? Why did he not just do what he had done to all of the other Jasadi they had caught? Imprisonment or death? He must have known, even deep down, that she was hiding something from him.

I also wondered just why the Mufsids and Urabis were after her in particular. We knew that the Mufsids had a habit of convert or kill. If you did not join them, you died. They did not try to kill her after she refused to join. They actually tried multiple times to get her for their cause. The Urabi, too. They didn't kill as much as the Mufsids did. They also tried repeatedly to get her. I didn't understand why they wouldn't follow their own well known modus operandi. It made no sense there.

I wish I understood why Arin's little base was a replica of Usr Jasad. Her home. Was it intentional to keep her on her toes and try to weasel information out of her? Things she may not know she was revealing. Like her ability to read dead languages or the Resar at the beginning of the book when she revealed herself to be Jasadi by only reciting a passage from a funerary rite? In the end, she was still smart enough to not quite reveal everything but I think he knew more than she realized.

The reveal at the 80% ish mark was devastating. I would have lost it right then and there. It was a true testament to Sylvia's will that she didn't just immediately blow up. But then, she had been getting blow after blow and may have become desensitized to it a little bit. To learn that the people you trusted more than anything else did not have your best interest at heart, I could never.

Her explosion during the end was justified. To suddenly have everything you love nearly ripped out from under you for the third time? She deserved it. They all had it coming and I am not surprised at all about what happened.

I gave this book a 4.5/5 star rating because while I did love the narrative, it was missing....something. I can't put my hand on what. I am definitely curious about the Supreme Rawain's fancy stick. What does it do? Why is it important? I also want more of a history of the Malik and Malika of Jasad and why they started to do what they did. Who was behind what happened to Sylvia's mother, Niphran? What is going on? What happened to Arin that caused his hair to go all silver? We get part of an explanation, but I feel like there is something that's missing there.

I am definitely going to grab the next book when it comes out to see what explanations we do get and what new things we are told that will need more explanation. I am looking forward to more books by Sara Hashem. It certainly doesn't help that the publisher for this book is one of my absolute favorites as far as fantasy books go, Orbit! I highly recommend this book for fantasy lovers out there.

I literally had trouble putting this book down to read anything else. The MCs were so engaging and interesting and complicated that I could not wait to read more. The fact that neither MC is 100% right fascinates me. They're both having to adjust and learn their misconceptions - some of which they've built their entire lives on.

Sylvia, especially, is a character that I adore and love. The emotional and growth journey that she goes on in this book - it's amazing.

I cannot wait for book two.

This book was a pretty compelling read and I really enjoyed the setting and worldbuilding. The characters were interesting, but their actions didn't seem to be coherent with their personalities or there was no explanation given for their actions; I also felt that the background information we were told about both Arin and Sylvia was muddled and seemed to get more confusing as the book progressed. The plot points in the book were interesting, but the pacing was off for the majority of the book because the trials -- which were built up during the whole book -- all happened in the last 100 pages, with not much happening other than character development for the middle 300 pages. I did enjoy reading The Jasad Heir, but it felt like it needed more clarity in all aspects in order to reach its potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book!

This was a highly anticipated read for me, and I was thrilled to get into it! This was SUCH a good debut novel!!!

It started off SO good!

The tension, the banter, the slow burn, the political intrigue. THE PLOT TWISTS!!!

I loved how all the characters are just a touch morally grey, sometimes unreliable. I hate when characters are so completely GOOD, and this one was such a refreshing change.

This book invokes so many feelings and thoughts and truly was a great start to a wonderful fantasy series.

I had a lot of fun with this debut! It has a lot of familiar fantasy tropes: a lost heir to a vanquished kingdom, political intrigue, magic, trials, and much more. I liked Sylvia a lot. Yes, she makes some questionable decisions but it felt believable and relatable and I liked her internal struggle with what she owed her people/country/past so many years later. I also grew to like Arin quite a bit despite so,e of the objectively awful things he’s done. We only really see him through Sylvia’s eyes and she’s by no means a reliable narrator but it’s clear that he truly believe he’s doing the best thing for his people. I would be very interested to see if we get a dual POV sequel given that ending. I liked the slow burn relationship, it would not consider this first book at least to be a fantasy romance. The political intrigue and Sylvia’s personal journey are much larger plots here than the romance subplot.

There were some pacing issues I had with the book, like the trials don’t start until the last quarter really and I feel like they could have been developed so much more or else those worldbuilding pieces could have been presented in a different manner. That being said, this is the most fun I’ve had with a debut so far this year, so I’ll definitely be waiting for news of a sequel!

This book gave everything I’ve been looking for! Sworn enemies to lover, angst, badass FMC, and an amazingly built fantasy world. I can see this book being the next booktok sensation. The writing was beautiful and poetic which matched so well with the overall theme. I can’t reccomend this book enough.

The Jasad Heir ~ Sara Hashem
5/5
mild spice and helllllaaa tension
The emotions I felt for this book. The crying, the screaming (internally), the feelings. Just chef's kiss. I ate up these pages like there was no tomorrow.
Sylvia is on the run and hiding her identity. Unfortunately, life comes around and throws her and her friends for a loop causing her to be discovered by Arin (the Nizahl heir). Arin is calculating, powerful, chess master, etc.. This man is wildin'. He thinks 10 steps ahead and is a force to be reckoned with. As the story progresses, Arin (*** spoilers ***) trains her to be his champion for the competition between the lands. Without going into further detail, let me just say, I love love love this book! Definitely something I'd re-read and something that I wish I could read for the first time over and over again. If you don't believe me here are some, hopefully not too spoiler-y quotes:
"Power is a choice. When you choose who you are willing to fight for, you choose who you are"
"You should beware symbols of power. They have a tendency to create lives of their own"

"One, two.
I'm alive.
Three, four.
I'm safe.
Five, six.
I won't let them catch me"

"His will is strong. It always is, in the self-righteous"/ "But the will of the damned is even stronger"

TW: violence, genocide

I loved this book. The slow burn, the suspense, the characters, and the writing were all magical. I could not put it down and I cannot wait for book 2!