A solid fantasy debut, with a compelling main character and relationship dynamics. I found this engaging and easy to get through - some parts definetly leaned into common tropes but I found this to be a fun take on the "chosen one" of sorts (though she's not truly chosen, merely important for her family name) and her reluctance to come into her birthright of power. I wish we were better able to understand cultural differences of the kingdoms in a fuller, more expressed way, but I assume more books in this series will expand. The end felt rushed and I wish this had been a bit longer to fully draw out the climax, but other than that it was a great ride.

Incredible adult fantasy set in an Egypt-inspired land with intricate world-building. The development of the romance and politics are saying very interesting things about power, control, and the responsibilities we owe to each other that I am still thinking about. Looking forward to the next story. And of course the physical book itself is so beautiful I had to get a copy for my keeper shelf. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read early!

A high-stakes game with complex characters, The Jasad Heir is a gripping novel full of deadly secrets, cunning politics, and lost magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Jasad Heir, though the pacing was a bit off for me. It took me a while to get into the story, and overall if felt like more attention was given to the set-up of events to the detriment of the second half of the story. I would have loved to see the build up to the games and the public reaction to the champions more thoroughly explored. The last 15% was high-intensity perfection, and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Sylvia, our main character, reminds me of oldest daughters everywhere: so much pressure is applied until eventually they break. In Sylvia's case, the break is extreme and exacerbated by the loss of everything she knew as a child. Watching her explore her own feelings and discover hard truths is rewarding; I don't know how I would feel about her running a country, though.

Arin is the cool, calculating heir, but I believe there is more to him and his maneuverings than we've gotten to see so far. I can't wait to see how Hashem has him respond to the end of book one. Plus any first book that has enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies is going to be a win for me!

I'm such a big fan of slow burn! I couldn't stop turning the pages! This plus the fact that it's Egyptian-inspired just ticked off all my boxes for amazing fantasy.

Usually when we think of summer reads we think of the stupid easy kind of books. Books that are engaging but have no real substance. But I think that we should all expect a little something more from our summer reading. And The Jasad Heir is a great choice! It has all the excitement, fun, and romance that you expect from a summer read, but it has so much more.

This one is started off very promising; an Egyptian inspired fantasy world, political shenanigans, our FMC (Sylvia) navigating a society where she has to keep her true identity a secret, forbidden attraction, and found family.
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All of this sounds like it would make for an epic story, and it sort of did. The world building was intriguing, and so were the characters in the first half of the story. It was a mild struggle to finish the final half, as interest was waning, partly because the love interest / storyline was hard to buy into.
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All that said, it was still a solid story, and you should check it out if you are interested.

Hashem's Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy novel is packed with a ton of word building complexity.
This Enemy's to Lovers slow burn has plenty to offer fantasy lovers, from all sub genres .
However, if you are looking for a traditional fantastical romance novel, this is not the book for you.
Hashem's characters are the true meaning of Enemy's to Lovers, there will be no steamy love scenes. (Sorry!!)
With that in mind, prepare to be mind blown by a detailed telling of what happened to the Kingdom of Jasad,
Also, in finding out how Sylvia, (Essyia) was able to hide her magic within her bracelets and herself after the downfall of Jasad for 11 years.

This is the story of a young girl's coming of age.
Being able to hide her royalty, her magical abilities, then getting into the mix with the enemy to save her friends,
All along she is sacrificing herself in exchange for her friends and her people,

Hashem's book is rather lengthy, (Which is a GOOD thing) But the ending is setting the scene for book 2, which I CANNOT wait for!!

Thank you, NetGalley/Sara Hashem/Orbit Books,Orbit/ For this sensational e-ARC in advance for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Sylvia is the lost Jasad Heir, a kingdom that was burned 10 years ago. Its citizens are being hunted and she doesn't want that title, she just wants to survive. When her magic is exposed, she has to make an alliance with the Heir of the kingdom that destroyed hers and enter a deadly competition.

That was a promising beginning to a new fantasy series. The world is interesting even though it is not very detailed even if there are some paragraphs of info dump. We know there are now 4 kingdoms - there used to be 5 with Jasad. But we don't really get to know the kingdom besides their basic descriptions. It seems each has its own set of culture and history and I felt I was on the cusp of understanding more about them but it was never really developed. I feel maybe in the sequels we'll get more?! I could get a better sense of Jasad and Nizhal. But even them, I still feel I don't know. The backstory for the world is developed enough and very intriguing. The foreshadowing that was done tying future events with past characters seems really promising if the author is going to really use them.

I feel the magic could be more explained. It's never really said what the magic actually is. It just appears to be magic that can do anything but even the users can't really determine very well what it's going to do. Just as the world building, I wanted more - and I just got glimpses.

The characters, aside from Sylvia, are pretty one note. But I did like them a lot. I liked that when the characters are deemed smart, the author shows us time and time again that they really are smart and cunning - it's not just something that is said. Sylvia gets an interesting beginning of an arc development that I feel it's going to be really compelling to follow, specially when some things are revealed to her. There is the beginning of a relationship between her and another character that I felt, although predictable, is going to be cool to see it progress.

As others, I did feel the book was too long for what it accomplished. If that length was used to explore more of the world and to explain the magic, I feel the book could've been tighter and better althought I did like it. A lot of the scenes in the middle felt like filler without a purpose; they didn't advance the plot, the world, nor the relationships.

3.5

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Soooooo good! I really think this was a solid debut. I was hooked from the very beginning.

As with most books, there’s a bit of “downtime,” but I truly found myself unable to stop reading.

I do think the writing could be improved upon, and the book could’ve been shorter.

There’s plenty of tropes in this as well. Basically, a little something for everyone.

Enemies to Lovers on STEROIDS. ❤️‍🔥

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“You think your mind is a blank slate, where you can build your own networks of information from scratch, through pure logic and reason. You ignore that each child enters a completely unique world. founded on different truths. We build our reality on the foundation our world sets for us. You entered a world where magic is corrosive and Jasadis are inherently evil. I entered one where turning a shoe into a dove made my mother laugh. Have you considered, in that infinite mind of yours, that the truly brilliant people are the ones who understand the realities we build were already built for us?”

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮.
🔥

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This dark brutal fantasy novel is just packed with good stuff. The world building, political intrigue, a flawed angry FMC ‘with the temperament of a deranged goose’ (according to MMC), well written characters with real substance, character building, deadly competition, slowest of slow burn romance with true enemies to lovers, friendships, side characters to love.. or hate, hidden identity, MAGIC.

Some things that down rated the star rating: the unnecessary long length of the debut novel. I felt the inner monologue was long winded and often times repetitive. Which lead to inconsistent pacing. Political info dumping. Which some people love, I happen to be on the other side where my eyes glaze over. I was also confused on why they have the deadly competition? It felt a bit muddled.
Also Arin’s pov gets thrown in here 2-3 times. They are short and I didn’t really see the purpose. Either put his pov in more consistently or none at all, in my opinion.

This wasn’t perfect but it was entertaining.

3.5 stars

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of The Jasad Heir. This was such an amazing debut that I literally couldn't put down! I can not wait for more.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. It was well written, but I just could not get into the plot and did not finish it.

This was a wonderful debut! Sara Hashem will definitely be an author I keep an eye on as her work continues. The Jasad Heir follows Sylvia, the last surviving royal from a magical kingdom that has been destroyed. Sylvia hopes to live a life of hidden freedom, but her magic and her past refuse to stay buried. She is forced into a bargain with the heir of the kingdom that conquered her own, where her people’s future and her own survival hang in the balance.

I found Hashem’s prose compelling, and particularly felt that her characterization of Sylvia was wonderful! She was a character I had an easy time connecting with and cheering for. Several of the side characters were great too, and added up to a strong supporting cast.

The beginning started off a bit slow, but once the plot started moving, I felt very invested in how things were going to develop. And while none of the plot felt truly surprising, there were lots of satisfying developments and twists on common tropes.

The book did have a few issues that kept it from being a 5 star for me. I felt like there could have been more development of Arin, to truly make us believe Sylvia’s attraction to him. Instead, I feel like the author erred on the side of leaving him mysterious on purpose, though that left me feeling that he was a weaker character overall. Still, if you’re reading it for the “enemies to lovers” vibes, I definitely enjoyed that dynamic.

The other main issue I had was with the world building, which felt a bit clunky at times. Again, I think the author is intentionally leaving things mysterious, but it also left my understanding of the world feeling uneven. Sometimes the cities and kingdoms felt really small, while the traditions felt designed for a huge population. Sometimes the kingdoms were made to seem very distinct, while other elements of the story made them feel so close together that it would be impossible to avoid overlap. I think this unevenness is the authors greatest growth edge, but I think there’s lots of hope that this improves in later books or other works.

Overall, if you like epic fantasy, with a side of enemies to lovers romance, this is definitely worth checking out! While there’s some uneven aspects, I found the overall book very entertaining and look forward to seeing where the story goes from here!

So I wanted to like this, however, the coloniser kidnapping the native angel in 2023 is just something I want to read. that dynamic was problematic and hopefully, this will be the last we see of this trope.

As a child, Sylvia watched her kingdom fall and her family murdered. She escaped but the Jasad Kingdom had its magic outlawed and any remaining Jasadi were hunted by the Nizahl armies. Sylvia went into hiding and tried to lay low as she worked towards survival, but after an accident where a young girl was in danger, she revealed her magic. The Nizahl Heir was present and declared her his champion for the Alcalah competition, which is very dangerous but might provide the freedom she desires. As Sylvia tries to find a way to use her magic that has been bound, she learns more about what happened when Jasad fell. Overall, a detailed world building fantasy, featuring magic and a hidden queen.

Thanks to Orbit Books for the advanced copy of The Jasad Heir!

“When you choose who you are willing to fight for, you choose who you are.”

A fabulous debut! The Jasad Heir is not only a captivating romantasy book, it’s also rich in Egyptian-inspired culture that will pull you into this fantasy world right away. There’s a “Chosen One” trope mixed with a destroyed kingdom, but the stakes felt higher due to Sylvia’s people being hunted and killed because of their magic while she decides what her place is as a hidden heir. I was cheering for Sylvia the whole way, and thought Sara Hashem did a great job of making me feel like I was in Sylvia’s shoes for the journey. The side characters are so supportive and lovable, which was great mixed with some brutal political intrigue and trials.

Read if you like:
- tournaments or trials in fantasy reads
- slow burn enemies-to-lovers
- political intrigue
- fierce heroines

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. It lived up to my expectations and I am glad I got an arc.

Summary: "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."

I haven't read many Egyptian-inspired stories before and I can't wait to read more. The writing style was enjoyable. I like the politics and the world Hashem created. If you like enemies to lovers, politics, and waring kingdoms I think you'll enjoy this book. The world is beautiful and vibrant. I enjoyed following Sylvia. She is relatable and you feel for her. You just want her to get everything she wants.

I think the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, but after a bit I was hooked. I am excited to see how the next book will progress the story. I can't wait to see the characters again and to be in this world again.

“If anyone was going to kill Arin of Nizahl, it would be me.”

This book took me awhile to get into. The author throws a ton of worldbuilding at you with little explanation and this happened throughout the book. There was one big reveal in particular that had me trying to guess what was going on and overall failing. This was definitely the type of book where you just had to keep reading to figure out what was going on.

Sylvia, or Essiya, wasn’t my favorite female lead at the beginning. While her reluctance to become a leader was understandable, she mainly appeared to be a passive coward. It took too long for her to actually start caring about what happened to her people. For the majority of the book, I was just cringing at how she handled her own survival at the cost of so many. I also just found Essiya to be full of contradictions. Despite having been trained for 5 years, she still made a lot of simple mistakes that someone in her position should’ve been looking out for.

While it may seem like there were a lot of negatives for this book, overall I really loved it. The action was well paced and the plot definitely kept me reading. The ending was a bit unexpected and mostly made me desperate for the sequel. I enjoyed the relationships in this book, particularly the one between Essiya and Arin. This was a slow burn, enemies to lovers, and I thrived off it. It’s definitely setting the sequel up for more drama and continued development, especially after that ending.

You are telling me that I am going to become obsessed with a slow-burn romance with true enemies becoming lovers? Okay, okay. I accept that. I am obsessed with this fantasy book. And I don’t even care that it’s a true slow-burn romance between the two enemies. And they are truly enemies with each other, trying to kill each other every other moment throughout the book.

Before we get into the book and everything, definitely avoid any further reading if you don’t want any spoilers. I'm just giving you a heads-up before you read any further. And now, let’s talk about The Jasad Heir and everything associated with it.

The premise of this book is that the jasad heir, aka Sylvia, is still alive. Sylvia is not dead; Sylvia is still alive. Just hidden away from society. Living in secrets And yet, Sylvia will soon be discovered when a certain Nizahl heir, Arin, comes into a small village town and investigates one of his soldiers' deaths. Unknown to her, her secrets will soon trap her in a deadly game.

Sylvia may be the hidden jasad heir, but it’s not a life she wants. Having to hide for so many years gave Sylvia the opportunity to think about her life and her wants. And what she wants is true freedom from any expectations. She doesn’t want to uphold the jasad heir titles or the expectations of leading a rebellion against Nizahl. She wants to live without being executed for who she is or what magic she has. It’s devastating to say that she can’t get what she truly wants.

It also doesn’t help that Sylvia now has to compete in a deadly competition as the Nizahl champion. Unfortunately for Arin, Sylvia is going to be his worst nightmare. She doesn’t care that he is Nizahl's heir; it just makes her more homicidal toward him. She is more than willing to kill him at any moment, but it's too bad that he knows her homicidal tendencies. He even has homicidal tendencies toward her as well. For him, everything is fair game when it comes to your enemies.

What makes me giddy about Arin and Sylvia is that they are true sworn enemies, yet there is undeniable chemistry between them. Even though they fight with each other constantly, they still have that attraction that lingers between them. There is no denying it. It just makes their story so much more interesting when they are fighting each other while also learning to love each other. It’s going to be interesting to see how they navigate it into the second book.

As Sylvia goes through the competition, she will soon discover that there are more secrets to her magic than she realizes. It will come into play. And so much will start to explode in the end. Just expect the unexpected. And that you will have to wait for the second book.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.