Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for giving me the opportunity to read the Jasad Crown.

I was really excited for the follow up to the Jasad Heir because I loved that first book so much but this second book for me fell kind of flat. This story has a boat load of characters and a lot of the time I was struggling to keep up with who did what and when. I think if I had some kind of glossary or re-cap of every person, It would have helped immensely. I remembered all of the key characters but sometimes that didn’t help much. I also didn’t enjoy the chapters from Marek and Sefas POVS. I know why they were needed but in the end they didn’t feel truly necessary. I would have also loved more time spent between Arin and Sylvia to see their relationship evolve a little bit more. The wrap of the story was decent but the book as a whole felt like a struggle for me to read. Maybe if I had read the two books back to back, I’d have less of an issue but I’m not sure.

I’ve been waiting for so long for this sequel that I had begun to question whether the first book was really as enjoyable as it was. (This is an established coping technique for readers, when we have long waits between books, to prevent the onset of madness due to anticipation!) But the minute I turned the first page on this one, I remembered just how satisfying that first book was. And now, with the duology complete, I can say that the entire experience was all-around excellent!

There’s a lot of great things to talk about with this one, but given the current proliferation of the “enemies to lovers” trope in romantasy, I think this is an area where this book really shines. So much so that I’d almost say this should be required reading for how to correctly write this sort of romantic storyline. There are many ways in which the love story is successful, both in the first book and carried over to this one. The first book is appropriately a slow-burn, with both characters slowly, naturally progressing through their negative associations with the other. As is typical with this sort of plot, that book ends with a bombshell, revealing all of the secrets and lies between them.

The important part is now how this romance is handled in this book. The author does so many things right! For one thing, it’s not as if both characters suddenly, inexplicably, lose all of the friendship, trust, and even love that had built up between them. Yes, obstacles have been introduced, but both are mature characters who, to some extent or another, trust their own original judgement and, frankly, have more important things to worry about than too much ridiculous angst. Sure, these reveals have an impact, but there’s no overly YA “but she betraaaayyyeeed meeee” nonsense where it doesn’t make sense.

Further, and this goes back to work done in the first book, the author created two characters who are fully realized beings on their own, who have built-in personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses, that would independently drive their choices and actions through an enemies-to-lovers romance. For example, Arin has been well-established as a character who is highly strategic and highly invested in understanding everything that goes on around him. Thus, by the time the truth about Sylvia is revealed, his journey towards re-thinking his understanding of his own nation and the history of this world at large is based on his own intrinsic character traits, not just “but I luuuuv her!!” Too often, the entire journey from “enemy” to “lovers” requires one character to simply change who they are or change teams based on almost nothing but their love for the other character. Here, Arin’s journey has practically nothing to do with his feelings for Sylvia, and this makes it all the more realistic and interesting to read! It’s this point, giving characters their own inner motivations for change outside of the love story, that I think is so often missing in these sorts of romances.

Further, Sylvia doesn’t magically transform into the perfect leader of this rebellion. Indeed, she’s pretty terrible at it all the way through the entire book! What’s more, however, the book does an excellent job of portraying the foibles of the rebellion itself! All too often, again, stories like this have a frustrating tendency of dumbing down their political conflicts to the point that you can pretty much guarantee that whatever rebellion group you find will be coded as purely good and righteous at every turn. Here, this group is made up of humans, with their own grievances, misunderstandings, and tendencies towards self-centered motivations. Sylvia’s journey is one of balancing imperfections, both her own as well as the group of displaced Jasadis that she’s trying to lead.

Lastly, as far as the romance goes, I appreciated that the author didn’t string us a long with the love story! Even given their circumstances, Hashem found creative ways to throw Arin and Sylvia back in each others orbits at regular intervals, beginning fairly early in the book. I always find it incredibly annoying and contrived when authors feel the need to keep their characters apart to drive up “tension,” especially in books that are the last in a series’ run, as this is our last time getting to spend time with these characters. And for pages and pages to be wasted on unearned pining is the peak of annoyance for me.

I also enjoyed the introduction of a few chapters from various side characters’ perspectives. There weren’t tons of these, but through them, we got a better insight into various interested parties, all with their own priorities and motivations. These perspectives helped to further flesh out the world and raise the stakes for the ultimate conflict, one that affected more than just Jasad itself but magic as a whole!

I also really enjoyed the expansion of this world’s magic system and history. The book definitely took some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and the answers to many lingering questions were incredibly satisfying. I think the book also wrapped up in an excellent manner. It’s bittersweet, of course, but it also technically checks off the HEA requirements, so never fear!

This book is peak romantasy, as far as I’m concerned. It’s also criminally under-appreciated in a packed genre where, too often, lesser titles rise to the top based on nothing more than #vibes. This is a fantastically written, fully realized and developed, romantasy title that should be used as the gold standard for properly pacing an “enemies to lovers” romance. This is a great read for romantasy and fantasy romance readers alike and I can’t recommend the duology enough!

Rating 10: Great world-building, excellent prose, spot-on dialogue, and a love story that hits all the right notes, this book has it all!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on July 18

I pre-ordered The Jasad Heir to support a fellow Muslim sister—what I didn’t expect was to be absolutely wrecked by this series in the best way. The Egyptian-inspired setting, the sharp political intrigue, the yearning (!!), and the emotional devastation?? I’m obsessed.

When I saw The Jasad Crown on NetGalley, I sprinted to request it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC—this was everything I hoped for and more.

I loved how the sequel dove deeper into Arin and gave us his backstory—his cold composure, his hidden softness, his obsession with Essiya?? I'm screaming. Their slow burn was so deliciously painful. It burned.

This duology is a stunning exploration of power, trauma, and love between two people who were never meant to love—but tried anyway. The expanded POVs, the complex women, the heartbreak, the stakes, the tension. I cried, I yelled, I squealed. That epilogue? Life-altering. I am on the floor. I may never get up again.

Sara Hashem, I’m in awe. I love this series. I need more. And we absolutely need more silver-haired men in fantasy. 😉

The emotional conclusion to The Scorched Throne. At the start of book 2 our group has been separated. Quite often this can get old quickly or result in favoring one character's storyline over the others; that's not the case here. Sara Hashem balances the different plotlines perfectly so that I was eager to continue every one of them.

My only gripe with Crown is I wanted more of the tension that Heir delivered. It felt that Arin changed allegiances too quickly; he didn't even pretend to try to find Essiya for Nizhal. The payoff would've been greater had Arin truly tried to continue being the cold, calculating commander he was before meeting Sylvia.

I love Sara Hashem's writing, and felt incredibly moved by her continuous ability to distill powerful emotions and observations into profound passages and aching sentences - even the power delivered in one word. (When you read "Oh." you'll know it.) This book expands the mythology and magic of The Jasad Heir's world so beautifully, and winds the story into greater and more enchanting stakes. I particularly enjoyed the way Sara teased pieces of strategy and reading them come to fruition.

I was surprised in the nuanced writing of one character in particular, who Sara did not let simply be 'bad' and whose words brought me to tears. However, I largely had difficulty maintaining a hold on the emotional threads of this story, I think due in part to its structure. While I enjoyed the additional points of view, I felt there wasn't enough time for me to solidify their unique voices. When storylines converged, I felt detachment rather than greater connectivity. I think it would have been nice to spend more time immersed in these journeys in their own novella before putting all of the pieces on the board. This would've also allowed for the creation of a timeline that could be overlapped in a final installment and reveal machinations from additional context and examination, which I would've loved even more of.

Additionally, one of my favorite aspects of Essiya's character is the portrayal of her defenses. In this book, I felt too great of a leap in Essiya's comfort with both romantic and non-romantic touch. This element of discomfort and growth was handled excellently in Heir, but in Crown I felt it was also portrayed less consistently. While I appreciated the romantic emphasis on hunger, I wanted more about the physical and emotional vulnerability of being seen, especially as the self changes.

Struggling with these aspects, I did not reach the emotional point of devastation I hoped, which was teased in the book's marketing. As my rating is 3.5★ (rounded up) and I gave The Jasad Heir 5★, I look forward to re-reading this book in print (preferably after an immediate re-read of the first book to help with my own emotional continuity). And needless to say, I am so excited for all that Sara Hashem has to come.

Thank you very much NetGalley and Orbit for the arc! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025 and I am so thankful for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Actual Rating - 2.5 ⭐️
⤷ Romance - 5 ⭐️
⤷ Arin - ♾️ 💫
⤷ Plot (Before the 60% mark) - 4.5 ⭐️
⤷ Plot (After the 60% mark) - 2 ⭐️
⤷ Pacing and Magic System - 1 ⭐️

I want to thank NetGalley and Orbit Books US for providing the eARC. As with any arc reviews, I will keep this spoiler-free. However, due to this book being the finale of the series, there may be spoilers mentioned from the first book. Please keep this in mind if you wish to read this review and you haven’t read Jasad Heir.

When I first read Jasad Heir in late March this year, I was mesmerized by how well-written the characters are and the overall concept of the plot. For once, I felt I had found a book that had done the enemies-to-lovers trope right. I love Sylvia’s inner struggles and Arin's cold and stoic heart and how their relationship builds slowly and steadily. I was so excited when I got this eARC for the second book that upon reading it, I was left disappointed.

For starters, the number of chapters in this book is 73 with a few short epilogues while the first book has 33 chapters. I understand that sequels tend to be longer than the first book, however, this contrast is quite a huge difference. I went open-minded when opening this book up on my Kindle because I always believe regardless of how long the book is if the plot is enjoyable it won’t bother me much with the length. Yet, I noticed at times I would have to take breaks or try to rush a bit to finish the next chapter. Long story short, I felt a bit burnt out due to the number of chapters.

Regarding the plot, it felt like a roller coaster throughout my enjoyment. The first 20% felt a bit slow as characters are being reintroduced along with a few different POVs you follow. During this portion, the story does discuss events taking place in the first book yet there is no recap explaining what occurred; the story requires you to remember the events accurately. I didn’t have an issue remembering because I read the first book a while back. However, it can be difficult for those who haven’t reread the first book in a year. I think what could have helped is a glossary of character and mythical creature names since at times I did have to look up Jasad Heir on my Kindle to remember the description of certain creatures. After the 20%, the plot thickened and the pace went fast. I like this as it was engaging seeing what each character is doing throughout the book and it was nice connecting the timeline with our main characters' activities. The author's writing did improve tremendously by using beautiful metaphors and descriptions; I had to highlight a couple of those sentences.

One caveat I will mention though is the magic system feeling surface level between 20-60%. As the first book mentioned how dangerous the magic system is and we finally get to learn more about the magic in the second book, I felt frustrated that we didn’t get that much depth of information. We just learn character A and character B have XYZ magic but never learned the how and the why. The explanations felt like a recap of what we already learned from the first book.

By the time we hit the 60% mark, the plot started to fall apart. There were a lot of scenes that were wrapped up and skimmed and a lot of events that occurred between certain characters felt flat to me. I didn’t feel emotional during those scenes that the story tried to make the readers feel because we barely learned about them in the first book. Even a couple of resolutions felt more tell than show. I felt at this point that the second book should end and the 60% should have been a third book. That way a couple of events wouldn’t feel so rushed near the end.

The last 10% of the book made me feel extremely irritated, especially two plot twists that happened back to back. To those who have read those scenes, maybe it would not have bothered you so much but it is a pet peeve I have for fantasy books based on a specific trope. This led me to just fast forward through reading the last few chapters and the epilogue to be done with the story.

If there are two moments I love the book that stayed consistent were the romance and Arin’s character. The amount of yearning in this book between Arin and Sylvia had my heart flutter, kicking my feet, and fangirling with my plushies over how adorable these two characters interacted. If you were fangirling over these two in the first book, wait til you read about them in the second book. The slow burn from the first book helped tremendously with the development of their relationship in this book. As for Arin’s character, hands down he is my top favorite character in both this duology and the fantasy genre overall. His entire character arc from start to finish was terrific and written so well, I felt I learned and empathized so much about him in this book. The way he also loves and yearns for Sylvia made me put him as one of my top book husbands. All his chapters and romance with Sylvia were my favorite throughout the book and had me highlight a lot of lines in my Kindle, especially his epilogue that pulled my heartstrings. If anything is coming from this review, reading for the romance and Arin’s character development will be so worth it and help you enjoy the story at the very least.

Despite my mixed emotions about this book, I am excited for Sara Hashem writing journey. I want to still support her because even with my mixed thoughts about the finale, the romance and improved writing style gives me hope her future works will get better. If you are obsessed with the Jasad Heir world, you may honestly enjoy this book more for the plot and world. But for the rest, I would suggest possibly picking this book with an audiobook to help you get through the length of the book.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you go into this duology expecting romantasy, you may be a tad disappointed. But if you’re looking for an EPIC political fantasy with a sizzling slow burn romance with an incredibly satisfying payoff, this one is 100% for you. This one is for fans of The Cruel Prince, A Fate Inked in Blood and Throne of Glass!

The Jasad Crown will keep you guessing at every turn-- and will subvert your expectations over and over and over. Sylvia and Arin are in a never ending battle of wits that only builds their chemistry more and more. I am so impressed with Sara Hashem’s ability to craft and create an entire political landscape that feels entirely real, without being confusing or info-heavy.

My literal ONLY complaint about this book is the length: it took me a much longer time than usual for me to read it, and I think this story would’ve made an even better trilogy than it does duology. That being said, I’d certainly rather have too much of something than too little!

The ending had my heart in pieces, taped back together by the last few chapters (just the way I like it!)

The Jasad Crown releases July 15th! Now would be a great time to crack open book one if it’s on your TBR- and be sure to preorder!

4.5/5 Stars
I felt like this was a decent conclusion to the duology although the ending may not be what everyone was wanting or was expecting. The worldbuilding in this book was just as excellent as the first, and I loved the way that our characters were developed.
Slyvia had excellent character development between the 2 books and really did come into her own being the leader of the Jasad’s. Also Arin started to question his being and his family was amazing, and helped him develop more and become more likeable for me. Their romance was still there, and made sense for them in the amounts we got it in and how we received it 😊
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am left in shock from the ending... The angst.... the tension...... the plot twists!!!!!

I'm going to be digesting and pining over this ending for some time, it felt cruel and unusual from Hashem, but I cannot wait to see what might come next from her mind.

Such a phenomenal ending for a gripping duology.

A massive shoutout to Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-copy early!

“Do not toy with me. This—this is the last piece of my heart I have left, do you understand? I don’t know how to protect it once it is outside my body. If I trust you and then you cast it into the dirt, it will be the death of both of us. What is left of me will kill what is left of you.”

Aye, what the fuck

“Murder is only treason if left unfinished,” Arin said. He tucked his hands into his pockets and turned to the door. “When I am done, they will call it succession.”

I am dead inside

This is going to be chaotic, and I had to leave out so many good quotes, otherwise, this would have been even longer than it already is

"Arin firmly believed an attempt on one’s life was the highest form of flattery. Becoming a threat by the very virtue of your existence, inspiring the sort of mad dedication that drives men to murder...what could be more of an accomplishment?"

This was the first sentence of the book ^^ off to a great start and really setting the tone lmao

4.5 stars

Where to begin? The fact that from page one, Arin was unhinged and I loved it? The fact that we got Marek and Sefa’s POV, and they killed me? The fact that Sylvia was slowly losing her mind, and so was I?

Hm, no, not there

“Everything I have is hers to command. What she wills, I will create. What she hates, I will destroy. I am the weapon of the Malika, and it is her alone I pledge myself to.”

Let’s talk about the fact that there were more knife-to-throat scenes in this. Let’s talk about how this book emotionally ruined me. Let’s talk about how I never want to talk about the end of the book again. I am ded

"For the truly enlightened among us are those who understand that the realities we build were already built for us."

Sara once again built a magnificently structured world with a beautiful tone, dark/dry humour (literally top tier funnies), and tension (even though they were separated a little, there was still tension! Like, how did that happen?? I love it). The side characters, Sefa and Marek, Arin’s guardsmen, everyone was so well done!

“If you let it, fear will make ruins of the future. You will build the rest of your life on the grave of every good thing you might have had, if only you had let yourself try.”

The way I love our two main characters together is not normal. Man, they were great. Sylvia, or Essyia, was strong, violent, caring, terrified, hurting, and afraid. Arin was, well, like I said, unhinged. He was just so done with everything, and I was living for it. He was also almost always 3 steps ahead, and that was just a great time lmao

"Why enjoy a moment when I was just so good at ruining them?"

I did have the same problem as the first book, the world-building, while amazing, was very dense, so I struggled with the first 50%. Like, I still really loved the first 50%, but it was hard to get through.

Overall, you are not prepared for this book. So, read this duology, please, and suffer with me.

*pause around 20%*
Had a hard time being engaged in this book. I love the writing and the world though! I wish there was a recap and character list to refresh my memory from the first book
Going to reread and revisit this book shortly

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to put this one down until I have time to reread the first book. I cannot remember a thing about Jasad Heir and this book jumps right in. I feel like we needed a recap or a cast of characters page at least. I’m so lost! I’m sure it’s well written but hard to commit to 600+ pages when I’m so confused in the first 50.

thank you to netgalley and orbit for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. all opinions are my own.

rating: 4.5/5*

the jasad crown is an excellent conclusion to the scorched kingdom duology. it delivers on both the plot and the romance, and the ending left me satisfied. this will both hurt your feelings and make you kick your feet. i loved it.

there’s a chance not everyone will like the ending, but i personally am a fan of it. i like how the very end feels earned, and that there isn’t some last minute overly convenient twist that lowers the stakes of the entire series.

i have two minor complaints: there were definitely some patches where the pacing was off, and there were times where the dialogue felt extremely juvenile. nothing necessarily wrong with the latter, but it was definitely jarring, and more common than in the first book.

First, I am devastated that this duology has come to an end. I think I highlighted like the whole book! I am so emotionally attached to these characters, Sylvia and Aren are god-tier for me. I appreciate how morally grey all the characters are in this book, they are just so human, and genuinely conflicted they were. Especially Sylvia, she was grappling with so many expectations, then alongside trying to decide what she wanted, and her character development was beautiful. This book was quite fast paced compared to the first book, I almost needed a small refresher, but I was not lost, things were well set up but I did forget how much world-building there was. I am going to write a longer review soon.

The Jasad Crown is book 2 in The Scorched Throne duology. In this book, Sylvia is trying to save her people and restore her lost kingdom. Meanwhile, Arin is trying to discover the truth behind his past, conflicted between supporting his father and doing what he believes is right. I adored this series and was pleasantly surprised to like the second book even more than the first. The characters were relatable and the ending was absolutely beautiful.

I’d give this book 4/5 stars! ⭐️

The first book of the Scorched Throne duology didn’t blow me out of the park, but did intrigue me enough to pick up the sequel. I found The Jasad Crown to have a lot of the same weaknesses as the first — the pacing was inconsistent and the plot tended to drag. However, Hashem’s ability to write compelling characters is undeniable (and the ending of this book was perfect).

Eek, be still my heart.
Here we have my most anticipated read of the year: The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem, which comes out on July 15th.
The Jasad Heir is the second book in The Scorched Throne duology and the plot picks up five days after the events of the first book.
This was a 5-star read for me. I fell hard for The Jasad Heir—it’s a top favorite of mine, so I was very excited to receive an eARC.
But yeah, I loved this book. The pacing for a 681-page book is insane, it’s non-stop—it feels like every scene is important, that every chapter propels the plot forward. I started off reading this book slowly, wanting to take my time and simply bask in the wealth of the author’s words. The book clearly had other ideas, though. The tension is thick throughout the book until the very end, and I always roll my eyes when I see someone using the word “unputdownable” in a book blurb, but that is exactly the word I’d use to describe The Jasad Crown, especially once you hit the final third. I binge-read the last ~30% with tears in my eyes. It’s not new for something to happen in a book to make me ugly-cry (even if on public transportation), but it was a new experience to basically sob my way through a large portion of a book. I didn’t just get hit hard by emotions, they came back around the block and ran me over repeatedly.
I do think this duology could have also worked as a trilogy, but that’s mostly just me being selfish and wanting more.
I love Sarah Hashem’s writing style, it’s unique and the snarkiness that’s peppered throughout the different POVs feels genuine and complemental to that character. I look forward to reading more by this author!
Thank you @netgalley and @orbitbooks_us for the eARC.

Sara has become one of my FAVORITE authors this past year. I am so glad I came across this duology bcs idk what my life would look like without having been able to experience these stories. I cannot express how freaking AMAZING this book is! The pacing, the romance, the characters literally everything about this book draws you in from the very beginning. I really hope we get a spin off or a novella of some sort because I have so many questions. The last 20% left me in tears i don’t even want to relive those memories…. Thank you Sara for the emotional damage i would gladly except more of it from your stories.

FINALLY we get a real enemies to lovers

When you love a book you're scared to read the next one in case it's a let down.

FEAR NOT. This is the most perfect conslusion to The Jasad Heir. This was a perfect romantasy duology to me. It was epic, the stakes felt real, and I love watching Arin and Sylvia develop as individuals and together.

Survival was not the story of my success. It was my eternal punishment.

Sylvia is one of my all time favorite main characters. She's doing the best she can, she's not perfect, and she will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. (And what she wants is ususally to save her loved ones, above all else.)

I love this world, I'm sad it's over, and I will read Sara Hashem's grocery list if that's the only thing she writes in the future.

To whom it may concern,

Let it be known I am willing and ready to beg on my knees for a novella, a short story, or any and all bonus content to follow *that* epilogue. An epilogue that will go down as one of the greatest of all time and yet here I am greedily insatiable for more and more. Whew!

Thank you.

Now let’s get down to business.

For a book well over 600 pages you’d think I’d have my fill, and you’d be right, this is a sensational five course meal. And yet I have become so enmeshed in this world, so attached to our lead characters, and so impacted by this story that goodbye seems far too cruel. I need to get back into that world, I can’t let it be over. Not yet.

Needless to say: I loved The Jasad Crown.

I utterly, absolutely, positively, wholly loved this book. I loved this duology.

Without a doubt this entire duology is one of the best written works I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience.

Let’s begin my beautiful, tragic, heart-achingly poignant couple at the heart of this story, Sylvia and Arin. They remain tantalizing leads. Arin takes charge of one of the new POVs and it's to brilliant execution. Following his storyline along with Sylvia’s deepens the connection between them. It elevates the heart-wrenching, massively complicated love story that delicately builds between the two. Sylvia and Arin begin and end with one another. Their love is all-consuming and all-transforming. They build each other up, they challenge one another, and they wholly respect one another. They make up all the parts of what should be a close to perfect relationship, but prophecy, politics, and magic keeps their love not only forbidden, but seemingly impossible. And yet they confront the impossible at every turn. Even when not sharing scenes, even when far apart, the bond between the two is indelible. As it is inevitable.

I love both Sylvia and Arin, not just for their romance but for who they are as individuals. I admire their strengths, appreciate their vulnerabilities, and find levity in their differing takes on humor. Their characters enrich the already shining world they inhabit.

And they do not stand alone in bettering the already great. Arin is not the only new POV, we also have two more, for a total of four. Sylvia remains our main lead as Arin takes on main co-lead. Then in smaller bouts we receive POVs from Sefa and Marek. This is where I did feel some slight but ultimately fleeting mixed feelings. At times I was quite attuned to their storylines, but other times I felt they slowed down the pace. I became impatient to get back to Sylvia and Arin. That said, I do find much merit in their perspectives. Their POVs come more in interludes, but one’s arc resolution carries tremendous weight, and any frustration I encountered vanished upon understanding its endgame.

And so much of this pay off is found all throughout this stunning narrative, found in this astounding world-building.

We have our complex, intricate, evolving, gorgeously detailed and layered world-building. At times I had to retake some steps before advancing, because every detail counts and missing any of it can trip you up as you try to move forward. But it’s so rewarding to intake all that information and see how it inevitably pays off. That said, I do think rereading this duology will be massively enriching in catching details that escaped the sight. It’s a reread that will serve to further elevate a work that’s already reached the stars.

From phenomenal character work, to an epic scope in world-building, to a powerful, poignant storyline, The Jasad Crown encompasses every component you want in a book you will remember forever.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.