
Member Reviews

This was hands-down one of my favorite reads of the year. It delivered everything I hoped for and more, with a beautiful and emotional ending that wrapped up a story I’ve completely fallen in love with. One of the things I really appreciated was the use of additional third-person POVs. Getting to see into the minds of other characters made the story feel more layered, gave a nice break from Sylvia and Arin’s perspectives, and kept the pacing engaging. Arin’s POV, in particular, stood out. Writing his chapters in third person created just the right amount of distance, keeping some of his actions and motivations mysterious while still giving us insight into his emotions. It made me love him so much more.
The found family dynamic was another highlight and one of my favorite things about the book. Every character was so well-written and easy to love, and I found myself really caring about each one. They each felt unique and memorable, with their own personalities and purpose in the story. And the romance between Sylvia and Arin was amazing—an enemies-to-lovers story filled with tension, longing, and heartbreak. The emotional connection between them felt so real, and their love had me tearing up more than once.
The last 200 pages went by in a blur. The pacing was intense, and the plot twists had me completely hooked. The emotional weight of the final 100 pages hit me hard in the best way. The author wasn’t afraid to make bold choices, and those decisions really broke my heart and stuck with me. I also really liked that the ending didn’t go for a typical happy-ever-after. Instead, it was more bittersweet and open-ended, which felt fitting for the story and kept me thinking about the characters long after finishing. I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is PEAK enemies to lovers! You want true enemies to lovers that actually go through the stages of *enemies* to *lovers* THIS is how you do it.
This story is a beautiful exploration of self; who you are, versus what the world expects of you, versus who you can choose to become.
There is so much that is packed into this 600+ page book, but at no point did the action dip and did I wish for things to speed up get going. The huge cast of characters were so diverse in what they wanted and needed from each other, all of their motivations felt real and charged. Even the side characters whom we never got to inhabit their povs were still incredibly well thought out and nuanced. I cannot think of a better way I would have liked this duology to end. It has left me completely satisfied in every way.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the copy of this e-ARC.

"The Jasad Crown", the final book in the Scorched Throne Duology, is one that romantasy lovers will NOT want to miss!
Captured by the Urabi, Sylvia tries to come to terms with her past and become Essiya, the Malika the Jasadi's desperately need if they will ever have any hope of reclaiming their kingdom. Arin searches desperately for the woman who he believes betrayed him. As tensions rise, both Arin and Sylvia begin to uncover more history regarding the fall of Jasad, while Marek and Sefa attempt to free themselves from perilous situations in order to reunite with each other.
I enjoyed this duology a lot! Something I really liked is that this is definitely a romantasy, with a heavy fantasy background, but still a lot of romantic tension. It's also closed door, so probably only a 1 or 2/5 stars on the spiciness scale. I find it refreshing now a days when authors don't force out of place intimate scenes down the throats of their readers just because their publisher forced them to do so because it's trending. I was able to understand the world and magic a lot more in this installment due to the author's intricate world building.
I did find the book to be a tad long. At almost 700 pages, it started to drag in the last 10%. While overall I enjoyed the conclusion, because it was dragging so much I almost didn't care what happened at the end, I was more just happy the book was complete, which stinks. I'm sure I would have found more satisfaction with the ending had 50-100 pages been cut. However, overall the book had the perfect conclusion and I think anyone who read this duology will really enjoy it!
3.5/5 stars This duology is definitely worth the read for those who love romantasy. It is action packed, intricately detailed, and full of romantic tension.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Jasad Crown was a banger of a sequel and an incredible way to wrap up this duology. The author expanded her use of other POVs in this book to help us grasp the greater world outside of Sylvia. Being dropped into Arin's head gave us the perfect view to him challenging his own beliefs, the system he was raised in, and his obsessive love for Sylvia.
I found this book impossible to put down. There were entire chapters that were so good I felt like I highlighted every word. Sylvia really comes into her power in a satisfying way, while staying true to herself. She loves deeply and this is finally enough for her to care more about sacrifice than her own survival. While the ending broke me emotionally, I think that desperation is what fully pushes Sylvia to the edge. I loved everything about this book: plot, characters, politics, and the romance.

4.5 stars
A violent and emotional conclusion to an incredible duology! If you're looking for the GOLD STANDARD of an enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel, look no further. The TENSION, the BANTER - it's everything to me.
This sequel definitely opens up the world both geographically and politically, introducing new POVs as our main cast is spread across the empire trying to find their way back to each other without getting killed. I would have easily spent another book in this universe with these characters (and I think the pacing might have benefitted from this), but the epilogue was quite literally perfection, and I just had to sit with my book in my hands and absorb this fantastic series.
I am so looking forward to whatever Hashem writes next!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Unfortunately this series just isn't for me. I really did not like the MC, her choices and the overall world felt...lacking. I didn't love book one and was hoping book two would be more developed personally. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

I will never forgive you for killing Marek. I loved that stupid little man and I cried reading my book when I wasn't supposed to at work and now I'm EMBARRASSED.
The amount of quotes in here that don't hit when the MMC says it in romantasy books hit SO MUCH HARDER HERE when 70% of this book they're actively in a death match. God. The politics of this was so good, I loved seeing how Sylvia maneuvered everything and I was just as amazed as Arin every time. I loved all the side characters, and the ending that Vaida got was so beautiful. I loved this book, truly and completely. I love these characters. Please give me a novella that happens after this please I need to know how my beloved Sefa reacts when she sees Sylvia again PLEASE

This book was incredible. Incredible isn’t even the right word to describe it.
The Jasad Crown was a great conclusion to the story that started in The Jasad Heir. The story picks up right where the last book ended and continues seamlessly with no delay. The book did not suffer from “second book syndrome” like most sequels tend to--I genuinely felt like Sarah Hashem continued the story the way it was meant to go!
Though Arin and Sylvia are separated at the beginning of the book, Sara Hashem finds interesting ways to bring them together, making sure their relationship continues to progress. I confess, I was looking forward to these moments more than others and Hashem did not disappoint.
Another thing I enjoyed was how the author made sure to stick true to her character's emotions. At the end of TJH, Sylvia reveals her true identity and disappears. Hashem does not shy away from the depth of the betrayal that Arin feels. Arin himself does not shy away from expressing his raw anger at Sylvia whenever they meet.
In TJC, Sylvia is trying to juggle the expectations of her people and her growing powers. Her identity is revealed and she has to play her part in the growing revolution. Meanwhile, her power keeps growing in waves, slowly chipping away at her humanity. She has to navigate how to assume the role of a leader while struggling to maintain her integrity. Again, I want to reiterate how much I love that Hashem stuck true to her character's feelings and inner struggles. Sylvia still is haunted by her urge to run away from the growing responsibilities thrown at her. At the end of the day, she is just a twenty-one year old girl trying to stay afloat amidst the expectations of others and the immense power she did not ask for. As someone in my early twenties, I can’t help but relate to some of her insecure feelings.
I was blown away by how amazing this conclusion was. My favorite parts were the moments between Sylvia and Arin as they try to work past all of these revelations and their growing attraction.
Sara Hashem has written the most exquisite enemies-to-lovers story. The characters have a real motive to want the other dead, feel justified hatred for each other's existence, yet are slowly and involuntarily drawn to each other. She has found the crux of the enemies-to-lovers trope and delivers it in the most perfect yet heartbreaking way.
The ending is one of the most heartbreaking conclusions I have read in a while. While I understand the reasoning, my heart genuinely caved in reading the last three chapters of this novel. The last chapter, from Arin’s perspective, actually had me shedding tears. I loved these characters and was enraptured by this story. I’ve been recommending this series to anyone I can, and I can’t wait for more from Sara Hashem.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

My goodness this was a book! The Jasad Crown is the second book in the series (with The Jasad Heir being the first. This book was intense with a lot of intricate world building.
Things I really enjoyed - the world building is so well done, the characters are well developed, and goodness gracious the ending of this story was such a plot twist. This book does a good job of wrapping up all that was introduced during the books.
Things that I didn’t like as much - this book is long. It felt almost too long in some parts and the story dragged. I also would recommend reading this book right after the first. It’s been almost a year since I’ve read the first book and it took a while to remember what all happened. I also struggled with the names of things and definitely could use a glossary/map.
If you are looking for a true fantasy recommendation, this would be a great book. For me this was a 3.5⭐️ book.

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Orbit for an e-Arc copy of The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem
Nothing will ever compare to a middle-eastern inspired book full of yearning and angst. I keep saying it, and it continues to be true.
I am a fucking mess 🙃. Completely and utterly shattered. The Jasad Crown is a devastatingly beautiful conclusion to The Scorched Throne duology, and I don’t think I’ll ever recover.
Let’s start with Arin. Oh, Arin. The way this man will haunt me for a long time. We finally get to peel back his layers, his painful past, the curse that shaped him, the icy control that masks a heart so full of yearning it aches. And that yearning? It’s everything. Every glance, every thought, every moment between him and Sylvia is charged with this desperate, aching tension. They’re enemies, bound by betrayal and duty, and yet they just can’t stay away from each other. The push and pull is exquisite torture. I found myself whispering “just kiss already”, even as I knew every stolen moment would only make the inevitable heartbreak worse.
And Sylvia/Essiya, our furious, stubborn, magnificent queen. She is everything. Her rage is a living thing, her magic awe inspiring, and her love, when she dares to show it, is ferocious. She fights, she bleeds, she burns, and I adore her for it. Watching her grapple with power, with loss, with the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders was breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time.
The side characters? Impecable. Each one is so richly drawn, so vividly alive, that I ached for them just as much as I did for Arin & Sylvia. The women in this book, especially, are ✨complex, ruthless, tender, and vengeful, all in equal measure.
And that ending. That ending 🫠. I won’t spoil it, but gods, it fucked me up. It was perfect & it was cruel but I wouldn’t change a thing. I screamed & I wanted to cry. I’m still trying to process the sheer emotional devastation. Sara Hashem didn’t just write a conclusion she crafted a finale that lingers & hurts, in the best possible way.
This duology at its core, it’s about two broken people who were never supposed to love each other, and do anyway, despite the world, despite themselves.

Honestly 5 stars for the relationship between Arin and Sylvia/Essiya and the true rating for just about everything else. I'll be honest, when I picked this up I pretty much had forgotten most of what had happened in the first, and there's not only no recap, there is NO hint of what came before. I spent a lot of my time confused I was like who are these people, what are these places, what are these names? Too many characters, too many places, too many names (and especially similar sounding names like I mixed up Hirun and Hiram almost the entire book and no I won't tell you what is what good luck). It is fitting that Sylvia starts to go by her given name, Essiya, and struggles with her identity because that's how I feel about the difference between the first book and the second book in this duology.
Essiya has been captured by the Jasadis who want to use her magic to restore the Jasad kingdom, the throne, and the fortress that protected their people. Arin is hunting her down, convinced that she will have magic-madness and commit mass atrocities when her powers cause her to lose her mind. There are also two other POVs: Marek and Sefa, as they were separated from Essiya and from each other after the events of the last book. And this is sort of where things start to go downhill. Sefa's entire plot, and the entire plot point of Lukub's Sultana Vaida and her whole thing was just...completely unnecessary. By the time we reach the last 10% or so of the book things are fully off the rails with our true main characters and our true main plot and then there's just this useless thing on top of that? It has no true lasting impact if I'm being quite honest. Marek's side plot was kind of useless too now that I'm thinking of it. I could go further in demonstrating just how pointless it is, but it would be full on spoilers. Anyway Essiya is struggling with the realities of being a leader (by force and by birth and not by choice) while Arin's reality implodes as secrets about his past and the past of all the kingdoms are revealed. There was so much packed in the last like 15% of this book it was a little TEW much I fear.

This book did not disappoint at all. I do wish before I had read this one I had reread The Jasad Heir as the beginning of book to I had to really dig deep to remember characters etc. but once it all came back to me I couldn’t put this book down. The world building and politics went so much deeper in The Jasad Crown. I really enjoyed seeing all the different POVs as our characters navigate their new landscapes as they fight to get back to one another.
Arin will stay one of my favorite MMCs and I really enjoyed watching his character grown and develop as we went through book 2. The chemistry Arin and Sylvia had was unmatched and I feel slightly betrayed we didn’t get an epilogue after that ending.
Also my sweet Sefa and Marek deserved a happier ending and I will need 2-78 businesses days to process what happened

damn i cried like a baby
overall i found this book much harder to read tbh, mostly because it was almost twice as long as the first one, but it was so worth it in the end.
i love that we got so much more out of the side characters, as well as more information about the world the story was in. i absolutely loved Vaida and Sefa’s chapters, Vaida is such an intriguing character.
only giving it a 4/5 because it took me quite a while to get invested into the story again, it felt really slow at the beginning. aside from that, absolutely amazing!

I was just drawn into this story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I was so disappointed to turn the last page and I immediately wanted more. I can’t wait to see what's next from this author.

This book destroyed me in the best way possible!
I struggle to put into words how much I enjoyed this book. I found it slow to start, if only because I hadn’t done a reread of the first book and was forgetting some of the details from book one. By about 1/2 way through though I couldn’t put it down! The last 20/25% of the books absolutely epic.
The books was filled with angst, banter, tension, and so many emotions. My heart felt like it was ripped out at points,
I’m still processing everything.
I am going to restart the series and binge it all in one sitting.

A must-read this summer for anyone that enjoys an epic fantasy with a slow burn romance!!
The Jasad Crown picks up the pieces after The Jasad Heir's ending shattered them across the kingdoms. And even though this is a duology, half way through this book, I wanted it to be a trilogy...at least!
The characters are very easy to fall in love with in this story and have a great depth to them. The pacing in the Jasad Crown is fast and doesn't slow down until the last few pages. Sometimes, it felt a little too fast though and I wanted more from various scenes that ended rather abruptly.
The world building is top class and immersive. This story twists and turns and at some times I can tell where it's going and other times, it's a surprise. As someone who has read A LOT of fantasy, being surprised in where the plot is going is novel and always a pleasure when it happens.
One of my favorite things this author does is clue the reader into things that happen later but are a mystery until they are revealed and the result is amazement, especially at the characters abilities. The mystery is expertly woven in throughout the book. I never felt that the author was explaining anything, rather I felt like I was living the story alongside the characters.
The Jasad Crown has more POVs than The Jasad Heir. We have POVs from Marek, Sefa, more from Arin, and Sylvia/Essiya of course. Interestingly, Essiya's POV is first person but the rest are third person, which I very much enjoyed. We got to live through the eyes of the other characters but truly still felt the story remained Essiya's as the true lead.
The romance in this book is one of my favorite of all time. It's a slow-burn low-spice which is PERFECT and exactly what I LOVE. I'm not a fan of books that feel like the story is just written to justify the spice! I also appreciate when each party is on even footing where both are strong individuals who can go toe to toe and not one or the other is disadvantaged to the other. Such as say one being a powerless human and the other a magical Fae, no thanks! (not anymore lol). So this romance was refreshing and I ATE up every moment.
Themes (not limited to): Found family, lost heir reclaiming kingdom, mystery, epic magic, romance, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, sacrifice, grief, fighting/skills, politics, etc.
Short form review:
THINGS I LOVED:
> slow burn romance (6 STARS)
> character and relationship development
> fantastic world building
> mystery elements (also plot elements kept as secrets aka characters making moves behind the scenes)
> story telling is phenomenal
THINGS I DIDN'T LOVE:
> the very end (felt a bit flat compared to the rest of the book)
> Efra (one of the most aggravating characters!)
> a duology - this story might have been better served as a trilogy

How do you move on from such a book as this?
Thank you to orbit for the eARC. I truly love this and the Jasad Heir with all my heart. This duology is one of a kind and masterfully crafted.
The Jasad Crown was THICK. But every moment was leading to a finale I could have never seen coming. Such devastation and heartbreak. I shed many a tears at the end. Following Essiyas return to the Jasad people in the end of the Jasad Heir, this book is her journey to bringing back her kingdom and finding yourself along the way. Looking at magic, self worth, and love - there are so many ways that the characters in this book develop. Aarins POVs, along with Sefa and Mareks, were masterfully crafted.
At the end of the day though this book is about survival vs sacrifice and the weight of the world being put on the young people of the futures shoulders.
I truly cannot express how much I loved this duology, the mythology roots, the politics woven, and so much more.
Finally - THE END OF THIS BOOK. HOW COULD YOU SARA?!

The Jasad Crown was one of my most anticipated reads for this year and boy did it deliver! I'm so glad that this was only a duology as my poor heart probably could not have taken any more waiting for the conclusion to Sylvia and Arin's story.
This is a true enemies to lovers story at its finest. There is so much angst and longing that I had to step away from the story at times just to take a breather before continuing on the journey. It was this intensity that made the romance so much more satisfying in the end. The character that surprised me the most in this story was Arin. His character development was exquisite. To see him go from an immovable and untouchable character to a broken man questioning every fiber of his being had my heart breaking for him. There are not enough words in the world to express how much I loved his character arc. Also, the mythology in the book was well-written and I was excited to see it all come full circle in the end. What made this book a five star read for me is the fact that it was anything but predictable. The final scenes is this book had me feeling every emotion known to man! The only critique I have is one that I've seen from other readers: I wished there was more to Arin's epilogue since it felt a little abrupt. The ending was perfect, but left me wishing for more.
Overall, I would highly recommend the Scorched Throne duology to anyone who wants an angsty and slow burn enemies to lover romance with a Egyptian style backdrop. Although it will tear your heart out at times, the story is well worth the journey! I'm so thankful to have been gifted an e-arc from Orbit and NetGalley of this book!

first thank you so much to sara hashem and her team for an ARC of this book!!! second O M G this was so good! it was humorous but also thought provoking and has such well built characters that feel so real and you just want to hug them all. the journey that we take from the end of the jasad heir to the end of the jasad crown is truly so unique but also so familiar and fresh at the same time. the little moments of true humanity and love that we get to see in all the characters was so special and seeing arin and sylvia get to grow and develop was such an interesting and real process to watch
i am now a forever sara hashem fan and will read anything she writes

ARC REVIEW: The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem
(thank you to Orbit, Netgalley, & of course Sara Hashem for this early emotional destruction.)
I’m not okay. I am not okay.
This book wrecked me in the best, most feral kind of way.
The Jasad Crown isn’t just a finale... it’s a reckoning.
This duology was never just about the romance (though if you want slow burn tension that makes your spine tingle… trust me, it delivers). It’s about power. Grief. Resistance. And what we do, what we become, for love.
Sylvia might be one of my favorite heroines I’ve ever read. Sharp, haunted, unapologetically complicated. And the MMC? He would kill for her. Die for her. Wait for her across time and ruin if he had to. Their bond is earned. Every layer of their enemies-to-lovers arc is a battlefield of longing, and I couldn’t get enough.
And don’t even get me started on the POV shifts. Seeing the world through the eyes of the side characters we met in book one added so much depth and emotion. I genuinely don’t know how Hashem packed so much plot, so much character depth, and so many gut-punching twists into one book. It could’ve easily been a trilogy, and I would’ve eaten up every page.
If you're craving a political, high-stakes fantasy with a true enemies-to-lovers arc (no spice, just vibes), characters that cling to your ribs, and writing that cuts and consoles at the same time, The Jasad Crown is it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖: out JULY 15th1! add it to your TBR now