The Jasad Crown is a great compliment to The Jasad Heir. The series balances the dynamic between plot and romance without sacrificing one for the sake of the other. I really enjoyed how the events from the first book carried over into this one and the characters were allowed to feel the psychological repercussions. The characters grew so much in this book. The MCs we met in the first book are not the same ones in the conclusion of book two (I mean this in a good way). Personally I'm not a huge fan of books switching between a lot of POV's, especially if you are adding POV's we didn't have previously, but I didn't hate it here and I understand why the author wanted to include them. Finally, the ending hurt in all the right places but still allowed me to feel closure.

This second book is a triumph for Hashem! The storytelling is lush and intricate. The political intrigue and world building never felt overly complicated, but very engaging and with twists I wasn’t expecting! I also enjoyed the expanded POVs in this book compared to the first. Not only did Marek’s charm delight me, but I thought Sefa’s growth and bravery were a welcome addition and mirror to Sylvia’s power. Hashem is a master of yearning, and I will probably never get over Arin and Sylvia’s love. This duology has everything you could want from a modern fantasy - enemies to lovers, magical trials, found family - but with a unique take and diverse cast. Truly loved it, and I can’t wait to read what Hashem writes next.

A great follow up / conclusion to this epic Egyptian inspired fantasy.
I loved book one and book two was even better!!! Sizzling tension that is perfectly paced. Great world building. Loved the insight into Arins pov! Definitely a series worth checking out!

This book…… this duology altered my brain chemistry. I adore Essiya and I am STARVED for Arin of Nizahl. I am so obsessed with the way Sara Hashem writes and the way she describes things. It’s always so harsh and unorthodox and I love it so much. “Collar bones I could crack my skull against” or “I wanted to crawl in to his chest until the world went dark and quiet”. It’s the weird little thoughts we would never say out loud and she’s put them on paper in such a wonderful way. And the LONGING in this book just makes your chest hurt. Arin and Essiya’s relationship is so complicated and messy and adorable all at once. I loved reading as Essiya grows in to her role and accepts her fate and witnessing Arin be a complete simp for it. Outstanding. Give me 14 more.

I have no words. This destroyed me in the best way possible and I don't know if I'll ever look at anything the same ever again.

I looooove a good duology where the finish is as strong as the start! Uniquely Egyptian-inspired, this duology was nothing like I expected and everything that I needed. The magic, the creatures, the characters, the betrayal, THE YEARNING 🫠

If you sleep in this duo, it’s your own fault.

Such a great follow up and conclusion to this duology! The ending made me sob and I fear I want to re read the series completely. The Jasad Crown was similiar to the Jasad Heir in many aspects: the beautiful & lyrical writing, the perfect slow burn love story (that’s actual enemies to lovers…. None of that fake enemies to lovers bs), the slower start, the characters that you just adore and root for. My only true complaint is that with the expansion of the world and magic system in this book, I got a little lost in the magic system itself which I think took away from central conflicts/climaxes. I think Sara Hashem likely has answers to all my questions (things feel flushed out) but I think things could have been explored more. This is the rare duology where I think a third book may have actually been helpful in terms of expanding the laws of the magic… and I wouldn’t say no to more Arin/Sylvia time. Anyway, this was a beautiful story and a beautiful conclusion to this series and I can’t wait for what this author does next!!

Thank you to netgalley and orbit publishing company for an arc of this book.

The Jasad Heir was one of my favorite books of 2023 and for years I have anxiously anticipated the sequel of the book. Sylvia is a character like no other with such a polarizing view of herself and others, and I enjoyed every part of it. While I greatly enjoyed this book, some parts of it felt like it was going too fast, that I wasn’t allowed to sit in the scenes of the book that just happened.

A part of the book that I greatly enjoyed was the multiple POV’s that weren’t evident in the first book. Even characters I cared about less, I reveled in seeing what they thought and how their arcs progressed the story.

At the end I wish we got more of Sylvia and Arin being Sylvia AND Arin, but I can understand the direction around that. This author continues to prove she is one of the best fantasy writers, and I can’t wait to read more of her works.

I loved The Jasad Heir, and am so appreciative that Orbit Books and NetGalley provided me with an advanced copy to review. I would definitely recommend that readers start with The Jasad Heir - the Jasad Crown really builds so much on the character development of the first one. In addition to our narrator Sylvia, we expand our world to the point of view of her (reluctant) love interest Arin and her best friends Sefa and Marek. It gives us a broader sense of Hashem's rich world, with the various kingdoms and local politics. I particularly loved Sefa's time in the Sultanate of Lukub - the asexual and aromantic Sefa having to deal with a ruler who loves to party.

In interviews with Hashem, she's discussed how this book really came from her identity as the child of Egyptian immigrants. This book is about Sylvia's experience trying to reconnect with the people of Jasadi, the country she fled as a small child, and I think many children of immigrants (including my son) will resonate with the the experience of returning to a place that has not been frozen in time with your parent's memories. One thing I will say is that for fans of the romance subplot, it might be frustrating that our heroes spend so much of the book apart from each other (although not disconnected!).

The book comes to a beautiful and moving conclusion - while this duology is over, I hope Hashem will come back to play in this world. I'd recommend to fans of For She is Wrath or the Dagger and the Flame.

Supplies Needed for reading The Jasad Crown…
- plenty of H2O: to cool down after all that scorching tension
- snacks: it's too good to break for full meals
- stress ball/asthma inhaler/beta-blockers/or similar: heart-pounding action & suspense may have health effects
- pillow: for screaming into, but also to protect feet from all the kicking you'll be doing (likely to be accompanied by giggles)
- ice packs: see cooling down, but also to manage cheek soreness, from smiling so much
- tissues, LOTS AND LOTS OF TISSUES: prepare to have your heart ripped out
- emotional support friend: please see previous bullet points
please note: this list may not be exhausted

This was such a perfect ending to an epic duology!

Whats to love...
- TRUE enemies to lovers
- the ANGST
- the BANTER
- SLOW BURN
- EPIC FOUND FAMILY
- reluctant hero / secret heir
- rich, well-developed world with magic, monsters, gods, and political intrigue
- TALL STRONG AND GENERALLY BADASS FMC
- stoic and uber controlled MMC (those are my favorite)
- multiple POVs that feels so well placed and intentional!

What’s not to love…
- I think this would have been a fabulous trilogy. It definitely works as a duology but it may have felt a tiny bit more satisfying as a three book series.
- I’ve seen a few reviews that said the world building in book 1 was a little lacking, and book 2 certainly rectifies any gaps in the world that book 1 left… BUT, personally I don’t want to spend quite as much time world building in a second book and it made the narrative a bit slower than I would have preferred at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit US for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I don't even know where to begin with this book. I guess I should first start with a thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. I am so lucky to have received it. And thank you Sara Hashem for breaking my heart into a thousand pieces. She really knew how to plunge the dagger right where it hurt. I could not put dont the book from 52% on. The last 20% of the book was so beautiful and difficult to read in the best way. And that epilogue.. Wow, that had me crying. Sefa and Marek's heartbreak was tragic. The unfolding of Vaida's secrets. And Sylvia, oh Sylvia. Sylvia deserved so much for everything she sacrificed and endured in her life. Arin was a mirror of that pain and torment in his own way, yet the pair of them found love between two broken shells. When Sylvia and Essiya were sacrificing for their people, Arin was making sacrifices for Sylvia. This was such a special and beautiful love to watch develope.

Sara has such a lovely, unique and poetic way of writing. Her descriptions and illustrations throughout the book painted such vivid images. She also was very unique with her POV changes and switches from first to third person.

My only criticism is that this could have been 5-10% shorter. There were a lot of full paragraphs used to describe one small action which felt at times, needless. Those could have either been cut out or we could have split this book into two to make a trilogy vs a duology. Regardless, this book has probably been my favorite read of the year. I truly hope Sara has some more stories up her sleeve because at this point, I would read anything she writes.

“If Arin was stone, then she was a river. Always moving, always flowing, no matter how fast the tide or how frequently she broke against its shores.”

I’d like to first thank NetGalley for giving me an advanced reading copy of this book!

Where are the words? I just finished this gargantuan book today and I’m still at a loss for words. I read it in 4 days, any free moment I got to steal away moments, I did to immerse myself in Essiya’s and Arin’s worlds.

The story picks up right where the first ends. Essiya is with the Urabi as they struggle with a uniform plan to save their people and their land. Arin grapples with his reality and questions whether it’s just as Essiya explained to him in the first book - a by product of what he’s been told and fed since he was a child. And how the two collide to find their place in the turmoil of magic that been simmering since the time of Awaleen.

I really don’t know what else to say except that I love all the characters. Reading Arin’s POV for almost half the book was such a treat because we really get to see how his calculating brain churns the multitude of paths he sees. And you really got to see how he was so torn between his logic and his emotions - I cry I cry.

So many amazing lines, Hashem is such a vivid and beautiful writer. Every scene played out in my mind so beautifully. There were moments I was holding my breath, others where I was giggling with glee, and lastly, crying at moments I didn’t expect. Sigh I cannot wait to reread it when it comes out in July and I get a print copy in my hands.

Excuse me while I try to recover.

I was so excited to receive this sequel!!!!!! I had so much fun reading this and im so glad the author gave us a proper conclusion in the epilogue... I was worried there for a minute!!!!!!! absolutely loved this one, better than the first. so many great moments and incredible world building! cant wait to see what else this author has to offer!

The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem was everything I hoped for and more. I was eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series, and this book did not disappoint. Gripping and emotional!

I don't think the're enough words to describe how incredibly this book is and the turmoil of emotions it made me feel.
First of all, thank you NetGalley and Orbit US for the eARC and of course Sara Hashem for writing what I believe it’s gonna be the best duology that I have ever read.
The Jasad Crown is a story that won’t let you breathe or give you time to recover, the pacing is good, there wasn’t a single page that wasn’t necessary. The way the characters grow and make decisions that maybe aren't the ones they would choose for themselves or their benefit is crazy because as a reader you know it's the right thing to do but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, and I love them for that. Arin and Essiya are a couple I didn't expect to love so much. Their relationship is both unique and difficult... Wow! And that's all I'm saying, because I could rant about them all day long. Hashem wrote them as enemies to lovers, and she ate and didn't leave a single crumb.
There are many things of this book that will live rent-free in my head but in my heart the Epilogue is a part that always gonna be there. (No matter how it made me cry and sob even when I put down de story).

This epilogue had me sobbing.

It’s difficult to write a review of a book that leaves you so emotional once you finish it, but one thing is for sure: this is a masterclass of ACTUALLY enemies-to-lovers and very grey characters. Every single character is so incredibly fleshed out and complex. Nothing is black and white here, everything is embedded into the messiness of being human.

Arin I love you, and Essiya/Sylvia/Suraira you’ll forever be my favorite deranged goose.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC!

Sara Hashem, you have left me scorched.
Did the Jasad Crown leave Arin and Sylvia/Essiya scorched or us readers?
“My time was nearly at an end.”
“Ten years he had spend navigating the nexus of duty and despair, learning to balance himself on its fractures. Ten years in constant motion, never allowing… “
A beautiful conclusion to the thrilling Scorched Throne duology, it has it all folks, a throneless reluctant-savior queen, angsty duty-bound heir, enemy to lovers to sworn political rivals, fantastic world building, passion, magic madness (pun intended). Sara Hashem beautifully delivers with snippets of Egyptian Arabian representation throughout the book. My most fav as always were the food references and of course our very own Surraira nickname, (since I’m a sucker for cute stuff), from time to time just down right melted me.
All in all, Team Tammatim, she did a fantastic job, and I did not see certain climaxes and twists. I just finished reading and am still reeling from it. A death or two may have cleaved the heart a bit but then again time tends to make it bearable. Loyalties are tested, fragile new love is tested against facts and truth. And coming across the different magic wielding was the cherry on top.
I highly recommend this duology.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7535324505?book_show_action=false

THIS BOOOKKK!! completely incredible from start to finish. I cant remember when I last highlighted so much in a book (or ebook in this case). Essiya and Arin were giving me life!!!

Loved this book so much. The setting was so vividly described, I felt like I was right there. A great sense of place throughout.

Oh my, my heart cannot take this anymore. This book was a phenomenal sequel to the ‘The Jasad Heir’. If you thought book 1 was amazing, then book 2 will truly blow your mind away.

Pure enemies to lovers. Giggling, kicking my feet, and swooning at its finest. As a Arab girly myself this has cured the cage inside of me of finding books with my representation. Books with fantastical elements and love stories that define the Arab world.

Get ready for a gripping story. With a setting that’s so deeply imaginative and detailed that it will sweep you off your feet. I am so obsessed with Sylvia and Arin. By far my favorite fantasy book of all time. Absolutely full of angst and deep YEARNING.

This is exactly the type of book that should be hyped.