This was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL conclusion to this duology, an EASY 5 star read for me. I loved it even more then the first book. I always love a Egyptian or middle eastern fantasy and this duology certainly did NOT disappoint. 😍 This is also the slowest slow burn to exist 🔥🔥 The tension and the politics are truly top tier 🤌🏻🤌🏻. I wish we would have gotten a littlllllleeeeeee bit more time at the end with our characters but all in all SUCH a fun read!✨✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
❌🌶️ (closed door)

“She still had the temperament of a deranged goose”

If you love ⬇️ you’ll love this doulogy

TRUE enemies to lovers (no punches pulled)
Angst
Found family
Sad emo boy
“Who did this to you” but going both ways
Fate of the world rests on their shoulders
Magical creatures

OHH MY GAWDDDD THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!! The journey Sylvia & Arin go on emotionally and literally was masterfully crafted. Truly I haven’t read an enemies to lovers this convincing since Jude and Cardan! In the first book the ate actively trying to kill each other and in this book the definitely don’t hold back their punches. 🤤 But besides the romance we have a classic hero’s story but with someone who’s a bit morally gray and partially in it to just save themselves. There’s SOOO much more to this story but I’m going to 🤐

I’ll leave you with just one more quote from our seggzy man Arin

“They do not get to take her from me”
(While he’s actively trying to hunt her down 🤭)

i was so excited for book two of this series!!! i am so thankful i got to read it early, a i needed to finish this duo ASAP!!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was one of my most anticipated book of 2025 I ran to NetGalley for an ARC when it became available and OMG, I was not disappointed. I was on the edge of my seat while reading.

The book was so good. The yearning between Essiya and Arin during the book was great. I really enjoyed how, despite being apart from each other for a part of the book, I never really felt like they really were.

I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by the multiple POVs. Arin POVs were a comedy and I loved them a lot. Lot of laugh from me. The plot-twists surprised me as well. I was not expecting most of them.

I loved the new characters so much. Cinnamon has my heart. I loved the presence of the multiple creatures as well. The kitmers were so fun. Shout out to Jeru who was awesome during the whole book.

The ending was cruel, it broke my heart but I have hope as well. I'm so sad I won't be able to read more books with Essiya and Arin again. They have a special place in my heart forever.

I wish we could have learned more about the Awaleen. I was so invested in the last chapters. It was so interesting.

- I once tried to stab my sister for stealing all the mangoes out of my trees as a jest. -
If someone tried to steal my mangoes, I would do the same.

Screaming, crying, throwing up. The Jasad Heir quickly became one of my favorite books, and this is a close second. I can’t wait to see what else Sara Hashem writes!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This book wrecked me, took me apart, and then healed me with the last line. I suffered deeply, yet was happy about it. I cried and cried and cried (seriously don't read the last 15% in public). Now, EVERYONE GO READ THIS DUOLOGY!

We pick up not much after the end of the last book. And this time we get four POVs because our characters are scattered: Arin, Sylvia, Marek, and Sefa. Sefa's POV is essential for understanding what's going on in Lubuk, and with Marek we get a side of Nizhal that we don't see from Arin. Ohhhh and Arin's POV is just *chef's kiss.* He's angry, yet coldly focused as ever. Sylvia is isolated with people who see her as a tool. But each time Arin and Sylvia meet, I think my Kindle caught fire. The tension, the angst, the chemistry these two have is off the charts.

There is a TON going on in this book. There are political machinations out the wahzoo, there are betrayals and plots and reveals and twists that make your head spin. It is a lot, but it's so intricately plotted and soooooo slowly we piece things together. Truly, it's mind-bending what we learn--nothing is as we thought from book 1. And it all comes to a crescendo that's INSANE. Honestly the entire back half of the book was incredible.

I felt alllllll the emotions. The end almost did me in, but that final epilogue, and that final line saved me. I'm not even sure this review does justice to the book. But it's a duo I'll definitely want to reread and highly recommend.

I'm not going to lie, I am in a bit of a book/series hangover from this series. I made the mistake of starting book 2 (thank you NetGalley for the ARC) midday Sunday, which meant I had to put the book down to go back to work and life on Monday. Such torture.

I really enjoyed this duology, especially book 1. I love the main characters, especially the unapologetic Sylvia. The story has hooks, and the characters' motivations and reasonings were sound. I do have a few gripes that knocked the book down from 5 to 4 stars.

The author did a fabulous job writing from the main character's view point. Sometimes, books written from the first person view makes it harder for me to get a full picture of them, because we never get to see them from the outside. Not so in the Jasad Heir. I feel like we were beside Sylvia, getting to know her and look at things from her angle. The second book's view point switching is thus a little jarring for me from time to time.

While we got to know the main characters well, I wish the side characters get more attention from the author. They were given broad strokes in the first book, and more "onscreen" time in the second, but I could use more.

The second book also gave us a little more detail about the magic that was lost in the world, but not enough. The magic system could be fleshed out more.

However, despite all this, it was really fun reading them. Now I need to find something to treat the hangover.

5 ⭐️

10 years?? WHAT. I need an extended epilogue or I will RIOT.

This book far surpassed the first book. The character development. The yearning. The twists. This book is why I love a good duology. The perfect pacing and still able to create an I forgettable journey.

But I'm serious about that extended epilogue.

I don’t even know where to begin, but wow. This book completely wrecked me in the best, most beautiful way. I went into the book not entirely knowing what to expect by the end, but by the time I reached the epilogue, I was in tears, holding my breath, completely undone.

The epilogue hit like a quiet storm, it was so very gentle, but devastating. I cried not just because it was sad, but because it felt so real. It made me reflect on love, loss, and everything in between. I didn’t want it to end, and yet it ended perfectly and was incredibly bittersweet! I don’t feel unsatisfied, and I don’t feel whole either. This story gave me closure without tying everything in a neat “bow”, and somehow, that made it even more meaningful.

Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity to read an ARC - it’s truly an honor to experience this story before its release and I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did!

4 stars. So I really liked the overall storyline of this book. I think the author has created a very unique fictional world and you can tell that she put a lot of effort into its creation. I LOVED Arins POV. I feel like the other POVs fell a little flat in the beginning and I had a really hard time getting into the book. I think the first half is a little slow, but the second half makes up for it. It’s not the most reader friendly writing I’ve ever read. I also would have been more satisfied with an epilogue that didn’t span over ten years. I don’t think that really added to the story. A few months would have been sufficient.

My heart has been ripped out by Sara Hashem, ripped out by her and also willingly I have delivered it to her.

The Jasad Crown delivers us the ending of The Scorched Throne duology, and what an ending it was. The political conflict continues at the revelation of Sylvia’s identity and the responsibility she now bares. The past of these kingdoms haunts the heir and the possibility of what the future may look like. What I loved the most, was the moral and philosophical questions that these characters pose each other, pushing each other to see what they want to deny, what they can’t or won’t hear all while they fight for their people and their kingdom, unraveling centuries of deceit and lost forgotten stories and truths.

If I changed anything, would be to have more, only because I have grown so fond of the characters that Hashem has given us.

I cannot thank you enough for this ARC.

The Jasad Crown is the perfect ending to what I think is the best duology I’ve read in a while. Continuing on with fantastic world building amazing character arcs and a world that will just entrap you into the story that you could finish 688 pages in one sitting, Sara Hashem will make you wish that this book never ends.
The side crown continues to be a fantasy series with a romance, sub plot with that enemies to lovers sub genre. that will always have me picking up any book. There’s one quote that is definitely gonna stick with me, but I can’t tell you what it is because if I do, it’s a spoiler.
What I really appreciate about Sara’s writing is that she is one of those writers that gives you things as you go. She doesn’t bombard you with everything at the end or in the beginning it’s very subtle and very digestible and because of that anything that she writes, I will be picking up in the future. That this is her second book and that this duology is her first two releases has me so excited for her future!
The Scorched Throne is something you do not want to miss!
Thank you for orbit for providing me with a complementary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was perfection. There is not a single thing I would change (other than just having a longer epilogue). The thought and care that went into the writing of this book was clear from beginning to end. There were twists and turns I never saw coming, there were things that had been set up from the beginning that came into play that I had forgotten about that took me by surprise. There was such a believable journey for both of the main characters into self actualization, and becoming the best versions of themselves. But with all of that, there was still pain and a heartache that I am still trying to come back from as I sit here on my couch weeping and writing this review. it’s times like these that I’m really grateful for authors and how they can create stories that touch you and make you feel so deeply. I loved every minute of this book and I wish I could go back in time and read it for the first time again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advance copy to review!

This was a wild ride of a book. I will admit that the first 25% was very hard to get through and I found myself not carrying about the plot or the characters. However the last half of the book made up for any disappointment I had earlier in the story.

I loved the characters, and I loved the twists and turns towards the end of the story. A good end to the duology.

Given how the first book ended, I expected to be moving a bit quicker in the beginning, but the first 15% or so was quite slow and things start picking up around 30%.

That being said, I did love the development in this book—both character and plot wise. I really enjoyed that we got multiple perspectives instead of just one. It did throw me off slightly that only Essiya’s chapters were in first person, but the more I read, the more it made sense. It reads as if it’s Essiya’s story being told from multiple points of view (which it is), and that’s why everyone else’s chapters were in the third person instead of the first.

Watching Essiya grow into her leadership, no matter how reluctant and fearful she was, was just as rewarding as it was infuriating. She’s a very realistic, strong character, and Sara Hashem does a great job highlighting both her flaws and her strengths. She is by no means perfect, and that’s what makes her such a wonderful character.

I loved being in Arin’s head and getting to see more of his thought process and just how much he loves and cares for Essiya. He’s almost outrageously in love with her, which I do wish we got to see more of story-wise. We get their thoughts and feelings, but we don’t ever get to see much of them together. However, the romance isn’t a central part of the story, and likely could even be taken out without much of the overall plot needing to change, so for what we did get to see, I really enjoyed it.

Seeing Marek and Sefa’s points of views however, especially Marek’s, almost seemed unnecessary, in a way. I don’t feel any more connected to their characters or their stories now than I did when I finished the first book. I think unnecessary might be too harsh of a word, but I feel like I didn’t get much out of their chapters, and wasn’t particularly invested in what they were doing. I like their characters, but I feel like more could have been done to make their chapters more intriguing in the overall storyline.

My one gripe is that I wish things were more evenly paced. This book falls into that category that so many fantasies do where everything’s moving pretty slowly, and then you get to the last 20-30% and everything starts tumbling. It’s almost like wiplash, and you sit there afterwards wondering, “What just happened?” I did love the story overall, I just wish things were a little more spaced out. It feels slightly like the plot didn’t actually start plotting until about 50% of the way in, and then everything began happening all at once.

Overall though, I did love the book and think it’s a wonderful ending to the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Sara!!!!!!!!! I was thrilled, confused, overjoyed, absolutely crushed, and everything in between. When the puzzle pieces I didn't even realize had been at play started coming together I was actually surprised. I needed a bit of a lore refresh as it has been some time since I read the Jasad Heir.

Need to stare at the wall for a while.

When people talk about enemies to lovers I always point to the Jasad Heir and now I am going to scream and throw both books at them because THIS is the blueprint baby!! that's what I'm talkin about !!!

It really felt like the characters got to grow organically throughout this book. Seeing more of Arin as he opened himself up was my biggest hope and happiest experience while reading. He was such a compelling character in the first book, and getting more of his perspective in this book was so fun and well executed. I'm really impressed with the overall character progression from everything they all experienced before.

I do think this story would have benefited from being a trilogy as a lot of the world building tended to slow down both books, but that's a very minor complaint because I loved the way this story was put together. Absolutely beautiful romantic fantasy, I'm so grateful to have read this conclusion early.

________________________________________________________

My heart shattered into a million pieces, and she somehow brought it back together.

HOLY SHIT, MS SARA HASHEM, THE ENDING????? OH MY GOD????? WERE WE ROBBED, OR DID YOU ROB US????? IN THE MOST HARROWING WAY???? EVERYTHING FIT PERFECTLY, BUT OH MY GOD?????

Okay, well. This book picks up right where the previous one ended. Your thirst to know about everything gets quenched.
One certain plot twist had me stop reading and get up because that's how shocked I was. Could I have seen it coming? Possibly. Did I? No.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, THIS IS THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS' STORY.

I've loved the relationship Sylvia and Arin had from the very beginning, and my love only deepened here. The angst will keep you on your toes. Whenever Arin opens his mouth to speak about Sylvia, all he reveals is how in love he is. Sylvia falls no short. I love how the power scales are equal. Both our leads are still as D A U N T I N G as ever.

I fell in love with the worldbuilding. The stories woven on paper are like specks of snow on a cold, wintry morning. Utterly mesmerising. The detailing and care woven into creature descriptions? Consider me impressed. Sara Hashem KNOWS how to write an enthralling story. The pacing in this book was a chef's kiss.

Oh, how Marek and Sefa have my whole heart. I fell in love with every little titbit the author shared.
You get to learn so much about their past.

And Arin's guardsmen? Jeru? Wes? My babies, too. Nothing but respect and love.
Vaun can throw himself off a cliff.

The new characters we were introduced to? Cinnamon? Maia? Lateef? Namsa? MA'AM, WHY DID WE NOT KNOW THEM IN BOOK 1????

Even the precious kitmers? And how one certain kitmer has an affinity towards one special character???

One despicable character... gets what they deserve. The scene was a little too handsy, and I was here for it. (IFYKYK)

There's a lot of depth and gore introduced in the finale of this duology. I irrevocably fell in love with it. Ms Sara has joined my list of must-read authors. A must-read if you like a fantasy with TRUE enemies to lovers and exceptional pacing.

I generously thank the publisher, Orbit, for providing me with an eARC of “The Jasad Crown” under NetGalley.

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The Jasad Crown is my most anticipated new release of 2025, and I feel so fortunate that Orbit Books approved my request for an Advanced Reader Copy. To me, this was an incredible conclusion to the duology and an emotional closure for these characters that I have come to adore. I can’t remember the last time a story made me cry, but I assure you I cried, more than once, while reading The Jasad Crown!

I reread Book 1, The Jasad Heir, prior to starting this ARC of The Jasad Crown. So, I went into Book 2 with multiple predictions about things that might happen. I ended up being right about some of them, but not all of them, and not always in the way I thought things would play out.

I really appreciated that there were multiple big reveals sprinkled throughout the book. Not only did I have a few occasions where I was shocked by a reveal (even when it was something I had predicted might happen), but the reveals also kept the momentum of the story going. I loved having them spread throughout instead of saved up for the last part of the book.

I’m truly impressed with how Sara Hashem maintained the FMC’s unhinged thoughts and sense of humor while simultaneously giving her lots of growth. Essiya's personality is one of the most unique aspects of the duology—if not the most unique part! She is very different from every FMC I can recall reading in the fantasy romance genre, and I loved that her unhinged thoughts and behaviors remained even as she grew as a character and leaned heavily into the role that she spent all of Book 1 running away from.

Lastly, I'll comment on the character development. I loved the addition of more POVs (which is saying something, as I don't always love multi POV) because Sara Hashem did such an excellent job not just with Essiya's character growth but with the growth of the other three POV characters. It was obvious why Sefa and Marek were given POV chapters, and it was easy to see the two of them make choices they wouldn't have previously made thanks to the growth they had from the experiences they found themselves living in. I wanted more Arin POV chapters after Book 1, and I was not disappointed! Being inside his head more was gratifying. Learning the choices all POV characters made, and what those choices did cost them or could have cost them, was one of the best parts of the story.

If you’re seeking a fantasy romance with a strong balance of character development and plot, this duology is an excellent choice!

4.75/5 Stars | Royal Drama + Deranged Geese 👑🪿

What I liked: SARAH. SARAH HASHEM. HOW DARE YOU. This book snatched my heart, shattered it into twelve glittering shards, set it on fire, and then dared to whisper THAT ENDING LINE. The tension? Chef’s kiss. The politics? Delicious. The character arcs? Stunning. The worldbuilding and magic? So rich I could smell Essam. This is everything I want in a fantasy with a romance sub-plot: an FMC who could and would stab you, an MMC who’s so down bad he might drown in his feelings, and friendships that are ride-or-die in the most beautiful way. Found family, political intrigue, magical creatures, and an ending that hit like a train full of FEELS. If you haven’t read The Jasad Heir and immediately started gnawing on the bars of your enclosure for the sequel, I regret to inform you—you’re living your life incorrectly. Fix it.

What I didn’t like: A few plot twists were a little predictable, and some of the worldbuilding felt like it should’ve been in book one instead of slowing the pacing here. BUT—let’s be honest—I’m a nitpicky menace, and this book still blew my expectations out of the water. So really, my only note is: HOW DARE YOU END THE BOOK LIKE THIS, SARAH. MY LITTLE HEART CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the advanced copy of this book.