Thank you Sara Hashem and Orbit and NetGalley and all magical forces for this ARC of the long-awaited sequel to The Jasad Heir.

The author ate, slayed, devoured, and mastered this book. In The Jasad Crown, we follow Sylvia as she weaves through the aftermath of her true identity coming to the surface to all the Jasadis and worse, to Arin of Nizhal. With multiple POVs, intricate plot detail, bloody encounters, and dialogue so sharp it cut my eyeballs- this book was a dream to read. A perfect, painful paradise to live in for a time I never wanted to end.

I wish this series was longer than a duology. I wish it were 10 books long, but not because it left anything to the imagination. The Jasad Crown was an extremely well-rounded book that answered questions I never even thought to ask about the characters and the world. It lends itself easily to immersivity of the kingdoms we'd yet to explore in book 1, and to several narratives we were not privy to before. There is so much to be uncovered and unpacked in this book with neither being rushed while doing so. It has perfect pacing and depth for the story.

I especially love the yearning the author cultivates whether its for magic, for love, for power, or for friendship. I love Essiya and I love Arin and I love Marek and Sefa (named together because I wouldn't dare separate them). I love the characters that were lost and the ones gained. I am left in utter astonishment and awe at this book.

5⭐

Thank you so much to Sara Hashem, Orbit Books, Hachette Book Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 is the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen may be the key to restoring her lost kingdom of Jasad, but it could cost her everything and everyone she loves.

The tone and plot of this book is darker and more complex than the first-- the stakes are higher, and the angst is angsty.

I loved that this book dove deeper into characters we didn’t get POVs from before. That we finally got to know more of Arin - his childhood, his relationships, what shaped him into the controlled and cunning man he is. I loved the yearning and the tension and the deep fascination that seeped through every one of his pores whenever he thought of Essiya. I just— this was the most heartbreaking and gorgeously written yearning I’ve read in a long time.

The political intrigue became much more descriptive in the second book. I feel like I understood the kingdoms and their rules much better and I really enjoyed watching it all play out as a part of the war strategy. I really like how the restraints and bending of the rules added to the height and suspense of the overall plot and kept things interesting and fresh.

Overall, it's a wonderfully heart-breaking, gut-wrenching and bittersweet ending to a beloved duology! I cannot wait to read more books written by Sara Hashem, possibly a spin-off!

This excellent conclusion to the Jasad Heir duology! The story really expanded and we picked off right where we left off at the end of the first book so you absolutely must read "The Jasad Heir" before picking this one up. The pacing was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the extra POV.

First I wanted to say thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for my very first ARC ever.

This duology is so unique. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the characters are so well crafted that they feel like true living breathing human beings, down to the small idiosyncrasies that make up each one of us. The character development was beautiful to see and experience. I can tell that Sara spent a huge amount of time molding these characters and as a reader it’s sorely lacking in so many books these days. These characters will live on with me for a long time.

Sara Hashem infused so much humor within the pages that existed alongside characters who also thirsted for violence and these opposing subjects existing alongside one another even in the same paragraph made for such an entertaining read. I found myself laughing so much and being startled by the simultaneous bloodthirstiness of the characters within that same frame of humor.

This series was true enemies to lovers. Arin and Essiya literally beat the crap out of each other but drew the line at ending one another. When love finally entered their hearts, their self sacrificing mentality brought me to tears.

Arin is probably my favorite male main character I have ever had the privilege of meeting in literature. A strong dedication to his own moral code, an exacting and disciplined frame of mind, an incredibly sharp intelligence, running circles around his enemies. Incredibly lethal but to the one woman he loves, he’d burn everything down for her and anyone who threatened wouldn’t live long enough to rue the day. He’s so decisive and in control of situations. A character I truly admire.

Essiya and Arin were ultimately bonded by violence which is strange when you think about a couple but these two make it work. They’re prone to hit first and ask questions later but they’re both very passionate about their ideals and the ones they love. They both have an incredible love for their subjects and their opposing personalities drove each other crazy but also endeared themselves to each other. Essiya is not a planner or a natural born leader like Arin. She’s impulsive, immature, and humorous at all the wrong times but it’s her imperfections that draw Arin to her like a moth to a flame. His nature is to be controlled and I believe her lack of it intrigues him. Opposites attract and all. The broken pieces of their minds and hearts found an echo in one another and through love those shattered pieces reformed into something truly beautiful and awe inspiring.

I also appreciated that this book wasn’t spicy. All the tension was there without the needless sex scenes. I was nervous that Sarah would go there because the tension is off the charts but Hashem ultimately places plot and sexual tension over explicit content. So many readers these days clamor for spice in books but I personally feel that it cheapens the romance.

MAJOR SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT. Do not read any further if you don’t want the entire ending spoiled:

The book was a five star read for me until the ending which really blindsided me as the conclusion was really rather strange and wasn’t what I expected or hoped for. Essiya actually became Rovial himself. Essiya’s magic in fact was not her own but Rovial’s the entire time. Once a century, Rovial’s magic would be born into a Jasadi and it would end up driving them insane. No mortal can live with a god’s power dwelling inside of them, Well, lucky for our girl, she happens to be the one blessed with it this century. At the end, her magic becomes so powerful that her reality begins to morph into Rovial’s and all the previous lives that had taken on his magic before. Rovial’s memories melded with Essiya’s and she talked about herself as if she were Rovial. She began to refer to the other gods as her sisters as Rovial would have. We did in fact get our happy ending but the cost felt too high. It felt more bitter than sweet. Marek’s death almost destroyed Sefa and Arin spent ten desolate years waiting and hoping that Essiya would come back to him after she sacrificed herself to be entombed with the other gods. She does return to Arin but it is only for a very short paragraph that we don’t truly get to enjoy it. I have so many mixed feelings. Ultimately I still love this duology but my preference would have been to see Essiya still be herself at the end and not this new melded being of personalities and experiences. She just wasn’t who I originally fell in love with.

Would I read this duology again? Would I recommend it? A billion times yes. Even with the unexpected ending, it will have a coveted position on my shelf as my absolute favorite duology of all time. In a sea of mediocre, this book will be able to say, “I am what remains”.

The Jasad Crown fell a little flat for me unfortunately. I felt the pacing was uneven, dragging in the middle and then rushing to wrap up everything, and that things that were made obvious to the reader early on took too long to be revealed to the characters.

I did like that we got more POVs this round (a lot more Arin, and the addition of Sefa and Marek). Readers who enjoy romance will appreciate the much larger focus on tbe romance between Arin and Sylvia as well.

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).