THE JASAD HEIR

Author: Sara Hashem
Date released: July 18th, 2023*
Category: Fantasy

Synopsis: Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The UnReel Take:

Story: 6.5
Writing: 7.0
Characters: 9.0
Setting: 7.0

UnReel AR: 7.4

Bottom Line: The Jasad Heir has a lot of elements recognizable to the modern fantasy reader. A royal from a conquered kingdom living in secret, a main character with unusually powerful magic, political machinations, a survival-based competition, and a romantic subplot that is just *chef’s kiss.* Happily, though by no means a perfect book, TJH takes these familiar ideas and does something fun and uniquely complex with them.

I’m not surprised this is a debut novel, as the writing is pretty inconsistent. There are beautiful, descriptive passages that evoke imagery without feeling purple, mixed in with vague passages that leave you confused. This is a common “new writer” issue, and nothing that hampered my enjoyment. Some info-dumps pop up early on and the writing can be repetitive but, again, that’s common with a debut; there’s also some made-up swears and y’all know how I feel about that. TJH is a slow-burn of a novel, which is quite a diversion from a lot of stories using similar tropes, but it worked. The extra time lets you really sit with the characters and get your bearings in a complexly built world. The author does commit the grave sin of having characters engage in full-on dialogue in the middle of a fight, but I think we can forgive her.

The characters are the shining stars of The Jasad Heir. Sylvia, our titular main character, is damaged beyond belief and has been through trauma I can’t even imagine but still managed to make understandable decisions and her development was outstanding. Arin, the Nizhal Heir and sort-of antagonist, is cut from the cloth of a million “fantasy hot guys” but rises above his peers by actually being a developed character with a personality and flaws. There are several secondary characters but Sefa and Marek, Sylvia’s BFFs, have my whole heart and added to the narrative in a way many side characters don’t. For all that it’s quite a dark story, TJH has a not-insubstantial amount of humor, but it never falls into the “Marvel humor” trap of interrupting what should be impactful moments. Each character’s humor (if it exists) also relates to who they are as a person, as opposed to everyone being generically snarky.

I almost don’t need to talk about the setting because how on earth could “ancient Egyptian-inspired magical continent” not be cool? Suffice it to say, the worldbuilding is pretty fleshed out, though maybe a little overwhelming for a first entry. TJH clearly sets up the coming series, but some of the details we receive probably could’ve held off until later entries. I also really could’ve used a map, though it does look like one will be included in the final release.

I can’t wait for book two and really, what more is there to say?

Ideal Reading Location: Ideally the Egyptian desert but a hookah lounge is a respectable alternative.

Drink Pairing: A good strong cup of Arak.

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