Sara Hashem’s debut, The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne #1) (Orbit Book, publication date 7/18/2023) is a slow burn of an enemies to lovers, which takes a backseat to political intrigue, genocide, and the meaning of self. The novel is chock full of fantasy tropes that bleed into each other – Reluctant Hero, Orphan Hero, Secret Heir, Tournament, Evil Overlord, etc. We also have forbidden magic, destroyed kingdoms, and tests of loyalty versus self-preservation. The fantasy elements are Egyptian inspired, which makes The Stardust Thief a quick comparison. (Chelsea Abdullah even writes a blurb for it!) I was also reminded of Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season series, particularly in the relationship between Arin and Sylvia, which brought Paige and the Warden to mind. As tropey as it is, I do believe it stands apart. There’s something about Hashem’s story-telling ability that made this un-put-downable, and I’m glad Orbit sent me an ARC. Is the second book ready yet?
When she was ten, Essiya, the heir to Jasad, watched her kingdom burn, and everything and everyone she loved was destroyed. Miraculously, she survived. Despite her magic being tethered inside her by the cuffs placed by her grandparents, she rises from the ashes. To the world, Essiya is dead. The woman who finds her is a Jasadi exile and no fan of the royal family. Over the next five years, she does horrific things to Essiya trying to unleash the magic held within. Over and over, the heir is starved, beaten, and ripped apart until she escapes at fifteen. The novel opens five years later, when she’s established herself as a chemist’s apprentice named Sylvia in a small town. She doesn’t speak of Jasad, and no one knows about the magic that bubbles just beneath the surface; she’d be killed if they did. Then the Nizahl Heir, the son of the man who destroyed her everything, comes into her village and the fragile existence she’s built as Sylvia is destroyed.
The Nizahl Heir can detect magic, and while Sylvia proves a bit more difficult for him, it’s quickly discovered that she is Jasadi. Instead of killing her, he elects to use her as pawn to draw in factions of Jasadi who roam the kingdoms. He doesn’t know she’s the heir; he just knows she has magic, and the surviving factions are seeking out all the hidden Jasadi. They make a deal; Sylvia will help him by serving as Nizahl’s champion in the upcoming tournament, which should draw out these factions for the Nizahl Heir to “handle.” Upon her successful completion, she will be free and neither he nor anyone in the kingdoms will hunt her.
The tournament is not really explained, and I’m not even sure I fully understand why there’s a tournament. It clearly serves the purpose of moving the plot forward, but it’s missing the meat. I would have loved to have seen more development of the actual tournament and its competitions, as well as the various kingdoms and their respective champions (especially since I believe we shall see at least one of them again). The competitions very much reminded me of the Triwizard Tournament, and they could have been their own book with enough flesh.
But the tournament isn’t really the focus; the focus is on Sylvia reconciling herself as Essiya, the rightful queen of a destroyed kingdom.
Read this book.
A Girl Named Tommi 