A review by hellobookbird
The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

5.0

 

In the measure of monster or man, what tips the scales?

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. As the lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found.

Nizahl’s armies continue to hunt its people—treating them as less than human. 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.

I would rip his head from his shoulders with my teeth before I took his shackles.

4.5 rounded up. I cannot believe this is a debut and also WHY IS THE SECOND BOOK NOT OUT YET????

Some will not like the pacing of this book. It's a hefty 500+ pager and it drags slightly between 30-40% though I very much maintain it is worth it. Hashem has put a lot of thought into her world and the first portion clearly gives you a great feel for how Sylvia's current life is: stressful, hidden, always watching, always hiding, never able to be herself or make connections...she's not living, just surviving. And this is very much a mentality that is shared with her people as a whole as her people are hunted to the ends of the earth, put into sham trials, and executed. Hashem really wants to steep you in her world and the world's struggles.

"There is no such thing as a worthy sacrifice. There are only those who die, and those willing to let them."

Sylvia is a delightfully complex character. Early on, it's clear she is very much a survivor as life has beaten her down into her most base form: survive or die. However, despite her best efforts, there are a few attachments she's made. When they are threatened, her magic leaks free from her magic restraining cuffs for the first time in ten years and lands her in a whole lot of trouble. Deeply conflicted by her new circumstances of collaborating with the very kingdom that slaughtered hers, she struggles with her guilt and her past. Throughout her journey, she unravels troubling details about Jasad that force her to question all she knew of her family, her cuffs, and her kingdom. With two different groups vying to recruit her or kill her for Jasad's future, and the constant danger of training with Arin to fulfill her bargain without revealing her true identity, it's no wonder this was a win for me.

"You entered a world where magic is corrosive and Jasadis are inherently evil. I entered one where turning a shoe into a dove made my mother laugh. Have you considered, in that infinite mind of yours, that the truly brilliant people are the ones who understand the realities we build were already built for us?"

Arin is a villainous delight. He is icy, shrewd, emotionally distant, utterly brilliant and able to sniff out lies like a bloodhound. Cast as the direct opposition to Sylvia, it is the PERFECT recipe for enemies to lovers...and in fact, they are quite fond of trying to kill each other. Multiple times. Forced proximity continues bringing them closer against their will and results in the slowest slow burn I've experienced. It is believable as it is exquisite because while they grow, they do not change fundamentally. Every moment is earned. The two slowly learn to trust each other as reluctant allies and then friends...with feelings coming into play only towards the end of the novel.

"I won’t say you were right, only that you weren’t as wrong as usual."

Recommended for those that love a character driven story and sloooooow burn romances.