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A review by bookish_calirican
The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There are some very touching, heartbreaking moments interspersed in this action packed story filled with (admittedly) a fair amount of telling and not so much showing in certain parts. Overall I still think the exposition was included in the story through dialogue or flashbacks pretty well. To me it didn't feel clunky or boring. I don't mind giving the author slack when laying the groundwork for a completely new fantasy world.
I see so much of myself in Sylvia. She has a certain self-image at the start and through her relationship with Arin she comes to a different conception about who she is. And it mirrored real life experiences I've had when I met my partner, those moments of introspection and understanding. The book shows how differently people cope (or don't) with traumatic experiences. And to me, the characters feel like real people.
I don’t pay much attention to most of the "important" literary analytical metrics that good book reviewers use (pacing, writing style, etc). I liked the prose and tone of the dialogue, the visual descriptions were quite detailed, which helped my aphantasic brain create a better mental image of the characters and their environment much more clearly than in other fantasy novels I've read.
Generally though, when I read I get too caught up in how I feel to start analyzing. I’m a reader who rates by gut feeling and ✨vibes✨. And by those very subjective criteria (lol) this book broke my fucking heart in the best way possible. I loved every torturous minute of it. The slow burn was so goddamn slow and delicious. I absolutey loved learning about the world and its politics, the hints at real Egyptian culture and cuisine.
I will be impatiently waiting for book 2!
I see so much of myself in Sylvia. She has a certain self-image at the start and through her relationship with Arin she comes to a different conception about who she is. And it mirrored real life experiences I've had when I met my partner, those moments of introspection and understanding. The book shows how differently people cope (or don't) with traumatic experiences. And to me, the characters feel like real people.
I don’t pay much attention to most of the "important" literary analytical metrics that good book reviewers use (pacing, writing style, etc). I liked the prose and tone of the dialogue, the visual descriptions were quite detailed, which helped my aphantasic brain create a better mental image of the characters and their environment much more clearly than in other fantasy novels I've read.
Generally though, when I read I get too caught up in how I feel to start analyzing. I’m a reader who rates by gut feeling and ✨vibes✨. And by those very subjective criteria (lol) this book broke my fucking heart in the best way possible. I loved every torturous minute of it. The slow burn was so goddamn slow and delicious. I absolutey loved learning about the world and its politics, the hints at real Egyptian culture and cuisine.
I will be impatiently waiting for book 2!