Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Jasad Heir

Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

10 reviews

ayvie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-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

I literally had trouble putting this book down to read anything else. The MCs were so engaging and interesting and complicated that I could not wait to read more. The fact that neither MC is 100% right in their understanding of their histories is fascinating and interesting. (Though I'd argue that Sylvia's misconceptions are less of an issue because they are the result of her being a victim and not the result of her being an aggressor/policer). They're both having to adjust and learn their misconceptions - some of which they've built their entire lives on.

I'm unsure about the romance. I am having complicated feelings about it and need to let those stew a bit. Coming back to this - I honestly wish the romantic elements hadn't been involved at all in this book. It felt uncomfortable and a lot of it is outside my lane to really delve into. I do think the groundwork is laid for something here, and I'm unsure where it's going to lead (and honestly, I'd be happy if it led to no romance at all).

It felt like the point should have been discomfort and I'm unsure if that was entirely what was portrayed.

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roseleebooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall I enjoyed this book. I read through it very quickly wanting to know what happened next!

Things that were done well were the pacing and the setup for the ending. There are multiple plot threads to pick up in the next book which could be frustrating for some readers. The key theme of dealing with past trauma and identity after being separated from the foundations of that identity was intriguingly explored throughout.

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Also, establishing that the MC was an unreliable narrator partway through the story opens up a lot of possibilities going into the next portion of the series.

There were several things that were problematic here with the FMCs relationship with the MMC,

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including power imbalance and 🚩 behaviors from the MMC. Other reviews have commented on the colonizer/colonized aspect of it as well, which is off-putting. If the MMC goes full villain in the next book this would make much more sense to me, I'd like to assume the author has purposely laid this unsettling foundation. The love story was secondary to the main plot but the banter is where some of the twists and info reveals occurred

Overall the writing was fairly smooth, the story moved along at a fast pace, and I found myself rethinking things that I took at face value initially about the characters and setting throughout as new information was revealed. I'll definitely be picking up the next book to see what happens next. This may change my review here depending on how some of the above issues are handled.

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hailstorm3812's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I will eat my hat if this didn't start as fanfiction, and i could definitely make a few guesses as to what. You can tell with the interesting character relationships and the extremely well written sexual tension, and the front loaded worldbuilding and not at all thought through political ideologies. Girl why are you falling in love with the genocidal white man? He really doesn't grow and change politically in what we see. Yeah he opens up to her and sees her as human but the rest not so much. Which is so frustrating because the author succeeds at making it so so hot. I honestly think a lot could have been solved by making them both POC, which would cause less unsavory allusions which I don't think were intentional. He could still have magical hair. Why is draco here? I'm a little bit with

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Soraya

here.

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Taking down corrupt monarchs and trying to kill the heir of the country that decimated yours, like she has a point.

Ok but moving on I really did like Sylvie, her complex journey, and all of her unwanted connections to loved ones. Her friends, Rory, and Fairel really shine.

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Dawoud only had one scene but it really hit.

Overall I have a lot of qualms with the romance, but I did like it and will probably read the next one.

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Also like, you are going to write insane amounts of heat, to the point where I, someone who is rooting for the antagonist to kill the love interest, thinks they should fuck, and when they finally act on their feels they only make out for a half a second. Come on.

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bookswithbethx's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

A huge thank you to the author, and publisher, for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you love N. Caceres and Chelsea Abdullah then you will LOVE Sara Hashem. This book was dark, cruel, and angry. But it was also a beautiful discovery that love is worthwhile, an incredible tale of friendship, and the most delicious slow burn I’ve come across in a while. The authors voice was so strong, the descriptions were so rich, and the world was so fleshed out. And Arin? UGH. YES. Everything about his, please and thank you. And that ending? PHEW!! I blew through it like my eyes were on fire and finishing the book was the fire extinguisher. SO GOOD. I can’t wait for book two!

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? No

4.0

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

This is an Arab Spring/Egyptian-inspired fantasy by an Egyptian Muslim hijabi author. I am 2.5 of those things (only half Egyptian, in case you're wondering), so this review is probably going to be at least a little bit biased.

For example, even though this is set in a fantasy world with made up countries, the language is Arabic. I don't think I can describe the sheer joy of understanding every single word (except "suraira" for some reason, but I'm sure that's on me, and that made it more fun anyway). Now, I am also honest enough to admit that if this was a different book, for example European-inspired, and the language was Latin, I would have issues with it, because I would consider it kind of lazy worldbuilding. But it's my language, and I've never seen it in a fantasy book before, so basically, I don't care. I loved it. Also, all the mentions of familiar food made me instantly want to travel to Egypt just to eat.

There are a lot of mysteries within this book, and by the end of it, I was left with more questions than answers. But the central piece of it is the relationship between Sylvia and Arin. If you're looking for an actual, high stakes enemies to lovers romance, I would definitely check this out. It's very slow burn, which is the only way I can buy into that trope, but by the time their relationship hit its stride, I was so invested that every scene had me clutching my e-reader with "will they won't they" tension. That's exactly what I want from a romance, and the author absolutely delivered.

It also helps that I actually like both characters. Sylvia is a Chosen One in the sense that she's the heir to a kingdom that no longer exists, and whose people are being murdered, but she doesn't want to be. She doesn't want to feel anything for other Jasadis, or carry the responsibility of their lives and future on her shoulders. To her, nothing is more important than her own survival, and the further you get in the story, the more you understand why she grew up to be the way she is. But even though she's very careful, she's also a hothead with a "fuck it" attitude that I really loved. Arin, meanwhile, is someone who takes his responsibilities very seriously. My first impression of him was that, despite everything Sylvia tells us about him, his actions show that he has a sense of honor. But that doesn't mean he isn't guilty of hunting down people just because they have magic, even if they have never used it to hurt anyone. I think both characters definitely grow as a result of having to deal with each other.

Even though we spend a lot of time watching the relationship between our main characters develop, that doesn't mean the fantasy elements aren't well done. The magic system is pretty simple, but the secrets surrounding Sylvia and Arin were really compelling. There are deadly trials, magical creatures, the constant danger of Sylvia being discovered, political machinations, and so much more. This is a very strong start to the series, and I can't wait to see what the sequel brings. The only reason this isn't a full five stars is because it starts off a bit slow and takes a while to really get going. But I think this might be one that could be 5 stars on reread.

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n0elle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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soniajoy98's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ellierumoo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny medium-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

I absolutely devoured this book. I thought the plot was compelling, the characters were inescapably loveable, and I felt a stomach lurching sadness as I flipped closer and closer to the end of the page count. I anxiously awaited this book release, and I already can't wait for the next one!

I think you'd like this book if you like:

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Zuko (ATLA), Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), The Hunger Games, Enemies to Lovers Tropes, ACOMAF, Iron Widow, and complex morally grey characters

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maaikereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Many thanks to Little, Brown Books and Sara Hashem for the advanced copy of The Jasad Heir via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

A solid fantasy series beginning!

Although slow to start, and perhaps following a slightly predictable format, Sara Hashem uses excellent world-building techniques to create an intriguing society with mysterious factions hiding in spooky forests, questionable spectres hiding in the protagonist’s mind, holding entire conversations, and power-hungry politicians stepping on the lower classes to get what they want (where have we seen that before?!).

I did get lost at times with all the new words, deities, etc in the five languages featured in the books, it didn’t hamper the reading process.

I am a character reader and there was plenty of character-building and development in this book, but not at the detriment of the development and pacing of the plot.

It took a while to really get into the book, but once I did, I was hooked, and I found that, the more engaging the book became, the more the pace picked up. The pace varied from slow in the beginning to fast in the end, so I’ll even the overall pacing in my ratings to ‘medium’.

There is a romantic element but it’s very slow burn and suitable for younger teens as the spice only goes up to kissing with no mention of anything beyond this.

Overall I recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy a fantasy series with explained magic systems.

Tropes: enemies/friends to lovers, forbidden love, forced proximity, lover(s) in denial, orphan, peril, secret royal

Spice: 1/5

Trigger warnings: Blood/Gore, Death, Death of a family member, Genocide, Grief, Poisoning, Violence, Weapons

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