The Jasad Crown (The Scorched Throne, #2) by Sara Hashem Series: The Scorched Throne #2
Published by Orbit on July 15, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 688
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Source: Orbit Books
In the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen may be the key to restoring her lost kingdom of Jasad, but it could cost her everything and everyone she loves.
Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe she can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad's greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the group's trust while struggling to keep control of both her magic and her mind.
In the rival kingdom, Arin is caught between his father's desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts he's sworn to uphold. Arin must find Sylvia before his father's army, but his search will call into question the very core of Arin's beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.
War is inevitable and Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she's fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn't just want to survive. She wants to win.The fugitive queen is ready to come home.
The Jasad Crown is the sequel to The Jasad Heir and the final book in The Scorched Throne duology, which comes to a stunning close. I was so excited for this release that I reread the previous entry, one of the most successful portrayals of enemies-to-lovers I’ve ever read, so that it would be fresh in my mind. Because I held The Jasad Heir in such high regard (I think I enjoyed my reread even more than my initial read of the novel), my expectations for this sequel were equally high and that made some of the choices here more difficult to reconcile.
This time, readers are given the chance to see through the eyes of characters beyond Sylvia. Arin, Marek, and Sefa all have their own POV chapters throughout the novel. I really appreciated this shift, as it made The Jasad Crown feel more like a traditional epic fantasy, complete with an ensemble cast whose actions carry weight across the entire world.
“…I chose Jasad. I chose to give everything I could, no matter how imperfect the offering or how shaky the hands holding it. There was nowhere left to run. Either Jasad would rise in victory, or we would all burn with it.”
However, even with the added perspectives and extended time with each character, I still felt a bit disconnected from the cast. Sylvia (now mostly referred to as Essiya), has grown significantly since the first book, where she valued her freedom and survival above all else. I admired her tenacity and her will to live, so her sudden shift into a martyr-like leader felt a bit abrupt. I would have liked to see more of that transformation on the page. That said, I really enjoyed the perspectives of Sefa, Marek (even if the reasons for their POVs being featured seemed a little weak), and especially Arin.
Although Vaida, the Sultana of Lukub, doesn’t get her own POV chapters, we see her through Sefa’s eyes—and what a revelation that is. I didn’t pay her much mind in The Jasad Heir, but in The Jasad Crown, I absolutely loved her. She’s beautiful, cunning, and ruthless. And I appreciate that she essentially plays 4D chess with the nations around her and is one of the few characters able to scheme on Arin’s level. I would gladly read an entire novel centered on her.
That said, perhaps because so much plot is packed into a duology, the characters sometimes get lost beneath the weight of worldbuilding and pacing. Personally, I preferred the slower, more character-focused storytelling of The Jasad Heir. Readers who enjoy faster pacing and high-stakes events will likely enjoy The Jasad Crown’s faster momentum. But for me, I wish certain moments, especially those where Essiya and Arin finally act on their feelings, had been given more emotional space before the next conflict swept in. Then again, such is war. There’s rarely time to stop and smell the roses.
With so much time dedicated to Essiya uncovering the truth of her people’s magic and the nature of magic itself, the political and court-intrigue aspects from the first book take a backseat. Readers who weren’t drawn to the governments’ subtle machinations and tangled prejudices may find this a relief. I, however, missed the political climate that forced Essiya to work with her enemy, the Nizhal Heir, in the first place.
I also felt that some of the magical elements introduced in The Jasad Crown, particularly the Mirayah, were never mentioned in the first book. Since it plays such a pivotal role in the sequel’s climax, it felt more like a convenient plot device than a carefully planted element of the world. Its sudden prominence, along with the immense ramifications tied to it, didn’t sit quite right with me.
Despite this, I was delighted to discover how many clues for the events in The Jasad Crown were planted in The Jasad Heir. That made for a satisfying reading experience. I found myself thinking, “Ohhhh. I get it.” It genuinely felt like author Sarah Hashem had planned much of it from the start, which is something I truly admire.
“When the dust settled, I would always be the one left standing. Survival was not the story of my success. It was my eternal punishment.”
I was both pleasantly surprised and frustrated by the ending. Without giving too much away, I think author Hashem managed to strike a balance between a realistically bleak conclusion and one that still offers fulfillment and hope. However, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the outcome for Essiya. Her arc, which began so fiercely in The Jasad Heir, teeming with grit, survival instinct, and independence, ended in a way that felt more symbolic than satisfying. It didn’t feel like much of a victory for her character, especially after everything she endured and sacrificed. I found myself wishing she had been allowed more agency and more room to choose life over legend.
Nowhere is this shift from personal to symbolic more apparent than in her decision to save View Spoiler »—who, while significant off-page in Essiya’s past, is more of a narrative symbol and less of an actual character. View Spoiler » but I digress. Regardless, Essiya’s choice to save that character with her magic rather than View Spoiler », whose loyalty, bravery, and sacrifice were deeply felt throughout both books, felt very out of place.
Especially considering the fact that it was View Spoiler » who triggered Essiya’s magic in the first place. Their support gave her the courage to stop hiding, to step into who she truly was. For her to ultimately let View Spoiler », while using her power to preserve someone more symbolic than meaningful, didn’t feel true to her arc or to the emotional foundation the story had laid. The explanation that she couldn’t reach this character in time may work logistically, but emotionally, it left me cold. I know it’s realistic that characters die during battles, but Sylvia never would have let that happen. She would have found a way.
“Weak is a ruler who holds a match to the world and then blames it for burning.”
And while I appreciated the expanded POVs and the broader scope that made The Jasad Crown feel more like a traditional epic fantasy, the tone at times veered into something that felt closer to young adult. The emotional beats, particularly the constant repetition of Arin being referred to as “the Silver Snake,” felt more stylized than sincere, almost as if the story was mythologizing him. Instead of letting Arin’s actions and complexities speak for themselves, the narrative leaned heavily into crafting his persona as a legendary figure. This made him feel less like a fully realized character and more like a symbol. While that approach might resonate with fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, it clashed with the grounded, politically charged atmosphere I loved so much in The Jasad Heir. I wanted more nuance and a focus on actual character complexity rather than a persona built on titles, symbolism, or notoriety.
While The Jasad Crown expands the world and offers new perspectives, it ultimately didn’t deliver the emotional payoff I had hoped for, especially when it came to Essiya’s arc. Strong supporting characters, satisfying plot reveals, and political intrigue made it a worthy read, but the tonal shift, pacing, and magical additions kept it from reaching the same heights as its predecessor. That being said, I’ll be watching closely for Sara Hashem’s future works. There’s just so much to love in The Scorched Throne duology: strong heroines, loyal friends, intricate politics, battle royales, ancient lost gods, magic, and an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers romance.
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I’ll have to look back at this when I’m in an epic fantasy mood. I am so moody about what I’m reading these days. The only sure bets are Ilona Andrews and police procedurals.
Anne – Books of My Heart
I completely understand that! I will have to reread the Kate Daniels series one of these days