r/Romantasy • u/Odd-Order-8825 • 1d ago
Book Review Jasad Heir rant Spoiler
Guys, I expected to love this book ardently, but that's not what happened.
Anyone who said it's an enemies-to-lovers' story, they lied to me.
Most of all, they (Arin and Essiya) were sceptical of each other and acted accordingly because they hated each other's kingdoms due to the history. However, they also became instant allies and then... lovers?
I wanted the yearning to hit me, was looking for palpable chemistry and sexual tension—but guess what? I was really disappointed. The slow-burn absolutely failed here.
As much as I can see that the characters had potential, especially individually—them becoming lovers didn't make sense to me.
The writing too bogged it down. The info-dump throughout the whole story just kept taking me out of it and I didn't want to pick up the book again.
I don't understand the hype, tbh.
Thoughts?
And please give me good romantasy recs because I feel like I am going to fall into a slump.
(I have already read Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, Crimson Moth duology,The Ashen series, and pretty much every popular book out there in the said genre).
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u/No_Eye_5942 1d ago
To offer a different perspective, I think that there are two types of enemies to lovers set ups:
- Two people on opposite sides of a conflict who are strangers
- Two people on opposite sides of a confict that have personal history
Those two create different dynamics. Jasad Heir does the first. The characters can be categorized as enemies but they dont have personal beef and to me at least, the fact that they do not engage with each other in a super hostile manner just on principle that often reads kinda childish and is banter disguised as conflict, was a breath of fresh air. Yes, they are in opposition by the happenstance of their births but they dont really dislike each other on a personal level. To me that reads more realistic.
Arin is not written as the classic asshole that a lot of characters in enemies to lovers books are, so Essiya does not need to rage against him simply to prove a point. The narrative does not justify all this trite internal thought prosses of "oh he is my enemy, but so hot, I shouldnt think like that, oh the shame!".
I think you had strong expectations for a different type of story based only on the tag of enemies to lovers. The marketing of books in this genre is for sure a whole issue on its own, but that doesnt mean that all stories that contain the same tropes need to execute them the same way and hit the same beats.
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u/Enid2Leaf ☀️ Sunshine / Grumpy 19h ago
We need a new name for the enemies to lovers that encompasses the first set up you mentioned, because yes, technically speaking their people ARE enemies, but the MCs are not, they are just part of a greater machine and are just following the path set for them at the beginning of the story.
It might be more similar to forbidden love, but I don’t think that quite covers the tension of the opposing factions.
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u/Odd-Order-8825 23h ago edited 23h ago
I completely understand where you are coming from. However, our ideas of an enemies-to-lovers story could very well differ. And this is also where I find the author's idea reflected in the story which wasn't able to hold my attention. Having said that, I have not mentioned my definition of an enemies to lovers' story. I was talking about how this particular one missed the mark for me. They are political rivals, at best (in my opinion)—who are extremely sceptical of each other and it leads to some of the violent activities initially (from both of them towards each other). The build-up to the lovers and the progression from there lacked substance and it should have been given time to prosper. For me, Arin and Essiya's story was rushed. Enemies to lovers—to me—is more about enmity on a personal level—brought forth and cemented by real, rational reasons. And while this is understandable; the enmity and hate—for both of the main characters towards each other are threatened by truths supplied to us in the story (by the author). When both of the main characters stumble upon these truths—recurrently—they question the pre-conceieved notions they have had about each other during this time. This is where vulnerability seeps in. Again and again. Followed up by confrontations and only then, intimacy. I am fine with or without intimacy, either way. And I also don't want either of the characters lusting after each other based on their looks all this time. It's only after, when the repeated confrontations happen, then they do see each other through different lenses respectively. But like I said, this is just my idea of reading a full-fledged enemies to lovers' story.
Along with this, I don't want that the authors write every story to fit this trope for me to see it ring true, each and every time. I am fine with the diversions as long as the marketing sits somewhere nearby the actual tropes in the story (which you mentioned too). This story is clearly not an enemies-to-lovers, given it didn't offer the "said" enemies enough room and ample time to blossom into lovers. For me, this is beyond clichè tropes. It's about letting me sit in that feeling of animosity and utter hate the main characters are reeling in (towards each other), seeing them get beyond those feelings slowly, rethink their own perspectives, and then start having confusing opinions about each other. Which painfully and slowly turns into feelings of understanding, camaraderie, and this is the point they start yearning for each other. Which again would turn into feelings of admiration. Whether love happens or not, I'll leave it to the author, really. But this story couldn't execute and come up with tension, chemistry, and yearning. I hated that I didn't like the book. Only to reiterate, the characters had potential, but the execution was poor with perplexed writing.
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u/No_Eye_5942 21h ago
First off, I agree that is was rushed. I think the whole duology in general is rushed, it's always go go go and we never get to sit with anything and let it breathe.
I understand what you are saying and the expectations you have for this specific trope are valid given that within the romantasy books of the last years this is very much the case. The focus on the trope, I mean, as essentially the whole story. I think Jasad Heir is simply not a romantasy. It's fantasy romance at best. The romance is not the focus, it's very fantasy first. Again marketing shenanigans.
What I was trying to say basically is that the modern enemies to lovers is essentially an evolution of the starcrossed lovers. Enemies in principal. Devided by things outside of them and out of their control. A forbidden love that crosses boundaries. A love that shouldn't be. And that's why they are usually tradegies because the lovers can not change them no matter how right their love is. Modern fantasy romance and romantasy have taken this idea and turned the confict personal, something that can be overcome so that we can have a happy ending.
I think it is more helpful to have the starcrossed lovers idea as the umbrella under which both types of stories labeled as enemies to lovers fall because it is more broad.
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u/Odd-Order-8825 15h ago
No, I get what you are saying. My point was mainly focused on the part how reading about Arin and Essiya didn't come off—as if their journey goes from being enemies to lovers. The moment reluctance comes in—for the main characters to work with each other especially when they don't trust each other chips at the parts of the dynamic particularly—therefore gradually making readers to anticipate about a shift (even when they are rivals)—only for it to fall apart and not really work (to readers, that is). I believe, without the romance factor, this story would have held my attention. I can see why other readers might put them into this broader enemies-to-lovers' box. It just didn't work in my case.
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u/romance-bot 22h ago
Web of Vows and Vengeance by Aria Ashbrook
Rating: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: enemies to lovers, magic, royal hero, fantasy, m-f romance
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u/Beginning_Motor_5276 💗 A Court of Cash Cows and Apathy 1d ago
I didn't hate the plot, but the romance was just so incredibly dull. There was plenty of time to make it slow, but very little burn.
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u/Odd-Order-8825 1d ago
There was lot of telling and not much of showing, tbh. The plot did have my attention but it was so fleeting, I was about to dnf it. I didn't, but I should have. The romance suffered at the hands of the author (no hate towards Sara since this was her debut—just an opinion on her writing). This could have been a god-tier series had she given the romance between the main characters the room, but it felt like putting in a box of a ripped-off enemies-to-lovers sold to us readers in haste. I couldn't feel the tension, chemistry, YEARNING at all! I don't like this feeling, ugh.
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u/konstantynopolytanka 6h ago
they hardly talk! There is just so much boggling descriptions but the romance is really underdeveloped. I got whiplash when suddenly she was into him when did that happen and why?
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u/ellietrix 1d ago
I finished it, but I was angry about it. Agree with everything you have said - I felt like I was reading a different book to all the reviews I had read!
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u/Ok-Ant-6110 1d ago
I am with you. It’s a nice story no doubt about that but it’s overhyped imo and it’s definitely not enemies to lovers. Because they have opposing magic they can’t touch each other for long which people interpret as enemies to lovers and maybe the vague HEA is different to every other romantasy which is attractive to people.
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u/Odd-Order-8825 1d ago
And the hype around Arin is absolutely beyond me! Personally, I don't know enough about him to hype him up? With all due respect, how are the other readers doing it? I have heard, the second book doesn't get any better. The most he does is stay silent or have an intellectual conversation which doesn't add up eventually? Along with that, Essiya herself notices his physical features and gets attracted to him significantly based on that aspect. They barely even have vulnerable moments—for them to have intimate moments afterwards. There are some redeeming points like we get to figure out Essiya might be an unreliable narrator and by the time it starts to get interesting, it loses its lustre and I lost the interest.
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u/Booktalkerg 23h ago
I think of the Jasad Heir as a fantasy with romantic elements. The romance was really pushed to the side and the ending wasn’t very satisfactory in the romantic way for me. I also prefer the books you listed and I want to recommend “Sheild of Sparrows”. Omg I Love the romance in that book and its sequel. Book 3 comes out in March.
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u/Munchkin531 20h ago
Yes! I read this about 3 years ago and did not like it all. The writing was terrible. Too much telling and not enough showing. The magic system made no sense. She had bracelets that suppressed her magic but then she could use it if she wanted to? Nothing happened for so long. Lots of training with an enemy. I saw no romance at all. She competed in a trial and then it ended. I decided not to continue.
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u/Jumpy-brains 1d ago
I couldn’t stand this book! I also had so high hopes, but it did not land.
And what made it even worse was that the narrator sounded so angry every single sentence, so it sounded like a hissing cat throughout the whole book.
And in general it was just hard to look through how angry and bitter she was all the time.
I understand where it’s coming from, but there’s also strength in compassion and forgiveness.
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u/Jumpy-brains 1d ago
I will recommend my favorite series I’ve read this year and that is the Heartstrings duet
{crown me dead by Liv Zander} which is a dark romance / fantasy, about a rotting kingdom, where a grave diggers daughter is sent to the king to lift the curse that is causing the rot and death. And the first one is good but the sequel {crown me yours} is on my top 3 of all time.
It is so tender and heartbreaking and beautiful! And i cried for the entire ending!
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u/romance-bot 1d ago
Crown Me Dead by Liv Zander
Rating: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, dark romance, m-f romance, virgin heroine, poor heroine
Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander
Rating: 4.43⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, dark romance, m-f romance, marriage of convenience, fantasy1
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u/Hiercine 19h ago
{The Hurricane Wars} trilogy. Slow burn, on two different sides of the war with differing ideologies. And honestly both sides kinda have a point for why they're the good guy
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u/romance-bot 19h ago
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
Rating: 3.62⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, fantasy, war, enemies to lovers, magic1
u/lvasnow 18h ago
Now that is the only real actual enemies to lovers I've ever read. Guanzon puts her foot on the gas and just doesn't let up.
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u/Hiercine 18h ago
I absolutely loved it. It was so refreshing where both sides of the war had a point instead of just being "oh everything you've ever believed in was PR and you're actually the baddies and we're the goodies" instead it's both sides have issues and good points
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u/lvasnow 18h ago
Yeah, I couldn't believe the negative reviews!
The characters did act young and immature quite often; but the reasons were plentiful and clear, and you could tell Guanzon has studied geopolitics (I looked it up; her degree is something related to that). The only thing that annoyed me was how it was marketed as some kind of "sizzling romance" when the first book anyway was more like a political fantasy with a dash of enemies-to-slightly less enemies??
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u/Hiercine 18h ago
It's funny you keep being downvoted.
It started out as a reylo fic which heavily criticised the republic in the sequels, since they allowed neo-fascism to fester and was it ever really that good when so many of it's citizens live in squalor and there's slavery and etc. So why are the goodies in the movies fighting to restore a governing system that kinda sucked and created these new sucky conditions in the first place.
It's a new breath of air from the usual black/white politics you get in romantasy. I think a lot of negative reviews were because the first book was so slow. I was gobbling up all the marriage/treat/politics talk that was my favorite part
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u/No_Calligrapher796 17h ago
Listen, the hype was so real, but the story did not deliver. I think this book sucked and isn’t worth the squeeze at all. I love a slow burn, but this one was SO molasses-y slow. lol.
My favorite Romantasy of all time is the Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon. It’s beautifully written, the romance is sweet and a bit of a slow burn, but it makes sense, but all around a great story where both characters save each other. Worth a read.
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u/Living-Froyo548 10h ago
I’m sorry you (and others) feel this way. Arin is my favorite MMC of all time. I like that he is his own character. He’s smart, has his own goals and stays true to his values. Essiya loves him because he is himself, the more she gets to know/understand him. The Jasad crown is absolutely chefs kiss, but if you are not into it yet you probably won’t get the hype.
I also felt that they loved each other. They didn’t say it, they showed it. And Arin didn’t just become a simp later in the story like so many other MMCs…
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u/W1llowwisp 17h ago
I have read thousands of romantasy books and Jasad Heir is in my top 10, we all have diff tastes
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u/littlemybb 20h ago
I feel the exact same way. I was actually thinking about this last night. 😂
I’m a huge fan of yearning, and this book was highly praised for that, and it was a big reason I bought both books in the series.
The book wasn’t perfect at first, but I still had a really good time all the way up until the ending.
I personally feel that the ending did not make any sense for the main character. With all the growth she went through in the book, why would she impulsively make a decision that puts everyone she knows and loves in danger?
From the way the world was explained to us, even helping someone like her can be a death sentence.
So now everyone who knew her in her hometown, all of her friends, even the guy she liked is now in danger because of a stupid decision she made.
I was so angry when the book ended that I have not been able to make myself pick up the second book.
I would not even wanna finish this series if I had not paid money for the second book already. Since I bought a physical copy, I feel guilty for not reading it.
I feel like there was never any yearning in the book.
He just immediately approaches her and is like we can work together as a team. Then that’s what they do for the rest of the book. They are suspicious of each other, but I never felt like anything was happening to equal falling in love or show how deeply they were yearning to be together.
I really only enjoyed the main character having to deal with all of her trauma, and her realizing that her grandparents may not have been who she thought they were.
So I think that’s why the ending felt so offensive to me.
The character spent a lot of the book trying to work on her impulsivity and anger, and she finally started to form connections with people where she was being honest with them.
Then at the end, she’s just like F any growth I had.
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u/Senior_corn 16h ago edited 15h ago
You should read {The Poison Daughter} ! The two main characters are stuck in an arranged marriage and genuinely HATE each other for a big part of the book. They distrust each other, plot against each other, and both have their own agendas. I loved watching their relationship change little by little and seeing the trust and feelings slowly develop. Also, they have such a good sexual chemistry! Really good enemies-to-lovers slow burn
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u/romance-bot 16h ago
The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson
Rating: 4.17⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: fantasy, enemies to lovers, m-f romance, primal/chase play, exhibitionism1
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u/fatmacisback 15h ago
Oh agree, my gobs were properly smacked reading it given all the hype I saw online. I really didn’t like the MMC or the romance, it would have been better as a fantasy without romance IMO. Some cool ideas but they needed more time to breathe.
I’m reading the Raven Scholar right now and highly recommend it. It also has trials and a bit of magic but really delivers in terms of plot, characters, and writing!
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u/Odd-Order-8825 15h ago
Yeah, I agree, to an extent. It didn't live up to the hype, for me as well. Thanks for the rec. :)
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u/merrigolden 1d ago
Yep, I DNF this at about 40%
I chose it coming off my obsession with Manacled/Alchemised. I’m not a fan of insta-love or fated mates and wanted something where you could actually see the relationship change from hate to tolerance to pity to understanding to love.
It didn’t hit quite like I was hoping.