Exclusive cover reveal: Sahira Javaid’s Crowning Essence shows off its fire-wielding Muslim protagonist

Culturess is pleased to reveal the cover of Sahira Javaid’s second book, Crowning Essence, which shows off its fire-wielding Muslim protagonist.

In her YA fantasy debut, Crowning Soul, author Sahira Javaid introduced readers to Nezha Zaman, a young woman with the extraordinary — but secret — ability to control fire. Javaid took us on a journey that saw Nezha successfully restoring the angel’s soul, but her story doesn’t end there. Despite all she’s done, it seems Noorenia will face new problems in the book’s forthcoming sequel, Crowning Essence. 

Perfect for fans of InuYasha and The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty, Crowning Essence will see Noorenia’s life force continuing to dwindle and Nezha growing increasingly desperate to save it. The stakes are high for Nezha in this sequel, and her determination to save Noorenia leads her on a journey to find others with elemental powers like her.

Read the official synopsis for Crowning Essence: 

"“Nezha successfully restored the angel’s soul. Despite that, Noorenia’s life force continues to dwindle as winter’s teeth sink into the land and the angel’s body remains lost.Now she needs to find other jawhars, who like her can control the elements.Nezha and the others are led to the city of Veer where jawhars are mere performers, magic is illicit entertainment and the water jawhar Amaya, under the control of the evil jinni Lexa—wreaks bloody havoc. If Nezha wants to keep Noorenia from falling apart, she needs to get the other jawhars to join her quest and find the angel’s body.Not only must they face Lexa’s corrupting magic, but their own inner demons.Then, tragedy befalls the city, testing Nezha with loss and as she struggles to hold onto what’s dear to her, she will be forced to sacrifice—and what—if she wants to keep the world of Noorenia from falling.A breathtaking tale, Crowning Essence is the dark and dangerous sequel to Crowning Soul.”"

What promises to be a breathtaking sequel, Crowning Essence teases a dark and dangerous story, just like its predecessor. And Culturess is pleased to present the cover for newest addition to Javaid’s Heart of Noorenia series.

Check out the cover for Crowning Essence below: 

The cover shows off the story’s fire-wielding, Muslim protagonist, something that was important to Javaid. Speaking to Culturess about the cover for her sequel, she said:

"“I wanted to have my MC, Nezha, on the cover. I’ve never seen any YA books with a hijabi character before. It was my dream to have people see that Muslims can be heroes and can be the main character, going on adventures of their own. With Nezha’s fierce determination, her sword of blue fire in hand, and a dress cascading with flames, it all brought it together. It’s better than I could’ve imagined it [to be]!”"

Beyond the cover, Javaid hopes Muslims and other POC can find themselves represented within her stories.

“I hope people will find hope, and especially Muslims and POC can see themselves in my books,” she said. “To see themselves on an adventure, smiling, laughing, finding love, and having fun.”

Crowning Essence doesn’t currently have an official release date, but it’s slated to hit shelves sometime this year. Stay tuned for more updates about Javaid’s latest.

What do you think of the stunning cover for Crowning Essence? Have you read Javaid’s previous novel or do you plan to? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!