An interesting first entry into a series! World building and characters were there, but not quite as cohesive as I would have wanted. However, it is an enjoyable read and I'll read the next entry in the series to see how the author and world progresses.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me, with good bones but writing that ultimately didn't connect for me and that disconnect hindered my enjoyment of this book.

Let's start with the things I liked! The spirits and that form of magic was a great idea. The first page was excellent and captivating, with the witches - witches themselves are always a positive, honestly. And I do love a woman set on revenge, which was the heart of the arc for Shakti, one of the two POV characters.

So there were a lot of things that boded well for me! But it truly does sadden me to say: these things were let down by the clunky and often overwrought writing, along with the heavy-handed themes and character traits. For the latter, the idea of a witch set on revenge and a pacifist prince as your main characters is a great idea, especially with the questions of morality that each character will surely stumble across. But it felt like being hit upon the head with "ASHOKHA IS A PACIFIST, LOOK HOW OSTRACIZED HE IS FOR IT" over and over, with very little else to his character or development for much of the book. The characters read very young as well, and I kept having to remind myself they were written to be adults.

I don't want to come across as I'm picking apart the writing, because overall, the writing was good! But when I did find it awkward, boy, did I ever find it awkward. And because that happened more than a few times, I unfortunately started to get distracted by it. Some examples below:

"She wasted no time helping Prince Ashoka saddle Sahry, though it took some time."
Did it take no time or some time?

"Hundreds of years ago, during the reign of his namesake, Ashoka the First, the mountain had been as natural as any other, until magic - either mayakari or Great Spirit, not even the empire’s greatest scholars could deduce - caused half to deteriorate like a necrotic limb. This reason was the most well-known, but later stories for the mountain’s current state often veered into downright fantasy."
1) What is the reason? No actual reason was stated, beyond "magic." 2) How is magic not fantasy??

"He recognized the clear and sharp handwriting in a heartbeat and, almost immediately, he noticed a glaring disparity in his father’s writing."
The disparity is in the content of the letter, not the handwriting, but you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise with this sentence.

"Godlike fury spiralled into him, working its way into his head, twisting in the deep trenches of his heart."
While this isn't clunky writing, it is overwrought af, and also an odd choice of "godlike" when I don't believe any gods are mentioned in this book.

So again, not terrible and almost certainly not going to bother every reader, but just enough to worm into my brain as I read and take me out of the story itself.

I'll end with saying that I had made a list of a handful of quotes that just didn't quite sit right as I read, and in a couple of cases, had noted only the quote with no further notes or context. Such was the case with what is now my favourite quote: Shakti, please be serious.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Voyager, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

If “don’t think, just do” was a book. The characters straight up vibe there way through this book. I enjoyed the story, I wish it would have stuck with me a bit longer. It reads as more of a young adult book than adult, which is fine with me. The villain in the story is a bit one dimensional, and could have been more developed. Overall a good easy-reading story, and the cover is beautiful! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this ARC, opinions are my own and given freely!

A world-building masterpiece, The Prince Without Sorrow was an incredible read filled with whimsy and magic. While the characters are terribly flawed and a bit flighty, it made up for it with a really cool plot.

The world-building is vivid, featuring nature spirits, a structured magic system, and a society grappling with the consequences of power and pacifism. Ashoka's internal struggle between his ideals and the harsh realities of leadership is particularly compelling. But I sometimes feel like Shakti's rapid mastery of new abilities and the ease with which she infiltrates the palace stretches believability at times. While the novel offers a thoughtful exploration of its themes, the pacing can be uneven, and certain plot elements may benefit from further development in future installments. Nonetheless, it's a promising start to the Obsidian Throne series, especially for readers interested in character-driven fantasy with nuanced ethical dilemmas.

I quite enjoyed this book. I felt the pacing of the plot was well suited to the plot and how we got to know the characters. I felt like this book was building up to something more - more of an introduction to the world and the main characters, rather than a deep dive into the plot. It is definitely more character driven.
Shakti’s character is pure rage, as she is determine to seek out vengeance for the persecution of the witches. On the other side is Ashoka and his too nice demeanour. While Shahkti is very impulsive, Ashoka takes too much time to think things through and misses many opportunities to undermine his cruel siblings. This does change as the story progresses, as Ashoka grows more into his character, but I wanted it to happen sooner. In summary, it is a slow burn story. The main characters do not cross paths much, but they do have their separate roles to play.
I liked the world building and felt like I got a good sense for the atmosphere the story takes place in. I also found the magic system interesting.
I’d recommend this book to readers that enjoys books that explore different mythologies - the main draw for me in this one is the dive into mythology from ancient India and it delivered.
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for digital advanced reader copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honestly and my own.

3.5 rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review (I’m a bit late). Lots of impulsive decision for the characters, but I was just along for the ride honestly. Our characters definitely acted without thinking for a lot of things. But, I still had some questions about the history between the empire and the mayakari that were really never answered. Writing seemed a little clunky and some metaphors were kind of ridiculous. Sometimes the prose and the words she chose just came of pretentious. The ending has left me intrigued enough for the next I think.

This is such an intriguing story and I can't wait to see how it goes. I really liked Shakti, but was not the biggest fan of Ashoka. His pacifism border lined naivety that I felt he should not have had. That along with how conveniently events happened made the book read more YA when I think it's supposed to be Adult. Despite all that I loved the story and I cannot wait to see what happens next! How are they going to deal with Ashoka's sister?

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and Maithree Wijesekara for an advanced copy of this book.
DNF at chapter three.
There were some good ideas and I don't mind a rehashing of common tropes if a book does something interesting with them but I couldn't get far enough to say if it does. The writing is confusing, nonsensical, and feels unfinished. I like many types of prose but this was just not something I could get past.

The Prince without sorrow is an interesting debut. Set in an Indian inspired world we follow two protagonists Ashoka, the youngest son of the emperor, and Shakti, A young witch know as a Mayakari. The book starts with Shakti breaking mayakari codes and cursing and killing the emperor in revenge for his persecution and killing of her people. After doing so she is horrified to learn that brutal and cruel emperor Audil is now trapped in her head, after seeing another person in a vision where they tell her to seek out Ashoka so she travels to the capital. In the capital Ashoka has been dealing with a fraught relationship with both of his siblings and his father due to their frustration at his more peaceful tendencies and his desire to help the mayakari. The emperor dies he finds his place in succession in question, along with the impossible task of trying to get a territory back under control.

Overall I enjoyed the story, it was a very interesting debut if nothing else. While the pacing was off at points and the characters felt, and certain parts of the story where repetitive I Adam interested to see where the sequel goes.

This book was stunning to read. The world building and the careful way the author wove in folklore lead to a beautiful novel. I can't wait to read more.

I loved books inspired by ancient India or Indian mythology! I loved the world-building, the characters, the bickering between siblings, and the magical elements. That being said, I did find the writing to be more on the YA side versus an adult fantasy. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Prince Ashoka Maurya is the youngest son of the ruthless Emperor Adil. Raised under a regime of terror and conquest, Ashoka has always yearned for a different path, a kingdom defined by justice, not bloodshed. But when his father dies suddenly, leaving a fractured throne and a brewing rebellion, Ashoka is sent to govern an unstable, annexed region plagued by malevolent nature spirits. Surrounded by suspicion and desperation, Ashoka faces the impossible challenge of balancing his ideals with the harsh realities of his inheritance.

Shakti is a witch bound by a pacifist code, her spirit fractured by the massacre of her village and the murder of her beloved aunt. In her grief, she curses the imperial bloodline, only to find herself caught in a cycle of destruction she never intended. Disguised as a maidservant in the Maurya palace, Shakti seeks to unravel the monarchy from within, determined to watch the empire crumble.

As Ashoka and Shakti’s fates collide, they are forced to question their beliefs and confront the darkness within themselves. Will they destroy each other in their search for redemption, or will they find a new path that defies the legacy of violence they were born into?

The book blends lush, culturally rooted world-building with classic fantasy elements of power struggles, forbidden magic, and rebellion. The strength of the novel lies in its intricate exploration of identity, Ashoka's struggle to escape his father’s legacy and Shakti’s battle to reconcile her pacifist beliefs with her thirst for vengeance. Their contrasting perspectives creates a captivating push-and-pull dynamic, heightening the tension as they inch closer to each other's truths.

If you love morally gray characters, slow-burn romance, and a deep dive into cultural mythology with a political edge, The Prince Without Sorrow is for you. It’s a tale that explores the weight of legacy, the price of revenge, and the hope of redemption.

This isn't a bad novel, but it's not great, either. It started off well enough, but it meanders through its plotline, never quite finding its metaphorical feet. Shakti is a mayakari, a nature witch who draws her powers from her connection to earth spirits; the philosophy of such witches is pacifistic, although Shakti never quite buys into the paradigm taught to her by her aunt, who raised and trained her. Ashoka is a prince, the youngest of three children of the reigning emperor; unlike his father and siblings, he sees no reason to persecute the mayakari simply for existing. Their characters are interesting, but never quite coalesce into fully-fleshed individuals; they read like caricatures based on myth - which they may well be, as this novel draws its inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of ancient India.

Like too many novels that are written as the first book in a series - rather than as a complete novel in their own right - this book is incomplete. It ends, rather abruptly, not on a resolution with an epilogue leading into the next volume, but with an unanticipated and unexpected event much more akin to the cliffhanger at the end of an installment of a serial. It's not a bad novel; however, it was not to my taste - and this ending only solidified a nascent discomfort with the overall structure. I hope the planned sequel will address the issues with the characterization and completion.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in it and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Unfortunately, the writing was a bit too clunky for me. It simply wasn't for me. I didn't finish it.

I DNF’d this book at 20%. It had a lot of promise, but I found it confusing and frustrating to try to read. Thank you Harper Voyager for the eARC.

Oh, the anger!

How it burned in both Shakti and Ashoka-- how Ashoka buries his deep, acting only in ways that others will not see his anger, while Shakti feeds a blaze. And like all fires, it leads to consequences.
There is regrowth too with fires-- it cannot be neglected how Shakti's anger helps her, how she works to save others, and how she uses it to help Ashoka.

Ashoka needs to deal with several difficult situations, where he must also make direct moral quandaries-- can he kill? should he kill? how much will it harm others?-- as Shakti sinks deeper into magic, and ensnares herself with traps. Though the storylines of both were predictable in how the set-up pieces would fall (and the author did a very good job at laying the lines of destruction), how it'll blow up and continue to expand in the next book is something I very much look forward to!

Maithree Wijesekara's debut novel is incredible. She created a rich and engaging world with two main point of view characters I loved, Ahsoka and Shakti. Shakti was my favorite character; I loved that she never compromised her beliefs. I look forward to the sequel and anything else Wijesekara writes in the future.

I was so excited for this book, and I am heartbroken that I got about 45% of the way through and had to stop. I tried, I reallyyyyy tried to love it. It had all the elements I love in a book, but it wasn't enough to carry me through the frustrating choice of writing. Sometimes it's okay to use one word that describes one thing instead of three or four. It gets a little much when something so simple is described in such an unnecessarily convoluted way. It felt TOO much.