1/5 stars

DNF @ 25%

I'm sorry but I did not enjoy this at all. I wanted to like it, but the characters hold so steadfastly to their beliefs that it's aggressively over-the-top while simultaneously not having any reason for morals, and I can't get behind any of them. I'm not a fan of when things are categorized neatly into "good" and "bad" either, but the existence of karma for witches who do anything harmful means that there is no complexity in their actions. Since these are so ingrained in the plot, I sludged through a quarter of the book (my own personal mark for when I'm allowed to dnf) and then promptly snapped it shut.

3 out of 5 stars

For the most part, I thought this book was fine. It was engaging enough to keep reading, and it did not feel like it dragged on. But I cannot say it was any better than fine.

Ashoka, the third child of the emperor, is unlike his father and both of his siblings. They each revel in their violent society, and Ashoka cannot find it in him to kill a deer while hunting. Shakti, is a mayakari, or witch, who unleashes a curse after she witnesses the death of her aunt and village. These two people have their lives altered when the emperor dies and one is sent to govern a troubled town while the other works in the castle and plots her revenge.

The book is listed in the LGBT category, but this is misleading. There are no queer relationships in this story. There are vague comments made by Ashoka’s sister about him and his guard and at one point Ashoka begins to question his feelings for the man, but nothing comes of this. Maybe the next book in the series will have LGBT representation, but it is not to be found in The Prince Without Sorrow. It should also be noted, that these comments and feelings do not come until the end of the book. They are not implied throughout the whole story and kind of come out of nowhere.

My biggest issue with this book is the actions of the characters. It bothers me that Shakti makes many questionable decisions throughout the book with wide-reaching implications on the society she lives in, but she never learns any lessons, nor does she have to face the consequences of her actions. As for Ashoka, his character does a complete 180 in the last few chapters, and not enough justification is giving for those changes. I am not convinced that his circumstances would change his entire character in such a short amount of time. The changes seem random, and it made me lose interest in the story.

Another confusing part of this book is the intense hatred the emperor and his citizens have against the mayakari. The hatred is so strong that these women are killed upon discovery, and Ashoka is looked down upon because he is considered a “mayakari sympathizer.” It is never explained why the emperor hates the witches so much. He is even asked directly by Shakti and she does not receive an answer. I guess they are hated because they have power, and they could potentially be a threat to the humans, even though it is mentioned over and over that the mayakari are a peaceful group who have rules against using their magic for violence.

Overall, I did not hate this book, but I also cannot say that I liked this book. It was fine. The characters were interesting enough (even though I was often annoyed by Shakti and her life without consequence) and the plot captivated me enough to keep reading for over three hundred pages. However, I disliked the character changes at the end so much that I have no interest in continuing with this story. If there had been any sort of build up in the relationship between Ashoka and his guard, maybe I would keep reading, but there are not any crumbs to hold my interest.

Thank you HarperVoyager and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars, rounded up!

I didn’t really know anything about this book before I picked it up besides the fact the cover was incredibly interesting and it was going to be an Illumicrate pick, so I decided to pick it up and try just to see. Wijesekara’s debut is fun and the magic in it is so cool, and I had a lot of fun with this debut.

I absolutely loved the nature spirits and The Collective and these aspects of the book held my interest really well. This book is a dual POV between Shakti, a witch, and Ashoka, a prince, and while the two are more or less aligned in their goals, they’re keen on going about them in slightly different ways. I appreciated their corruption arcs and while I think at times they both read a touch young/immature there’s plenty of room for them to grow: by the time I finished the book I liked how different they felt from their first introduction. I enjoyed the core conflict (the persecution of witches) and absolutely adored the magic and the sort of climate focus this ended up taking on Ashoka’s side of the story.

Sometimes the prose felt a little clumsy and the antagonists felt a little over the top, but honestly I chalk this up to The Prince Without Sorrow being Wijesekara’s debut, and I’m definitely interested to see what happens next.

I received an eARC of this book for review from Harper Voyager via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This is such an interesting concept for a fantasy novel! I have a cursory understanding of India's history and religion because of multiple college courses, and I was looking forward to this fictional exploration of the history. Unfortunately, the execution didn't live up to my expectations. I enjoyed the setting and plot. The prose was serviceable, but it needed another round of editing. There were many instances of anachronistic language and suboptimal word selection. While I didn't keep a list, there was at least one time that the words infer and imply were confused. These things would have bothered me less if I had been more invested in the characters. Or perhaps these things prevented me from caring what happens to them? I'm not sure which. Both protagonists did have a compelling story to tell. And yet, for some reason I didn't feel compelled. There was so much potential, the world was interesting. It isn't bad, it just didn't live up to my hopes. I might continue the series, though.

The plot: Under Emperor Adil, witches are hunted and burned to facilitate his quest for land and resources. When the emperor suddenly dies, the empire is thrown into chaos. Prince Ashoka is an idealist hoping for change, but his violent siblings quell him. Shakti is a powerful witch with similar aims, but her magics are tempered by the mayakari pacifist code. Ashoka and Shakti must grapple with questions of philosophy and their own limitations to try to fix their world before the spirits destroy it .

My opinion: Sadly, I struggled to connect with this book. There were many things I enjoyed, especially the unique magic/spirit/creature world, the philosophical questions, and the vast set of characters. The author tees up many interesting dilemmas about violence vs pacifism, when the ends may justify the means, the cycle of karma, and what free will truly means in a world of many influences. The characters also had a lot of promise, with many differing motivations, ways of thinking, and relationships. I would have enjoyed deeper explorations of these important themes and the characters; I felt the book covered each only superficially and at times via odd metaphors and language. The pacing and through line of the plot felt disjointed and prevented immersion in the text. I believe future books in this series can build upon the solid potential here for a tighter and deeper execution of the story arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC Copy!

I was really excited about this book, the cover really grabbed my attention, and I was really intrigued by the Mauryan Empire and ancient Inda Mythologies that the book is based on. I was a little confused about what the characters were actually doing for a lot for the book. It was like there was zero plan and everything could just be accomplished by vibes alone. I do enjoy a book that is heavily based on vibes, but I also need something solid to build that foundation on, and I didn't really feel like I had that with this story.

I know the synopsis mentions some romantic angst, but if you’re looking for romantasy, then you’ll probably be disappointed. This is more just straight fantasy with some hints at possible romance later in the series. If you’re nervous to start a high fantasy series, then don’t worry, this isn’t that either! The start of a new trilogy, and I’m very curious to see where it goes.

We alternate POVs between Prince Ashoka – the youngest son of Emperor Adil Maurya. He’s considered the outcast of the family because he refuses to embrace their brutal violence against the witches of the empire.

Shakti is a witch, and despite her desire for revenge, she is bound by the pacifist code the witches follow. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and the entire village, she is determined to dismantle the legacy of Emperor Adil and destroy his family from the inside out.

There are a ton of mixed reviews for this book out there, and I can see both sides. The mythology alone had me captivated – who isn’t going to be when there are winged serpents involved? I think the complaints some readers had all stem from this being book one in a series. There are a lot of unanswered questions and setups that are seemingly abandoned, but I think there will be more to come in book two where the readers will appreciate that callback.

The characters didn’t feel completely developed,but again, book one, so there’s a lot of time for growth and exploration of their motivations and choices. It does end on a cliffhanger, so this will be a trilogy you have to read from start to finish (no possibility for standalones). I’m curious to see where this continues and will give book two a look to see how things progress.

I'm left feeling quite conflicted about this book. While the premise is intriguing and has a lot of potential, the overall execution felt disorganized and faltering. The characters, unfortunately, lack depth and relatability, each portraying self-serving traits that make it hard to connect with them. Their motivations often seem superficial, contributing to a sense of detachment as I read. Despite these shortcomings, I find myself curious to see how the story develops in the next installment. There’s a shimmer of promise that hints it could evolve into something truly engaging. I hope that future books will address these issues and deliver a more cohesive and compelling narrative.

Overall, the story has a wonderful concept but was not for me. The bitterness of the FMC, Shakti, was very hard to connect with as the story progressed. She is this way for valid reason being a witch that watched her family be killed. The MMC, Ashoka, understandably is focused on being more than the brutal king’s son. Political intrigue is heavily involved which I’m growing to understand isn’t my preferred read. So, this is a me thing more than the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon & Harper Voyager, and the author for the advanced reader copy.

Link was broken so I wasn’t able to download it to the netgally shelf app but I’m still interested in the story

I finished the book, but I was never really invested in the characters. The style of writing didn't appeal to this emotional reader, but the plot was intriguing.

Amazing!
The Prince Without Sorrow is the first book in the Obsidian Throne series and I can not wait for the second book to come out. I liked how the book drew on inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India. This fantasy series has witches; who are hunted, political intrigue and so much more. The author did an amazing job writing this one and I loved all of the characters in this. The world-building in this was so well done and interesting. Overall, this was a great start to the series and one that I loved a lot. I would recommend this book to any reader, especially to those who love fantasy. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this amazing read in exchange of my honest review of The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara.

It’s a respectable debut, but to be honest I’m kind of sick of “witch hunt” books. There’s less of a moral reckoning than there should be before the FMC breaks the pacifist moral code that she’s based her life on. These are really important Hindu concepts that just get summarized. I’m sure the author will improve in their further writings.

A book with no romance that I found entertaining! Honestly a feat because everything I read these days has romance of some sort in it. The story is told from two POVs, and the characters meet briefly and then don't interact again, which doesn't sound like it would make for a cohesive, interesting story but somehow it worked. This world where siblings were fighting and scheming and backstabbing for the throne amongst brutalized witching looking for change was such unbridled chaos and I'm here for it. Some aspects were a bit underdeveloped, but it still made for an engaging read. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

LOVED this. The prose flowed smoothly, which made it easy to digest. I loved the rich cultural elements that were clear without being so deep that they were hard to follow. The queer representation was very appreciated as well. Easily one of my best reads this year so far. I intend to seek out future works by this author.

Not a big fan of this unfortunately. I’m very character driven and these characters just came across as really dumb, idealistic and constantly making gains very stupid decisions. I would say this is more YA than anything. I also found the pacing difficult but interesting concept with the magic system and world building.

was an ok read, nothing really stood out to me. personally if I was the MC I wouldve been worse if I could invade dreams.

Princess Monoke vibes in a patriarchy-driven empire!

Prince Without Sorrow was a great beginning to what I think will be a really stunning series with an amazing world. In this story we follow two main characters:
Shakti- a mayakari (essentially a witch), full of vengeance for her aunt and other mayakari, not good at the pacifism she’s been taught!
Prince Ahsoka Maurya- the Emperor’s son, sad boy pacifist, outcast in his family

In the Ran Empire, Emperor Adil has been persecuting mayakari for years, hunting them down and burning them at the stake. The mayakari are witches who use their power to maintain peace and have a strict pacifist code. They can raise the dead, speak to nature spirits, and curse the living. They typically keep most of this to themselves due to the propaganda the Emperor has spread about them to sow hatred throughout the Empire.

Shakti experiences this firsthand when she has to watch her aunt and other mayakari being burned in front of her. Rather than taking her aunt’s wishes of fighting against her need for vengeance, Shakti makes a decision to use her powers to take revenge against the Emperor. The curse she casts does exact revenge, however, it also has other unforeseen consequences.

With his father’s death, Ashoka is thrust into more responsibility, taking on the task of getting rid of the nature spirits plaguing the region of Taksila. This mission seems doomed to fail but Ahsoka is determined to approach it with new eyes.

The two characters end up meeting and befriending each other as Shakti continues her quest against the Emperor’s family. We do see some interaction between the two, but much of the story is split into two perspectives and they each continue their own plot.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Shakti is an amazing badass woman out for vengeance, so of course she’s an automatic win for me. But, I was actually surprised by the Prince. Ahsoka is introduced to us as being the outcast child of the emperor who refuses to agree with his father’s violence and wants to enact change peacefully. He’s often kind of angsty, as this type of character usually is, but the author wrote him with such nuance and slight surprises to the normal trope that he won me over. By the end of the story I was fully invested in what he was going to do next. I really appreciate when an author can utilize a character trope while also giving them their own agency and a little spin on what you would expect. None of these characters were flat and I enjoyed all of them!

Ahsoka’s sister, Aarya, was also another thoroughly enjoyable character for me. She was definitely the antagonist but also a character that had more nuance than just being “bad.” I’m interested to see how she grows and what she does next.

One of my biggest hopes for this series is that the author expands even more upon the world building and does all of the creatures that were introduced justice! All of the little nature spirits and the Great spirits and how they exist and interact in this world were so interesting. I also really liked the giant leopards that they rode! They were by far my favorite part of the book and I can’t wait to see more.

Overall a great start to a new fantasy series!


Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC copy!

I am going to be so honest I hated the characters in this book. The first like 2 pages I thought maybe I could and would love this book but I hated all of the characters

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the gifted copy.

This story was an interesting premise of the cost of violence versus pacifism. We meet Ashoka who is a prince to a brutal father in a empire with a brutal history of killing witches simply for the potential of what they could do if they used their powers. Meanwhile, the witches and their supporters simply standby while they are killed off mercilessly, all in the name of a pacifist 'do no harm' philosophy. For gear of being cursed.

I supported neither side of this argument as I believed them both to be idealistic and fool hardy. The witches in, particular who were already living a "cursed " existence for all intents and purposes, but refused to fight back in equal measure because of potential bad karma, did not make that much sense to me. After years of seeing your family, friends, and communities being completely destroyed even though you did nothing to deserve it and still choosing not to fight back was not it for me at all. On the other hand, the prince has literally never truly had to fight for his place or even earn the authority he wants but expects to achieve it with idealistic thinking. That scene with the deer almost sent me over the edge 😂😂😂.

By the end of the novel, we saw the prince begin to be somewhat corrupted as he reckoned that violence would be a necessary part of this future if he intended to achieve his goals. Shakti's development on the other hand was a bit more interesting and strange to me. She received a very powerful magical ability which she attempted to use for her benefit, but her communications with the princess didn't add up with her station and overall situation. The ending of the novel was intersectionality, but I don't wish we had gotten more info as far as the origins and workings of the mysterious power.