The Prince Without Sorrow, a fantasy novel inspired by India's Mauryan Empire, enraptured me in the best possible way!

The story centers on Ashoka, a prince dedicated to non-violent philosophies in the midst of his family's tyrannical regime, and Shakti, a witch who rejects her pacifist code in the name of revenge after her aunt is murdered by the Emperor, whose mission is to hunt the kingdom's witches to extinction.

The exploration of whether pacifism is viable in a cruel, murderous world and whether power can be maintained without violence is deeply compelling here. I'm looking forward to seeing which direction these debates take in the upcoming books.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was the Ancient India-inspired worldbuilding and the seamless integration of the fantastical - particularly the nature spirits, mayakari (witches), and winged serpents!

This book has me fully invested in the trilogy and has effectively set the stage for the next installment. I can't wait to see what comes next for Shakti, Ashoka, and the empire!

I was really intrigued by the premise, but the execution just didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off, and the characters lacked the depth I was hoping for. I wanted to love this, but unfortunately, it fell flat.

I was really intrigued by the premise, but the execution just didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off, and the characters lacked the depth I was hoping for. I wanted to love this, but unfortunately, it fell flat.

This was an incredibly intracate story of loyalty, duty, and legacy. Shakti has been forced to watch her people die, and when it's someone closer to her, she decides that enough is enough. Releasing a curse upon the emperor goes further than expected, and the empire is thrown into turmoil with the three royal siblings squabbling over power.

Ashoka is the youngest son of the late emperor, and he's working to move past his father's reign and create something better. But there are many obstacles standing in his way, including his siblings. Unknowingly, Ashoka and Shakti have been working towards the same goal - saving the mayakari people from being killed.

They've entered into a complex political game with not only the power of an empire, but the power of the nature spirits as well. Ashoka is left with a letter that will change their fate depending on his response, and I cannot wait for th next part of this story!

I had the chance to read an ARC of *The Prince Without Sorrow*, and overall, I really enjoyed it. The characters are definitely one of the highlights of the book. They’re well-developed and feel real, with motivations that keep you invested in their stories. I found myself caring about what happened to them, which is always a good sign.

The world-building is also top-notch. The author does an excellent job of creating a detailed, immersive world that feels alive and complex. I loved how everything fit together once I got the hang of the setting and its rules.

That said, the plot took a little while to click. At first, I found it a bit hard to follow, with some twists and events that didn’t fully make sense to me right away. But by the end, everything came together in a way that I found really satisfying, and the payoff was definitely worth the initial confusion.

All in all, *The Prince Without Sorrow* is a great read, especially if you’re into fantasy with rich characters and a fully fleshed-out world. The plot may take a little patience, but it wraps up in a way that makes the journey worth it. I’m definitely curious to see where the author goes next!

I am sad to be writing a less than stellar review as this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. The concepts were all really appealing to me: South Asian inspired world, witches, LGBTQ+ rep, and unique creature spirits (which did end up being one of my favorite parts of the story). What fell flat was the execution. After the first couple of chapters, there’s a lot of aimless wandering without any action, as well as a lot of political machinations that felt like reading business meetings instead of real moves contributing to the plot. The main characters don’t meet until like 30% into the book and hardly interacted after that which took away from my connection to their romance once it finally happened. I wanted to be emotionally invested in this, especially considering how much I liked the beginning and the concept overall, but I just wasn’t.

The Prince Without Sorrow, the first book in the Obsidian Throne series is a study in contrasts.

Prince Ashoka, born into a legacy of violence, wants only to be at peace. He rebels against the hard line instructions of his father and older siblings.
Shakti is a mayakari, a witch, who was born into a tradition of peacefulness and wants only to exact revenge on those who have hurt her family.

I'm interested to see where the paths of Ashoka and Shakti lead in future books.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara
Genre: fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love political intrigues in books, and this book provided them. I found the magic system interesting; it included witches, natural spirits, collective consciousness, and animal companions.

I enjoyed the characters and following their journeys. I appreciated how they changed in response to their circumstances, rather than remaining the same throughout the story and were acting on the spot instead of having a clear plan. Prince Ashoka, for example, adapted to the challenges he faced, while Shakti was unpredictable, embracing whatever fate threw at her and striving to adapt to each situation.

I am invested in this story and looking forward to book 2.

Thank you so much @coloredpagesbt to including me into this book tour! And @harpervoyagerus for the gifted copy! #theprincewithoutsorrow #fantasyreads #fantasybooks #bookstagram

The Prince Without Sorrow was wonderfully written and is the first installment and debut novel of Maithree Wijesekara's Obsidian Throne Trilogy.
I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading it. The world building this author has done here was amazing, I loved the settings and the characters.

The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne #1) by Maithree Wijesekara, 384 pages. Harper Voyager (HarperCollins), 2025. $19.
Language: R (10 swears, 13 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS, ADULT - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
A woman in mourning of her pacifist people, Shakti (22yo) wants to fight back against the emperor for vengeance more than anything. Meanwhile, Prince Ashoka (22yo) wants to stand firm as a pacifist himself, despite being a son of the tyrant emperor raising his children on the path of conquest—making Ashoka the weakest and least listened to of the lot. When the emperor dies, Shakti and Ashoka move forward on paths that will change the empire—and themselves.
Both Shakti and Ashoka have firm goals, but they lack clear plans to achieve those goals. They struggle not only with outside opposition to their goals but also with their own moral standards—facing the age-old question of whether the ends justify the means. At the end of book one, nothing has gone as expected; everything has changed through crazy twists in both the protagonists and antagonists.
The majority of characters are implied Indian and described as having brown skin. Jaya is lesbian, and there are a couple other lgbt characters. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol, drugs, and brothels and for innuendo. The violence rating is for blood and gore, corpses, assault, mentions of genocide and suicide, self harm, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This book is a romantasy about a young girl who wants revenge against the emperor who killed her aunt & others in her community because they are witches/sympathizers.

Unfortunately, I ended up dnfing (did not finish) at around the 40% mark. While this book had protentional and a great storyline/blurb, the execution fell short. I struggled often in trying to follow what was happening, partly because things seemed all over the place- it felt like I was only seeing 80% of the picture, and partly because the grammar was difficult to follow- I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs, trying to figure out who/what was being referred to. It felt like I was having to overwork my brain to understand the scene.

Another thing that I struggled with was being pulled into the book. I was bored while reading, and when things finally started to pick up and get interesting, the next chapter would go to a different pov where nothing was happening and it would get boring again. It was very difficult to stay immersed in the book.

Like I said, it has great potential and an interesting plot- I just had difficulty following the storyline. This is the first in the series, so maybe the writing and pacing will get better!

4.5 / 5 ⭐️
0 / 5 🫑

Such a well-written story!
Political intrigue ✅️
Hidden identities ✅️
Persecution of witches and women ✅️
Unique magic system ✅️

If you are a Star Wars fan like me, this book might strike you as familiar. Ahsoka? Shakti? A pacifist race of witches (Jedi)? A fallen witch (bloodthirsty Jedi)? An emperor set on destroying these witches? It has it all!! But this is no space drama. Deeply set in Indian lore, this story is more unique than a Star Wars fanfic. Ahsoka is the pacifist prince, and Shakti is the fallen witch. Although these two are the main characters, this is not where the subtle romance in the book lies. I can't wait to read Book 2 and see what troubles these two get into next!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eARC.

***Thank you to Harper Voyager for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

First things first, The Prince Without Sorrow was NOT a romantasy or even romantic fantasy. I have no idea why it is tagged as such on Goodreads. If you are looking for a book that leans heavily into romance, this is not it. There was actually hardly any romance at all, just some suppressed feelings. I do think that there could be the potential for more romance as the series goes on, but we’ll see.

The Prince Without Sorrow could have REALLY used a few more rounds of editing before getting into the hands of readers. I don’t usually complain about minor typos or other errors in an ARC, but this one had a lot of problems that were not minor. So many scenes were hard to follow because of how they were written. I’m also left wondering if the author understands the meaning of a lot of words. I was scratching my head at quite a few word choices because I don’t think they meant what the author thought they did. Overall, the writing just wasn’t that great, and I seriously hope the book was heavily edited before being sent to the printers.

That being said, The Prince Without Sorrow had some interesting ideas. The nature spirits were really cool, and I found the magic to be fascinating. The themes were also quite compelling. The story questioned whether pacifism is a suitable vehicle for revolution or whether violence is a necessary evil to prevent worse atrocities. Both of the main characters had to grapple with that question in different ways, especially since one of them was raised by pacifists and the other by a bloodthirsty tyrant. Their naivete and single-mindedness did muddy the overall exploration of the central theme, though, as did the inclusion of a mind control element.

The plot of The Prince Without Sorrow kept me seated from start to finish. I loved all of the family and political drama. There was always something going on, and I never got bored with the story. I actually ended up reading most of it in one day. A lot of things did happen a bit too conveniently, though, and so much was left unanswered by the end. I know that it was the first book in a series, but I prefer at least some resolution in each installment. Specifically, I really wanted more of an explanation for how Shakti got access to the Collective so easily. With it seemingly passed down from royal to royal, it made no sense to me that it would just jump to her because of a curse. Do the royals typically kill each other for access? Like, what was the typical mechanism of transfer. I just had a hard time buying the whole thing.

All in all, The Prince Without Sorrow had some good ideas. It just needed better execution of them. There was enough of interest here that I’ll likely pick up the sequel. However, I’m not sure that I can wholeheartedly recommend it, especially for those wanting a tale with significant amounts of romance. Therefore, I rate this book 3.25 out of 5 stars.

The third son of a tyrant Emperor isn’t supposed to be a peaceful man. Prince Ashoka’s pacifist ideals are a disappointment to his father and a sign of weakness to his two power-hungry siblings, each eager to continue their father’s legacy. Chief among their goals is the destruction of all mayakuri, innocent witches who swear to do no harm yet are hunted and burned under the emperor’s rule. But when orphaned mayakuri Shakti forgoes her oath and seeks vengeance for her people, she sparks a chain reaction that leads directly to Prince Ashoka. Together, they have a chance to change the empire—but how far can rigid ideals bend before they break?

Early reviewers are right to note that The Prince Without Sorrow’s character dynamics, central theme, and magic system echo Avatar: The Last Airbender—Ashoka is the Aang to his siblings’ Zuko and Azula, and the benefits, limits, and ultimate privilege of pacifism as a political strategy in the face of tyranny are explored with similar nuance. By the halfway point, though, Wijesekara’s plot truly comes into its own, deftly balancing Ashoka’s journey toward leadership with Shakti’s impulsive yet justifiable acts of revenge. As a male protagonist, Ashoka’s softness is rare, refreshing, and much-needed in the literary world, and I thoroughly enjoyed the (albeit very brief) hint of a M/M romance to come between him and another favorite secondary character.

I absolutely adore political intrigue in fantasy and The Prince Without Sorrow serves politics in spades, calling to mind favorites like The Goblin Emperor, Navola, and The Well of Ascension—though perhaps falling short of their literary prowess. Wijesekara never takes a firm stance on the pacifism the book explores, and though I don’t dislike a nuanced approach, the overall message feels slightly confused as a result. Some lines needed additional editing for clarity, and both age/maturity and character motivation occasionally felt difficult to discern.

Still, The Prince Without Sorrow offers a promising start to an epic political fantasy series I’m eager to continue, and is a great pick for anyone seeking closed door/no romance fantasy featuring nature spirits and magic, a quest for revenge, and a slow-building fight for the throne!

This is one of my new favorite fantasy series! I was sucked in from the beginning, with the incredible world building and all of the richly multi-facted characters. I was absolutely hooked and I CANNOT WAIT for the next book in this trilogy. Any fantasy reader will fall head over heels for this new series because it has the makings of an incredible trilogy.

Loved the story, but I do wish the characters had an official plot to what they were doing. They kind of just existed, and occasionally had a thought of ‘just do it,’ and they just went along with that.

3.5 Stars I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t entirely memorable either. Another Prince and another Witch. Only this time, it’s not a lovers' squabble that occupies the story plot. Prince Ashoka’s father, the king, has been killed by Shakti (a mayakari), a product of a curse. A curse that has left her bound to the king and, ultimately, his children. Prince Ashoka is the youngest of the Maurya Monarch. The Prince does not believe in cruelty. The Prince wants to free the witches, appease the Nature Spirits, and… claim the throne. I found the political turmoil and environmental aspects similar to real-life conflicts, and I liked the voice between the lines of a call to action. The imagery and world-building were surface-level, and the characters didn’t have much depth or direction. However, the storyline was extremely unique, and for that, I stuck around! I’d say this is more YA than adult; the romance is subtle, and other than some musings about kissing, there’s no spice—so I wouldn’t call it a Romantasy. I am interested in seeing where this series is headed and I thank NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the advance reader copy.

This one was tough to get through, but I’ll admit—the ending pulled things together nicely. The story had a solid foundation, but the execution wasn’t quite there. Some parts dragged on way too long with too much explanation, while others needed more detail to really land the emotional impact they were going for. It made the pacing feel uneven, which made it hard to stay engaged.

The characters had potential, but some of their interactions felt a little flat. There were moments that should have been intense or emotional, but they didn’t quite hit because the build-up wasn’t strong enough. It’s like the book almost got there but didn’t take the extra step to really make you feel it.

That said, the last part of the book was easily the best. The resolution actually felt satisfying, and I didn’t walk away feeling like I wasted my time. If the whole story had the same energy as the ending, this could have easily been a four-star read.

Not a bad book, just one that needed better balance. If you can push through the slower parts, the ending at least makes it worth it.

The Prince Without Sorrow centers around the outcast and pacifist, Prince Ashoka and a witch out for revenge, Shakti. It is told in both perspectives, which is always a tough one to have an opinion on because I always feel like we don’t get enough time in any one person’s head to form a clear opinion of their story. That is unfortunately what happens here, as I felt like we clearly understood the why but didn’t dig down deep enough to understand what the end goal was for any of the characters. Without being on board with their goals, the character’s development falls a little flat.

The world building in this book really shined, which was great to see in the first book of a trilogy. Hopefully because this foundation was laid in the first book, the second will have more of a focus on character development.

There is little to no romance here, but I knew that going in. I’m hoping for more in the second, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this leans more heavily into fantasy throughout. Overall, if that is what you’re looking for, I don’t see you being disappointed in this book. I do think it is important to keep in mind that this will be a trilogy, so pick this up anticipating a slow start.

This book was so good to me.

I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This is the ultimate story of how getting your lick back may not be the best decision or how turning the other cheek may be the best decision. Imagine being so angry that you shift the entire world's atmosphere—whew!

This book has romantic ideas about sibling rivalry but no romance on the page, which I enjoyed. The conflict setup was solid, and the story never ran dry. Right when I thought I knew what was going on, there was a new twist! I actually felt like I was writing the story as I read it, filling in the blanks left behind..this read was a good time!

This was a ride for me. The world and character building were well thought out, but the magical elements could have been unfolded more. This is only book 1, so I am sure book 2 will continue to unfold this story.

The ending left me with my mouth hung open... what happens with the spare king!? They were not expecting his moxie. I can't wait for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager | Harper Voyager, and Maithree Wijesekara for the ARC of the Prince Without Sorrow.