First and foremost as always thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. This was an incredibly good read! The story was beautifully written and the characters were flushed out really well! Loved this! Definitely worth the read!

What an epic start to what is sure to be a wonderful fantasy series! Drawing from the Mauryan Empire of ancient India, The Prince Without Sorrow combines equal parts compelling characters, heart pounding plot and lush worldbuilding. I really enjoyed how clearly inventive and thought out the plot was and I LOVED Shakti as a main character. I truly feel like the plot could go anywhere in the sequel and I’m excited to see where it goes!

I can definitely see how this book would draw in fantasy lovers! Sadly the writing didn't work for me as well, but I am interested to see where the series goes.

*longer review to come and this will be updated.

Getting right to it, this was... fine. The novel is set in a world where witches, mayakari, are ruthlessly hunted by the violent emperor until one day he drops dead. It turns out that Shakti, the main mayakari we follow, has broken one of their four rules and cast a curse now she has to suffer the consequences.

We also follow the emperor's three children. Ashoka is the youngest and is hellbent on not following in his father's footsteps. He is viewed as soft and incompetent because he refuses to take innocent lives.

Shakti and Ashoka cross paths and do what they can to work together to save the mayakari. The problem is neither one of them has a true thought out plan. They operate on vibes alone. What seems best at this very moment?

Honestly I was slightly bored with the novel and didn't care about any of the characters until almost the very end. I did enjoy watching Ashoka change (was it for the worse? Who knows?) and morph into someone that seems like a totally new person.

My main problem with this debut is that it feels like it's purpose was to set up for the rest of the series. It was really slow and then bang it was over. I do think the second installment could be better.

Dnf at 17%.

Mmmno, sadly. The writing is just a big no.

This book nearly had me with the flying snakes, but it’s impossible for me to get over the writing style. Too much flowery prose, and the phrasing is so convoluted, every few paragraphs I was pulled out of the story because I had to make sense of it. The dialogue between characters is just used as exposition 2.0, and it feels so stilted and artificial, it lacks any kind of emotion.

This could have been such a cool concept for a book, but the writing just does it a great disservice.

‘The Prince Without Sorrow’
Maithree Wijesekara
4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC for review.

‘The Prince Without Sorrow’ is the debut book of author Maithree Wijesekara, it draws inspiration from the Mauryan Empire and brings the reader on an adventure with spirits, serpents, and a touch of swords. I enjoyed the dual POVs of Shakti and Ashoka, their personalities that both ‘don't fit’ in the lives they were meant to lead were refreshing to read about, both deemed imperfect but knowing in their hearts that what they are doing must somehow be justice.

The magic system was familiar and easy to grasp, and the world-building was never so convoluted that it was hard to understand, which I appreciated. This book also tackles a lot of modern-day themes with fantasy twists and handles the nuance rather well, but I am interested to see the plot develop more with our main characters buckling down on how to enact their plans and ideals into the world around them more.

Overall, I am excited to see what comes next for the characters in this novel and it was a solid 4-star read for me. I loved the representation and political pull; however, if you are looking for Romantasy, this would not be your cup of tea.

I really really wanted to like this book, it had a lot of great potential to be more interesting. The plot of the story seems great at times unfortunately pacing and having some unanswered questions just didn’t do it for me.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
4.5 out of 5 stars rounded up.

A prince born into violence, seeking peace. A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

The Prince Without Sorrow is an exceptional debut. A well built fantasy with a solid plot, strong world building, a consequential magic system that i feel is unique to the genre, and a stunning demonstration of character development and growth.

It was such a pleasure following along the main characters, Ashoka and Shakti: one the third son of a tyrant emperor and the other a young witch who has spent her entire life dodging persecution brought about from the emperor's cruelty, And following along two fundamentally very different people from very different worlds kept me going until the very end.. Considering that Shakti and her kind continue to be and have historically been persecuted by Ashoka's family, it was interesting to see from both perspectives the consequences of violence and cruelty laid upon each other. Also, the fact that these two were not at all romantically involved (as is the trend in fantasy) was such a great move on the author's part. It allowed the focus to remain on their relationship as two who have been pitted against each other by their upbringings, fighting against that urge for violence and revenge, and as political allies who will do what they must to serve their own best interests.

This was such a breath of fresh air in fantasy and I simply cant wait for the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

It’s refreshing to come across a dual POV fantasy story where the two POVs aren’t love interests. And I just about screamed at the aro rep!

While this isn’t any sort of groundbreaking fantasy, I really enjoyed the nature spirits and how they tied into the magic system. I had a good time and am interested to see where this goes in the next book. Ashoka’s determination to not become like his father has got to mean that he’s going to slip into villainy at some point and I am here for it.

3.5/5 Stars

A Prince Without Sorrow is a debut novel that blends political intrigue, witchcraft, and deep philosophical questions about power and violence. Drawing inspiration from the Mauryan Empire, Maithree Wijesekara sets up a world where earth spirits roam, witches are hunted, and a young prince must decide whether to embrace or reject the legacy of bloodshed left by his father. At its heart, the book thrives on the juxtaposition between its two leads–Shakti, a witch shackled by a pacifist code yet consumed by her desire for revenge, and Ashoka, a prince raised to conquer but yearning for peace; both are defined by the expectations placed upon them and both struggle to break free.

There was definitely the potential of something interesting here...I was very intrigued by the idea of Ashoka’s character and how he made sense of the world he lived in with a family so different from himself; it took place in a queer norm setting with explicit asexual rep, MLM yearning, and mention of same sex couplings throughout which is always great to read in a fantasy book; and its themes of oppression, rebellion, and feminism (a group of powerful witches standing against a tyrannical empire) hit a sweet spot for me as a fantasy reader.

The plot started out strong and I was instantly pulled into the story but unfortunately the pacing did not maintain the momentum from the beginning and the plot was quickly overshadowed by advancing character introspection and political machinations rather than action. The character arcs were easy to anticipate and they did make sense with how each character was portrayed, but I continuously felt that there wasn't enough backstory to fully understand their “WHY” without just being told (and there was a fair bit of that). I felt similarly in regards to the worldbuilding and magic system which was unique and held a lot of promise, but did feel like it needed more depth to fully bring it to life.

This book is comped to The Jasmine Throne (a favorite of mine) and while it did feel similar in setting and I was at first thrilled by the similarities, the prose is really where it differs. The prose was heavy handed and the language anachronistic at times which would have been an easy fix with a little more intentional editing.

BE WARNED: THIS IS NOT A ROMANTASY (despite being the second genre listed on goodreads). There is no romance here, though some yearning is present that will likely be developed further later on in the series.

I truly did see some potential here and I remain cautiously optimistic that some of the failings in execution can be finetuned in the series next book because at the end of it all, this novel asks its reader a compelling question about whether violence can ever be justified in the fight for liberation –and I’m kind of committed to finding out how our characters will interpret the answer.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the review copy of The Prince Without Sorrow.

This is unfortunately the case of great bones, no meat. What should have been fantastical world-building and character development ended up being surface level with no nuance or depth and honestly felt like ATLA fanfiction where Aang grew up with Zuko and Azula instead. Every opportunity for something meatier was left uncooked. It was just so frustrating to see what it could have been and no risks taken to make it more than it was. I was so hyped for this and now I'm left salty and disappointed.

2.5 stars rounded up and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC.

I really wish I could have gotten into this one. I think the too-flowery writing and the constant repeating of how much the mayakari are hated by the emperor but not really showing us anything special. Telling and not showing is something that can bog down a book in details and make it unenjoyable.

Ashoka was interesting, but I never got the feeling that he was, what 22? 21? He read like a 16 year old petulant child at best.

I don't think I'll be looking for the sequel. It's not for me, but it could be for you!

I know nothing of the Iron Age Mauryan empire of the Indian subcontinent, but this story is apparently inspired by it and now I want to learn more. Thus has two POVs: Ashoka the black sheep pacifist son of a bloodthirsty king, and Shakti the mayakari (witch), whose people are undergoing a genocide at the hands of Ashoka’s father.

This is a debut novel, which was unfortunately evident in the writing (overuse of a thesaurus and some infelicities of language). The story was so engaging that I was able to overlook the writing, though.

3.75 stars: A promising start to a series, The Prince Without Sorrow follows Shakti, a witch who infiltrates the palace after the death of the emperor and Ashoka, a prince terrified of becoming like his father. While not perfect, I found this to be an enjoyable read that scratches the fantasy itch.

What I liked:
- The beginning was very strong! The first ~50 pages pulled me in quickly and there was a lot of action right off the bat.
- The set up of the story was really good. I liked seeing how the characters were going to come together and trying to predict what would happen when they did.
- Shakti was an interesting main character— cunning, ambitious, and a survivor, she was very capable but also extremely flawed, which made her interesting to read about.
- I loved the use of animals throughout the book. I thought it was unique for a fantasy novel to have animals woven so seamlessly in the world.
- The dream walking magic was cool and added nice tension to the story.
- The last ~75 pages were exciting and set up the nest book/the rest of the series nicely.
What I didn’t love:
- About page 50-100 dragged, which was sad given how strong the boom started. It picked back up again around page 100.
- As other reviews have mentioned, there are a few strange phrases or word choices, but not nearly as many as other reviews make it out to be; most of the specific ones listed in other reviews have been removed from the proof I read.
- Ashoka is not that likable. While he is meant to be a pacifist, he comes across as naive and at times can be a little annoying, especially when Shakti is such a capable character in comparison.

Overall, this is a pretty good beginning to a series, and I would recommend it to other fantasy readers who are interested in the synopsis. While not perfect, it is definitely not as flawed as other reviews would lead you to believe.

I enjoyed this book, and it has a lot of potential. It has a really interesting and unique magic system. Overall, I like how different the characters are to each other. The three siblings are very different from each other, and the mayakari (witches in this world) while they all live by the same code, more or less, are also very different. I don't know how old these characters are supposed to be though, they could be as old as 25, or as young as 15.

I do like both POV characters, Ashoka and Shakti, but I found myself switching between who annoyed me the most at times. Shakti is very impulsive, and while I do understand why I also felt that she should've already learned her lesson to not be impulsive from the curse she casts at the start of the book. I didn't really care for where her character ended up at the end of this book, it bordered on cliche in my opinion.
Ashoka, started out as a very oatmeal character, but I enjoyed reading his chapters more than Shakti's. His character growth felt more substantial. Though I don't know where his character is headed from here. Things could really go either way for him. I don't know how many books this series will have, that will effect the trajectory of his character and the rest of the story.

There wasn't a very clear through line of a plot in this book, and I think that hurts the book overall. Yes, Ashoka's goal is to end suffering but he doesn't have a plan to do that. And Shakti's plan is the same, and she could've used the collective more smartly, but she just uses it to yell at the emperor, and do some really rash dream walking. She had no clue if her dream walking would actually change anything. There is potential, in this book, but I feel that it could've used some more revisions first. There are some strange word/sentence choices that on reflection didn't make sense.

The Prince Without Sorrow is a unique fantasy with fascinating lore, magic, and spirits. The story is told through two very different POVs; one being a mayakari witch in fear of being killed for who she is, yet is set on vengeance for the emperor’s cruel rule, and the youngest prince of the empire who’s pacifist ideals stretch to impracticality. Both Shakti and Ashoka are stark opposites not only to each other, but who their parental figures want them to be. I found the story to be slow going for a little longer than I would’ve liked, but enjoyed it much more when plot develops started actually happening. I found the writing to be a bit too juvenile for the subject matter and the constant use of “innocents” a little on the nose. I think towards the end we see both main characters start to loosen their strict goals to become more grey, which sets up the next book to be potentially much more interesting. I hope to see the author write with a bit more nuance in the future, though. Overall, this was a decent fantasy that stood out in its originality and inspiration from ancient India.

Thank you to Harper Voyager, NetGalley and the author for sending me an early copy!

It's refreshing to read a modern fantasy book where the romance isn't the main plot. The world felt fleshed out, but still with some mystery to expand upon in the later books.

Morality is the main theme here. A pacifist group that has been hunted and burned for years is starting to stand up and turn violent. What did you think would happen?

Yes, the characters made stupid decisions. But unlike some stories I've read, these decisions actually had consequences and affected the people that made them.

It did feel at times like it could use another good editing pass; phrases like "sugared caramel" and "kicked herself in the foot" stood out, almost like a translation hiccup.

The story flowed well enough. I would consider it more medium paced, but this is the first of a trilogy, so I expect things will pick up.

This was an excellent mix of Indian mythology, romantic subplots, and unique magic systems. I found this story to be completely unique and beautifully written. I found myself drawn to the cover and the hint of Star Wars related character names. I am very interested to see what else Wijesekara comes out with next!

A richly woven fantasy, with lush jungles, burning cities, and everything in between. The author has crafted a retelling of Indian folklore in such a way that this little fairytale heart felt right at home! In many ways, the story felt like Peter Pan to me - just brilliant. The innocence of Ashoka, his care for the innocent, remind me of Pan - especially his determination to keep that, despite the darkness of his father and siblings who rule an empire of fear. Even when Rahil sighs, "You're hanging onto a warped version of innocence, and you know it. You would make a terrible emperor." And the beautiful, smart, magical, but forced into hiding, witch Shakti? This is absolutely the angsty and fierce Tinkerbell I needed! "The mayakari had their code. 'It's about safety too, little bird,' Jaya had declared. 'Let it be known you're a witch, and our lives are forfeit.'" The back and forth in this one is delightful and dangerous. It's delightfully different and 100% unputdownable.

Shakti is a witch whose community has gone into hiding after persecution and near extinction at the hand of the king. Ashoka is the youngest child of the king and the only one who refuses to fight or engage in violence, which frequently puts him at odds with his father and siblings. The king’s latest attack on the witches and Shakti’s subsequent vengeance results in their paths becoming intertwined. Can Ashoka continue to stand up to his family for what he knows to be right and just? Will he have to cross the line to reach his goal? Vengeance comes at a price; what will it cost Shakti in the end?
It was paced well and never felt redundant or too slow. I was really invested in Ashoka and Shakti’s challenges and was looking forward to their story lines intersecting. I loved Shakti from the beginning; we love a morally grey FMC! I can’t wait to see how the relationships and family dynamics continue to evolve. I am invested in how the story continues and will be waiting for the sequel!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!