This dual-POV tale explored pacifism and power.

I enjoyed the relationship Ashoka had with his winged serpent, Sahry, and wanted more development there. I also wanted to learn more about the nature spirits, the magic system and Shakti’s unique powers.

The various sibling squabbles and political manipulations slowed the pace and became repetitive. By the midpoint, I was still waiting for the plot to kick off. The first half of the book felt like setup of the world and the characters’ challenges but there was little forward movement on achieving their goals. The second half was more engaging as both Ashoka and Shakti attempted to use what power they had to change the world.

By the end, I was confused by the characters’ decisions and the overall messaging on pacifism and violence. Book one of this series seemed to stop without a solid story arc of its own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

The Prince Without Sorrow has an interesting world with spirit-based magic and it explores the duality between pacifism and violence with the FMC and MMC. More interesting than the standard good vs evil. It’s dual pov between the prince MMC and witch (mayakari) FMC. It reminds me a lot of A Taste of Iron and Gold but even slower burn between the MMC and his royal guard. It deals with politics as the 3 royal children learn to rule/govern after their father the king dies and the witch who tries swaying their actions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a fun time with this one! I think the world was incredibly interesting, I really liked how the spirits were described here. They reminded me a bit of the spirts in the Studio Ghibli movie, Princess Mononoke. The lesser spirits reminded me of the Kodama and the great spirits were similar to the Forest Spirit. Overall I liked the characters, though at times the characterization was quite simple. Ashoka, is the youngest prince of the Ran Empire who's pacifist nature puts him in constant contention with his father. Shakti is a mayakari, a person with abilities chief among them to speak to the nature spirits of their land. Mayakari have been persecuted by the current regime and Shakti finds herself on her own after her Aunt is murdered by the Emperor. Ashoka and Shakti find their paths crossing as each of them work to undo Emperor Adil's legacy.

I did find that some plot beats felt incredibly obvious and waiting for the characters to realize what was happening was a little frustrating. Overall this was a good effort for a debut and I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up to 4 ⭐️

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me awhile to really get into but once I was in, I flew through it. I liked the writing, for the most part, however, I will say there were times where I felt the author was trying to sound more sophisticated and it came off as nonsensical.

I think what stood out , for me, is the unique world being built here. “The Prince Without Sorrow” is an Indian-inspired fantasy that includes witches (mayakari) and nature spirits which I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to read about a different kind of fantasy-world than the ones most often seen on bestseller lists. I think there was a good amount of world-building in this book. Of course, I have questions, but I do think the answers are intentionally left out rather than overlooked (or, at least, I hope!).

The characters in this book were also really interesting to me. I found the dynamic between Ashoka and his family really interesting and a different take to a typical evil family vs the one “good one.” I also find Ashoka’s character change over the book to be intriguing. Shakti wasn’t particularly a groundbreaking character for me, but she was still interesting, in her own right. I wasn’t disinterested in her storyline, but where she finds herself right at the end had me on the edge of my seat.

The ending of the book did a great job at capturing my attention and making me want to pick up the next book. It took me from “yeah, I liked it but I don’t know if I’ll read the next book” to “well, shit. now I have to read the next book” within two chapters.

I think this book could be the start of a great new series and I am interested to see if the author can deliver on that potential.

I started this book and was hopeful for what it might bring to me as a reader but I honestly can’t get very into it. I didn’t get very far but I don’t want to spend time investing in books that I just don’t want to pick up. I hope the book is very successful for the author though! Since I’m dnf-ing I won’t post a review on goodreads because I feel it’s more of a personal preference thing than anything.

I gave this book four stars only because I feel like characters were left out of developing the story as a whole. The prince focuses too much time on his sibling rivalry while the mfc has more emotional depth. The storyline was good just needs more depth overall

3.75 stars rounded up. I wanted desperately to love this one, but alas I think the lack of editing got this one in it's grasp. I think one more round could have certainly tided up the issues and character inconsistencies that made this one hard for me to get into, which is disappointing because the premise and world/magic were so unique and worth exploring more of. I will hold out for book two, and hopefully things are tided up more.

I really wanted to love this books and did enjoy aspects of it. The magic system and world building were excellent. The character development not so much. I wish they had more depth.

First, I'd like to say how much I really love the cover of this one! I'm a bit of a sucker for any type of animal on the cover, but this one really worked exceptionally well, I think.

I thought The Prince Without Sorrow had a really intriguing premise and I was actively excited to check it out and learn more. about it. There were a lot of positive things about this book, though there were also a number of things that didn't work for me. I really liked the characters in general and found myself really curious to see what decisions and actions they would take. However, I also felt like there was a bit of underdevelopment that happened with the characters and I wished there was a bit more to some of them and their decisions. I also found the prose to be a bit hit or miss for me.; at times, I loved the beauty of Wijesekara's prose and word choices, but at other times it felt like it was doing a little too much and it didn't feel as smooth. This is something that I think shows the author has a lot of potential and I will look forward to see more of her writing as she continues to grow. Overall, this was a promising fantasy and I'm glad I had an opportunity to check it out!

3.25 Stars

This is the best example for a story that has an interesting story and premise but the editing needs a lot of work.
The premise is genuinely engaging, as is the magic system, but unfortunately, these strengths aren’t enough to compensate for the shortcomings in the plot.

Maybe it's because it's just book 1 and I definitely don't mind a story that lives for the journey rather than an end goal but it's too messy. Shakti and Ashoka's actions keep drifting between regret, anger, happy... I get that human emotions are messy and this did feel realistic but it also messes with the plot. These people are supposed to be adults. I expect some stability in their actions.

Also, the romance was laughable. Why talk about it if it's so non existent?

I will continue the series though because I am curious to see where this goes. But I really hope the future books are edited WAY BETTER

NOOO :( i was really anticipating this one, Emperor Ashoka's story is definitely very interesting and as an Indian I was hyped to see a fantasy retelling-ish of the history. instead, what i got was a series of random plot conveniences, no real character-building, incredibly peculiar wording.... 2 stars. tysm for the arc.

DNF at 4%
I couldn’t even make it through the first chapter, the writing was so unbearably weird. It felt like it wanted to be a typically overwritten fantasy novel, but the author doesn’t have the mind for it, so it all just read very oddly. Also there were so many commas that should have been periods, good lord!

"To save many, you must harm one. Is violence not necessary to protect the weak?"

This book was a very mixed bag for me, but in the end I was looking forward to turning the final page. The premise was very enticing and the thing that initially made me pick the book up, and I do not think that it fell entirely flat, but I do think it had some issues. It follows two very different sets of people: the Mayakari witches and the Royal Maurya family of the Ran Empire. Prince Ashoka Maurya, the youngest prince, believes his family's interactions with the witches are unjust and that their hatred and extermination of them is wrongful. Shakti, a Mayakari, thinks that the witches have sat back and allowed their extermination to go on too long and sets out for change. Both set off on quests to right the wrongs they see in the empire and find themselves in surprising positions at the end.

This book followed through on its promise to be a political drama and an exploration of the line between right and wrong. It addressed many difficult moral and ethical questions and at times left the reader to draw their own conclusions about the truth. It also painted a vividly detailed court, full of secrets and complex familial relationships. It was this exploration of political relationships as well as the rich setting that kept me reading till the end.

Sadly, this was not enough to make me like the book. The main issue that I personally had with it was the characters, which either fell flat or were such horrible people that I could hardly tolerate them. Shakti drove me especially mad because she used her grief (which I thought was glossed over and not addressed enough) to justify things almost as terrible as the ones that she experienced. Ashoka's personality changed very suddenly and unexpectedly around the two hundred page mark, and his old personality left with the plot which became very confusing at this point. It was jarring and I unwarranted in my opinion, as not much had taken place to so drastically alter his outlook. Princess Araya felt very stereotypical to me, and Arush was unmemorable. The two characters that I did like were Rahil, who did not get enough page time but was a sweetheart, and the Empress Dowager, Manali, who was the only character who expressed genuine emotion. However, the thing that really confused me was the characters actions and motives. They often seemed unprompted and random, with no logical thought progression that I could see. One of them would suddenly make a drastic choice on a whim, or do something completely random and out of context. They never seemed to take a moment to think before they acted or spoke, and it was this chaos that mainly drove the plot. As for the writing itself, the purple prose style was slightly inconsistent, with words that seemed very out of place thrown in, such as 'gobsmacked'. The pace was already slower and along with this style it dragged in places for me. Still, I liked it and I think that if slightly simplified and cleaned up a little it could work well.

I had my own personal issues with the book as well, but that doesn't have anything to do with the story itself. Overall I think that it has potential to be good if a few things are altered. 2.5 Stars.

I loved the worldbuilding and political intrigue in this book. The narrative is split between two characters. Shakti is a witch seeking vengeance for the massacre of her people; Ashoka is a Prince of the royal family responsible for the deeds, although he wants to stop the persecutions occurring. From a queer rep standpoint, Ashoka has a sweet little romance subplot, and Shakti reads as squarely aroace. These are aspects of their character, not the entirety of their character, which is likewise appreciated.

However, the plot at times can feel paced oddly. Sometimes it’s too slow and stretched out; at other times, it goes far too quickly. I think that is the weakness of the novel, and something many readers may find challenging. While this book may not be for everyone, but I look forward to reading the sequel and seeing how the story plays out.

So I unfortunately could not finish this book. I finished around the 35% mark. I think the premise is great. It definitely had so much potential and I was excited to read something I haven’t seen done before. However, I had a time being engaged in the story. The characters felt likable but one dimensional. This made the story a bit unmemorable for me.

I feel like the concept sounds amazing but I fear that the author wasn’t able to execute it in an enjoyable way for readers.

4 Stars – Lush, Political, and Filled with Angsty Tension

The Prince Without Sorrow is a beautifully crafted fantasy debut with rich world-building, inspired by the Mauryan Empire, and packed with everything I love—witches, political intrigue, and slow-burning tension.

Ashoka is the perfect conflicted prince—torn between his ideals and the brutal legacy of his father—while Shakti’s thirst for revenge adds a compelling layer of complexity. Their dynamic is electric, full of distrust, yearning, and the weight of their choices. Plus, the nature spirits and magic system were stunningly unique!

This book feels like a mix of The Hurricane Wars and The Jasmine Throne, with immersive prose and a gripping, emotional depth. While some parts were a bit slow-paced, the payoff was absolutely worth it. If you love fantasy with morally gray characters, slow-burn romance, and a world dripping in tension and magic, you’ll want this on your radar!

I really wanted to love this book. I liked the characters, I just couldn't get behind their choices. That being said, it is a debut and it feels like the author has potential.

We follow Ashoka, the titular prince, and Shakti, a persecuted mayakari. Ashoka is a pacifist raised in violence, and Shakti is seeking revenge, but was raised to never harm with her magic. Their paths collide, albeit briefly, and we follow as Ashoka tries to stop the senseless killing of the mayakari and Shakti tries to take down the new emperor, Ashoka's brother, and his sister.

I am an over-planner, and I think that affected how frustrated I was getting with both of their decisions throughout the book. They both had their own goals, but put zero thought into how they were going to achieve them. Because this is a trilogy, there is time for them to mature in their decision making, but it definitely dampened my experience reading this first installment. The magic system and ties to the spirits of the lands are intriguing enough that I'll probably pick this series back up once it is complete.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Voyager, for an early copy in exchange for this honest review.

While the structure of this book could use some work, and while the prose could use some refining, I had a great time reading this. The characters were enjoyable and real. I loved seeing a pacifist MMC and a vengeful FMC, and the discussions around pacifism versus violence in creating a better world felt very apt.

[3.5 stars]

The idea was great but the execution was lacking. I was invested in the pacifist witches being pushed to their limits and the nature spirits and wished we’d learned more about their magic and mythology. The other kingdoms also really intrigued me and I know they’re going to play bigger roles in the coming books. There was so much potential but the pacing was off. This could’ve been benefitted so much from having more POVs in addition to Ashoka and Shakti, like Sau and Naila or Nayani. It would’ve made for a more immersive read as these characters are individual threads that eventually weave together into the tapestry of the bigger plot.

Ashoka’s character development was the strongest and pretty clear which direction he was headed, how he’d be forced to finally draw a line. But Shakti was so reckless and her actions were so ridiculous at times. For being under her enemy’s nose, she was way too careless and unobservant. No tact at all. Which is why it read very YA. These characters were acting like teenagers. The potential to still be a great series is there so I’m hoping the next book is better after all the set up in this first one.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.