Thank you Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the arc!

As soon as I saw Ancient India inspired setting, with environmental themes, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of this. I’ve really been enjoying a lot of South Asian inspired fantasy recently and this was no exception.

This book had a lot of things that I love in a fantasy novel – political intrigue, multi-POV and wonderful world building. While this is the first novel in a trilogy, I appreciate the time the author took in setting things up without being too overly descriptive. I still have a couple of questions that weren’t answered in this particular book, but I am hoping will be in the sequels.

I also loved the dual POV in this and how they were from opposing sides. Both characters felt fleshed out and I really liked seeing their development over the course of the book (again, 2 more to go, so there’s plenty of room for things to change!) I also really liked how their approaches to the challenges faced in the book are so different, yet circumstances force them to change. It’s the changes that make the development really interesting and I can’t wait to see more of.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I cannot wait for the sequel!

I loved this, is it perfect no but it’s a lush story with incredible imagery that was so easy to picture in my head. For an adult book it does read young but I did still really enjoy it.

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithrre Wijesekara is a beautifully written lyrical piece that not only tells a story, but describes it so we the reader can see it in our minds eye. Not only that, but there are illustrations as each new chapter begins… To be honest, I’d fallen in love with the cover before I even started the story. It’s stunning!
Anyway, the story… The Ran Kingdom is ruled by a brutal King. His name is Adil. He destroys anything attached to a tribe of people called Mayakari. They are peaceful witches, but Adin tells everyone they are dangerous and burns them. This has befallen Shakti’s aunt.
We meet Adin’s children, Arush, Arya, and Ashoka. The first two follow their father, but Ashoka is a gentle, peace loving Prince who hates that the Mayakari are hounded. He wants peace in the land.
Adin dies and his eldest son becomes ruler. After having an out of body experience, Shakir travels to the capital to talk to Ashoka. They both want peace, but fate has other ideas!.
I found this story a wonderful easy read and I can’t wait for the next book in the series to see what happens next!.
Many thanks to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #HarperCollinsUk, #Maithrre_Wijesekara

Happy publication day!!
We cannot wait to read this one! Is #theprincewithoutsorrow by @maithree_wijesekara on anyone else's TBR?!

A prince born into violence, seeking peace.

Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of the tyrannical Emperor Adil Maurya. Considered an outcast by his father for his rejection of the emperor’s brutal onslaught against the witches of the empire, Ashoka longs for change. When the sudden and unexpected death of his father leaves the monarchy in disarray, Ashoka is sent to govern a tumultuous region annexed by Emperor Adil that is terrorized by nature spirits—a task many see as doomed to fail. Suspected by a disdainful governor and evaded by distrustful witches, Ashoka must question his rigid ideals and fight against becoming the one person he despises the most—his father.

A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

Shakti is a witch bound by a pacifist code. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor, Shakti hurtles down a path of revenge, casting a curse with unexpected consequences. Posing as a maidservant in the famed palace of the Mauryas and armed with newfound powers beyond her imagination, Shakti attempts to dismantle the monarchy from within by having the royal progeny ruin themselves and turn their father’s legacy into nothing but ash.

In a world where nature spirits roam the land, and witches are hunted to extinction, Ashoka and Shakti will be forced to grapple with the consequences of to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.

Thank you to @harpervoyager_uk for this beautiful copy!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book in advance!

This was a good book overall. I liked the idea, the magic system is interesting, the world building was well done and the writing immersed me in the story. However, I sometimes felt like the action was dragging along a little, or that it was a lot of set up for not many results. I may have expected this to be a standalone and then realised as I read the book that it was not. Overall I don't regret reading this at all, but I wish I had realised earlier that this was a series.

3.75/5, rounded up

This is a disappointing DNF for me at 25%. The Prince Without Sorrow is marketed as an Adult Fantasy but I really do feel that it is reads more as a YA (which isn't an issue if I KNOW that going into it and can expect the writing to read accordingly).

Where this book really had me lose interest in continuing is unfortunately in the actual line writing, grammar, and the depiction of our two main characters themselves. Some direct quotes that I wondered how they didn't get edited were:

"A round pink body atop a round head". So is this humanoid thing upside down? Was this written incorrectly? It was never explained.

"It didn't stop Ashoka from viewing his father with contemptuousness". Just say contempt. There are several similar examples to this that are making sentences unnecessarily "complicated/complex" for no reason.

"An innocent requires a cremation it didn't deserve." This sentence is conveying the OPPOSITE of what the character is meaning. He's trying to communicate that the animal was unfairly killed and deserved a cremation to honour it, but the sentence is just badly written and therefore says the opposite.

The characters themselves I also fairly quickly went from being extremely intrigued by (essentially a pacifist embodying revenge and violence and the son of the emperor who you'd expect to be violent- being an extreme pacifist), to feeling no emotional connection to them whatsoever and feeling like I barely know them behind their 2 characteristics. They felt flat. The magic system also wasn't feeling well established and more felt conveniently slotted in when the plot needed it, and in a fantasy book there's nothing more frustrating than an elusive magic system.

It felt like it had a great concept, so it's a shame the execution was so disappointing

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and the author for a review copy.
The Prince Without Sorrow is the first in a new fantasy series. The book is set in a world in which the cruel Ran Empire is the most powerful force. Headed by the Emperor Adil who sees expansion and conquest as the way to leave a lasting legacy, the peaceful Mayakari witches are being burned alive wherever they are found and Nature Spirits are increasingly enraged by the never ending destruction.
The story is told from the points of view of Shakti, a young Mayakari, and Prince Ashoka, youngest son of the Emperor. These are two very different characters and are well differentiated in the story. Each chapter focuses on one of them and is headed with beautiful artwork, a hummingbird for Shakti and a Leopard for Ashoka.
The book focuses on world building and is, in my opinion, a little too long. We get to know the main players intimately and the story is clearly working up to a well signposted crisis, but we are left on a cliff hanger which is, presumably, the focus of book two. The ending of the story feels muted and anticlimactic given all that has gone before. That is not to say that the portions of the world in which the tale takes place are not exquisitely described and peopled by well developed characters but I think that some of this could have been moved into a future book and the story continued just a little further for it to feel a worthwhile payoff for the reader.
There is a gay romance smouldering in a ‘will they, won’t they?’ sort of way but I think this is also overdone and could have been toned down without losing any impact, especially as it, like the main plot, is not resolved.
My favourite characters were the minor Nature Spirits who appear as coloured balls of light and pop up in the most unexpected of places burbling away to themselves in a language only understood by the Mayakari. I would love to have some of them in my garden.
I will read book two when it comes out as I would like to know what happens next but in the meantime I doubt that I will think too hard about what is in store for Ashoka and Shakti.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3.25 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
The Prince Without Sorrow is a fantasy story about Shakti, a witch who curses the emperor after he burns down her village. Ashoka is the third child of the emperor, a pacifist at heart and considered an outcast for it.

“How typical – the powerful fearing power they didn’t understand.


I was intrigued when first learning about this book and fell in love with the cover! (yes I was convinced by a beautiful cover). The prose also sounded right up my alley!

The story starts with a great introduction to the divide caused by the emperor and his hatred for the witches. Both Shakti and Ashoka are against him in their own way, and I liked the way this story started off.

I was enchanted by the world and lore and magic created by the author! It was lush and made me want to visit the world! I loved the idea of the witches being pacifists and the spirit animals living in the world.

While the world was lush and enchanting, the writing style itself was very slow. It made it hard for me to really get into the story.

The characters were another part of the story I couldn’t really connect with. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Shakti from the start. I could understand the need for revenge and gave her the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn’t convince me in the end.

I was charmed by Ashoka at the beginning, his stand in the world and his views were admirable, especially knowing who the rest of his family is. The more the story progressed, the more he seemed to deviate from that very stance that made him stand out to me.

I’m not really sure what to think of the end of this book, mostly because I kinda didn’t like the way the characters were acting towards the end. I think they got a lot of opportunities and a lot of room for growth, and they didn’t. While the end did set up greatly for the sequel, I’m not sure I’ll pick it up.

Overall, The Prince Without Sorrow is a book with an intriguing prose, a lush and amazing world that work as an amazing backdrop and stage for the characters, who unfortunately fell flat for me.

Flying serpents ✔️
Leopards rode like horses ✔️
An obsidian throne ✔️
A tyrant king ✔️
Witches ✔️

This book is beautifully written and has such amazing characters, some you will hate and some you will love. The Mayakari witches are peaceful however the Emperor Adil likes to burn the witches and eradicate them all. His eldest son and daughter also follow in their father’s footsteps but the youngest son, Ashoka is nothing like the rest of his family. So when the emperor dies Ashoka is sent away but Ashoka decides that no more Mayakari will suffer and he works alongside the witches to put a stop to the killing.

Then there is Shakti a Mayakari whose only living relative is burned by Emperor Adil and so Shakti sets out to avenge her Aunt but also the other Mayakari who have suffered the same fate. She curses the Emperor and infiltrates the palace to become one of the staff but she has ulterior motives and will stop at nothing to save her Mayakari brethren from the hands of the royal family.

I throughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the second book.

Reviewed by my teen Grandaughter.
This is a fantasy based on traditional folk stories and it is very intense. The main characters are interesting so that you want to follow them and see how the story turns out. There was a touch of romance but not too much to distract from the story. Overall very good.

A really interesting premise, with strong folklore influences that made this more intriguing. I didn't connect with the characters but this has so much potential, especially as it becomes a trilogy.

I really enjoyed reading this. The worldbuilding is immaculate, the characters are interesting and the plot intrigued me. I cannot WAIT for the next book.

DNF at 18%. Unfortunatly I struggled with the writing, had a hard time connecting with the characters and wasn't keen on the world building.

The Prince Without Sorrow is Maithree Wijesekara’s debut novel and the first book in The Obsidian Throne trilogy, drawing inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India.

After witnessing the brutal destruction of her village, Shakti abandons her people’s pacifist ways to seek revenge. Meanwhile, Prince Ashoka, the overlooked third son of the Emperor, is sent to govern a region plagued by Great Spirits. As he begins to understand the weight of his father’s destructive legacy, he is forced to question his own ideals and decide where his loyalties truly lie.

The worldbuilding was a definite highlight of this novel as Wijesekara seamlessly weaved in political intrigue and culture without it ever feeling like an info dump. However, I did find that some aspects of the book lacked intensity, which led to uneven and sometimes slow pacing - some parts really gripped me, while others felt underdeveloped or resolved a little too conveniently.

Shakti was an absolute standout! She’s emotional, a little morally grey, and makes decisions that aren’t always smart but always feel right for her character. Ashoka, while still interesting, felt slightly less fleshed out in comparison. However, I did enjoy reading his character development and I think there is much more to come from him.

Given that this is a dual POV book, the two main characters had little interaction which I was surprised about. As a result, the use of two POVs feels unnecessary and the pages could’ve been used to flesh out the characters a little more.
The book is marketed as having an angsty romance, but I’d argue that’s pretty misleading. There are some fleeting mentions of some feelings about halfway through, but there’s no real development or tension. Personally, I don’t need romance in my fantasy, but I do think readers picking this up expecting romance will likely be disappointed.

Overall, while this wasn’t quite what I expected, it still delivered an intriguing premise, and a strong political foundation. I’ll definitely be picking up book two to see where things go next!

After seeing this book everywhere I I just knew I had to read it. Especially after reading all the blub and seeing all the promotion behind the book. I have been reading fantasy books now for well over a year and although it wasn't the best book I have read it did not disappoint. The main characters were loveable, The world building immersed you into a new type of fantasy and although could be confusing at times with no sense of direction it did pick back up. Overall I did enjoy this book and can't wait to see what direction tje next book will take. This book showed lots of promise and potential and I hope this is reflected in book two.

“they aim to continue my father’s legacy while I wish to burn it to the ground, and I will do anything to make sure I do.”

We follow prince Ashoka and mayakari/witch Shakti in a dual-POV story with vengeance being sought and power needing a change.

Ashoka is a prince hailing from the incredibly cruel, ruthless and mayakari-despising empire, his father Adil is responsible for the killings of mayakaris throughout the Ran Empire.
Despite Adil and his venom, Ashoka is a pacifist and does not share the same vitriol towards the mayakari.

What I liked about this book is that I had fun, I was intrigued by the politics, magic system, world and sibling rivalry.

I feel like this book fits in a nice spot of being An easy-to-read fantasy that, at least for me, satisfied my craving for a book with sort of classic fantasy vibe that didn’t require the most attention.

The plot went by at a pace where I found myself absorbed into the story.

Each character is residing in different locations with their own plot and both were interesting, Ashoka had the better plot, in my opinion, but towards the end of the book when the political/sibling rivalry started brewing I was finding myself more invested in the position Shakti had found herself in.

Despite my 4 star rating and of my own enjoyment I think that objectively this book is fairly mediocre and a lot of the aspects were simply surface level.
Throughout the book I just found myself wanting more. I wanted the magic explored more, I wanted the rebellion explored more, I wanted the political climate and sibling rivalry built up with more tension and the world at most times felt very flat.

Regardless, I think the flaws were part of why I enjoyed it, and my enjoyment is what wanted more.
I think this book as a fantasy novel will be suitable for all readers whether they read fantasy or want to explore it.

Each character left on a big moment in the story which has just made me eager for the sequel.

Thanks Netgalley and harper Collins for the E-Arc!

I’m a big reader of the fantasy and sci fi genres, and am always interested in hearing of a new debut author, I find it exciting to discover what new nuance, perspective or direction they will bring to the genre and The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara had all the makings of something huge, telling the story of Shakti, a young witch seeking retribution after her village has been annihilated, and the son of the man and Emperor responsible for this, Prince Ashoka.

I’m really sad to say that this whilst the premise of the book sounded intriguing and exciting, I found myself enmeshed in frustration, and not actually focusing on the plot and premise. There is a lot to be said for this debut, in the way that it takes on challenging topics including violence and the environment but, I struggled with the world-building, the flatness of the characters and the jarring pace of the pacing of the plot.

Unfortunately, as a consequence I struggled to follow the plot and the path of the characters in the narrative and to be honest, couldn’t really find any empathy or engagement for or with them. I also found the targeting of the book to be a bit of a struggle, as it felt more YA than adult to me but, I have to say that this is my personal view and it is likely that others will engage more with this story.

I’m not saying that this series is a lost hope, I actually hold out hope that the plot, character and world-building will further develop as the series unfolds but, I’m not sure that I will continue to read it.

THE PRINCE WITHOUT SORROW is an exciting introduction to a new fantasy series, inspired by the Mauryan empire and featuring vivid worldbuilding, exciting political intrigue, insatiable sibling drama, not to mention witches and angst. Shakti and Ashoka's points of view are perfect yet unique perspectives for the beginning of this story as it unfolds, and I loved how their characters just made the plot even more interesting. I love how the mayakaris are used as not only a plotline, but also for the purposes of political conflict that feels relatable even from a fantasy world. The romance is so fun (and kind of surprising, but in a good way). The ending was a bit shocking but also fun and makes me super excited for the next book so I can find out what happens. This is absolutely the book to pick up for anyone looking for their next immersive speculative read!

A really classy start to a fantasy series. Rich characters, beautiful world building and a compelling premise.

Shakti is a witch in a world where they are hunted for their existence by an emperor with a grudge. Ashoka is the peaceful youngest of the warmongering emperor. When the emperor dies, Shakti and Ashoka’s world’s collide, through sorrow and hardship can they work to build a better world?

If you’re looking for Romantasy this one is maybe not for you, but it’s a very pure and innocent fantasy. Actually there is some swearing and this feels a bit incongruous with the rest of the messaging. There is love but no spice. Not a criticism at all, just know what you’re getting in to.

The narrative alternates between Shakti and Ashoka, Ashoka’s side of the story was definitely my preference and I was always engaged by his chapters. Shakti’s side is important for the plot but less engaging IMO.

The world building is superb, it’s rich and layered and quickly done. I loved the winged serpents , the giant panthers and the nature spirits, I could see and hear the world created. I also enjoyed the way the author set up the emperor dynasty, it was really expertly done and sets the context of the world beautifully.

The love in this story is palpable and just really beautiful to read in Ashoka’s chapters. The relationships between the characters are deep and complex and interesting, there are no purposeless characters or subplots.

Thank you #harperyoyager and #netgalley for my #arc

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.