Having grown up learning about Mauryan history, I knew for a fact that I would immediately love The Prince Without Sorrow . Loosely inspired by the Mauryan empire from India, this book is an exciting start to what I know is going to become a new favourite read.

What I enjoyed about this book is how we are introduced to the powers of the mayankari and the tenets that they follow; that they are peaceful over anything else and that these tenets should not be broken. But right in the beginning, in chapters laden with violence, grief and sorrow, Shakti, one of our main characters, goes ahead and does the exact opposite of what the tenets say. I won't spoil it, but the scene is very intense and evocative. The world is wrought with violence and danger at every corner; and the prose grounds you into this setting, allowing you to imagine how deadly it can be in this kingdom.

The early chapters of the story allow us to see how different and yet how similar Shakti and Ashoka are. Both carry heavy burdens, but are able to use them as driving force to achieve their goals. For Shakti, it is dismantling the very empire from within, while she grapples with the consequences of going against her pacifist code. For Ashoka, it is stopping the persecution of the mayankari and fighting against his father's ugly legacy, while questioning the rigidity of his own beliefs. This book delivers in showcasing the consequences of the actions you take and the ramifications they have. The overall character development was sooo good. Of course this is just book one, but still; I, for one, am excited to see how things are going to move from this point on.

The Prince Without Sorrow delivers on front as an introduction to a new trilogy. I am so so excited to see where things go from here!

There's definitely a Game of Thrones-esque vibe to Price Without Sorrow, with our three siblings all making plays for the Obsidian Throne, which I loved. I think PWS did a great job setting up the opening gambit. Our three players end the book in position ready to make their moves, though it felt slightly predictable. Especially, the ending with Shakti, and I'm not sure how I feel about her. Shakti is one of the more interesting characters as she is behind the scenes manipulating everyone and so you really do gain the most political insight into her mind, and then Ashoka. I did think it was interesting that Aarya, did not have a POV and I'm very happy with that as it made her character unpredictable but from the get go you know that she is smarter that Arush, if not equally unstable. I liked the switching of traditional gender roles by making Ashoka a pacifist and Shakti a more decisive, prone to violence character, I think it went against the stereotypical sort of fantasy pairings that we commonly see.

I loved that the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India was the inspiration for this book. Being Indian myself, it's always a pleasure to be able to read books inspired by the culture, especially as it encourages more Indian inspired books to be published.

I'm excited to pick up my copy of Prince Without Sorrow and to see where the Obsidian Throne trilogy leads.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s got all the ingredients for a killer fantasy: an ancient Indian-inspired empire, winged serpents (!!!), curses, and an outcast prince trying to fix his family’s messy legacy. Sounds like a dream, right? Well... kind of. Let’s unpack it.

First, Prince Ashoka. 🐍✨ He’s the black sheep of the Maurya family—peace-loving, guilt-ridden, and so done with his dad’s witch-hunting ways. But honestly? He spends half the book brooding and not enough time taking action. And don’t get me wrong, his relationship with Rahil (his soldier/BFF/bodyguard with major tension) had potential. Like, we’re talking “oh no, there’s only one horse” energy—but it just never fully delivered.

Then there’s Shakti, our fiery Mayakari witch. 🔥✨ She’s out for blood after losing her aunt to Emperor Adil’s madness, and I loved her boldness at first. But her journey? It felt a little uneven. One minute she’s cursing emperors like a boss, and the next she’s sneaking around the palace, playing politics. I get it—she’s got layers—but I wanted more focus and less back-and-forth.

Now, the family drama. 👀 Ashoka’s siblings, Arush and Aarya, are such a chaotic mess. Arush is straight-up terrifying as the new emperor, and Aarya’s just as power-hungry. Their constant scheming should’ve been juicy, but instead, it felt repetitive after a while. Like, okay, we get it, everyone hates Ashoka for being “soft.”

The world-building, though? Chef’s kiss. 👑✨ The winged serpents, the giant leopards, the Mayakari’s peaceful culture—it’s all stunning. But here’s the thing: the pacing dragged. I found myself checking how many pages were left more than I should’ve. And the curse? The big, world-changing curse? It didn’t hit as hard as it needed to.

Overall, it’s not a bad book—it’s got its moments, and the concept is 🔥. But it’s also not one I’d reread anytime soon. If you’re into morally grey characters and slow-burn fantasy, maybe give it a shot. Just know it’s more potential than payoff. 🐉✨

I quite enjoyed this one. It was a bit hard to get into in places, but overall, I enjoyed the story. There are many questions left unanswered at the end, which I hope are answered in a later book.
One of which is what caused Emperor Adil's hatred of the mayakari?
I'm very much interested in seeing how things go when Prince Ashok and Shakti meet again.

I liked this book, but it’s in dire need of way more editing. The writing is clunky and sometimes used phrases incorrectly which made the sentences not make sense.

I enjoyed the character building of Shakti, who is chaotic af, and I appreciated Ashoka and the Mayakari rebels calling into question whether violence is needed to bring about change - something that has been reflected in history repeatedly and is an important discussion to have.

I found the Collective under utilised and I’m hoping book 2 will go much deeper into the lore. Things definitely ramped up in the last quarter of the book and overall it was an easy read, but more YA than adult in vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

This was brilliantly done, what a fantastic debut by Wijesekara!
I really enjoyed the characters and the plot of the discriminated mayakari people vs the empire. Getting the two povs of Ashoka and Shakti really brought the storyline to blend together while.they are making different moves politically and also fighting against the antagonists. The villains of Ashokas father and brother were implemented well with Adip being a great evil presence looming over everyone.

Shakti was a great vengeful main character and Ashoka a protagonist whose morals are being questioned fighting in a revolution. The mayakari are interesting and it will be fun to see when it's revealed that Shakti cursed Adil and the Great Spirits in doing so alas the mayakari.

4.5 stars 🌟

unfortunately, couldn't get past the prose. i think the book holds a lot of promise, the concept is nice, the worldbuilding is interesting, and i like the parallels between the two protagonists. the writing however is consistently clunky, with odd word choices and sentence constructions, and i can't gloss over prose as much as other readers with different tastes might.

i think it would have benefitted from stronger, tighter editing, or perhaps the author needs more books under their belt to truly find their style and unique way of building atmosphere - what i was getting from this (and i could be wrong!) is a layering of synonyms of more common words in an attempt to get a Fantasy Voice And Vibe. it unfortunately rarely does the trick, and only comes off a little forced. the book does have a solid vision, but a real struggle in execution that makes it really hard to get into the emotional beats of the story.

i'll be keeping up with the author to see what comes next, and am curious to check out the published version and whether it'll have gone through some more editing. maybe i'll pick it up again at some point! i also do believe this is a book that can find its loving audience, i only hope it will :-)

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara from @harpervoyageruk

Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for my e-arc.

This book draws on inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India - I think this might be the first Eastern inspired fantasy book I have read, and it's certainly made me curious for more.

It's about Shakti, a Mayakari witch who is being hunted in her home country and Prince Ashoka, the third child on Emporer Adil. Prince Ashoka is a pacifist and opposes his father's violent reign and attempted genocide of the Mayakari witches. It's a dual POV book, and the swapping of perspectives works really well.

The Prince was a really well done character - his development through the book with family bereavement, political drama and exile. Shakti's attitude was interesting too, she really stood up for herself and seemed to inspire the Prince who is very laid back and resigned to start with. I enjoyed reading of his ambition growing.

I have to say there wasn't much romance at all - a few glances between two close friends perhaps. I'm interested in seeing if those goes further in future books in this series. I'll definitely be looking out for a sequel, I'm eager to find out where this goes. The world building here in particular is pulling me back! Hopefully the wait isn't too long...

I loved this fantasy book! It was interesting and the world building was easy to follow but descriptive. Would definitely recommend

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc of the prince without sorrow was excited to get it and as I have it pre ordered on Waterstones the book is as good/not bad in between it’s a fantasy story the characters was were alright and the world building was ok but the first half of the book lacked at some bits could have been a bit better and some of the sentences didn’t make sense and to me the first half should have got me more engaged in it but didn’t much and should say it’s very YA more for a younger audience definitely would like more I’m older lol

Omg I loved this one!!! I loved the prince the most, hos character development and the relationships were my fav bits!

I am not a big fan of world building/very descriptive but I fell madly in love with this world! It made me feel like I was actually there??

Admittedly, I was rather put off by the UK cover. But since the original cover, with the stag and the dragon, had already enchanted me for a long time, I was still happy when I received the eARC of ‘The Prince Without Sorrow’ from NetGalley.
The setting is a classic high fantasy where the witches are being persecuted and killed and our main characters are trying to change these circumstances. However, these are different to the ones we read about all the time. The non-heterosexual relationship, for example, which is mentioned right at the beginning, ensures this.
Unfortunately, most of the characters seem one-dimensional. They do seem to have one or two character traits that define them, but they lack complexity. Granted, in real life some people hate just for the sake of hating, but in a book I would like to see a little more substance in such mindsets.
In addition, the pacifism in the book is presented in a way that is very exhausting and incomprehensible for the reader. The witches don't want to harm anyone so as not to incur bad karma and the prince is pacifist because the rest of his family is not. The fact that they make life difficult for themselves at times - especially when it comes to food - seems to be a minor matter.
Unfortunately, there is never enough tension to really keep you reading. Don't get me wrong: it wasn't as if I didn't want to continue reading - but I didn't feel the need to do so either. Unfortunately, it simply didn't matter whether I continued reading or not.
Despite all these weaknesses, one must not forget that this is only the first volume of a trilogy. Of course, I would have liked to feel more entertained by the book, but as a set-up for what's to come, it's still very readable - especially since, as far as I know, it's the author's debut. So I'm looking forward to the next volumes and waiting to see what happens.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
I truly enjoyed the debut novel The Prince Without Sorrow and I look forward to reading the second in the series. I liked the writing style and it wasn’t too intense. The sibling rivalry and the battles of wanting to be true to what you believe in and not just what your parents believe. Even if he was the Emperor. I enjoyed going on the journey with Ashoka and Shakti in the battle to do the right thing. The artwork on the cover and throughout the book is stunning.

It wasn’t a painful read, but it wasn’t particularly good either. The book has a promising premise but could benefit from better editing, as many of its intriguing ideas are unfortunately not well-executed.

The book deserves praise for its creative concept and world-building, which is inspired by Indian mythology. The story takes place in a kingdom where the ruling royal family persecutes witches. The main characters are Shakti, a witch who lost her loved ones in purges ordered by the emperor, and Ashoka, the youngest prince and a pacifist who opposes his father’s political stance. 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.

The fundamental issue with the novel is the lack of clear goals for its main characters. While we understand their motivations—revenge for Shakti and pacifism for Ashoka—we don’t know what they are actively striving for, as motivations and goals are not the same. As a result, the book lacks stakes, and the use of two POVs feels unjustified. This leads to two significant problems. First, there’s no sense of connection between the protagonists’ fates—how could there be, if we don’t even know whether their goals align? Second, both Shakti and Ashoka often seem to act reactively and somewhat randomly. There’s no clear logic behind their decisions or any ultimate resolution they’re working toward.

I also take issue with the “romantic angst” promised in the blurb—it’s practically nonexistent. While the author deserves credit for subverting expectations and avoiding the typical approach to romantic relationships found in romantasy, the absence of any significant romantic development or even hints of slow-burn tension makes it hard to see romance as a meaningful element of the story.

Overall, the book feels like several hundred pages of setup for the main story—perhaps that’s exactly what it is. I’m not dismissing the trilogy outright, as it’s impossible to predict where the character development and plot might go based on the first volume alone. That said, it shouldn’t feel this way, which is why The Prince Without Sorrow isn’t a particularly strong book. Still, anything could happen in the sequel—characters could become heroes or transform into villains. I’m intrigued, but before committing to the sequel, I’ll likely check reviews to see if it’s worth the effort.

I wanted more than anything to love this book but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.

I’ll be honest, I struggled to finish it (as you can see by the time it took to read). I enjoyed the first 30-40% and I could see the potential! I just felt that it dragged on too much with nothing overly interesting happening.

I found the FMC, Shakti, quite unlikeable even with her controversial violent tendencies. She essentially is rewarded with powers after going against everything she was brought up to believe and preach.

Ashoka had his moments where I had the odd smirk and found him likeable but we never receive much of an explanation as to why he’s so pacifist.

The witches are all very timid, tame and accept their fates due to the lack of using their magic for sinister or untoward acts. I’m not saying that they should’ve…but Shakti at least attempted to get revenge on someone for slaughtering her family.

I think it’s always hard to start a new fantasy series and I applaud the author in their efforts at world building and trying to get the reader to become familiar with their characters. I just, unfortunately, do not think this series is for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for accepting me to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this. I really enjoyed this, I liked the fantasy, the world building and the characters but I hoped for a little more romance.

This wasn't as bad as I would've expected after seeing the ratings. But unfortunately, it also wasn't overly good.

The beginning was lackluster. Yes, there was some action, but it felt very constructed. On top of that, I was so confused about the ages of the characters. I expected them to be adults, but some scenes felt like flashbacks to a pre-teen age and I couldn't figure out what timeline we were in. At some point, a certain character behaved in a way that me assume she was perhaps 12 - and then it got dropped, that she was in fact 22, and we were in the present time. Honestly gave me whiplash. At 22 you're definitely an adult and supposed to behave like one. Not running around, enjoying life, with no responsibilities. Especially in a non-modern world. Quite a few people would already be married at that age and have children!

At least that got better and the characters behaved mostly in an age appropriate way.
The main characters were a bit too one dimensional for me. Ashoka is very kind and pure, refuses to kill, is just very sweet. I would say boring, but he actually went through an interesting development and I'm kinda curious were this is going.
Shakti was just basically mayhem. She probably meant well, but she literally never stopped to think about consequences and it infuriated me. Basically none of the problems in this book would've existed if she had just stopped and thought about everything for a second.
I was surprised to see what an interesting character Aarya turned out to be. I had hoped for even deeper layers, but maybe that will happen in the next book.

As for the plot - it was fine. Again, most of it could've been easily solved, if Shakti had just waited a minute, but the way it happened, was alright. I have to criticise that there are still so many unsolved things at the end of the book.
Sure, that'll get solved over the next book(s). But I'd like to get some crumbs in this one, please.

As for the romance - and this is just plain facts, without judgement - there isn't much of it. From the very beginning it is obvious that Ashoka is in love, but he never acts on it, and that's all there is to say about that topic. Representation was nice, but as there's not much romance in general, it's difficult to say anything about it.

The ending was fine. It could've been more exciting, but it built up the next instalment.

Overall - this book was, once again, fine. Completely fine. Not especially bad, but also not very good. Some nice ideas, but nothing special.
I am kind of curious about the things that'll happen in the next book, but probably not enough to actually read book two.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although I really liked the world building of this book, I struggled to get through it. The writing style wasn't for me and I found the plot difficult to follow at points. It got better the further in I got though!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Prince without Sorrow is the first of the Obsidian Throne novels, loosely inspired by the origins of the historical Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty of ancient India. It features Shakti, a witch capable of raising the dead and communing with nature spirits, and a young prince Ashoka, a pacifist who wants nothing to do with his father’s violent reign.

This book had the potential to be really great, but the writing is clunky and a lot of words are used incorrectly. There are some gaping holes that are aching to be filled that would really help with the backstory and the plot. It feels more YA than adult, which is no bad thing, but potentially missing its market audience. Some tighter editing would help.

The premise of this was amazing but fell really flat. Didn’t enjoy the characters or the writing style.