Synopsis:

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 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 power: to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.

Genre: Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Pub Date: 27 March 2025

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Review:

Book 1 of a new trilogy drawing on the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, The Prince Without Sorrow has a really interesting premise that drew me in. We follow Shakti, a witch meant to live as a pacifist, but who wants nothing more than to seek revenge for the massacre of her village. We also have the POV of Prince Ashoka, the youngest son of the tyrannical witch-killing Emperor, who is vehemently opposed to violence and longs for change.

While I ultimately liked this book, I do feel it could have been… more, especially when it came to the character development. The characters were interesting, especially as they were opposites, and I was looking forward to seeing their interactions, but was ultimately disappointed since they met only briefly. Both of them had great setups for their motivations, but I found as we went along their plans lacked logic and became quite slapdash, which, while entertaining, was baffling. I was surprised at how young they seemed to be, since this is advertised as an adult book, but to me it is solidly ya. Honestly, nobody acted as an adult should.

The worldbuilding on the other hand, was great, I loved the mythology behind it with the Great Spirits that roam and protect the land and the witches bound by their codes. The political backdrop to the wider world was also intriguing, and while ultimately it didn’t feature too much in this book, it did ground and give context to the events we see.

I also liked the themes we explored, especially around environmental destruction and the consequences of that. We also explore oppression and rebellion, and whether in the quest for peace could violence really be the answer.

All in all, I did enjoy this, though it ultimately felt like a huge setup for the next book. I will likely continue and hope that the characters develop more in the next instalment. Also note – this is not a romantasy in the slightest, so don’t be fooled by the genre listings!