The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1)
Maithree Wijesekara
Drawing on inspiration from the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, debut author Maithree Wijesekara plunges readers into the first amazing book of the Obsidian Throne trilogy, a new fantasy series of hunted witches, romantic angst, and political intrigue. Perfect for fans of The Hurricane Wars and The Jasmine Throne.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 to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.
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**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.** Maithree Wijesekara debuts with The Prince Without Sorrow, a high fantasy inspired by the Mauryan Empire of India. Readers follow dual perspectives. Prince Ashoka is a pacifist in constant power struggles with his family set on expansion of the empire. Shakti is a mayakari, a witch who can speak to nature spirits, but also has the power to curse and to raise the dead. Mayakari have oaths of peace, but when she is witness to Emperor Adil burning her aunt and entire village due to their mayakari affiliation, Shakti makes an oath toward vengeance. The highlight of this story is in its varied lens. The culture of the Mauryan Empire is something refreshing in a sea of western-based fantasy stories. Unfortunately, this really is the main highlight as nothing else with this story is particularly groundbreaking or against genre norms. Shakti's storyline reminds me quite a bit of vengeance-minded Tau in The Rage of Dragons. I found her perspective (and Tau's in all fairness), extremely frustrating to follow as she continuously behaves against her own best interest in the name of vengeance. But she does give us some asexual rep, which was nice to see acknowledged. Meanwhile, Ashoka and bodyguard Rahil are reminiscent of shy Kadou and competent Evemer of A Taste of Gold and Iron. I liked Ashoka's perspective as he does navigate arguably the most on-page growth. There is a great deal of political maneuvering and setting up of the series continuation in this book, but I'm left feeling a bit like this first book is simply a prologue for what is to come. Ultimately, I am not certain if there was enough that stood out to me about this story as it stands to continue, though I didn't encounter anything to outright dislike about it. I would still recommend this story to anyone interested as I hope it finds the audience for whom it can resonate best.
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