The Prince without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara

Book Review

27th March 2025

Prince Ashoka Maura is the second son of Emperor Adil and differs from his father in every way. He is diplomatic where his father is powerful, gentle where his father is harsh, and open-minded where his father is violently biased. Under the Emperor’s orders, magic is seen as a force of evil. Mayakari (witches) suffer and burn at his command, even as Prince Ashoka cannot bring himself to kill a deer in the hunt. Indeed, the youngest prince holds a very different view of the Mayakari, and a different view of how the empire should be led. Perhaps Ashoka may not be content to remain second son, and powerless in the eyes of the law, for much longer.

Shakti trains under the weapons-master, Master Hasith, but she must do so only late at night as her aunt, Jaya, would never condone violence. Indeed, as a Mayakari, Jaya does not agree with harming another living being, and has vowed to use her magical abilities only for good. Little does Shakti know that one night, and one command from a cruel and biased ruler, will change her life, and indeed her very self, more than she could ever have imagined.

Shakti has no choice but to break the vows of the Mayakari and embrace violence, cursing the emperor and bringing the fight against those who have destroyed her life. Unfortunately, as is the way with Mayakari curses, her desperation to destroy Emperor Adil does not manifest quite as she expected, and Shakti will have to fight even harder to overcome everything that he and those who followed him throw at her.

The Prince without Sorrow, book one of the Obsidian Throne series, draws inspiration from ancient India, following Shakti’s desire for revenge and Ashoka’s desire to rid the Mayakari from his father’s tyranny. We have some familiar elements in play. Shakti is a witch, though not fully versed in her powers. Ashoka is desperate to love, desperate to be good, and growing desperate to rule in the way he feels the people deserve. He is seemingly the only person who can tame a dragon and is struggling to acknowledge his love for his closest friend. Both Ashoka and Shakti are likeable young characters, though flawed, and at times contradictory in their efforts, and lacking real power where it matters.

As the story plays out, the paths of our two lead characters inevitably intersect, as both fight different battles to save their people. Ashoka, eschewing violence, takes the political route, but unfortunately, he has the legacy of his father to contend with. Along with an older brother standing before him in line for the throne, and more significantly, a sister who is determined to uphold everything her father stands for, no matter the cost. Princess Aarya proves to be an unavoidable obstacle for Shakti too, and it feels like every step our heroes take forward is pushed backwards just as firmly. It plays the tropes, but moves at a good pace and does leave us curious about what will happen next.