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The Prince Without Sorrow: Book One of the Obsidian Throne (Obsidian Throne, 1)
Maithree Wijesekara
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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 mayakari: 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.
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Posts about this title from Not So Well Read
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Apr 12 2025
10 New Fantasy Books to Add to Your TBR
There are so many books out there that it’s impossible to keep up with them all. So, here are 5 fantasy books that I have been super excited about, but haven’t seen as frequently on here.
📚 The River Has Roots – Haunting fairytale novella from the co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War 📚Greenteeth – Cozy folklore fantasy that feels similar to Someone You Can Build a Nest In 📚 Nightweaver – YA romantasy where Bridgerton meets Pirates of the Caribbean 📚 The Prince Without Sorrow – Epic political fantasy inspired by the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India 📚 The Serpent Called Mercy – High-stakes Malaysian Chinese fantasy where Squid Game meets The Witcher
#bookrecommendations #fantasybookseries #fantasybookstagram #fantasybookrecs #fantasybookstagrammer
10 books
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Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Mar 23 2025
[This week in the book world: \ \ This week was all about Sunrise on the Reaping! It's been so fun seeing everyone diving back into the world of my all-time-favorite series. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through, but I know from everyone's stories that this is going to emotionally destroy me. I am ready. \ \ I had my own personal drama with this title–specifically a certain publisher not having us sign the needed embargo paperwork, which delayed our shipment by 3 days–but overall this release seemed to go a lot more smoothly than THAT one in January. I will say, I am forever jealous of the folks who got to attend the Waterstones Midnight Release. That looked AMAZING and even my indie-loving heart isn't afraid to admit it.\ \ This Week's Publishing News: \ \
- Sarah Beth Durst announced a new teen book this week! It's called The Faraway Inn about a teen girl who goes to work at her aunt's secretly-magical B&B after a breakup.\ \
- New horror novel called The House Where Nothing Hurts, "pitched as Bunny meets Marlena and for fans of Yellowjackets, about a high school volleyball team that discovers a haunted house where none of their actions seem to have lasting physical consequences"\ \
- Lindsay King-Miller, author of The Z Word, is teaming up with Rachel Feder for a dystopian retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray called Dorian/Gray, pitched as a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray "where the rich are assigned poor scapegoats who experience all the negative consequences of their actions through quantum entanglement"\ \ \ This Week's New Releases: \ \ Much slower week than last week, but still some good ones:\ \
- Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones\ \
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins\ \
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green\ \
- The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley\ \
- The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth\ \
- The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1) by Maithree Wijesekara\ \
- The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi\ \ \ What I Read This Week: \ \ Oathbound (Finished)\ \ UGGGHHH!!! When's the next one???? I just want my babies to be happy together, okay? Also, in other news, I saw in publisher's weekly that Legendborn sold only 2000 copies in its first week, but Oathbound sold 20k+ in its first week and I'm just so happy!!\ \ Soulgazer (Finished)\ \ This book captured my entire heart in a matter of pages. Not only is it an incredible pirate fantasy, it's got an incredibly tender romance that will be beloved by both historical and fantasy romance readers. I cannot wait for the next novel and will be thinking of Faolan and Saoirse nearly every day until then. 10/10, perfect romantasy. Y'all make sure to preorder this one and show author Maggie some love.\ \ Kill Creatures (Finished)\ \ Kill Creatures is the exact reason why I love teen thrillers. Impossible-to-put-down from the very first page with a twist that will leave readers of all ages reeling, Kill Creatures is the a sun-soaked-fever-dream thriller that's perfect for summer reading. This one comes out 6/3/25!\ \ Blood Over Bright Haven (50%)\ \ I am loving this book, which is very likely due to the incredible audiobook narrator. We called the twist pretty early on, but that hasn't kept me from enjoying it. I need to finish this one tonight before book club tomorrow, so I'll keep y'all updated on my progress.\ \ Dance of Lies (28%)\ \ Ooooh, I can tell that this one is going to be a slow burn and I am buckled in and ready.\ \ What I bought/shelved: \ \ Bought:\ \
- Till Death by Kellan McDaniel\ \
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins\ \
- I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins\ \ \ Shelved:\ \
- Between Ink and Shadows by Melissa Wright\ \ \ Other Musings: \ \ Don't forget the Trans Rights Read-a-thon is happening now till 3/31! I am hoping to read The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts and Till Death during this time!! I also wrote a little blog post with some of ours booksellers' favorite books by trans and nonbinary authors. You can read that here if you want some book ideas!](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/cFjgpkWvt5TAMAGZc5fa/)
15 books
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Books Right Now\ \ Rashi Dembi\ \ • Jun 4
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This is your reminder to read South Asian books all year long!
If you’re looking for book recs, I’ve got you! Here are two pages of my favorite South Asian books as well as two pages of the South Asian books on my TBR.
47 books
1
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Aug 7 2025
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[Poll:\ \ Which sub-genre do you enjoy more?\ \ Who is The Prince of Sorrow book for and how it ended up in the wrong audience: \ \ The Prince Without Sorrow is an Indian inspired Political or Epic fantasy. I did not think there was much romantic angst as mentioned in the synopsis/blurb but otherwise, I'd fully agree that this is a political fantasy book.\ \ I did have a look through the reviews before deciding to partake in a book tour for this book and after finishing it, I am mildly surprised that a lot of people did not like it but I think it ended up in the wrong audience. This book is not for those who dont enjoy EPIC FANTASY because that's what this is: a political book with witches being prosecuted and heavily based on an Indian folklore. If you dont like Folklores or mythology AND epic fantasy, you most likely won't enjoy this book.\ \ And again, this book has like maybe 0.5% romance and nothing more in the romance department. (I love Romantasy and enjoy them but this book is not Romantasy or Romantic Fantasy in any way). I almost missed out on this amazing book because of the mixed reviews and I know I am not the only one.\ \
- *\ \ Would I recommend The Prince Without Sorrow & to Who? \ \ Yes, I’d recommend The Prince without Sorrow to those who love epic fantasy. The Prince Without Sorrow is a multi POV (two characters in this book) that follows along with Ashoka and Shakti and is a more character, vibes and following gut instinct rather than a fixed plan and plot. After reading through some reviews, I can see that this book would not be for everyone but I quite enjoyed the folklore in here, the view of pacifism and the way certain characters are influenced by outside factors to stick to their beliefs. I think if you enjoy a middle paced, Multi POV, character based plot, this book is for you.\ \
- *\ \ The Prince without Sorrow Book Review: \ \ GENRE: Political & mythology Fantasy\ \ RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5\ \ FORMAT: eBook Arc\ \
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Full Review: \
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My journey to discover Epic Fantasy in 2025 has been going well and The Prince without Sorrow is for sure contributing to it!\
\
Okay now, let's dive into my actual review. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and it captured my attention quite easily, the multi-POV was done naturally in my opinion and we see character growth + development throughout the book and isn't that how reality is? How politics and killing spree done by emperors or rulers really works?\
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The Prince without Sorrow dives into how we have idealism and concepts we stick to but in a time of war and killing persecutions, can a whole race stick to their codes (which are pacifist in nature) while they are being killed off one by one? This book very much reflects reality in terms of the fact that if the Mayakari, who are known for having pacifism codes, decide to fight back because they can no longer tolerate the elimination of their race that has been happening. And, make no mistake, this happens in real life, we are always coming down with the fact that: If attacked, are we, the opposition and the persecuted side, not allowed to defend ourselves?\
\
It gets even more interesting in The Prince Without Sorrow: the multi-POV that we have are dual characters who are political alliances because they HAVE to be. They are opposite in everywhere and the contradiction between them is as clear as night and day. Shakti is a Mayakari witch, who grew up with pacifism ideals from her family but has taken to violence because she cant condone standing still and allowing others to harm her and hurt her loved ones or her people. On the other hand, Prince Ashoka is the son of the Emperor who is in charge of starting the persecution against Mayakari people. He grew up with violence ideals shoved down his throat, aside from his mother, who taught him ideals belonging to Mayakari or pacifism. He refuses to hurt and kill anything.\
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Throughout the story, what happens is we see both of these things challenged: Shakti's tendency to violence is challenged and just how far she will go is another concept we see her deal with and grow through it. We also watch Prince Ashoka try to adapt and combine the needs to protect the persecuted and his pacifism ideals. We also see how he tries to not change and become more like his father and siblings.\
\
This plot is very fitting with an epic fantasy, we see world building, character growth and everything set in a place to give us book two and book three (meant to be a trilogy). We watch Shakti balance both parts of her morals: Mayakari Pacifism versus the need to retaliate and seek revenge:\
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"She wanted to curse him. To use her abilities to gift misery to the Ran Empire's ruler. But she could not. It was not the mayakari way. They were women who used their power to maintain peace, not sow seeds of destruction, it was their code, a mark of their livelihood."\ \ The way the contradiction in Shakti's personality exists throughout the book is one of my favourite themes of The Prince Without Sorrow and I quite enjoyed seeing this fully:\ \ "Why did she leave her late at night to fight?\ \ Because not fighting would have had me end up like you, aunty."\ \ And something that is brought up quite often in The Prince Without Sorrow is how people try to hammer either Shakti or Prince Ashoka based on what they THINK they both should be. This is a continuous theme that is seen throughout the story of how Shakti should be a peaceful, do no harm female and Ashoka should be the prince who is violent, following in the step of his father. What was lovely to see was the fact that Prince Ashoka had a few of his people, who supported him no matter what and isn't that what unconditional love is about?:\ \ "Sau's voice wasn't filled with vitriol. Like Rahil, she never teased him for his softness. He was a weed growing among sunflowers; they had long since understood that he lacked the ferocity of his siblings."\ \ And this brings us into the next theme of the book: Prince Ashoka versus his siblings: Arusha & Aaraya. Arusha and Aaraya are both similar to their father, one more than the other. However, Prince Ashoka being the pacifist, is nothing like either of them. Even in the small things, such as dealing with their winged serpents, Ashoka has to deal with their opposing way of living:\ \ "Arush's apathetic curiosity had hurt something and now Ashoka had to fix it. Typical."\ \ And not only that, but in fact, the sibling who has a tendency to lean more towards violence, addresses killing Mayakari citizens the same way one would address the weather:\ \ "Aarya talked about genocide the way Saudamini talked about the weather."\ \ And let's end this review with one important quote, about a theme we see in many books: how humans and humanity will be the ending of nature, of the world as we know it:\ \ "Ashoka understood then that humanity was a horror beyond anything else he could imagine, and the nature spirits suffered because of it."\ \ Okay, now we will need to wrap up my longer than usual review but please do give this book a chance if you are into epic fantasy and folklore fantasy. You might be surprised as this lovely book one in a trilogy and explore themes we do not commonly see in other fantasy books.\ \ Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tour, NetGalley, the author and Avon & Harper Voyager for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.\ \ Join for free or login](https://cozysabie.binderybooks.com/item/n6fg6f4h0WTab2E8qZQK/)
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Full Review: \
\
My journey to discover Epic Fantasy in 2025 has been going well and The Prince without Sorrow is for sure contributing to it!\
\
Okay now, let's dive into my actual review. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and it captured my attention quite easily, the multi-POV was done naturally in my opinion and we see character growth + development throughout the book and isn't that how reality is? How politics and killing spree done by emperors or rulers really works?\
\
The Prince without Sorrow dives into how we have idealism and concepts we stick to but in a time of war and killing persecutions, can a whole race stick to their codes (which are pacifist in nature) while they are being killed off one by one? This book very much reflects reality in terms of the fact that if the Mayakari, who are known for having pacifism codes, decide to fight back because they can no longer tolerate the elimination of their race that has been happening. And, make no mistake, this happens in real life, we are always coming down with the fact that: If attacked, are we, the opposition and the persecuted side, not allowed to defend ourselves?\
\
It gets even more interesting in The Prince Without Sorrow: the multi-POV that we have are dual characters who are political alliances because they HAVE to be. They are opposite in everywhere and the contradiction between them is as clear as night and day. Shakti is a Mayakari witch, who grew up with pacifism ideals from her family but has taken to violence because she cant condone standing still and allowing others to harm her and hurt her loved ones or her people. On the other hand, Prince Ashoka is the son of the Emperor who is in charge of starting the persecution against Mayakari people. He grew up with violence ideals shoved down his throat, aside from his mother, who taught him ideals belonging to Mayakari or pacifism. He refuses to hurt and kill anything.\
\
Throughout the story, what happens is we see both of these things challenged: Shakti's tendency to violence is challenged and just how far she will go is another concept we see her deal with and grow through it. We also watch Prince Ashoka try to adapt and combine the needs to protect the persecuted and his pacifism ideals. We also see how he tries to not change and become more like his father and siblings.\
\
This plot is very fitting with an epic fantasy, we see world building, character growth and everything set in a place to give us book two and book three (meant to be a trilogy). We watch Shakti balance both parts of her morals: Mayakari Pacifism versus the need to retaliate and seek revenge:\
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When an Epic Fantasy is advertised as Romantasy: The Prince without Sorrow
1 book
2
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • May 23 2025
Join for free
“How typical — The Powerful fearing Power they didn’t understand.” — Epic Fantasy Book Review
“How typical — The Powerful fearing Power they didn’t understand.”
Your favourite cottagecore librarian is back today with an Epic Fantasy book review of The Prince without Sorrow! I rated this book a full 5 stars and completely loved it. It is a debut novel and book one in a trilogy and I cannot wait till book two🤭🥹
Comment Substack for a link to read my full review (this is just me sending you the link haha) but basically, The Prince without Sorrow explores themes of Pacifism, rising against your own moral codes and political intrigue while being based on the Ancient India Mauryan Empire and it is done SO well in my opinion! 🤎🤎
Also how beautiful is the cover? This is the US cover, which I quite liked but I also love the UK cover and think it is a true representation of the book as well! Do you plan to read this book or have it on your TBR? 🤎
Thank you to @coloredpagesbt @harpervoyagerus @harpervoyager_uk @maithree_wijesekara for this lovely arc and opportunity!
#ThePrinceWithoutSorrowtour #ThePrinceWithoutSorrow #coloredpagesbooktours
1 book
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Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Apr 12 2025
10 New Fantasy Books to Add to Your TBR
#bookrecommendations #fantasybookseries #fantasybookstagram #fantasybookrecs #fantasybookstagrammer
10 books
1
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Mar 23 2025
15 books
1
Arcane Nights Press\ \ Cassidy\ \ • Dec 15 2024
Join for free
My Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of 2025
Here are my most anticipated fantasy releases for the first half of 2025! Let me know what books you’re excited for in the comments.
22 books
5