Customer Review - The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara
Synopsis
WELCOME TO THE RAN EMPIRE. Where winged serpents fly through the skies. Giant leopards prowl the earth.
And witches burn blue as they die. A prince born into violence Prince Ashoka is considered an outcast for opposing his father Emperor Adil Maurya’s brutal destruction of the Mayakari witches. A witch seeking revenge Shakti vows retribution for the murder of her aunt and annihilation of her village at the hands of the emperor, even though she is bound by the Mayakari’s pacifist code.
A curse that will change the world In her anger Shakti casts a violent curse, the consequences of which will leave both her and Ashoka grappling for power. Do they take it for themselves and risk becoming what they most hate? Or do they risk losing power completely as the world around them is destroyed?
Kiera’s Review
Debut novel by Maithree Wijesekara is set in the Ran Empire, inspired by the Mauryan Dynasty of Ancient India. The story follows the lives of two people experiencing the Ran Empire from different viewpoints. Prince Ashoka is the third-born child of Emperor Adil Maurya, who doesn't agree with the violence and views within his family. He battles with the legacy left by his father and fights the political injustice inflicted during his fathers reign. Shakti is a mayakari (witch), who has grown up seeing her people be brutally murdered by Emperor Adils hatred of her kind. Determined to extinguish the hate of her people, Shakti sets off on a path to fight back.
The world building of the Ran empire was well thought out and kept pace with the story. The characters were well fleshed out and engaging. They developed through the story with both becoming entangled with what's right and wrong while defending their people. This was done through the storytelling and pacing of the book which was well developed.
For me I was intrigued throughout to where this set of characters would go. I would have liked maybe more about the witches history but overall we got enough information to understand them. As always the first book sets the tone and this book has done that quite well, as I’m looking forward to how the story unfolds. I would recommend this for people who like political conflict and mystical witches with interesting spirits. It would also suit those who are new to the political aspects of a YA fantasy.
