Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Starts super slow but speeds up a little bit but still quite slow
I love that the characters don’t seem to have any sort of plan or expectations they just seem to thrive on chaos and spontaneity even as they panic about their lacks of plans 😂
The prose gets a bit confusing at times but I think that’s kind of the point?
I love that the characters don’t seem to have any sort of plan or expectations they just seem to thrive on chaos and spontaneity even as they panic about their lacks of plans 😂
The prose gets a bit confusing at times but I think that’s kind of the point?
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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!
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!
For a chunk of the book I didn’t think this one was for me. Which is not a critique of the writing or the story it just felt more suited to maybe New Adult — and I think perfect for newer readers to the fantasy genre. However imo it totally stuck the ending and as a result I will be keeping an eye out for the sequel in the future!
Overall a solid read, with an interesting world setting, enjoyable political conflict and am interested to see where this story goes next!
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“I will amount to everything you never thought I would be.”
The Prince Without Sorrow is the first book in a brand new fantasy trilogy by a debut author. Inspired by the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, this book is perfect for any fantasy fan who enjoys politics, resistance, revolution and morally grey characters you can’t help but root for.
I think Ashoka and Shakti were both great POV characters to follow. Since they came from very different backgrounds, it was interesting to get to grips with the various challenges they were facing. I truly enjoyed seeing how the two of them changed throughout the story (and I often yelled at them because aaaargghhh).
The plot is not particularly action packed but it does have some exciting moments. I didn’t mind because I liked following the characters. This book felt like it was laying groundwork for what’s to come and I found myself utterly wrapped up in the politics of the story. I also enjoyed the very very slight romance plot!
I think you should give this a try if you enjoy reading about:
🐅Political intrigue
🐅Empire and resistance
🐅Revolution
🐅Morally grey characters
🐅The slooowest queer slowburn
🐅This quote: “Change arrives when we’re sick and tired of waiting for it.”
The Prince Without Sorrow is the first book in a brand new fantasy trilogy by a debut author. Inspired by the Mauryan Empire of Ancient India, this book is perfect for any fantasy fan who enjoys politics, resistance, revolution and morally grey characters you can’t help but root for.
I think Ashoka and Shakti were both great POV characters to follow. Since they came from very different backgrounds, it was interesting to get to grips with the various challenges they were facing. I truly enjoyed seeing how the two of them changed throughout the story (and I often yelled at them because aaaargghhh).
The plot is not particularly action packed but it does have some exciting moments. I didn’t mind because I liked following the characters. This book felt like it was laying groundwork for what’s to come and I found myself utterly wrapped up in the politics of the story. I also enjoyed the very very slight romance plot!
I think you should give this a try if you enjoy reading about:
🐅Political intrigue
🐅Empire and resistance
🐅Revolution
🐅Morally grey characters
🐅The slooowest queer slowburn
🐅This quote: “Change arrives when we’re sick and tired of waiting for it.”
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A witch watches her aunt being burnt at the stake by the emperor
The emperor's youngest son dreams of a world where witches can live free
The two meet in a politically turbulent time with dreams of change
The emperor's youngest son dreams of a world where witches can live free
The two meet in a politically turbulent time with dreams of change
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A