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A review by miny03rd
The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me awhile to really get into but once I was in, I flew through it. I liked the writing, for the most part, however, I will say there were times where I felt the author was trying to sound more sophisticated and it came off as nonsensical.
I think what stood out , for me, is the unique world being built here. “The Prince Without Sorrow” is an Indian-inspired fantasy that includes witches (mayakari) and nature spirits which I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to read about a different kind of fantasy-world than the ones most often seen on bestseller lists. I think there was a good amount of world-building in this book. Of course, I have questions, but I do think the answers are intentionally left out rather than overlooked (or, at least, I hope!).
The characters in this book were also really interesting to me. I found the dynamic between Ashoka and his family really interesting and a different take to a typical evil family vs the one “good one.” I also find Ashoka’s character change over the book to be intriguing. Shakti wasn’t particularly a groundbreaking character for me, but she was still interesting, in her own right. I wasn’t disinterested in her storyline, but where she finds herself right at the end had me on the edge of my seat.
The ending of the book did a great job at capturing my attention and making me want to pick up the next book. It took me from “yeah, I liked it but I don’t know if I’ll read the next book” to “well, shit. now I have to read the next book” within two chapters.
I think this book could be the start of a great new series and I am interested to see if the author can deliver on that potential.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me awhile to really get into but once I was in, I flew through it. I liked the writing, for the most part, however, I will say there were times where I felt the author was trying to sound more sophisticated and it came off as nonsensical.
I think what stood out , for me, is the unique world being built here. “The Prince Without Sorrow” is an Indian-inspired fantasy that includes witches (mayakari) and nature spirits which I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to read about a different kind of fantasy-world than the ones most often seen on bestseller lists. I think there was a good amount of world-building in this book. Of course, I have questions, but I do think the answers are intentionally left out rather than overlooked (or, at least, I hope!).
The characters in this book were also really interesting to me. I found the dynamic between Ashoka and his family really interesting and a different take to a typical evil family vs the one “good one.” I also find Ashoka’s character change over the book to be intriguing. Shakti wasn’t particularly a groundbreaking character for me, but she was still interesting, in her own right. I wasn’t disinterested in her storyline, but where she finds herself right at the end had me on the edge of my seat.
The ending of the book did a great job at capturing my attention and making me want to pick up the next book. It took me from “yeah, I liked it but I don’t know if I’ll read the next book” to “well, shit. now I have to read the next book” within two chapters.
I think this book could be the start of a great new series and I am interested to see if the author can deliver on that potential.