In Maithree Wijesekara's debut novel, The Prince Without Sorrow, the mayakari--witches--of the Ran Empire emit blue and white flames when burned. The mayakari might have power that the rest of the empire does not understand, but their code requires that they always use it to uphold peace. That does not stop Emperor Adil Maurya from viciously hunting the mayakari, blaming them for everything that goes wrong in the empire, and even burn-testing suspected women to ensure that they are not a threat. Learning about them, their history, and their ways is forbidden, with libraries burned alongside the women targeted by the Empire.
The emperor's youngest son, Ashoka, does not agree with either Adil's persecution of the mayakari nor his thirst for conquest, but Adil spurns his son's push for pacifism, instead choosing violence. But he won't be the only one to make that choice. When Adil brings the full force of the Ran Empire to bear on the mayakari of Shakti's village, burning them all, Shakti's need for vengeance is born in the blue flames. The curse she casts in response will have devastating consequences for the Emperor, his children, and the whole Ran Empire.
Drawing influences from the Maurya Empire of Ancient India and loose inspiration from Emperor Ashoka the Great, this first volume in a projected trilogy explores questions of good and evil, and what it means to do harm on individual and institutional levels. Where Shakti and Ashoka's paths through peace and violence will lead them promises readers a fast-paced ride full of murder, retribution, and the search for justice, right up to the novel's final cliffhanger. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer