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 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 to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.
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First line:
She had expected her life to end this way.
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Source:
Source:
eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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Publication Date:
March 18, 2025
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Rating:
4 Winged Serpents out of 5
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First off, how cute is the baby winged serpent on the cover? I need one immediately. On a serious note, this was a wonderful debut fantasy. This got categorized as a romantasy, but don't expect really any romance in this novel. I did really like that I wasn't rooting for our two main characters to end up together, but rather I love Ashoka and Rahil and hope we can see a development of their relationship in the next book.
I also enjoyed that neither Shakti nor Ashoka are perfect characters. They both have obvious flaws that are affecting the story line, but not in an annoying way. I've loved seeing how they have both changed through out the book and I am hoping to see much more as the series continues.
I can't wait to get my hands on a final copy so I can see the maps! I just ordered the Waterstones exclusive version with the UK cover and sprayed edges and I'm excited to receive it!
This book is a good one to ease you into fantasy. It's based off of Ancient India and has a lot of the principles of Buddhism in it. It's definitely nice to get out of the fantasy worlds based off of medieval Europe!
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