Daughter of the Empire

Daughter of the Empire is first of a powerful trilogy of books that follow Mara of House Acoma who, upon the death of her father and brother by the machinations her family's arch-enemy, suddenly became the sole heir of the Acoma name and estate.

The first book deals with how she grows from a simple daughter of a noble house, to an intelligent and masterful player of the politics-rife world of Kelewan. She pushes against the stagnant traditions of her people to lead her house out of the danger of destruction. Kelewan is the “alien world” of the Magician series by Raymond E. Feist. With Janny Wurts, both of them crafted a very real world based on Japanese and Chinese cultures. Aside from a few fantastical elements like other races, this book could almost be historical fiction. The pace set in the book is very exciting, and once you start the reading, it's hard to put down.