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    Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein
    Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein
    Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein
    Audiobook29 hours

    Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein

    Written by David Anthony Durham

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Leodan Akaran, ruler of the Known World, has inherited generations of apparent peace and prosperity, won ages ago by his ancestors. A widower of high intelligence, he presides over an empire called Acacia, after the idyllic island from which he rules. He dotes on his four children and hides from them the dark realities of traffic in drugs and human lives on which their prosperity depends. He hopes that he might change this, but powerful forces stand in his way. And then a deadly assassin sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan in the heart of Acacia while they unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to his separate destiny. And so his children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire-this time on the basis of universal freedom.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 16, 2007
    ISBN9781400174881
    Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein

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    Reviews for Acacia

    3.5/5

    30 ratings24 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Four royal siblings are scattered after their fathers assassination by a race determined to stop the trade of drugs and children in the world. Another solid epic fantasy, I’ll be looking for the sequel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Finally got around to reading and finishing David Anthony Durham's fantasy debut, Acacia. It's a good, but slow, read, and the world-building is excellent. I love the fact that this fantasy world is painted with so many shades of grey, and the good guys do bad things, and that the bad guys do things you can't help but empathize with. I wish there hadn't been QUITE so many POV characters, because those chapters took away from the characters I was really interested in, but oh well. It's a good read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, whenever that arrives.The full review, which is chock-full of spoilers, is in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.REVIEW: David Anthony Durham's ACACIAHappy Reading!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Although I did not much like the style at the start of Acacia (too much info dump, not enough action), by the second third of the book, the pace picked up and the characters became interesting.The world created is complex and confusing, and not only to the reader. None of the major characters has a clear vision of all the complex interactions which have shaped the world as it stands at the beginning of Acacia. But the end of the book, much is still unknown to us and to them. Mystery creatures, magic which is rare and hard to quantify, drugs and slavery, and the question of who, or what, is actually the driving force behind Acacia. Certainly not the royal family. But they're trying to change that.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      ***Spoiler Alert *** My Acacian Journey - A review of both the book of CD and the book itselfAcacia has been an unusual experience for me. I began by first getting the unabridged version of the book from the library (all 23 disks), and listening to it nonstop during a two-day road trip. So I felt quite immersed in the story, but felt I was missing too much detail and nuance, due to having it read to me. I stopped listening at about disk 17, and decided to finish, instead, by reading the actual book. But "The Name of the Wind" became available at the library, so I spent the next few weeks reading that. I decided I'd begin Acacia (the book this time) from the beginning. That tells me I did enjoy the story, enough to read most of it all over again only 3 weeks after hearing it on disk. A few notes on this experience: Hearing the book first meant that I was familiar with how the strange names of people and places were pronounced. Most striking of all was the book's subtitle, "The War with the Mein." According to the reader, Mein is pronounced like "mean." Which goes against the rules for English, certainly. I assumed it was pronounced as the German word "mein,", that is, like the English word "mine." This seemed a bit wrong to me. Why make up a name that everyone is certain to mispronounce? And it seems rather hokey to call your bad guys the "Means". Reminds me of Yellow Submarine, except these guys weren't blue. But it was really cool to see these words after hearing them read to me for 20 hours or so. Strange, but true. I really enjoyed reading it after hearing it. And this confirmed for me that you really do need to *read* a book. Having it read to you is not good enough, though it is entertaining when driving for 10 hours straight. But there's no stopping (as you can do when reading) to think about what someone has said, or what just happened. The reader just rolls on. So that's a limitation of the medium. Hitting the pause button would be much more disruptive of the fictive dream than simply looking up from the page and thinking. Finally, the voice of the reader is not like the voice in your head, which in my head at least, does not sound like a whiny twit when reading the words spoken by the women in the book. The reader attempts to come up with a different-sounding voice for every major character. He does a great job with the mens' voices. Meander especially was chilling to listen to. But the women - especially Corinn -- came across as very small-minded and weak. Reading the book, Corinn came across rather differently. A much stronger character, for sure. Durham's handling of women, however, could be much better. He has the two male siblings, Aliver and Dariel, sent off to lands where they learn fighting skills. He send the two female siblings, Corinn and Mena (unfortunate name, that -- sounds too much like "Mein") to places where they don't learn fighting. He then has Mena learn, in a single chapter, how to become a legendary fighter, and it just doesn't wash. As for the story itself, here are my thoughts. Obviously, I liked it enough to essentially "read" it twice in a two-month span. I never do that. The writing style is very good, and better than 90% of the doorstop fantasy tripe out there. This is a first fantasy novel for Durham, who has heretofore only written historical fiction. Durham says, "Acacia is a novel about the myths empires create to explain their crimes. It's about how difficult it is to join idealism with action. It's about ambition and hope and dealing with the disappointments inflicted by a callous world. It's about family legacy, sibling rivalry, and striving to correct past wrongs." This comes across quite well, and these strong thematic elements make "Acacia" an important fantasy novel. Durham, an African American, was also attempting to include a vast racial diversity, and in that I don't think he was very successful. The various tribes all seem cut of the same cloth, and rather hackneyed cloth at that. They're stereotypical primitives. Durham's imagination seems to have failed him here, I'm afraid. The Meins and the Acacians seem very much alike, and the rest come across as third world knockoffs. Having read a lot of science fiction, I've seen many authors do a better job of imagining alien cultures. Durham is falling back on stereotypes from our own world too much, I feel. Another nagging problem was that I felt the presence of a story outline. The characters often seemed to be fulfilling the needs of that outline rather than acting according to their true natures. The best example of this was the very end, when Corinn suddenly beomes very powerful and cunning. There was no foreshadowing this development. She was too obviously advancing the plot, and not in a way the reader expects. The death, at the very end, of Aliver, seemed wrong. We see Aliver grow steadily in power and wisdom for 550 pages, and then he foolishly agrees to a fight with Meander. I could almost see Durham saying, "Okay, for the next book, I want Corinn to be the Queen, so I need to get rid of Aliver. Hm. How can I do that?" So he gives us a few paragraphs of Meander's thoughts, of Meander realizing that soon he will be seen as a mere nothing compared to his older brother Hanish. So he'll kill Aliver and thus do something important. This seems obviously hacked in, not natural, and it throws you right out of the story. I felt these characters would not do these things, based on what I knew of them. One final quibble: I wish Durham had not waited till nearly the end to explain why the Tunishnevre (the ancestors cursed by the ancient Akaran Tinhaden) needed to be transported from the Mein homeland to Acacia. I kept wondering why Hanish was going to so much trouble, when he could simply take Corinn to the ancestors, and this made me begin to suspect a plot hole. Durham should have explained the need to have them "awoken" in Acacia right up front. Acacia is an important new fantasy novel, and I look forward to reading the next volume(s). Durham does not say how many books are to come, but there is obviously at least one more. I'm sorry if this review seems overly negative. I hope the author finds these criticisms helpful, if he reads them. Fantasy that speaks to the problems our world faces is rare. Acacia is a breath of fresh air, though it stumbles now and then. Acacia and Patrick Rothfuss's "The Name of the Wind" combine to give fantasy lovers great hope for the future.
    • 4/5
      This book is a bit slow at first, but well worth sticking with. We get to know each of the four children of the Akaran family and watch them grow. There is lots of politicos and political intrigue in this book, and it's done on an epic scope. I recommend it for those who like fantasy novels, epic stories, and character studies. I haven't read the rest of the trilogy yet, but I'm excited to do so.
    • 4/5
      I have only liked 3 fantasy series so far: RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice ,Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea saga and Robin Hobb's Farseer saga. I do NOT like things like Jordan's Wheel of Time or even Tolkien. I did not like Raymond Feist's Empire Trilogy, although, at least I finished it. But I thought Acacia was very good and well written; I liked the characters and I liked the gradations of good and evil which reminded me of RR Martin.
    • 2/5
      Me, 50% of the way through: This epic fantasy is trying interesting things in making the drug trade the foundation of an empire and having the usurper Mein not much better than the deposed Acacians, except for how the Mein cut deals for other groups’ support that worsen conditions of oppression that we only hear about and don’t see. It’s also really neat to see fantasy where the characters seem mostly African- or Asian-derived, including the POV characters, and the whitest group is the barbarian Numrek. But I just don’t like anybody. Me, 80% of the way through: I really like what he’s doing with the exiled former ruling family! I can’t wait to see what happens! Me, 95% of the way through: Argh! Why did he hand one of the most interesting characters the stupid stick, in a way everyone in the text acknowledges is stupid, and contradicts decisions made a few short pages ago, in order to get to the next big plot point? Why did he then have another interesting character “just know” something that causes her arc to swerve wildly? He at least tries to explain the latter, but only in a way that destroys her agency. [personal profile] astolat suggested that he was too interested in the plot developments he decided should happen to deal with the characters he’d set up, and that feels right. If you like palace intrigue and don’t mind one stunning instance of plot-mandated idiocy, then you might enjoy this book/series, but I'm done.
    • 5/5
      With this book the author leaves behind his historical novels and begins a foray into fantasy. And, as fantasy novels go, this one is excellent. There are several detailed characters, a fascinating world with its own varied history full of legends and hidden secrets, and numerous surprises in store for the reader. Acacia is the name of an empire ruled for generations by the Akaran dynasty, currently headed by Leodan Akaran. The rulers live on an island of the same name known for its many acacia trees. But from the very beginning you know that Leodan's days as ruler are numbered. A people known as the Mein, long ago banished to the icy northern climate, have sent an assassin and are amassing for war. Leodan's four young children are successfully spirited away in the ensuing conflict. The children, two sons and two daughters, each go on to live wildly different lives since the start of the war. It's all very interesting and engrossing reading. Woven into the story are themes of slavery, oppression, a sinister drug trade, and the Akarans own revisionist history. It's exciting and fascinating to see how events unfold, especially in the last two thirds of the book. This is the first of a planned trilogy and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. One of the best fantasies I've come across in years. According the author's blog, "Acacia has been put into early production to be a feature film by Relativity Media and Michael De Luca Productions. The screenwriter Andrew Grant is at work on the film adaption now." Cool!
    • 4/5
      ***Early book spoiler***A very good read and well worth the price. David Durham tells a fantastic story about 4 royal siblings who are torn about when their kingdom is taken over. Each is thrown to different parts of the diverse kingdom and partake in very distinct lifestyles that transform them in unique ways.The book is very well written and you get over 700 pages of story. The characters are developed well, but he could go further with their development. Some more detail about geography, relationships between peoples, the aspects of the cities, etc. would also be nice.
    • 4/5
      A very good read
    • 4/5
      ACACIA by David Anthony Durham is the first book in a new series called; The War with the Mein. Mr. Durham is most noted for his historical fiction books. However, Acacia represents a step from the norm for Mr. Durham and steps into the realm of fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel, not only in the story but also the characters. With this being Mr. Durham's first fantasy novel the long-term outlook for his novels is certainly bright. However, this is not your typical sword and sorcery fantasy novel. I would liken this more to G.R.R. Martin, Steven Erikson, and Scott Lynch. It's a more gritty look at fantasy, where people die and the `good guys' don't always come out on top. I would say it has a more adult feel then the majority of fantasy novels out today. The plot of this book is a very large, sweeping type of plot that not only covers a lot of ground, but a large timeline as well. The basic premise of the plot is the race called the Mein are tired of being exiled from a land they believe is theirs. They put into play a series of events to wrest control away from the ruling Arkans. Then the plot shifts to the plight of the four Arkan children as they seek to avenge the assassination of their father. The plot follows each of the four children as they make their own path in the world after being exiled themselves and each facing a different set of circumstances. During the course of the novel there are large scale battles, political intrigue, treachery, double speak, and numerous other things. There are also several sub-plots tied in very nicely to the overall scope of the novel. Not only do we get to read about each of the four children, we also get to read about the leader of the Mein, Hanish Mein, as he seeks to establish his people in what he believes is rightly theirs. The characters in this novel are very good. Every character from Leodan Arkan to Hanish Mein has a purpose and a `voice' in which they speak. Each has their own motives and reasons for acting in the manner they do. This individualism leads to a much more believable story. Each and every character also have their own faults and often times do not act in a way that you would expect. There is also a great deal of character development within the pages of Acacia. For instance the four Arkan children start off as kids in the beginning of the novel, but by novels end they are not only older, but wiser in the workings of the world. Another thing I appreciated about this novel was the character dialog. Never does the dialog seemed forced or unnecessary. In fact, it all seemed to me to serve a purpose. I had the feeling if a character was speaking there was a reason behind it and they were all saying something important. Based on my experience, that is something rare in the fantasy genre right now. Truly solid characters all the way around. Some overall comments on the novel as a whole: The world is richly detailed. I appreciated Mr. Durham's way of intertwining pieces of the world's history into the conversation and prose. It made the world feel that much more alive and lead to believability of the characters actions. The `feel' of the novel is not the typical fantasy fare that is out there right now. It's dark, gritty, and feels much more real. Some things I would have liked to have seen differently. I would have liked to seen the chapters labeled with the character featured in the chapter, much like G.R.R. Martin's chapters. It would have provided a better understanding and a reference point for me to grasp what I was looking at. I would have also liked to see a year/calendar type heading under the chapter number. There were a few times where things seemed to jump ahead timeline wise and I was lost for a time as to what just happened and how much time passed. While there are some bits of history interspersed in the novel, I would have liked to see a little more - maybe this one will happen in future novels. Lastly, there is one character in this book who's behavior change at the end of the book seems vastly different from what that character acted like during the majority of the book. This dramatic change seems to come out of thin air and seemed `wrong' to me. Overall, this is a solid debut into the fantasy genre. There are some things that I would have done differently, yet the base of this novel is well done and should provide a solid starting point to what should be a fantastic series. I think most adult fantasy fans will find something to enjoy. This is certainly a book I can see myself recommending to the serious fantasy fan.
    • 4/5
      Four royal siblings are scattered after their fathers assassination by a race determined to stop the trade of drugs and children in the world. Another solid epic fantasy, I’ll be looking for the sequel.
    • 4/5
      I found both the introduction and the conclusion to this book somewhat weak. Regarding the introduction, it's hard to pin down specifics, but I found it difficult to get into. Once I did, however, I was impressed by the quality of the middle portion of the novel. The quality of the conclusion, I think, largely rests on the sequel and, likely, the conclusion of the trilogy.
    • 4/5
      When I was asked to review this book, I was less than enthusiastic. I’ve been reading genre fiction for a long time, and there are things I’d decided I was done with. Topping that list was “High Fantasy Quest Novels,” followed almost immediately by “Book 1 of a Brand New Series” (with a special amount of “done” leftover for “Book 1’s in Excess of 500 Pages”). Still, the book was sent to me by someone I trust, so I decided to give it a go.

      She always was the smart one.

      David Anthony Durham has pulled off something remarkable: a huge, sprawling epic that manages to weave together history, politics, intrigue and thunderous action scenes without ever losing track of the multitudes of finely-drawn characters.

      The detail that Durham lavishes on his world is impressive, and it grounds you firmly in this land. The author’s previous work as an historical novelist is clear in the care he takes with the backgrounds of the various kingdoms. We learn about myths, religious practices, courting practices, ruling philosophies, and day to day living for a number of different peoples. The truly amazing thing is that this wealth of detail is all germane to the main action of the story, and that, with a few exceptions, the story doesn’t grind to a halt while we’re getting the background info.

      That said, this is book one of a series, which means that there’s a great deal of setup for a payoff that, although sensible, seems a bit too abrupt. Or maybe that’s just my impatience; this is only book one, after all. I’m sure I’ll get the payoff I want eventually, but I want it now!

      Much closer to George R.R. Martin than J.R.R. Tolkien, Acacia has wonders in store both for those who love epic fantasy and for those who think it’s old hat. Once you visit, you’ll be as giddy as I am that there are more chapters still to come (and as grumpy as I am that they’re not out yet).
    • 3/5
      George R. R. Martin has nothing to worry about. Even though this sprawling fantasy features a longstanding dynasty overtaken by newcomers from the frozen North with the heirs in flight, there is little else in common with Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. Here the four children are naive, duplicious, full of rage, and clueless. Hardly the kind of characters that make you want to read more about them. The writing is quite fine, which is enough to propel you through the first book and the mysteries of this world are complex, but when there is no character that you care about, then what is the point in continuing.
    • 4/5
      Acacia has class A+ plot construction in depicting the revolt that topples the dominant social culture in this fantasy epic. Motive for the revolt: cultural differences and brutal oppressive tactics of the empirical ruling gov'mt . The Mein (the revengeful rebels weighed down with their coffin-clad undead) are just a hair better than Robespierre and the Acacians (the ruling class too sated with opulence to care about injustice) are worse than the French nobility. Deft writing makes the unending violence and betrayals more painful and thus it is difficult to read for a long period because of continual unflinching butchery via mercenary mauraders, or germ warfare, or treachery. The heroes do not exist in this fantasy epic because everyone is too sullied by their knowledge of the dark violence behind this struggle between all the cultures. Durham seems to be trying to make a point in all this about the phony "clash of cultures" bon mots in vogue among those who style our forays into the Middle East as democratizing. Durham's point is totally unsentimental in making sure that the cultures he has invented do clash, and the clashes between them are so brutal and ridden with faulty loyalties that the clash of cultures seems more like a euphemism as greed driven butchery rules the day. Within this vividly depicted vision he conjures we find a fantastical world devoid of kindness. Like the Book of Revelation chapter of the woman with child who escapes into the desert -- Durham sends his children into the "desert" figuratively because they are all the hunted. And the desert is more nourishing than the oppresive emerald city (oops - Acacian and then Mein-occupied city). The hope of one shattered and sinful civilization rests in the escapee Acacian children who are flawed but now I read on to find out whither it goes.
    • 4/5
      Fans of epic fantasies such as Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will surely be enthralled with this first of a planned trilogy. Four young siblings are forced to flee to different parts of the Known World after their father, King of Acacia, is assassinated. After nine years in hiding, we find each sibling has their own strengths and develop into not so predictable characters. The elements of drug trafficking, child slavery and racialism add an intriguing vein of social injustice and has the reader constantly shifting their view of who is good and who is evil.
    • 4/5
      this was a little slow to begin with but this was necessary so that the world that the author is creating is portrayed before the main portions of the story. This is not so say that nothing was happeing. I loved the portions where the old king is interacting with his children, where his thoughts on how he had not managed to change the world as he had thought to in his iealistic childhood. when it came to the later mien king you could them understand how although he wanted his rule to be different how the intertia of an old kingdom with established paths and deals.As the book maily follows the life of the children of the king you get to see them grow and change. the only character that semed to have an abrupt change was the mien king who at the beginning was all for the earthly pleasures, but seemed at the end to be no more than a kiniving king with these appitites removed. I also appreciated that the book has a background of events that happenined before this book, not in the way that their should be a prequel but that it is a world with a history, a history that I feel may be even further revealed, but was being discovered by the characters as this impacted on their lives through the book.I am glad that I have the second book in the series to dive into next as the book although having an ending has left me wanting more
    • 4/5
      The Known World has been ruled by Acacians for 500 years after an agreement with the Lothan Aklun whose help turned the tide of war for them. Their agreement is to ship a quota of child slaves each year. When King Leodan is attacked by a Mein assassin, he has just decided to do what he can to change the subjugation of the people. His children are shipped to separate safe havens, where they each grow up to be quite different than the sheltered royal children they left as. As with most "revolutions", the people who take over don't change the things that caused them to rebel in the first place, and people are just as unhappy as they were under Acacian rule. Nine years later, the royal children begin to be brought back together, and hope rests on the oldest son, who as a true wish for change.Lots of world-building here, which makes for a rather slow beginning half. The language/writing of the novel is a bit formal, but appropriate for the setting. It IS a rather long start to a series, BUT ... as time went on, I found myself thinking of the characters and wondering what was going to happen next, which is always the sign of a good read. By the end, I felt as though I were a part of Acacia, with its betrayals, stunning reversals, adventures, and its straight and twisted loyalties. I will be pulling the next one out of my shelf for next month!
    • 4/5
      While this was an actually good book, it just wasn't my normal reading material. In of itself, it was a really well told story.
    • 5/5
      A very solid work, quite entertaining, if hardly original or breaking any new ground in the epic fantasy genre. But since I guess the sort of works in this field that I enjoy tend to be variations on a theme, but that also do not stray too far from that theme, this one works for me. And I most certainly will be back for both sequels in this trilogy, unless the second book is huge drop-off in quality from this one.Sigh, I suppose I'll need to do an off-site review marked with a spoiler tag to say any more, and to explain in full my reasons for the five star rating, since this work certainly has a few flaws. However at the moment I'm simply not in the mood. My public will simply need to wait with bated breath. :)
    • 4/5
      The story sounds a LOT like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, or George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. So if you liked either of those then you'll like this.It's a fairly long story but my skimming was minor - just here and there I skipped some of the long-winded descriptions. (But I skipped longer segments in Jordan's series from book 3 onward and I read that entire series so skimming isn't uncommon for me.)So if you like long detailed fantasy (very detailed), you should like this. If you prefer your stories short and to the point... perhaps this isn't the one.
    • 3/5
      When it comes to fantasy, I often wonder if writers these days are paid by the pound. Glancing over the spines of the novels in the sci-fi and fantasy section at the bookstore or library, it certainly seems that way. I often wonder if the word "epic" should be translated "book so big you can hurt someone if you dropped it on them from the top of a flight of stairs." There are a lot of writers who fall into the category of epic being little more than an excuse to have a huge page count and to give readers a severe case of cramps holding the book. Terry Goodkind is the most obvious culprit to me, though I've heard Robert Jordan can be the same (I've not read any Jordan and have no plans to in the near future). But then you've got an author like George R.R. Martin who embraces the term and delivers book that are, for lack of a better term, truly epic, packed with character and world building and a narrative thrust that keeps moving forward and rarely devolves into extended navel gazing.Somewhere in between those two extremes of Goodkind and Martin is "Acacia," a story that advertises itself as an epic fantasy and certainly has the page count to back-up it up. David Anthony Durham has previously written some historical novels. The attention to detail and creating an authentic sense of time and place is both an asset and a detriment to "Acacia." Durham's attention to detail and world-building is admirable, when its being done right, but there are times when it brings the entire story to a halt and gets a bit tedious. A lot of these are in the first 200 or so pages as Durham has to laboriously put pieces into place so he can give us the payoff in the next two thirds of the book. It makes the novel difficult to wade into.Durham's world is an intriguing enough one with various political factions vying for power. Several factions have controlled the world of "Acacia" at various times, each one working to build alliance and overthrow the other for as long as time can recall. It's an old struggle and it's not one that is going to end any time soon. One interesting aspect is the idea that each ruler comes into power with lofty dreams of changing the system of rule only to find the system is far too entrenched to make such radical changes without destroying their grasp on power and the world as it is. In the universe of "Acacia," the ruling family rules with the help of a hired naval fleet and an interesting pact. Each year, the party in power provides a quota of slaves in return for the continued co-existence with another faction of might and a drug that keeps the rest of the populace sedated and in line. This deal with the devil as it were keeps the status quo and allows the in-fighting amongst factions as each one goes into and out of power. There are different names and personalities to things, but each ruler realizes that this is the system and it's going to take more than political capital and intestinal fortitude to change things they have or are willing to sacrifice.Durham is clearly trying to follow the example of Martin with a sprawling cast of characters, many of whom you'll like and then dislike and then like again as the story goes along. He's also willing to make sure that no one is safe in the story, giving the story a bit more gravity than other fantasy offerings where you know that certain characters won't die or change too much in the course of the novel or series. But at close to 800 pages, this is only the opening round of the story. The cover proclaims this is to be a trilogy and while I liked the world here, I'm still not sure I'm anxious to jump into the next book. "Acacia" doesn't resolve everything and is the opening act for a larger tapestry. Whether or not I'll continue the journey remains to be seen.
    • 2/5
      The book revolves around four royal children as they try to manage the massive kingdom their ancestors have created. We meet the children in the middle of a lesson, where the youngest princess asks the tutor "why is Acacia always in the center of the map?". Her siblings answer that is it because Acacia is the only country of importance while the tutor tries, unheard, to explain the equal validity of others. Then the king is assassinated and the children secreted away to those other countries.To be blunt? The entire series makes you feel like the poor tutor. Even after the empire begins to collapse and is taken over by a country that has been cursed and subjugated by their own for generations. Worse, you find out that even the local citizens are controlled by drugs and live in slavery. All this and at least one of them doesn't grow out of that same superiority complex. Overall, the book is like watching a train wreck. Good writing and world building, but you really start to hate the characters.