The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

N. K. Jemisin's debut novel, the first book of the Inheritance Trilogy, follows Yeine Darr, an outcast from the barbarian north. After her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, Yeine is summoned to Sky, a palace city above the clouds where the lives of gods and mortals are intertwined. There her grandfather Dekarta, head of the ruling Arameri family, names her a potential heir, though he has already given that role to a niece and a nephew. The Arameri keep four gods in Sky as enslaved weapons. Yeine is thrust into a contest for the throne with cousins she never knew she had. Published by Orbit, the novel took the Locus Award for Best First Novel.

Brandon Sanderson included it among the books he suggests to his fans.