“One of the ten million Princes who rule the Empire” that spans much of the universe, Khemi enjoys the power and privilege accorded his Imperial status. At seventeen, he leaves the sheltered existence he’s known for years, and with his Master of Assassins’ assistance, he enters the adult world. It’s not quite the glamorous adventure he imagined, as Khemi finds himself vying with the other Princes to find a field of work and build a loyal retinue of priests who relay knowledge from the Imperial Mind—all while trying to avoid assassination by his peers. When Khemi is singled out for extra priests and a highly experienced Master Assassin, he believes he’s achieving his destiny as the next Prince to ascend to the Imperial Mind. In fact, Khemi’s path leads to the discovery that being a Prince is really being a pawn. When an apprenticeship takes him to a human world, Khemi discovers his humanity—and the difficult choices that come with it—when he falls in love with Raine. Khemi’s humorous narration blends seamlessly with the political intrigue, action, and futuristic technology in this novel about coming of age, science fiction style. (Ages 13 and older)

Garth Nix, bestselling author of the Keys to the Kingdom series and Shade’s Children, combines space opera with a coming-of-age story in his YA novel A Confusion of Princes.
 
Superhuman. Immortal. Prince in a Galactic Empire. There has to be a catch….
 
Khemri learns the minute he becomes a Prince that princes need to be hard to kill—for they are always in danger. Their greatest threat? Other Princes. Every Prince wants to become Emperor and the surest way to do so is to kill, dishonor, or sideline any potential competitor. There are rules, but as Khemri discovers, rules can be bent and even broken.
 
There are also mysteries. Khemri is drawn into the hidden workings of the Empire and is dispatched on a secret mission. In the ruins of space battle, he meets a young woman, called Raine, who challenges his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself. But Khemri is a Prince, and even if he wanted to leave the Empire behind, there are forces there that have very definite plans for his future.