Ascendance of the Forgotten Prince

by Elijah Her

For centuries, the kingdoms of Tairasa have bled beneath the weight of endless war. Durathar struck first, conquering Akhsarun with brutal efficiency before setting its gaze on the rest of the continent. The kingdom of Yuehama stood proud, but not even its beauty nor power could withstand the destruction. After a hundred years of resistance, it fell beneath the force of Durathar. Yet it was not battle that broke them—it was betrayal. Their defenses shattered from within, and in the wake of a fragile truce, Crown Prince Kyo Seiryu was taken.

Stripped of his name and face by ruthless magic, Kyo is cast into Durathar’s brutal arenas, forced to fight against his own kin and creatures of unimaginable power.

After a display of defiance and skill, Kyo earns a place in the venomous court of the new Emperor of Durathar—a bastard-born ruler whose charm conceals a dangerous intellect and hidden motives. In a court where loyalty shifts like desert sands and betrayal serves as currency, Kyo walks a perilous path. Vengeance lies within his grasp—but so does something far more dangerous.

Genres: Fantasy

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2025

About the author

Elijah is a Pagan Asian-American queer romance writer from the Midwest and a proud member of the neurodivergent community. They have a deep passion for queer romantasy, manhwa, art, K-pop, and TTRPGs. By day, they work full-time as a victims’ advocate; by night, they are a part-time writer, hunched over their laptop and slowly developing a permanent hunch.

Reviews

[Byrd Koto · Rating 5 out of 5]

my second arc from Elijah this year and again, this hits the spot for a quick read with lyrical, evocative prose.

it's fast-paced with high stakes - Kyo Seiryu's journey from a proud prince to a faceless gladiator type seeking vengeance in the heart of his enemy's empire, only to have, well, his heart stolen, too. sorry for the pun, Kyo and Azariel!

the chemistry between a vengeful hero and a charming, dangerous Emperor - their sniping at each other (so dangerous, hee), melting into sizzling tension and then working together at the end - is my favorite part of the book.

i suppose my only regret is that the book felt a little too short in some parts, and i'd like to see more tender, quiet moments between Kyo and Azariel, but that's just my own preference!

[Caitlyn Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I read an ARC copy of this in a day! It’s a fast-paced, engaging story with my favorite type of morally grey characters that want to save their people. It was so fast-paced, that the transitions seemed abrupt at times and I would have been happy to spend more time developing the relationships. It was a fun read and I look forward to reading more.

[Lea Aparicio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read from Elijah Her - definitely won’t be my last!

This book is fast paced with lots of action and characters. I really enjoyed the writing and plot. While being fast passed I didn’t feel like I missed anything or like there was a lack or plot. I love the character banter- lots of dialogue that kept me engaged!

I really enjoyed this read, it’s was fairly quick as well.

[Rukayya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was selected as an arc reader for this book and I rated it 3.5 stars it was a super fast paced MM romance with a forgotten prince and a morally gray mmc it was good just didn't like how it was formatted.