Age Of Ash by Daniel Abraham

 

Two girls, friends, grow up in Kithamar.  They are poor and do whatever they can, including stealing, to get enough money to survive another day, to get a place to sleep and food to eat.  Alys is the elder and looks out for Sammish.  Sammish is an orphan with no one else to watch out for her and has the ability to fade away in a crowd.  After Alys's brother is killed, the two friends' paths start to separate.  Alys becomes obsessed with taking up her brother's mission and Sammish isn't interested as she sees what Alys's obsession is doing to her.  

A royal intrigue is also taking place.  The current prince of the land had an affair with a priestess and a son was born to her.  The prince leaves, knowing that if necessary he had an heir that others didn't know of.  When he became sick, he sent for the child but by then, others knew and those in opposition kidnapped the child.  Now his mother has come to Kithamar to find her son and Sammish is helping her.  

This is the first in a planned trilogy by Daniel Abraham.  He has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy awards.  Many know him as James S. A. Corey, the co-author of The Expanse series.  In this series, he has chosen to focus on feminine leads.  Alys, at first glance, seems to be the leader and the strong one of the friends, but as the story unfolds, Sammish in her quiet way, tends to accomplish what she sets out to do.  The royal intrigue seems to be the event that will fuel the second novel in the series.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.