Codex Alera. Book 1. Furies of Calderon

This is a very strange world. It is inhabited by various races: Marat, Kanin, Icefolk, insectoid Vord, and even descendants of Roman legionaries. Here, every resident receives a supernatural ally in childhood—a fury of water, fire, earth, or air. Thanks... to these beings, the peoples of the mighty Aleran Empire have lived for centuries without infighting and have united to withstand external enemies. But now the supreme authority has weakened, the nobility is mired in strife and intrigue, and the country is steadily sliding into civil war. The paradox is that the only person who can challenge the impending catastrophe is a young shepherd from a harsh northern wilderness, who possesses no magical talents and therefore cannot count on the support of the elementals.