Blood of the Levant (Ichor Heart) by Abdullah Yousef

For fans and critics of Dune, set in an alt-historical setting in which Ichor---the earth's most coveted resource---is the reason the world is in perpetual warfare, following a Syrian boy who learns he is an Ichor Heart and the catastrophes it brings him, exploring the thin line between savagery and humanity.

As a century of war and bloodshed closes upon the earth, another opens with no end to the slaughter in sight. The Empire of Europa and the Russian Tsardom are engaged in perpetual warfare. Each vies for absolute control over the earth's most coveted resource: the Ichor ore that lies deep in the valleys of the high north, the caves of the Orient, and running through the veins of a select few called Ichor Hearts, employed by the European Empire as the holy weapons of never-ending conquest.

Omar is one of those born with that gift. A Muslim boy from the Syrian vassal of Europa, he dreams of what lies beyond the extent of his modest living with his mother, to discover what it means to be a true warrior. When struck by tragedy, Omar is set on a path that reveals destruction, love, and the most brutal test of his faith imaginable.

On the other side of the eternal war is the Russian Prince, Yuri Romanov. A boy like Omar, haunted by nightmares and visions of his greatest fears, Yuri fights to unravel the mystery of his origin and is willing to do whatever it takes to reach the truth behind the loss of those he loves most.