Let's strip it all down to what would be the absolute "bare bones" of the story.
- Light vs. Dark (good vs. evil)
- The prophesied hero of the Light side is the only one who can stop the Dark from their inevitable win. The downside is that he will destroy the world as it is currently known in the process.
- Light side hero is a small town kid with questions about his past. He's naive about the world, and eventually even about what he can do.
- Light side hero has a group of friends who get swept up in their own journey of self-discovery and how they are an integral part of the Hero's journey and victory.
- The Dark side hero range from near mythic figures with incredible powers, to random people who've chosen the Dark. You never know who may be evil.
- The world is divided among itself with conflicts between countries and even within the same country....with nobles and commonfolk alike all trying to make their way in a land which is less than 20 years past a "world war".
Now up to this point....pretty standard story. Your differentiation point is going to be the Power. A "gift/curse" that an individual is born with that will either manifest on their own, or must be discovered. For women, this is a "Gift" that will propel them into a completely different strata of society...where even nobles will note them. For men, this is a "Curse" that will cause them to bring suffering to loved ones & strangers alike, before they eventually go completely mad and eventually die.
There ya go....told in that context....its not wot, so much as it is generic fantasy series.
~Jeordam
Saving the Princess, Humanity, or the World-Entire since 1985