Powerless Book Review
Check out my review of Powerless by Lauren Roberts, a young adult romantasy that fans of The Hunger Games won't be able to put down.
I've been on a solid romance kick this year as I search for cozy distractions from the stress of my daughter's senior year of high school.
As I got close to the even-more-stressful final week before graduation, cozy romance wasn't enough of a distraction anymore. I needed to bring out the big cannons and dive into an action-packed fantasy.
When I'm super stressed, I find comfort in strong warrior women who can handle a bit of violence. It makes my own stresses seem pale in comparison!
Paedyn from the Powerless series was exactly the heroine I needed!
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of Powerless
She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.
Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.
The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.
Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.
When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Feisty Main Character: Paedyn is clever and knows how to kick butt. I appreciate a strong female character who is not afraid to get her hands dirty in a scrappy fight and who can hold her own in battle.
- Enemies to Lovers: There's a fine line between love and hate, this is one of my favorite romantic tropes.
- Unique World Building: In this fantasy world, the Elites have a wide variety of unique powers that I found fun to explore. It made the battle scenes interesting to imagine as the different powers faced one another in competition.
- Great Narrators: Since I enjoyed this book on audio, I can safely recommend this version. The voices added great depth to the story for me, I love when a romance features both a male and female voice covering the dual points of view.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
While I can appreciate the significant differences, Powerless felt a little too close to The Hunger Games for me. Young girl from the downtrodden district battles the kids from the wealthy districts in a series of challenges for the pleasure of an audience.
There were even details like finding "gifts" in the woods from the people in charge to help change the dynamics of the battle.
On the upside, if you love The Hunger Games like I do and are desperate for another series that is similar, you'll enjoy this one, too!
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️ OR 🌶️🌶️: Powerless rates either a Level 1 or a Level 2 on my spicy books rating scale. No specific mentions of connection happen in this story but there is plenty of passionate tension that builds. This is a young adult book and I would feel very comfortable having my high school aged daughters read it.
Romantic Tropes
Powerless is a great example of romantasy, or romantic fantasy. It is a forbidden love, enemies to lovers romance. You can read more about romance subgenres here.
It also takes advantage of several romantic tropes including: unlikely allies, love triangle, slow burn romance, knife-to-throat, and protector dynamic.
Content Warnings
Powerless features several graphic violent scenes with bloodshed and death on page. This includes knives and swords and major wounds.
There is death of a loved one and grieving as a predominant plot point.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Powerless four solid stars. Despite my frustrations with how close it is to The Hunger Games, the details of the world were interesting enough to captivate me to the end. I loved listening to the book as I ran countless errands ahead of my daughter's graduation and this story was exactly the distraction I needed during that stressful time.
I'm not rushing to read the second book in the series, but it is definitely in my saved folder on Everand!
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