Powerless

Author: Lauren Roberts

General information:

Powerless is a Y/A Fantasy (Romance). The book has 501 pages and was released in Juli 2024. It is recommended for readers 14 and up. 

Content (https://www.goodreads.com/): 

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.

Review: 

The protagonist in the powerless series is Paedyn Gray. She is powerless in a society where having no powers means getting executed. At the beginning of the book, we follow her struggle to survive. The idea of her pretending to have powers to survive was interesting, and while she has the qualities of a good female lead, I didn't feel a deep connection with her. The only times she seemed human was when she was in the slums with her best friend but otherwise she just isn't realistic enough. 

The second POV we get in the book is from Kai Azer, a prince who is destined to be the enforcer of the king. The enforcers job is to execute the powerless people in the society making him a morally gray and serious character. I regret to say that Kai was just as or even more unrealistic than Paedyn. He was just the typical male lead and didn't have much depth. However, I found him more interesting during moments with his brother or family where he showed emotional vulnerability and the qualities of a realistic character. 

Since the books is essentialy about them both I Kai and Peadyn had a lot of scenes together and they had a lot of chemistry.

This book has been described as the child of “The red queen” and “the hunger games” so I went into it with certain expectations. However the plot was too predictable and lacked originality. There weren't good reasons for the trials and the worldbuilding just seemed off. The middle of the book was slow with the pace dropping after the first 100 pages. It became repetitive although the ending was a strong turnaround. The last chapters were filled with epic and emotional moments that made me read them in one sitting. 

On a more positive note, I enjoyed the variety of powers and the magic system. The abilities were not limited to the typical elemental powers which made learning about side characters more interesting and kept me engaged. 

Another thing I enjoyed a lot was the writing style. The writing was rich and almost lyrical with some lines being stuck in my head till now. Kais poetic descriptions added an emotional layer to the story, especially when he described people or things happening around him.

Buchbuzz Opinion: 

3/5 - While powerless has many good qualities I didn't feel like it was unique enough for me to recommend it to other fantasy fans or readers trying to get into fantasy.