Book info ⭐
Name: Powerless
Author: Lauren Roberts
Release Date: January 30th 2023
Edition: UK Paperback
Pages: 495
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy

Synopsis:

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.

MY REVIEW;

I rated this book 4/5 stars!

This was honestly a random pick up from my local WHSmiths, I had a book token that needed using so figured I’d have a browse. I didn’t know this was a TikTok hyped book, I just liked the sound of it. And I did actually really enjoy this story.

For a pretty chunky book there isn’t a huge amount of world building involved in the story, but I actually didn’t mind. I found the writing style and plot engaging enough that the lack of world building didn’t put me off. We did also have a map included in the standard paperback (not sure if they’re included elsewhere) which I found helpful to flick back to when we did get a new named location.

It did feel like typical YA writing.. but again, for me that helped with the flow of the whole thing. The world building, whilst on the sparse side was easy enough to follow, the magic system was simple but solid and the characters were honestly great. But the thing that this book did really really well was the tension. The tension was absolutely on point. Paedyn and Kai’s chemistry was brilliant. The teasing, the anger, the tension, the way they danced around each other was so good and was easily the best element of this book.

I’ve seen a few reviews (actually quite a lot 💀) that state this book has really bad editing, but if I’m being completely honest I must of been so engaged in the story that I really didn’t notice. Is it a perfectly written book? No.. it’s Roberts first time writing, I don’t expect it to be perfect.. but it was easy. It was an easy read for me. An easy, if not a tad long, fantasy read.

There’s a few plot holes, there’s a few world building issues, it’s trope heavy and has some pretty similar comparisons to other books but I still rated this book 4 stars because it made me completely forget my surroundings for a while. Which is always a sign of a decent read for me. Sometimes after a heavy fantasy you just need something easy almost as a palette cleanser.

My biggest issue with the story was the ending. I wished it’d played out slightly differently. I wish instead of Paedyn essentially having to go solo with her now facing off against the brothers that instead Kai had ran off with her. I think having the two brothers at loggerheads for the next book would of been intensive. But alas Kai is by his brothers side.. for now. I can see where the second book will go but I’m looking forward to it none the less.

I hope Roberts gets a decent set of editors for the sequel. I don’t think this series will ever be at the top of anyone’s lists.. it unfortunately does follow a very stereotypical YA fantasy route.. but I think Roberts has writing potential and with some issues ironed out it could be a solid debut series. Would I encourage people to rush into reading this book? No. But if you’re looking for something easy then I don’t think this is a bad book to turn to. And I will be keeping an eye out for the second book next year!

Until next time.

Shannon 😊