3.5*
The kingdom of Ilya is run by a King who has issued a decree that all Ordinaries should be killed. Ordinaries are people without magical abilities. That means the Elites, those with magical powers, have all the control. Paedyn is one of the few Ordinaries who lives in the slums, hiding from the authorities. She is an excellent thief. Her father, who was killed by the King, taught her to live by her wits.

Kit is the heir to the throne and his brother Kai has been trained to be the enforcer. Kai is given the job of torturing and killing enemies of the King. When Kai is attacked in the village, Paedyn comes to his rescue. She’s a skilled fighter and doesn’t know who she’s saving. Afterward, the villagers appreciate her scrappiness and want her to be in the annual Purging Trials. These trials consist of three contests where entrants are pitted against each other. It’s violent and deadly.

Paedyn must live in the castle and partake of the festivities that are part of the Trials and she pretends to be a psychic so they don’t suspect she’s an Ordinary and try to kill her. The contest includes 3 balls as well as days spent training. Paedyn has learned that it’s Kai she saved and that he will be one of the contestants. There’s a lot to deal with besides surviving the trials, and sparks fly whenever she and Kai are together

Many familiar tropes are present. The dual princes are reminiscent of Kemmerer’s Defy the Night and the social strata brings to mind Aveyard’s The Red Queen. Often there’s the poor downtrodden girl (or guy) who attracts the attention of the prince (or princess) and trials are frequent occurrences in many books like Collins’ The Hunger Games and Yarros’ The Fourth Wing. Roberts has taken popular fantasy tropes and mashed them together. Other issues might be with the coverage of the trials that is eclipsed by the interactions between Kai and Paedyn, the conflict between Kai's job and his general behavior and the deadly nature of the trials that puts royals’ lives on the line. She also includes one of the longest, most protracted slow-burns ever. Given all that, there’s still a compulsiveness to the book that makes one wait for a critical collision or culmination. Perhaps not the most original novel, but the strong characters and the sensual tension will draw in readers and keep them intrigued.

Lauren Roberts' "Powerless" presents an engaging narrative that follows a protagonist navigating a world stripped of agency and power. The book's premise is intriguing, drawing readers into a storyline filled with tension and personal discovery.

However, the novel often feels like a retread of familiar themes and plot devices found in other dystopian and young adult literature. The sense of déjà vu may stem from its reliance on common tropes without a unique twist that could distinguish it from its counterparts.

Despite this, "Powerless" remains an enjoyable read, thanks to its well-paced plot and engaging characters. The story effectively explores themes of resilience and identity, providing meaningful moments for readers. While it may not break new ground in its genre, it still offers an entertaining experience for those who appreciate dystopian narratives.

This book is the kind I shelve as an escape. Something that allows me to ignore the realities of life while enjoying a story I don’t have to overthink. With that said, it wasn’t original. At all. For my students who’ve never been immersed in Hunger Games or Red Queen, they won’t be bothered by that. And maybe that’s the chance publishers took with this novel—a new generation once removed from the books that gave way to the tidal wave of fantasy-dystopian-YA romances we have now. Decent escape. Totally unoriginal.

This YA romantasy was such a pleasant surprise! I can’t believe it took me so long to dive into it, but once I did, I was hooked. The flirty, charismatic male lead instantly drew me in, bringing just the right balance of charm and wit. The dynamic between him and the protagonist reminded me of that classic "wolf falling for the lamb" trope, à la Twilight. Plus, with its fast-paced plot and subtle Hunger Games undertones, the story kept me turning pages. The characters were well-developed, and I found myself fully invested in their journeys. All in all, a fun and engaging read!

I really wanted to love this one but it felt like it was just a complete rip-off of Red Queen and the Hunger Games so I was very disappointed.

This book had me on the edge of my seat and swooning like no other! Kai and Pae are great characters which brought the enemies-to-lovers trope alive! My jaw constantly dropped to the floor! Book 2 here I come!

I absolutely devoured this book. It was so good, I can't stop thinking about it! I can't wait for the next book.

Powerless is a book I really wanted to love, but was unfortunately left a bit underwhelmed. Lauren Roberts' writing sucked me in and kept me reading. I enjoyed the characters she developed and we got to know in this story. That being said this was just a bit too much like The Hunger Games and while I know other books will take some elements from stories like that I felt this was a bit too much of a copy.

Paedyn and Kai were both characters I enjoyed on their own. They were developed well and I was rooting for both of them to get the life they deserved. Both are in positions they don't want to be in, just because life didn't give them a different hand. So it was going to be interesting to see what the trials would do to both of them. Unfortunately, the trials were a bit underwhelming. They barely had a few chapters in the book and when we did get a trial it's more telling than showing. Maybe I was expecting too much?

Then we need to talk about the romance. I was expecting something to develop between Paedyn and Kai and I enjoyed their banter during the first part of the book. The pull they felt toward the other was definitely there, but when a kind of love triangle was added, it pulled me out of the romance. That's a personal thing though, I'm just not a fan of love triangles.

Now to the positives. The ending developed in a way I wasn't expecting at all! There were some twists and turns I didn't see coming and definitely has me curious to see how this will all play out! Powerless was an interesting debut that does have me curious and I want to see where the author takes our characters next. I'm just sad I didn't love this one as much as I hoped, but I do understand that plenty love this story!

My review will be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on May 9th!

I am NOT okay.

This book UTTERLY DESTROYED me. I don’t even know if I’m on the road to recovery from it because I’m lost with what just happened.

Kai - I fell HARD for this shameless flirt. And his betrayal in not believing Pae in the end HURTS.

Kitt - ugh… I am extremely disappointed in this spineless fool who had all the chances to change for the better and instead is choosing to still love a monster.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

Lauren Roberts I was not familiar with your game, but GIRL can you write a story. I don't even know where to start, but I also need to get off my chest that I'm going to need 200 more books from you, and no less.
This story follows Paedyn as she tries to navigate through a kingdom who punishes people for being different. This time it's not people hiding their secret powers, it's people have to hide being "ordinary" - which Paedyn is.
Kai is the prince of Ilya and the King's future enforcer. Trained to track down ordinaries and kill them. He comes face to face with Paedyn, but doesn't instantly notice something is off. They meet again when they both are chosen for the kingdom's trails that are kind of set up in the favor of the Elites. How far will Paedyn make it with the odds stacked against her and how far with Kai push their new found connection? What happens when he finds out her secrets?

This book is perfect for fans of the Hungers Games and the Red Queen. It does have it's own twist on classic tropes, so the story stays fresh and totally bingeable.

🗡️romantasy
🗡️slow burn
🗡️grumpyxgrumpy
🗡️forced proximity
🗡️superheroes meets hunger games
🗡️touch her & 💀
🗡️dual pov

“For every girl who has ever felt powerless”

This book follows Paedyn (Pae), an ordinary pretending to be a psychic just trying to survive in the slums with her best friend. She unknowingly saves the Prince one day and after that is thrust in to the Purging Trials. Trials where they pit “elite” children against one another. Prince Kai, the prince she saved, is the Kings enforcer, the person who does all of the Kings dirty work. The Trials are different this year because it is his final test. He is supposed to win the trials, but he would prefer to win her.

“Mark my words, Prince, I will be your undoing.” I lean in, ignoring the knife against my throat as I murmur, “Oh, darling, I look forward to it.”

This book. It has taken me all day to try to organize my thoughts about this one and I am still everywhere. This is such a masterpiece. It has superhero vibes with the magic system and elites vs ordinaries. It has The Hunger Games vibes in Pae, the Trials, and the world. The world building was superb to the point where I could picture everything in my mind as I was reading. The lore was also well told and explained almost everything. I still have so many questions but the next book comes out in July and this is an unifinished series.

“Men would likely go extinct without women to coddle them.”

Paedyn is a warrior, did she want to be? No, she wanted to be able to have a normal childhood, a normal life. But that was taken from her and she made the best of it with her best friend Adena. I love her strength and her resilience.

Kai is a new top fictional boyfriend for sure. That man is as morally grey as it comes. He does what needs to be done but does not like doing it (all the time).

Pae and Kai? Omg, their banter had me kicking, giggling, screaming, blushing, and going wtf. I LOVE them and Lauren is horrible for that cliffhanger.

I loved the premise and I thought that it was executed well. I didn't think I'd love the dual POVs, but I ended up enjoying Kai's chapters. It was fast-paced and the ending had me shook. I can't wait for the sequel to come out!

Powerless was a fantastic story that brought back so much nostalgic energy. I now own powerless merch which I proudly wear because it has become one of my all time favorite books.

Kai has my entire heart- his banter and one liners had me SQUEALING. The way he fell for Pae and protected her throughout the trials when he was supposed to be trying to win in order to not get absolute hell from the king.

Kitt was so cute and I feel bad for him because he was so easily manipulated by Pae and she wanted nOTHINGGGG to do with this man.

Adena was HEARTBREAKING. I cannot wait for the novella about her story during the time of powerless. As well as what is going to happen after Kai goes looking for Pae "without caring".

If you enjoyed Hunger Games, you'll enjoy Powerless!

The sixth Purging Trials are set to take place. 18yo Paedyn is placed in the competition unknowingly and feels out of her depth against the others since she has no powers and is secretly an Ordinary. 19yo Prince Kai is the king’s Enforcer and the trials have been planned for Kai to win. Paedyn and Kai decide to work together to win the trials. What they discover along the way will either make or break them.

Likes/dislikes: The story has many similarities with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Some parts feel rushed or forced, such as the relationship between Kai and Paedyn. I like the concept and it’s an enjoyable read.
Mature content: G for kissing
Language: R for 154 swears, no f-words
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fighting
Ethnicity: predominantly white with olive, brown and black skin mentioned

Powerless was absolutely amazing! My students and I are obsessed with the story and especially the characters. I purchased several copies for my classroom and for my personal library. We can’t wait for book 2. Thank you NetGalley for giving me this amazing opportunity. I am obsessed with Lauren Roberts writing and storytelling. I will definitely continue to support her work.

I have not finished Powerless yet but I am enjoying this romantasy. I will write a full review when I finish.

I feel like this book is what I’ve wanted every other fantasy romance novel to be. This was the perfect way to end my 2023. It had some of the best tropes in romantasy and it did all of those tropes so well!

Kai and Paedyn were honestly cute with each other! I really felt the romance between them, with them having the perfect chemistry. They honestly have the most chemistry of any couple I’ve read in a fantasy novel in a very long time.

I really liked how complex both Paedyn and Kai were. I really liked how much their stories and their personalities mirrored each other. They both do what they believe needs being done to survive in their world. I also thought Kai’s inner turmoil about being a monster was really interesting to see, because assassins in fantasy novels often are fine with being villainess, but not the reluctant villain that is Kai.

Also, can we talk about how impressive this is as a debut novel?! This book was 500 pages, but they were very necessary 500 pages that actually flew by. It was very well written and I’m so excited to read more books from her in the future.

There were a few times that it felt a little too much like other popular series I’ve read, but I think that Lauren Roberts had a unique enough spin on those common tropes that this book felt unique in its own way.

I am so incredibly excited for Reckless, especially after that cliffhanger! I’m counting down the days until I can read more of Kai and Paedyn!

THIS BOOK. WOW. I need book two in my hands NOW. Because WHAT? Kai and Paedyn have my whole heart and more! I won't even let my friend talk about Adena because WHAT WAS THAT!!!! I'm so mad it took me as long to read it as it did!! I will 100% be getting myself a copy to annotate because I annotated it for my best friend for Christmas and it was FILLED with annotations because every word out of Kai's mouth was near perfection!!!!

If you love romantasy and hunger games, you're definitely going to want to read this book! The characters and story building kept me entertained throughout.

I originally saw an ad for this book that touted it as being a crossover between Red Queen and The Hunger Games. As a librarian I am always especially intrigued by books that shift from indie to traditional publishing, and decided to dive into this powerful debut novel. I found myself really enjoying the author's writing style, and definitely want to see where the story goes from here. There were a few moments that rang very reminiscent of some other popular YA fantasy books out, but I think that's part of what happens when you love to read a lot in one genre. Overall, Powerless is a very powerful and poignant piece and I look forward to reading the rest of Paedyn's story!