Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an e-ARC of Powerless in exchange for an honest review.

In the kingdom of Ilya, the Elites are the decision-making group who all have superpowers. Everyone else is an Ordinary, but it’s believed that the Ordinaries have an illness that could take down civilization, so they are banished. The purging trials provide these Elites a platform to show their fantastic powers in a huge competition, but this year Paedyn has snuck in as an ordinary. She meets Kit, the future king, and Kai the king’s enforcer.

I was very excited for this book. It fell flat for me in some areas. I liked the characters, especially at the beginning. Kai and Kit especially were intriguing, but I got a little frustrated when Paedyn went from being this strong badass, to a little more reliant on Kai. It was slightly disappointing.

I seem to be reading a lot of similar books that are based around a competition of strong people, and someone sneaking in which unravels to some love story with a big twist at the end. Is this a new theme in romantasy or am I super behind in the game? Anyways, it’s getting to hard to read similar plots over and over. Perhaps, I need to step away from romantasy as the aspects of this novel that I loved were the more high-fantasy pieces.

I think I’m in the minority about this book, as I’ve only read stunning reviews for it but it just wasn’t for me. I won’t be continuing with the series but that shouldn’t stop you! If you love romantasy I think this one should be on your shelf.

THIS BOOK... I had time to forget what the synopsis was, and so I went in pretty much blind and what a happy surprise! I'm a little obsessed? It definitely is part of my favourites of the year. I have the rest of the series and am absolutely binging it.

I don't want to give anything away but I love me a book with deadly trials. I agree with everyone that says it feels like The Hunger Games but with some magic wielders but, for anyone who has read Red Queen, the world feels closer to that series with the magic and non-magic wielders. I'm just obsessed with Kai. Love him and his interactions with Pae, idk how this girl didn't spontaneously combust 😂. Pae's story hit me in the feels hard near the end and I just need the next book already 😂. I'm trying to be good and not buy books at the moment but this one NEEDS to be on my shelf.

I went between the ebook and audiobook but the narrators were so great that, before I knew it, I binged the rest of the book by audio 🤣.

A huge thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Oh, this was such a fantastic book! I loved getting to know these characters, and I cared for the situations that they were in, and I had to know what was going to happen next! Just the banter between Paeydn and Kai was so hilarious to read!

This world with that plague that created Elites, and left behind Ordinaries, was so fantastic, with all the different powers. That Paeydn is an Ordinaries, but is hiding it by pretending to be a psychic, adds a layer of tension. Not to mention the fact that the king's war against Orinaries, touting the line that it causes Elities to lose powers is an absolute lie. Given the events of this book, I doubt we'll find out the reason besides control and power, but I'm pretty sure that the truth will come out.

I did very much feel some influences, that interview scene reminded me of Hunger Games, and the two princes reminded me of Red Queen. So I really felt those influences in this book, which I hope aren't as present in the sequel, because this is it's own book, and it did feel a little weird. Like, I want each book to stand on it's own, you know?

Watching as the trials were progressing, and Paeydn and Kai were spending time together, well, he was more obvious in his feelings, in being more obsessed with her then she was with him, which was pretty entertaining to read. Which just made all those reveals at the end hit harder, and the anticipation for the sequel to see what happens next is high!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to continue on with the sequel!

I did not like powerless. It was a blatant carbon copy of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I really tried to like it but the similarities and plagiarism was too obvious to not notice.

I enjoyed this book! It was quite tropey, but I didn't mind that too much. Some points did feel repetitive and overdone (kind of just things that are overdone in YA fantasies), but I overall had a pretty good time with this one!

As a person that really enjoys YA fantasy, I wanted to love this book as badly as so many others. For me, I found the first half of this book to be bits and pieces replicated directly from other fantasy series I've loved. Now I'm all for using well love tropes, but this felt like pure duplicity of series such as The Hunger Games, Throne of Glass, Ember in the Ashes etc. There was little originality. This second half of the book was better but there wasn't anything unique about this book.

What a ride! This book felt so nostalgic to me in a way that’s hard to explain. The plot, the characters, the pacing made it impossible for me to put this story down once I got started. It brought me back to that feeling I had when reading The Hunger Games and Red Queen for the first time.

I fell in absolute love with Kai and Paedyn especially and couldn’t get enough of their banter. That ending left me in TEARS. I can’t believe I have to wait until June to find out what happens to my new faves.

💜Powerless💜

Powerless is the start of a new trilogy and is Lauren Robert’s debut.

It had an intriguing plot but generally nothing new - purging trials reminded me a bit of the Hunger Games. A story of people with powers vs people without - ordinaries are sentenced to death for fear they will dilute the power of those who have abilities. All that said, I found it well written and entertaining - I always enjoy stories that involve some kind of magical trial and I found them well done.

I found the characters interesting and that is what had me the most invested in the story. Paedyn, a powerless girl whose been able to hide this about herself and get close to the princes. I enjoyed her POV and was always a little nervous for her. Kai was also really interesting - the reluctant future enforcer, raised to be deadly. He reminded me a bit of Prince Corrick in Defy the Night. Then there is Kitt, the future king who has been sheltered from the realities of the kingdom.

The romance was quite cringe to me and my preferences, though I can see why it is so popular. I just don’t like the “aren’t you a cruel pretty thing” trope or whatever it is, it makes me go “ick” every time I read that type of dialog in a book but I know people love it. It just is not for me.

Overall, it was an entertaining read. The plot was interesting enough to keep me going through and had me intrigued enough to give the sequel a shot when it comes out.

Thank you to @simonschusterca & @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Powerless is available now.

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐

OH MY GOD!!! I have to admit that at first, I wasn’t conviced. I thought the writing was too much « movie style », romance wasn’t my thing and characters were a bit too stereotypical for me… but then, OMG! I fell in love with everything!! The world-building, the TENSION BETWEEN KAI AND PAE, the characters, everything!! I read the last half of that book so fast, I devoured it. And then I saw that the second book wasnt coming out before July 2024 and my heart broke!!

If you’re a fan of Hunger Games, romance, bad-ass characters, then this book is for you!!

Sadly this one wasn’t for me. I completely see the hype: it’s tropetastic, delivers on the enemies to lovers front especially and Kai was a great MC. But I personally love more world building with my fantasy books, a deeper look into the characters and build up to the romance as well.

2/5⭐️

I’m not going to lie, I don’t understand why this book is as hyped up as it is. It felt like it pulled direct quotes out of The Hunger Games or Red Queen and reworded them at times… a mishmash of better written books in the genre that came before it. Also I absolutely found the MMC insufferable.

4.5 stars
This was so so so good!! There was tension, great banter, AMAZING tension, and a great plot. This was the perfect mix of Hunger Games x Red Queen and I cannot wait to read book 2!

“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.”

REVIEW✨
Powerless
By Lauren Roberts

So I loved this book! It’s kinda like the Hunger Games books but different is so many wonderful ways! I absolutely loved Robert’s ability to construct the romance, the tension, and character development! It was truly wonderfully done… and that ending… I didn’t see that happening at all! It’s going to be a very long wait till July for the second book, I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store for Pae and Kai! But I know that I will be reading it for sure. I was a little worried that it would be to similar to hunger games, but it only had a little bit of the class system and the “Plague” is similar to the trials of the hunger games! The start of the book was a little slow and a lot of information is dumped on you, but I loved Kai so much! I loved the dual POV from both of the main characters, it for sure makes me want to read more to see both POVs. The ending was super fast paced and it was delicious is every way! If you’re looking for a great fast paced, enemies to lovers, strong lead female character then this is the book for you! I would check trigger warnings before read.

If you love…
✨ Slow burn romance
✨ Tension
✨ Kinda love triangle with brothers
✨ Strong lead female character
✨ He falls first

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spicy level: No Spice but tons of tension
Plot points: 💥💥💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an EARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions

Such an incredible debut novel! I cant wait for the 2nd book. It's giving hunger game vibes but with more tension!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am eagerly anticipating the sequel.
This was a tension-packed story, with fight-to-survive trails and a sort of love triangle. I loved the magic system and that ending!! The spice level was low, however the build-up of this slow burn romance eludes to that picking up slightly in book 2, at least to the level that can be included in YA fantasy. The banter is definitely what got me in this story, I can’t wait to see how this dynamic evolves.

5.0 stars

i would give this book six stars if i could. i would give it infinite stars if i could. i loved this book so much.
i think i read this book at just the perfect time, in the perfect mood, because it absolutely hooked me in and i could not put it down. the thing that stood out to me in this novel was the characters. i love paedyn (even if i don't love her name), and i love kai. throughout the book, i felt like i truly understood and connected with the main characters. i loved learning about their individual histories and how their past influenced the person they are in the present. i also absolutely loved their chemistry. right from the beginning, i could feel like chemistry, and it was such a rollercoaster watching their relationship unravel. their romance is a slow burn, which usually isn't my go-to, but i loved it in this novel. they took the time to understand each other, and they definitely had a playfulness in their relationship, which was just so much fun to read. as for the plot, i liked it. i do think its similar to the hunger games, possibly red queen, and generally other fantasy/dystopian books, but i was still able to enjoy this one. i liked the use of powers in the book (i would love to have kai's power haha), and paedyn's ability to act as if she had a power is so clever; she's so observant. i don't even want to get into the ending of the book; i'm just going to say that i need the next book in this series and that july is way to far for the sequel.
overall, loved powerless so much, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a ya fantasy story!

Rating: 4⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I hear so many great things about this novel on social media and I can see why people like it. It’s an exciting fantasy with romance which is something I also love. And while I enjoyed this book, I didn’t love it. I feel as though it’s a mashup of other books. I found a few similarities to Red Queen and have seen people compare it to Shatter Me. The biggest comparison I found was The Hunger Games. There were a few scenes that I could pick from THG movies that were reflected in this book and I often found myself comparing them (which I don’t like doing 🫣).

I liked the different powers the people had but I would like to see them explored a little deeper. I would also like the world to be explained a little more but maybe we’ll get that in book 2. I liked the last 150 pages as we get to see some of characters arcs really change. I’m interested to see what happens in the next book.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I put this book off for so long and read it so slowly because of all of the hype around it. I knew it would be so good. And it really was.

The banter between Pae and Kai, and Kit: elite. The slow burn that never gets released. Soooooo painful? But in a good way?

This was giving Hunger Games, Scortch Trials. All of the dystopian fantasy vibes you could ask for. There is magic, royalty, war, fighting, little bit of romance, tons of banter.

And the book ends in such an intense way. I need more and I cannot wait for the next book to release in August. Lauren you have a new Stan girly I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Incredible!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love kai is basically the summary of my review but besides him… this was amazingly written and i was kept on the edge of my seat screaming at the characters for the majority of this book. Great debut and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!!

The story takes place in the kingdom of llya, where the Elites possess incredible powers and those with no powers at all, the Ordinaries, have been banished and eliminated, as they are believed to be diseased. Paedyn Gray is a poor girl from the slums, an Ordinary pretending to be a Mundane with a small psychic ability. She ends up in the Purging trials, a brutal competition where the best Elites display their powers and where the weaker ones die. It feels like The Hunger games with magic. During the trials, Pae must fight to survive and hide who she really is. She gets close to not one, but two princes of Ilya: Kitt, the heir, and Kai, the future enforcer.

I loved a lot of things about this book: the magic system, the angsty slow burn, the banter between Kai and Pae, the way attraction is described and felt through the pages, the chemistry, the tension, the pacing, the dual POV, the writing overall.

It’s really a strong debut with a solid
storyline and interesting characters. I am looking forward to the sequel.