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.

A less pickier reader will absolutely love this. For me unfortunately, it was too similar to The Hunger Games. It’s all I could think about while reading. I know I only did it to myself. But I’m just someone who can’t read books that are too similar. I end up comparing the two, which isn’t what I like to do.
Otherwise, this was a good and one I would have enjoyed a lot more, had I not already read The Hunger Games.

This book was so good, absolutely amazing from start to finished. From the very beginning it kept me on my toes. There were aspects of the book that reminded me of the hunger games which that I loved. The loved the political aspect of the story as well as the rebellion within three kingdom. The world building was done beautiful. The female character Paedyn was amazing a complete badass. I love that with her strength we also got to see her vulnerable side and the trauma she faced. I also really enjoyed the romance between the Paedyn and Kai. You could feel the chemistry between them and their banter was perfection, it has me squealing and giggling during their moments together. And the ending wow!!! The ending was everything!!! It made me really excited for the second book and what the game of cat and mouse take form

A great first book!! The world created is so mesmerizing. The characters and storyline are so compelling. Both the leads- Paedyn and Kai are lovable. I'll be honest, this book is not perfect but I enjoyed it regardless. I CANT wAIT FOR THE rest of the series!!

THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION. The tension and flirty banter are top tier! I cant wait for the second book because that ending ripped my heart out!

I’ve never heard of Powerless until Simon & Schuster Canada, sent me an ARC. Its been a while since I’ve stayed up way to late to read a book!

The banter, the tension … I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Kai <3. I do wish the ‘trials’ lasted a little longer.

If this one isn’t on your radar yet, I definitely recommend picking it up.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for this copy.

For being a debut novel, I was impressed with this one! The characters were well fleshed out, and the plot was gripping and super intriguing.

There was a lot of really good tension build up between the characters, but I did find that there were way too many romance/romantasy tropes thrown together, kind of like a "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" approach to relationship development.

The story itself wasn't particularly original, which definitely took away from the enjoyment of it, since I sort of ended up feeling like I'd read a lot of it before, but I think there's a lot of potential for where she can go from here.

This book may be called powerless, but it held a magic power... getting me out of a reading slump!

Someone on TikTok said they thought this gave Shatter Me vibes, and this was a huge reason I requested it, as that is my favourite series. This most certainly gave the push-and-pull vibes of tension & romance that you will scream about.
The chemistry and flirty banter between Paedyn & Kai added such good tension to a plot that already holds such turmoil & intensity. The prejudice & injustice presented between Elites (those with power) & those ordinary (without powers) makes you feel sick, especially when we read the first instance of an ordinary being discovered (first-hand).

The brother's relationship and love, yet slight envy towards each of their respect roles, was a gem I wasn't expecting, and I truly loved it! I have a lot of hope for a change of views on the elite/ordinary situation, especially with some elites/royals, as I think they need to see or experience the pain to change.

It has similar vibes as Shatter Me, Divine Rivals, Red Queen, Hunger Games & Prison Healer. So, if any or all are your favourites, you should 100% pick this book up!

I have to start this quick review by saying that I was just getting out of a reading slump when I read this one.

I liked this one would have probably liked it even more if I more in the mood to read. I can definitely see why it's popular, and have to agree that it gives Hunger Games and Red Queen vibes. Both of which I really enjoyed. This is something I would of ate up when the dystopian era was happening. Would recommend if you like that kind of books, I might try re reading it when I more in the mood for it.

Thank you Simon and Schuster CA and Netgalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this one but didn't love it. I struggled to connect with the characters, and the plot wasn't my favourite. I feel like this had a lot of tropes in it that are super popular but aren't my favourite. Overall I can see why people like this but it felt a little lacking to me

Paedyn is an Ordinary, a target for death by the Elites in the city. She lives on the streets, pretending to be a lower Elite and thieving to survive. She rescues Prince Kai and ends up being called to the Purging Games where she is pitted against Kai and other Elites. Can she maintain her cover and survive the extreme trials?

This story was a fast-paced romp very much like the Hunger Games but with the added layer of Elites having various powers. Paedyn develops feelings for Kai but struggles with her emotions given her status and lack of powers. Kai also has feelings for her but struggles with his role as Enforcer and murderer. .I enjoyed the storyline, Paedyn and Kai’s personal struggles and the exploration of the themes of elitism, equality, power and fairness. I look forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I would’ve rated this higher if I didn’t find some of the dialogue cheesy between the main characters😭 The plot was HEAVILY hunger games and red queen based and that’s all I can say about that—but I did enjoy how the sequence of events created a developed plot, and opened up ideas for a second book! That ending was a great lead up to it, and I think as a debut, this was a good read.

Powerless reminded me of the 2010s, when I would read every YA dystopian fantasy I could get my hands on. To me, it felt like a blend of things I've already read before. Every trope, every plot twist, I could see coming from a mile away. That being said, I did enjoy the story on some level. It made me feel nostalgic. I think if we had been back in 2015, I would have eaten this up.

The story is well-written, the characters are charismatic, and the romance is swoon-worthy. This book has everything teenage me would have enjoyed.

What a book!! This book gave me Hunger Games/ Divergent vibes and I was here for it! I loved the concept of having trials and these people with no powers and this girl sneaking through the system. I loved the banter between Pae and Kai and how he was only ever soft with her. Throw in Kitt and I loved the dynamic. I was really invested in this story and can't wait to see where the next book goes!

⚔️ "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." ⚔️

I really enjoyed this book. It's clearly for fans of the Hunger Games and Red Queen series.

The banter between the main characters is gold 👌. And the tension is so extreme, I just wanted to jump into the book to knock some senses into them 😂. The slowburn almost killed me in this book.

But what I loved the most was Paedyn. Her character is really well-written and her survival instinct and her reactions are really well depicted. I love that she's an Ordinary without magic but she's still so badass !!!

Kai is the perfect morally grey character and he's gonna steal your heart.

I can't wait to read the second book in this series. I need to know how it will evolve.

Read this book if you love :

✨ Dual POV ;
✨ Slowburn ;
✨ Rivals/Frenemies ;
✨ YA;
✨ Tension, a lot of it ⚔️;
✨ Badass FMC;
✨ Magic system.

Powerless was an amazing read. This is a dual POV which I loved!
I have to say I have mix feelings which is not bad because only amazing books will have you full of feelings! The main reason for all this was the relationship between Paedyn, Kai and Kitt, honestly if it wasn’t for the second pov I wouldn’t know for who to root for!

I’m looking forward for book two to see what is next for the couple an how the enemies to lovers will develop!

A great debut novel! It definitely gave me Red Queen and Hunger Games vibes. The storyline and pacing were good. The romance was well done! I love a good enemies to lovers romance! I liked how the story was told from two POVs, and that the chapters were about equal for both characters.

I loved how easy this was to read. Somtimes fantasy can have too much info dumping, making it slow for me to get through. But I didn't have that problem, everything was easy to understand, and I was able to fly through this. My only complaint is that after that ending, I now have to wait for the second book to be released! Overall a great read, if your looking for a fast paced romantasy.