Powerless & Powerful
By: Lauren Roberts
Format: Physical Book
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
**My review below may contain spoilers.**
Good Reads Summary
Powerless
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.
Powerful
Set during the time of the New York Times bestseller Powerless, fan favorite Adena gets a story all her own as she attempts to survive on the streets of Loot…and falls for a mysterious—and dangerous—Elite.
Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they would always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn—an Ordinary—has been selected for the Purging Trials, which means almost certain death.
Now alone in Loot, Adena must fend for herself. After attempting to steal, she’s rescued by a mysterious man from the market. Mak’s shadowy past and secretive power set him apart from the other low-level Elites of Loot. And as the pair team up to see their loved ones before the Trials, the quest tests their loyalty, their love, and their lives.
Positives:
Negatives:
- Strong FMC: Paedyn (Powerless) and Adena (Powerful) are both badass female main characters. Paedyn is an ordinary who fakes like she has an ability. She has fighting skills and quick whit, which makes for the perfect romantasy lead. Adena is Paedyn’s best friend and a seamstress. She’s bright, sunshiney and optimistic. She’s the perfect counterbalance to Paedyn. I loved tandem reading the two books together so that I could get more backstory on Adena as I’m reading about her in the main story with Paedyn.
- Romance: I loved the sunshine grumpy trope shown with Adena and Mak. Their dynamic was sweet and I loved reading about it in Powerful. Paedyn has a bit of a love triangle going on with both of the princes, Kai and Kitt. She more leans towards the big, bad enforcer, Kai though. I really loved their witty banter and how they pretend to dislike each other, but both know it’s a lie. It’s very much forbidden romance, enemies to lovers, all those good romantasy tropes I love so much.
- Magic System/World: The way the magic system works in this series is unique and interesting. It is described well and I look forward to reading about it in the next book!
- Little to No Spice: Powerless is a SLOOOOOOOOOOW burn. You commit to 528 pages of flirty banter between Kai and Paedyn just to get… nothing. Not even fade to black or closed door. That was a major let down to me. You get a teensy tiny bit of romance in Powerful, but still not enough to satisfy the lack of it in Powerless.
- Some Unoriginal Ideas: A personal pet peeve of mine is when books borrow too many ideas from other popular series. This book has major Hunger Games vibes. Paedyn is from the slums and is thrown into a deadly competition where she has to fight for her survival, she needs to win the support of the audience, there’s a power hungry King vying for her death, she falls for a boy in the competition as they help each other survive (sound familiar?). She’s being tugged between two prince brothers from whom she must hide her true identity (ahem… Red Queen and Throne of Glass). I know the fantasy/romance/young adult genre is saturated, and I like that she added a twist two the story, but it was just a little too unoriginal for me to give it 5 stars.
Review Synopsis
I tandem read these two books together. Powerless is the main book and Powerful is a novella that gives more insight to some of the side characters. I am so glad that I read them together. I loved getting more background on Adena as I was reading about her and Paedyn in the main story. I really enjoyed the magic system and world building in this book and I can’t wait for the next one to come out. It leaves on a HEARTWRENCHING cliffhanger. The last few chapters had me swooning, crying, heart racing, screaming. If you enjoyed Hunger Games, Red Queen or Throne of Glass I highly recommend that you give these books a try.
Below is an affiliate link to Amazon for both books if you are interested in reading Powerless and Powerful, leave a comment to let me know what you think if you give them a try!
Powerless Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/45utpsl
Powerful Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3KMF3p2