POWERLESS (Lauren Roberts) – Book 1 in YA Romantasy

A Fast-Paced First Book

I’ve been hearing a lot about Powerless on Bookstagram, so I decided to give it a try! While I have some qualms, I really enjoyed it as a whole and am eager to get my hands on Book 2 (Reckless).

A Summary

In the kingdom of Ilya, only the Elites – the powerful – belong. Gifted these powers by the Plague, they rule and reign in a society where Ordinaries – those with no powers – are considered diseased. And banished.

For Paedyn Gray, she knows just how trying it is to fight for survival among the slums. And as an Ordinary, it’s even more so. After she unknowingly saves the lives of one of Ilya’s princes, Kai, it catapults her into the limelight when the people select her to compete in the annual Purging Trials.

The biggest problem? The Purging Trails are designed for the participants to showcase their powers; and Paedyn has none. Not to mention she’s competing alongside Kai himself.

My Qualms

Powerless, quite frankly, was a bit of a copycat of other novels. I’ve complained about this before in my review of Fourth Wing… I know there are no truly original stories, but some feel at liberty to copy-and-paste from books that have come before.

In the case of Powerless, here’s a list of the similarities I found (within just the first three chapters):

• Magic System: The magic in Powerless is practically identical to Red Queen. You have the Elites (Silvers) vs the Ordinaries (Reds). The magic powers are also the same, from fire to telekinesis to strength. They just have slightly different names.
• The Characters: Both Paedyn (Powerless) and Mare (Red Queen) are Ordinary/Reds. And both are thieves. In both series, there are two princes (and both are half-brothers with the father as the shared parent). One is designated to be the soldier/killer/leader; and the other is more introspective, bookish, and “stays home.”
• The Plot Catalyst: In both series, the female main character meets the love interest prince without knowing he’s the prince. Then, she’s selected to go to the palace where she completes in a trial/test/arena-style situation.
• The Mean Girl: Both series had mean-girl. You know the type… Beautiful but so ugly on the inside you just hate her. The one who goes after the prince and hates the protagonist with a burning passion…
• The Endings: I won’t spoil it for anyone, but both of the books ended very similarly, setting up the sequel to be not so dissimilar either.
• Political Intrigue: The Scarlet Guard in Red Queen and then the Ordinaries in Powerless, both using the female main characters’ positions in royal households to their advantages.

I’m simply stating facts.

Other things I liked less (and they’re a touch nitpicky, I know):

• Roberts used the same descriptions a lot. For example, every outfit was “thin.” Every touch was “searing.” And so on.
• Adena’s character felt out of place. I know she existed as a character development device, but (in my opinion!) she could’ve been removed entirely. And the story wouldn’t have read any differently.

But the fact is, I still enjoyed the heck out of Powerless.

What I Liked about Powerless

• Romance: Unlike Red Queen, Powerless is a romantasy, so romance is much more a focus than in its counterpart. I definitely enjoyed the banter, the yearning, and all those good things. I also appreciated that it stayed appropriate for its target audience.
• Storytelling: I quite liked Roberts’ writing style. I found the book engaging, the plot fast-paced, and the characters’ dialogue natural.
• Overall Plot: While some specific details felt copy-cat, the overall plot had enough things going for it to make it interesting. While Powerless is frequently compared to Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas), I found this one to be a lot easier to follow in terms of plot.

Content Concerns?

This is a YA romantasy, and I was pleased to see no explicit content. There was plenty of longing and romantic tension, but nothing inappropriate.

There was frequent (but minor) swearing and a lot of violence (but minimal gore).

Final Thoughts

I gave Powerless four stars because it was simply a fun book to read. While I stand by my complaints, I’m still looking forward to getting my hands on Reckless (Book 2).

Content Rating: Moderate

for romantic/suggestive undertones and violence

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Copyright Lauren Roberts and Simon & Schuster. Image from Amazon.