Powerless

I have put off reading this for so long but I’m glad I finally tackled it. I say tackled because it has all the feels! I love these characters and I have fallen in love with their story. This book has everything, a somewhat love triangle, an evil king, deadly trials and a sarcastic FMC. On to book two!

Lauren Roberts' Powerless is an enthralling romantasy set in a world divided by power—literally. The kingdom of Ilya is split between the Elites, who gained supernatural abilities after surviving a great plague, and the Ordinaries, who are powerless and hunted to extinction. Paedyn Gray, a clever street thief, has spent her life pretending to be an Elite, using quick thinking and deception to survive. But when she saves Prince Kai Azer’s life, she is thrust into the deadly Purging Trials, a competition designed to showcase the abilities she doesn’t have. Characters & Romance: Paedyn is a breath of fresh air in the realm of fantasy heroines—witty, sharp-tongued, and entirely reliant on her intelligence rather than magical gifts. Watching her navigate the trials with sheer grit was a highlight. Meanwhile, Kai is the morally conflicted prince with an undeniable charm, whose arc from executioner to protector is compelling. Their slow-burn romance, filled with tension, witty banter, and stolen glances, is one of the book’s strongest elements. “If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.” Their chemistry is electrifying. From knife-to-throat scenes to moments of unexpected tenderness (like Kai braiding her hair and calling her “my pretty Pae”), every interaction deepens their connection. While the book is marketed as an enemies-to-lovers story, it leans more towards immediate attraction with Paedyn resisting the pull rather than outright hatred. Plot & Pacing: The story is fast-paced, and the tension escalates effectively, especially in the last 100 pages, making it impossible to put down. The Purging Trials introduce thrilling life-or-death stakes, though the pacing of each trial varies—some are drawn out while others are over too quickly. The world-building is intriguing but lacks depth in certain areas, sometimes relying too heavily on repetitive descriptions. However, as a debut novel, this is forgivable. Themes & Writing Style: Themes of power, survival, and identity are central. Roberts masterfully weaves romance with high-stakes action, making Powerless feel like a romcom wrapped in a dystopian fantasy. There’s humor, angst, and heartache in equal measure. While the writing is engaging, some aspects—like overused phrases and underdeveloped lore—could be polished in future installments. Final Thoughts: Despite its imperfections, Powerless delivers an addictive blend of romance and adventure. Fans of The Hunger Games, Red Queen, and Shatter Me will find familiar elements, but the dynamic between Paedyn and Kai keeps it fresh. The ending is a gut punch, setting up book two for what promises to be an angst-filled sequel. P.S. Kitt is an underrated gem, and I hope Paedyn’s actions don’t push him into villain territory. If Kai and Pae aren’t endgame, I will riot. Quotes: ➴ "But im never sober around you, pae. Never not drunk on every detail that is you."‧ ➴ “What do you want to call me?” “I want to call you mine.” ➴ "I was thinking, that you couldn't breathe. and as much as I like that dress on you, I figured you would look just as good in it with the laces undone." ➴ "I meant what I said. I can't take my eyes off you. I can't take my mind off you." ➴ “Oh, darling, as long as you still think I’m pretty, I don’t give a damn what I look like.” ➴ “Every girl deserves something equally as pretty and deadly as they are." ➴ “When his eyes lock with mine, I wonder why I ever bother looking at anyone else.” ➴ “Remind me to to make you smile like that again, when you aren't dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorise it.” 🖤Length: 528 Pages 🖤Genre: Fantasy 🖤Spice: 🌶️ 🖤Violence: 🔥🔥 🖤Editing: Nothing that pulled me from the story 🖤Series: The Powerless Trilogy 🖤Ending: Cliffhanger Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ No spice 🌶 Tropes: #Tournament #ForbiddenRomance #DystopianSociety #Powers#SlowBurn #WittyBanter #ForcedProximity #EnemiestoLovers Two very important things... 1. THIS IS A MUST READ! 2. I NEED RECKLESS ASAP!! This was so good. 6 ⭐️ isn't a thing? That's too bad! This deserves the exra ⭐️ I was here for the BANTER!!! 🔥 The writing, the story, the characters, the romance. It was sooo good, such a fun read that kept me completely immersed.There was no spice, but my poetic broken KAI 🥰 makes it all worth it. 🗡Pae🗡 is the definition of a BADASS. All 28 of her freckles 😮‍💨 There are plenty of twists and turns. That love triangle 🔺️ had me on the edge of my seat 🫣 and the ending shattered me!! @laurenrobertslibrary why do I feel like you're going to stomp on the remains with Reckless? ✨️Did I mention Kai is a poetic god?✨️ “If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.” “It's like drowning in the ocean. Her eyes are the color of the Shallows Sea's deepest corner, a clear sky as it begins to drift into night, the subtle shade of a forget-me-not. And like the hottest flame, her eyes are blue and full of fire.” “She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine line between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning.” “I'd never thought about what my favorite color was before. It never seemed important. Not until I looked into a pair of ocean blue eyes and realized that perhaps drowning was a beautiful thing. Not until I looked into a pair of fiery blue eyes and realized that perhaps burning was a painless thing. Not until I looked into a pair of sky blue eyes and realized that perhaps falling was a peaceful thing. I'd never thought about what my favorite color was before because I hadn't seen one that was worthy of the title. Until now, that is. ‘Blue’ I say, my voice low.” “And I'll save your life again and again, aimlessly hoping you will allow me to stay in it.” “What do you want to call me? -I want to call you mine.” The strongest weapon a woman has at her disposal is that she is often underestimated. “Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren’t dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it.” “My soldiers don’t mean anything to me. They are expendable and easy to replace.” His chest heaves, his eyes locked with mine. “So, yes, Gray. You aren’t one of my soldiers.” “Oh, I’m not making you do anything, darling. You can leave me to bleed out if you must. Because I only want your hands all over me if you want them to be.” Walking on a sharp blade and hoping I don’t get cut. Playing with fire and hoping I don’t get burned. Swimming in a dangerous current and hoping I don’t drown. He is dangerous. She’s so stunning, yet so stubbornly oblivious to how the sunset behind dulls in comparison to the vibrance that is her. “Darling, I doubt that the sight of someone dying would affect me as much as you do alive and well.” I hadn’t realized he could look at me like that. Look at me like he cared. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken so softly, so soothingly to someone before. And what scares me even more is that I don’t think I ever will for anyone but her. Everything beautiful, everything bold, everything breathtaking—that is what I feel in her gaze. She is a vision, a nightmare, a dream. A grim reaper clad in black, come to steal my soul and my heart. I’ve never seen something so beautiful, so bold, so blatantly wrong for me. She is a devil. She is a deity. She is a man’s downfall in human form. She is my downfall. His eyes are mesmerizing, like melted steel, morning fog. They cut through me as though he is unafraid to see every part of me. His gaze feels right, familiar. And when his eyes lock with mine, I wonder why I ever bother looking at anyone else. I’ve never been looked at like it’s a privilege to be in my presence, an honor to hold my gaze, a gift to get a glimpse of me. Not until I met him. “I meant what I said. I can’t take my eyes off you. I can’t take my mind off you.” “Run, Paedyn. Because when I catch you, I will not miss. I will not falter. I will not make the mistake of feeling for you.” 💔

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 0 Powerless completely surprised me in the best way! This is a characterdriven romantasy with addictive tension, sharp banter and a slow burn romance that delivers without any spice. Paedyn is fierce and clever, and Kai?? Arrogant, intense and secretly soft 😍 Their chemistry carried the entire book for me. Think The Hunger Games vibes but with more emotional depth and relationship focus. I couldn’t put it down day or night. ✨ Strong characters ✨ Elite tension & banter ✨ Fast-paced + bingeable That ending though… I need book two ASAP. 💙📖

I’m going to admit that this book started a two star read for me. It was so hard to get into. I thought it was a little childish in the beginning and a lot of the details didn’t make sense. I almost felt like the author had two good storylines, on one side was the royals, Kitt and Kai, the political dynamics of the kingdom and royal family and then on the other side was the trials, contestants, and ordinaries and when she tried to smash them together it was not making a great story. It didn’t make sense why the trials and games were being played. Paedyn is an ordinary and a thief making her living by blending into the slums where she lives and stealing from people, yet when the people nominate her for the trials they know her full name to put on the banner and where to find her to bring her to the castle? Kai is the younger prince to his brother who will become king so his Father is raising him to be the future enforcer but it never explains who the current enforcer is. You would think they would be having a hand in his training and someone would need to be managing those duties while Kai is away for weeks at a time during the trials. Also, Paedyn has stayed alive by hiding that she is an ordinary and pretending to be a psychic based on little observances she makes about people, but once she is thrust into the spotlight in the trials and has to perform her ability in front of the kingdom there would end up being more than a few people who don’t have something for her to guess about them. She would eventually get it wrong. I was about 1/4 of the way through the book and dragging, I kept wanting to read something else but there have been so many amazing reviews for this book so I decided to push through and I am so glad that I did! This author is amazing at writing romance! Kai and Paedyn are everything for me ♥️♥️ They are so cute, sweet, and fun together. I wish we could have at least had ONE kiss between the two of them but let me tell you that the romantic tension and sweetness between these two almost makes up for that. I hope we get even more in the second book. A few things that I wish the author had cleared up for us by the end are why Kitt pursued Paedyn even though he knew how much she meant to Kai. Was he colder than he seemed on the outside or was he jealous of Kai and wanting to beat him to it? It never says but maybe it will in the next book. I also didn’t understand why the king didn’t try harder to have Paedyn killed. He sends Kai out to kill people in their homes so why didn’t he try to have her killed in her room? The only explanation he gives Paedyn is he needed her alive but it never tells you why. Even with the plot holes I did think this was a really good story in the end. I hope there is improvement in the next book and I can’t wait to read it!

***Spoilers ahead*** This book is a bit overhyped. It has some major Hunger Games themes going on and is definitely a YA read. Slow burn with not even a kiss in sight. I liked the idea of the magic wielders and a king not wanting to pollute the bloodlines. And I liked that the FMC was a thief with a hard life so it made sense that she had a lot of skills that others didn't. What I didn't like: - The trials were not really all that hard and seemed kind of pointless. - During the first trial, the FMC seems to change her whole personality. Screaming, breaking down, running from a fight she was winning? Like did she not get into the trials by beating someone to a pulp? Was her life not super hard on the streets which should have toughened her up? - They start dancing in the middle of a trial? Shouldn't they be hyper-vigilant hoping no one sneaks up on them? Wouldn't that be expected of a street rat and a cold killer? These type of scenes seem forced just to get some interaction between characters. - The writing is immature at times, not just in dialogue but also just in general. Comes off as an adult trying to remember what it was like being an 18 year old. - The FMC was so forgiving to the heir. Thinking he was a good guy when he just told her that he agreed with his father and all the ordinaries had to go. I get needing her to like him so that it was betrayal but that doesn't flow right. She argued about everything else then just accepted his condoning the purge like it was nothing? No. - The twist didn't make sense. Why would she remember the king as the killer when she was a child? A child wouldn't have worked out that the king was behind it so ???? How did his face get into her head? And how did she just forget the MMC did it? Seems like an easy thing to remember, the killer being a teenager or a grown man. I had a feeling it was going that way but hoped it wouldn't because all the information we had been given would not let it make sense. Then it went that way. Since it's on KU I will try with the next book but I am close to just leaving the series.

OBSESSED ‘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.’ What on earth did I just finish reading?! There are 3 types of books, books that has a storyline that are not that interesting and you skim through, books you like reading during the night when you have time, and books you HAVE to read both during the day and night, because your obsessed, your not living in this world anymore but your lost in the book. THIS book is that kind of Obsession!! ‘If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.’ The story line is good, the caracters are great. The TENSION in this book is on different level, trust me, Ive read like 500 books, and I never thought I would read a book full of soooo much FEELING, and the best thing about it…there was no lust or disgusting thoughts/feelings, it was all adorable and sweet and swoony…I cannot remember how many times I swooned, smiled, sighed and giggled. The dance lessons at night, the thumb war, the saving in the trials, the first meeting, the nightmare scene…I can go on and on and on… He tilts his head to the side, eyes roaming over my face. ‘Tell me,’ he murmurs, ‘what do you want me to call you?’ My eyes slowly meet his, confused by his question. ‘What do YOU want to call me?’ ‘I want to call you mine.’ That banter between the main caracters, deserve an Oscar, it was not short banter you usually get, I loved every word! You cannot stop FEELING! The WANT, the LONGING, the HEARTPOUNDING looks and words, especially said by Kai, he is arrogant, cocky but still so fierce, intense, full of feelings. And the way he WANTS, I wish every boy could WANT nd FEEL that way!! Not until I looked into a pair of ocean blue eyes and realized that perhaps drowning was a beautiful thing. Not until I looked into a pair of fiery blue eyes and realized that perhaps burning was a painless thing. Not until I looked into a pair of sky blue eyes and realized that perhaps falling was a peaceful thing. And then she’s laughing loudly. I hold my breath, watching the way her head tips towards the sky, her silver hair cascades down her back, her eyes crinkle with amusement. She looks back at me too quickly, and I hope I’ve wiped the look of wanting from my face fast enough. The heart shattering ending full of hurt has me craving the next book like a maniac. I cannot wait!! From their first meeting to their last in the book, you will love every moment, just grab the book and read!!! ‘I didn’t realize you had watched me so closely.’ ‘Watched? Darling, I’ve never stopped.’

"This is not my life to take." - Chapter 43, Page 362 What a surprise this was. Powerless follows Paedyn Gray, whom is a thief and Ordinary (has no powers in a world where this is standard). Her father died by the King’s orders when she was young and she has grown up since with a shield of survival and anger. When Pardyn helps a man dying at the hands of a power silencer (self-explanatory) in the streets of the slums, she later finds out it was the King’s son she saved. Thrust into the kingdoms annual Trials due to her show of bravery and strength, Paedyn must use her survival skills and unexpected connections with the King’s sons, Kai and Kitt, to make it out alive. Pleasantly surprised by the bind this book had me in, I enjoyed every bit of the grief, tension, and dark themes created to enhance the character development of this story. It is heavily character driven, so please know that before diving in, in case that is not your style of writing. It is veryyyyy similar to The Hunger Games, but Lauren Roberts does such a wonderful job making it her own and creating an interesting and exciting setting that brought the book to life. Kai and Kitt were tremendous MMCs. Kai had an equally traumatic childhood and they trauma bonded throughout the book, leading him to care about her in a way he hadn’t been able to do with others before. Watching Kai’s shields come down was quite entertaining and this storyline was a GREAT time! Kitt might lowkey be my favorite character. I feel like he will have a lot of growing to do in Reckless, and I am so excited to watch his development as a character. The areas of opportunity for the book were in the small grammatical errors (so the editing) and the world building. I wanted more from the world. While the characters had me in a chokehold, the setting felt like a bit of an afterthought. That being said, I gave it 4.75 stars for a reason - Lauren, this debut was magnificent and it can only get better from here so I am really looking forward to continuing on in this world. This is a series I will reread again.

Gorgeous book! Came very well packaged and no tears etc. gorgeous interior and exterior. Cannot wait to read this.

Love love loved this book, the novella that recently came out I couldn't get into but I cannot wait for more of the main story. I loved the world building, the story line, it had me in tears at the end. My heart shattered by decisions made, but the second book release is creeping up and I cannot wait to pick it up. The story follow Paedyn, she lives in the slums, she's bottom of the food chain. She's what they called an "Ordinary" but no one knows this, because if they did it would cost her life. An Ordinary is someone who doesn't have powers, instead she has taught herself, well her father at first taught her, to be extremely observant and she pretends to be a physic. Which she successfully fools everyone. Now bring in the storyline, Paedyn is a thief, and thiefs steal. She so happens to steal from the younger prince, the future enforcer. But later in the day she sees that the prince is struggling to fight against a really powerful person who has the ability to almost overwhelm someone by stripping them of their power. Now since Paedyn doesn't have powers, she's able to save the prince. But instead, she lands herself as a contestant for the Purging Trials. Which kind of reminds me of Hunger games. Through these trials she gets to know the prince she saved, but also the other prince as well, the future king. Now that is all I am about to say about the story because you've just got to read it to experience it. Its enticing, its a little slow to begin with but I legitimately could not put the book down for the second half.

Kai and paedyn is such a vibe- we love them drunk. As a girl who has read all of the books I recommend! I loved this series so much, it has amazing plot twists and emotional deaths. Kai is a poet and he is the man we all want and desire. Paedyn is what Lenny calls a coach roach always evading death. Paedyn is a diva and we love her, she passes all of Edrics 3 b's. SPOILERS!! I was sobbing at Kitts, Denas and Maks death. Poor Kitt was so lost without his brother, he was too young to be king and was also lost without his father. Dena and Mak didn't deserve death. I was so shocked when I found out that Pae and Kitt was half siblings (But dont worry not related to Kai! (well Paedyn)), I hate Edric and Calum. I love Kai and Paes banter they are so cute!

Good book

I love this book it’s so well written and so good and the chemistry between Kai and pae is so good if you haven’t read this test I’m begging for you to read it!!!