Book Review: 'Powerless'

Well, I am definitely late to the party. Having seen Powerless on TikTok every day for maybe the past two weeks, I just had to give it a read. Self-published by Lauren Roberts in January 2023, Powerless has become a YA Fantasy bestseller due to its growth and exposure on TikTok. It is now currently a duology with a novella, but is set to become a trilogy in April 2025 with Fearless.

The world-building was good, however I felt it had more potential. It is explained well and easy to grasp; I would highly recommend this book to those new to the genre. However, I feel more could have been done outside the Kingdom, as there is no mention of anywhere outside of Ilya. This could have added more depth and context to the plot, as some of the historical aspects always seemed quite surface-level. In terms of the plot, the purging trials that make up most of the book were thoroughly enjoyable, but also made little sense. I enjoyed the creativity of each trial and the writing of battle scenes. However, it did feel like a direct replica of The Hunger Games, with contestants needing sponsors to survive and the King being able to manipulate the games as he wishes. I feel Roberts could have put more of a spin on it, and maybe made the trials more relevant, because while their purpose is to showcase the Elite powers of the Kingdom, it is killing powerful Elites in the process. I don’t understand this when the point of the book is that Ordinaries die to keep the Kingdom Elite.

I enjoyed how the book swapped POVs between chapters, we got a great insight into both perspectives throughout the story. I really enjoyed Paedyn’s character, as she is a strong female protagonist. You could also tell every decision she made was well thought through. Her determination and fierceness are admirable, and it’s also nice to see her vulnerabilities. The only thing I could ask for is more depth into her personality beyond that of her trying to survive, but maybe this will come in later books. I also really enjoyed Kai and felt he was the perfect love interest. He was never trying to hold Pae back and 'protect her' (a common trope from male love interests.) Instead, he trusted her to be strong on her own. And if you enjoy flirty banter, this book is FULL of it. Kai has the type of flirty personality that has you giggling and kicking your feet.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars and would highly recommend to YA Romantasy lovers!