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adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lauren Roberts, I'm under your bed. OH MY GOD.
I LOVED THIS SOOOO MUCH. I need the third book right now in my hands.
if you know me, you know I never shut up about the fact that I'm an OG Lauren Roberts fan. I waited for a year for Powerless to come out as self-published and immediately bought it once it was available and I fell in love right away. when she got traditionally published and then got insanely popular, I honestly couldn't be more proud of her and I'm so glad so many people got to know the world I love.
enough rambling and let's get to the book,
Kai Azer is the fucking standard, I genuinely will not accept less than him. he's the love of my life.
and Pae 🥹 love herrr. what a queen.
I'm so in love with their relationship and after that ending, I NEED to know what happens next. god I can't wait to read the third (and final😭) book in the trilogy.
I loved how character driven this book was. the fantasy and romance Lauren created is PERFECT.
I'm so in love with this world.
I LOVED THIS SOOOO MUCH. I need the third book right now in my hands.
if you know me, you know I never shut up about the fact that I'm an OG Lauren Roberts fan. I waited for a year for Powerless to come out as self-published and immediately bought it once it was available and I fell in love right away. when she got traditionally published and then got insanely popular, I honestly couldn't be more proud of her and I'm so glad so many people got to know the world I love.
enough rambling and let's get to the book,
Kai Azer is the fucking standard, I genuinely will not accept less than him. he's the love of my life.
and Pae 🥹 love herrr. what a queen.
I'm so in love with their relationship and after that ending, I NEED to know what happens next. god I can't wait to read the third (and final😭) book in the trilogy.
I loved how character driven this book was. the fantasy and romance Lauren created is PERFECT.
I'm so in love with this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Torture, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
** This is the second book in the powerless trilogy, you need to read the first book powerless in order to understand this one. I also recommend that you read the Novella powerful. Try powerless and powerful in a tandem read. It was my favorite way to experience them.**
After killing the King and igniting a Resistance, Paedyn Gray is on the run from Kai Azer, who has become the new King's Enforcer. Kai, torn between duty and personal feelings, relentlessly pursues her across dangerous terrains. In the city of Dor, where Elites hold no power, their roles blur, intensifying the conflict between duty and desire.
Rating: 4.6/5
Breakdown:
1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 4/5. Honestly, the plot of "Reckless" wasn't as engrossing as "Powerful." It felt like the second book in a trilogy— if you know what I mean. The story was still excellent, the banter was entertaining, and it was a thrilling adventure, ending on a cliffhanger. I enjoyed the whole thing.
2. **Characterization:** 5/5. I love these characters. Seeing how the brothers handled grief was real and raw. Paedyn's reactions were honest, showing real emotion rather than just triumph or badassery. Although I missed a particular side character and some others who were less prominent, the characters were believable, and I connected with them as they grew and changed throughout the book.
3. **Writing Style:** 5/5. I love Roberts' style. You can see how much she’s grown since "Powerless." While I would have liked more of the banter from the first book, I understand why it wasn't as prevalent in "Reckless," which had a slightly more mature romance.
4. **Originality:** 5/5. This book felt very original. It moved away from the "Hunger Games" similarities in the first book and developed its own unique world.
5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 4/5. The book connected with me emotionally, though not as intensely as "Powerful." It took me on an emotional ride, but the resolution fell a bit flat for me. I understand why it went that way, but I just didn't like it as much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
THAT ENDING????!!?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Torture, Grief
Minor: Child death, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Grief, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lauren Roberts you have broken my heart again.
Parts of this book reads like poetry. Like the others, I could not put it down. I wish I waited until the entire trilogy was out to read them because THAT CLIFFHANGER. I will say I’m very disappointed Mak didn’t make an appearance in this book. I really hope he does in the next. I’m usually off for spicy books, but these books are so good that they don’t need it. The longing and the romance is all that’s needed. Not as great as the first book but still loved it. The plot speaks for itself.
“Tell me you hate me, and I’ll still count every heartbeat, every freckle, every shiver of your body, if only you say it with a smile.” He backs away, freeing my face from his hands. “I may be a monster, but if you cut me, I’ll bleed. And if you break my heart, Pae, you’ll break me. So, if even a sliver of your soul longs for mine, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve it.”
I am really curious to see what Calum does and the next book. I think he is a secret villain.
Parts of this book reads like poetry. Like the others, I could not put it down. I wish I waited until the entire trilogy was out to read them because THAT CLIFFHANGER. I will say I’m very disappointed Mak didn’t make an appearance in this book. I really hope he does in the next. I’m usually off for spicy books, but these books are so good that they don’t need it. The longing and the romance is all that’s needed. Not as great as the first book but still loved it. The plot speaks for itself.
“Tell me you hate me, and I’ll still count every heartbeat, every freckle, every shiver of your body, if only you say it with a smile.” He backs away, freeing my face from his hands. “I may be a monster, but if you cut me, I’ll bleed. And if you break my heart, Pae, you’ll break me. So, if even a sliver of your soul longs for mine, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve it.”
I am really curious to see what Calum does and the next book. I think he is a secret villain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
okay, so. this wasn't good. at all 😭
it's just payden and kai walking through the dessert for 400 pages. really. nothing else happens. could've easily been a novella.
payden lets herself get caught so easily, even though she knows kai's supposed to kill her. she just seemed so lackluster, as did kai. i thought we'd get proper lovers to enemies here but they don't even try to be enemies.
it's constantly "i shouldn't like you but i do" to "i hate you" to "i'd die for you" and it's fun at first but gets boring very quickly.
the ending was wild, though, and i hope the next book will be better!
it's just payden and kai walking through the dessert for 400 pages. really. nothing else happens. could've easily been a novella.
payden lets herself get caught so easily, even though she knows kai's supposed to kill her. she just seemed so lackluster, as did kai. i thought we'd get proper lovers to enemies here but they don't even try to be enemies.
it's constantly "i shouldn't like you but i do" to "i hate you" to "i'd die for you" and it's fun at first but gets boring very quickly.
the ending was wild, though, and i hope the next book will be better!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Classism