A review by imme_van_gorp
Powerless by Lauren Roberts

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I know people are saying this is an exact copy of The Hunger Games, and really, I see you, I hear you, you’re kind of right. But… do I actually care, though? No. There’s a reason why The Hunger Games has become one of the most popular books in the world and that is because it is absolutely amazing. So the fact that this is a new version of that same type of story but then with a fantasy instead of dystopian setting and with a lot more romance? Yea, the unoriginality doesn’t actually bother me that much and I will eat it up regardless.

However, I did think the execution of it all was lacking, especially later on in the story. This book started out great and actually gripped me from the very beginning. I loved the premise of the book and the romantic dynamic was showing a lot of promise. Both of those things dwindled after a little while, though. The romance had delicious tension at the beginning with lots of banter, but it became very repetitive and stagnant after a while. Kai and Paedyn’s relationship didn’t change at all during the entire book, even though they did clearly grow closer, and I eventually found it a little boring. 

The plot and setting also didn’t live up to their potential for me: “The Trials” were always a bit underwhelming and the world-building pretty much just stopped growing. A lot of the plotlines didn’t actually go anywhere, and were abandoned before they ever even had a chance of beginning. Same thing with a lot of the characters; they were introduced, had a few scenes, but then were only mentioned again once in a blue moon without much significance. We didn’t get the chance to really grow close to anyone, not even to the people Pae and Kai claim to care about, such as Adena or Kitt or Jax.

Long story short, this book had me hooked at the start, but slowly lost me along the way. It wasn’t a very well-developed story and left a lot to be desired. Therefore, I feel like lots of potential was lost here.

WARNING: There will be spoilers about the ending below!

I understand that the ending was meant to set up the next book with Kai (and Kitt) as enemies against Pae, but I’m struggling to feel sympathy for them. In my eyes, Paedyn has done absolutely nothing wrong. These boys have been carrying out a whole genocide against people like her, but now she’s supposed to feel guilty for helping those people fighting for their (and her own) life? While Kai and Kitt were just happily playing along with, and even participating in, this systematic killing of Pae’s people, she was just supposed to stand idly by and let it happen? How dare either of those boys even think about feeling betrayed by her; if anything, they should only feel ashamed for their own actions (or lack thereof).