A review by dramagirl2003
Powerless by Lauren Roberts

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

1st read – Feb '24
THIS IS NOW MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK EVER!!!!!
THE TENSION REALLY BE TENSIONING!!!
THAT ENDING!! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE TO WAIT MONTHS FOR THE NEXT BOOK

the chemistry is unreal!! what an absolute slow burn!!
like they didn't even kiss bro and still had all that chemistry!!


bonus: I love that the author is a Christian ❤️

reread – Apr' 24
this book is my roman empire. I have thought about it nonstop and recommend it to everyone!
 
I'm not even joking, I probably wrote out (or noted that I wanted to write out) like 100-150 quotes so yeah I know there's still a lot, but trust me it's significantly less than it was gonna be. 

thoughts while rereading

p12: see there it is, adena phasing through the walls. how did i miss that on the first read-through?
p60: can it get more ironic than this?? she decides to save kai from the silencer to honour her father because she couldn't save him, when
KAI IS THE ONE WHO KILLED HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE

p87: paedyn is honestly such a badass
p111: genuinely what the hell was he gonna do if she didn't duck
p118: i think kitt has a bit of a crush
p137: paedyn absolutely does not want you to be enemies. she's just deluding herself
p145: OH THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SCENES
p149: or he's distracted because you literally take his breath away
p154: eesh don't be so obvious dude 😬
p168: ha! she's not quite filling you in on everything, she's actually hiding something kinda big 🤭
p176: honestly kai you shoulda just asked her. what was she gonna say? NO?
p189: AH don't do that to him! he'll fall in love! i just realised that adena is actually the type of person kitt needs
p195: ah! the badass girlie pop tending to the guy's injuries. this is a moment we never knew we needed
p220: seems they both have a thing for not letting the other know they're hurting
p227: ahhhh nooo! not a blunt needle!
p241: i can feel kai's jealousy straight through the pages
p250: I'm slowly realising that I can't actually write down THE ENTIRE DAMN BOOK so I might need to be more strict on quote-taking
p272: i need a kai. absolutely not the killer part, but the ability to distract me when I'm hurting
p279: boy why you falling for that?? when's paedyn ever gonna be like help me, help me??
p280: shoot I forgot that happened
p291: i think kitt's trying to make her fall in love with him. WHY IS HE EVEN BOTHERING
p293: paedyn's subconscious is really determined to educate her future king
p294: oh dear, kitt's really fishing for a confession here that he ain't gonna get!
p378: i need a kai, he's smooth as butter
p392: grrr the utter betrayal
p464: the king absolutely intended for kai to
kill adena. make sure pae would literally never forgive him

p465: yes paedyn. congratulations. you did that to him. hope it was worth it
p466: OFC THEY NEVER TOLD YOU THAT, THE BLOODY SCUM
p478: WHY DID HE NEED HER ALIVE WHAT USE COULD SHE POSSIBLY BE TO HIM WHY DO WE NEVER FIND OUT???
p496: I'm sorry bro but you are 100% still in love with her
 

quotes

  "Why the sudden urge to be a gentleman?" she calls dryly from behind.
  "Don't get used to it," I say with a quick smirk. "My room just happens to be across from yours, so I might as well be a gentleman just this once."

  "Careful, Highness. I wouldn't want to spill royal blood."
  I lean toward her, letting the sharp steel of my own blade bite into my throat, drawing a thin line of hot blood. "Careful, darling. You forget that spilling blood is what I do best."

"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."

This girl might be the death of me. Literally.

I like a challenge.
But she's made it abundantly clear on what she wishes us to be: competition.
Enemies.
And more importantly, why isn't that what I want as well?

Finally, my traitorous eyes slide toward a flash of silver hair. She's beating on that padded tree, per usual. She always does this. Her movements are quick, controlled, channeling an emotion I can't place. She spins suddenly, her arm raised before I see her wrist flick. I blink and a knife sinks deep into a tree ten yards away.
Practiced. Purposeful. Precise

"Much better. Now, do it on your own. Just to make sure you were paying attention."
 She stills, facing the tree.
 Then there's a flash of silver hair as she swivels around, throwing a beautiful jab at my face.
"How was that?" she says sweetly

Fine. If she wants me to fight, I'll fight.
I won't hurt her. Badly. But I'm done playing games.

"Looks like I messed up your pretty face after all."
"Oh, this is nothing. You should see the damage I did to your pretty face."
"Oh darling, as long as you still think I'm pretty, I don't give a damn what I look like."

 I'm swept from my thoughts when kai spins me and my eyes dart to his without my permission.
"Like what you see, Gray?" he croons. "By all means, carry on. I'll never deny myself the chance of watching you watch me."
"And why is that?"
"Because it is far more fun to admire you when the action is mutual."
I nearly choke on my laugh. "Don't flatter yourself, Prince. I'm not admiring you or your stupid dimples."
"Liar"

"And here I was thinking you hated me and my stupid dimples. I'm touched you care so much about my wellbeing, Gray."
"Oh, don't mistake my motives, Prince. I only want to keep you alive long enough so I can punch that smirk off your face. Again."

"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."

"So you're telling me that you did all of this to be gentlemanly?"
"Why does that come as such a surprise to you?" 
"Maybe it's because you have to be a gentleman to be gentlemanly" 
"And who says I'm not?" 
"I'd like to find someone who says you are."

All I know is that I have this urge to protect her, be with her, tease her, touch her.
It's terrifying.

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.

 If Paedyn is so determined to hate me, I could make it very, very easy for her. It wouldn't take much. But I'm selfish, weak, and unwilling to make it anything but difficult for her to push me away.
  She's bewildering as much as she is beguiling. That pretty mouth of hers says one thing, but those ocean eyes say another. She pulls a knife from my back, only to say she'll bury another one there. She's confusing, captivating, and we're completely wrong for each other in all the right ways. She's a flame, and I'm going to get burned. An ocean, and I'm going to drown.
  I've never been so affected by a single girl, and it's absurd, absolutely annoying. But then I grin, remembering her heartbeat hammering beneath my fingers, her breath catching every time I touch her, her eyes drinking in every smile and dimple she supposedly hates.
  The feeling of absolute annoyance for being so affected by someone is most definitely mutual, though I'm sure she'd deny it with a dagger to my throat.

  You would think I'd be numb to witnessing hurt by now, watching Death claim another victim. But when she crumpled, something inside of me cracked. The sight of her so weak, so vulnerable, so unlike herself, was enough to shatter a piece of the soul I'd forgotten I had.

If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.

  There's that look again. It's like she's seeing straight through my many masks, tearing down my walls, stripping me bare with nothing but her gaze. I hate it — I love it. I feel free — I feel trapped. The thought that a single pair of blue eyes can leave me so vulnerable, so exposed, is alarming.

"You're right. We do make a great team."
"Yeah, except for the fact that you don't listen to orders."
"Orders? I'm not one of your soldiers, Kai."
"You're right, you aren't. My soldiers don't mean anything to me. They are expendable and easy to replace. So, yes, Gray. You aren't one of my soldiers."

"Are you undressing me, Gray? I mean I can't say I didn't think this day would come. Couldn't resist me darling?"
"Oh please, the only thing I'm resisting when I'm around you is the urge to put a dagger to your throat."
"I love when you threaten to kill me do you know that?" 
"Oh? And why is that?" 
"Because every time you don't, it only proves that you don't want to."

"You're a shameless flirt, Azer."
"Only for you."

"Will you forever be the prize I am aimlessly trying to win?"
"Is that all I am to you? A trophy?"
"Oh darling, a trophy implies that I won it, earned it, deserve it. But if I get to have you it will be because you let me."

"It's not the winning I find fun. It's you, darling."

I can't tear my eyes from her. I can't stray my thoughts from her. I can't pry my body from her.

"I don't give a damn if you forget who I am in title, so long as you remember who I am to you. I meant what I said. I can't take my eyes off you. I can't take my mind off you."
"Kai, I—"
"Paedyn. Tell me, 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.

Why did I ever think I could have her, ever think she would have me?
Because beasts don't get the beauty.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings