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A review by acavuto
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
3.0
“Perhaps you may not need powers to be powerful.”
In search of a new fantasy world to inhabit this summer, I picked up Lauren Roberts’ debut, Powerless. In the Kingdom of Ilya, only the Elites are welcome — those gifted with powerful abilities after the Plague swept through the land. Those who are Ordinary, on the other hand, have been banished for decades—being caught in Ilya as an Ordinary is punishable by death. Enter Paedyn, an Ordinary who has been posing as an Elite her entire life. When a moment of heroism drags her into the spotlight of The Purging Trials, she’ll have to keep up the act in front of all who watch her—especially the Kingdom’s prince and Enforcer: Kai.
There were more than a few times I found myself frustrated at the similarities between this book and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, especially because this story didn’t measure up where the stakes were concerned. I didn’t feel the same visceral sense of fear and dread that I experienced reading the beloved trilogy all those years ago, though I assumed I was supposed to.
All this being said, it would be a lie to say Roberts doesn’t know how to write romantic tension. The dialogue shared between Paedyn and Kai was playful yet startlingly earnest, and it has been a while since I’ve read a slow-burn romance this slow. Roberts takes her time with these characters, slowly inching readers toward the edges of their seats as they cling to the hope of romantic realization. The closing chapters of the story succeed in leaving one breathlessly in the dark, wishing for the ability to turn the page to more story that has yet to be revealed.
Though not the most original work, I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel, set to arrive this summer. This is a fun, romantic read fitting of a day spent reading by the pool.
3 ⭐️
In search of a new fantasy world to inhabit this summer, I picked up Lauren Roberts’ debut, Powerless. In the Kingdom of Ilya, only the Elites are welcome — those gifted with powerful abilities after the Plague swept through the land. Those who are Ordinary, on the other hand, have been banished for decades—being caught in Ilya as an Ordinary is punishable by death. Enter Paedyn, an Ordinary who has been posing as an Elite her entire life. When a moment of heroism drags her into the spotlight of The Purging Trials, she’ll have to keep up the act in front of all who watch her—especially the Kingdom’s prince and Enforcer: Kai.
There were more than a few times I found myself frustrated at the similarities between this book and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, especially because this story didn’t measure up where the stakes were concerned. I didn’t feel the same visceral sense of fear and dread that I experienced reading the beloved trilogy all those years ago, though I assumed I was supposed to.
All this being said, it would be a lie to say Roberts doesn’t know how to write romantic tension. The dialogue shared between Paedyn and Kai was playful yet startlingly earnest, and it has been a while since I’ve read a slow-burn romance this slow. Roberts takes her time with these characters, slowly inching readers toward the edges of their seats as they cling to the hope of romantic realization. The closing chapters of the story succeed in leaving one breathlessly in the dark, wishing for the ability to turn the page to more story that has yet to be revealed.
Though not the most original work, I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel, set to arrive this summer. This is a fun, romantic read fitting of a day spent reading by the pool.
3 ⭐️