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ineffableverse 's review for:
Powerless
by Jacqueline Pretty
I think I would've loved »Powerless« to pieces when I was younger, in my teens or early 20s. I don't mean to make this sound like a slight – after all, since it's a YA novel, that is exactly the age range of the target audience! And I know that many adult readers loved it, as well.
The book has a lot going for it: fast-paced, thrilling action, a compelling hero(ine)'s journey, an engaging writing style… It is a quick, fun read, telling the touching story of a young girl who struggles to find acceptance and self-esteem.
But to me, it feels too much like a mishmash of »X-Men« (young people with superpowers), »The Umbrella Academy« (domineering, controlling father figure) and »Encanto« (the main character is the only one who's ordinary). Thus, it veers into that awkward territory between homage and rehashing established ideas
While Hanna herself is relatable, her father and all but one of her siblings hate her, with no nuance. The author emphasizes their cruelty, their unfairness, their unflinching ruthlessness. This paints a picture in black and white, robbing the story of dimension. The book mentions a few times that the teens are the direct result of a cold, inhumane father, who expects all of his children to be 'super' – but it still seems a leap from disappointment to contempt to hate.
Also, Science Fiction is an unforgiving genre when it comes to factual errors. It calls for one of two things: meticulous research, or sticking to what you already know. »Powerless« gets a few things wrong. For example, in one chapter, the story hinges on a clone having the same fingerprints and retinal patterns as the original person, and that's just not true. Both are not determined by a person's genes; clones and identical twins would be easily distinguishable by these traits.
I felt torn on how to rate it. Ultimately, I need to keep the target audience in mind, and I feel like the novel is likely to be a smash hit for many young readers. Hence, I give it a solid 3 stars.
The book has a lot going for it: fast-paced, thrilling action, a compelling hero(ine)'s journey, an engaging writing style… It is a quick, fun read, telling the touching story of a young girl who struggles to find acceptance and self-esteem.
But to me, it feels too much like a mishmash of »X-Men« (young people with superpowers), »The Umbrella Academy« (domineering, controlling father figure) and »Encanto« (the main character is the only one who's ordinary). Thus, it veers into that awkward territory between homage and rehashing established ideas
While Hanna herself is relatable, her father and all but one of her siblings hate her, with no nuance. The author emphasizes their cruelty, their unfairness, their unflinching ruthlessness. This paints a picture in black and white, robbing the story of dimension. The book mentions a few times that the teens are the direct result of a cold, inhumane father, who expects all of his children to be 'super' – but it still seems a leap from disappointment to contempt to hate.
Also, Science Fiction is an unforgiving genre when it comes to factual errors. It calls for one of two things: meticulous research, or sticking to what you already know. »Powerless« gets a few things wrong. For example, in one chapter, the story hinges on a clone having the same fingerprints and retinal patterns as the original person, and that's just not true. Both are not determined by a person's genes; clones and identical twins would be easily distinguishable by these traits.
I felt torn on how to rate it. Ultimately, I need to keep the target audience in mind, and I feel like the novel is likely to be a smash hit for many young readers. Hence, I give it a solid 3 stars.