Powerless is a science fiction title where the world is split between people with a mutation giving them power and those without. Hanna is part of a family of supers, only she's never had a power manifest.

After being forced out into the world, she undergoes a series of trials all while trying to prove herself worthy to her father. But, the longer she is out in the world, the more she learns that has her questioning that drive.

Overall, a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I was sucked in from the synopsis and held by the throat as I turned pages, completely captivated. I don't always love sci-fi but when done right. This is what you have here.

The premise behind Powerless had me intrigued. A family full of children with superpowers. All except one, Hanna. I felt bad for Hanna. Her siblings and her father were so cruel to her. Maria was the lone sibling who tried her best to protect Hanna.

Hanna was kicked out of the family because her powers never materialized. I am used to reading books with violence but the violence in Powerless bordered on sadistic. After the book took a dark turn, the plot started to drag. Hanna hooked up with the Brotherhood but fiercely wanted to get back to the family that was cruel to her for her entire life.

This was just ok for me and I feel like there could possibly be another book. If there is a sequel, I will pass. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Powerless features a very interesting world that honestly reminds me a lot of that one movie - sky high? A world where it seems everyone has super powers and she can't seem to be able to use hers? Unfortunately she isn't as believed in as the main character of that movie, but that was an interesting change. This story is full of drama and action that it feels like you're watching a movie the entire time!

4.5 stars

Honestly I read this book a little while ago and can't remember everything, but I knew I absolutely loved it! And it was so unexpected too!

I was hooked from the first page and the author did not let me go! The writing was amazing and I could see everything so clearly in my head. The characters were so complex and amazing, all morally grey too.

In this world superheros are real and discovered by a strand of DNA, but they have to be registered and monitored. Hanna is a part of the Super family, the daughter of the guy who found the DNA strand. But out of her three monstrous siblings, she is the only one who never manifested a power. So of course her father tried many many things to get her to show powers. But none of them worked, so she spent her days in the lab trying to make herself useful.

Until there was a leak and everyone blames her. She is cast out into the street straight into enemy hands. The Brotherhood, the society her mother was a part of and her father was trying to destroy. Hanna decides she will earn her place back in the family by spying. But in the end she must decide how far she will go for power. Will she betray her monstrous family, or the new ruthless family she has found in the Brotherhood?


The premise of this book sounds so good and it was definitely executed that way as well! I honestly wasn't expecting much but I got drawn into Hanna's world of fear, torture, science, superheroes and mafia gangs.

It had an unraveling mystery, strong characters, amazing writing and was action-packed!
I highly recommend this book to all my sci-fi fantasy fans who love a good genetic superhero trope with adventure and action plus a tight sisterly bond, bold and brash characters and of course daddy issues.


Content notes: self harm, toxic family dynamics, light drug references, and mild violence


Thank you so much to BOMM tours and the author for providing me with this copy.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I really liked this book. The action scenes were so interesting, it was like I was watching a movie, the characters were very well done and the romance was amazing.
Definitely will read other books from this author!

Hanna lives in a world where superpowers are the norm, and she has not been able to unlock her powers. Her father is responsible for the genetic mutation. She's kicked out of her family for not having powers and she goes on an adventure to unlock her powers which leads her down some dangerous paths. Powerless is full of action but is also a good coming-of-age story.

This novel was a fast pace movie in words. I felt like I was at the theater and needed my popcorn. It literally read like a Marvel movie and I was hooked from the beginning. The action never stops ans it is hard to find a stopping point.

The main character is easy to root for and the villain is easy to hate. Everyone in between is developed in a wonderful way as well.

Highly recommend

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.

As a fan of superheroes and superpowers, I was intrigued by Jacqueline Pretty's debut novel, Powerless. While the science wasn’t too hard to catch up and it had an interesting setup and interesting plot and main characters, I felt it tried to bite off more than it can chew and led to a read that was just okay.

Hanna's a 16 year old girl desperate to gain superpowers just like the rest of her Super family (literally, their surname is Super, but it does make sense). In her desperation, she's experimenting with superhuman DNA to see how she can activate her latent ones. However, she finds herself thrown out of her home, joins the mafia, and everything she thought about the world turned upside down. I enjoyed Hanna as she's forced to question everything she knows and her very goals. Especially when you consider the family dynamics to be very messed up from the Supers early on. Yes, she's scared and questioning everything, but she's been thrown from a sheltered life into a pit of danger, and she's underage to boot. She's willing to do anything to get powers for years, doing anything, including self harm. I really like how she's determined to fix everything and grows throughout the story. Her relationships with her sister, Maria, and Liza later on were my favorites, as she seeks to protect them both. Also, I love how Arten Super himself is pretty complex and interesting (in more ways than one). The Doctor was sadistic and I like how he struck fear in many of the characters. Though I felt most of the secondary characters were kinda mix and match and mostly forgettable sadly, and hampered my reading experience in some sections.

The setting and lore stand out as unique, taking place in eastern Europe (formerly known as the Soviet block), fighting between the Supers and the Brotherhood. I enjoyed what we saw of the city and hearing about the restrictions on supers. I also thought some of the powers were fascinating as well. The science was fairly solid and didn't feel too complicated for the average reader. Though the world building felt more told than shown; we didn't see too much impact on those super regulations and it felt like some aspects of the mafia not as impactful.

The primary plot had a good foundation, with the rivalry between the Super family and the Russian mafia known as the Brotherhood, and we get an idea how both work. Each side has their own shades of grey despite first appearances, which I really appreciate. The plot moves at a decent pace, but some sections did feel like they dragged for too long, and I struggled to stay engaged. I was also confused about some of the smaller aspects of the story, which might have been an issue and made some of the smaller twists fall flat. While the main plot has resolution, it felt like some side questions raised throughout the book were never truly answered, especially since this seems like a standalone, but I could be wrong and there are more books planned in this world. The prose, while easy to read, felt like it was missing a sense of place in a lot of scenes.

Despite the negatives, this was an interesting take on superheroes and I will keep an eye out for Pretty as she continues her author career.

🌟 🌟 🌟
3 stars

A great storyline idea, full of interesting characters and ideas however just too young. There were parts that made no sense when there were better options available, it was just a little too forced in places. As though there's a way The story needs to go abd everything else needs to hurry up to get to that point. Definitely a YA book and whilst it has grit to it, the book just was too young for me.

How far would you go for power?

When Hanna was eight, her older sister burst into flames—the first of her siblings to get superpowers. Eight years later and Hanna now has three other superpowered siblings, while she remains disappointingly powerless.

What a great book! Where does Hanna need to go for power, since she's powerless? Her family runs her out but does she find a true family with the competitor? How much must she go through before she finds herself. One thing that is for sure, MFC Hanna is SUPER strong.

Thank you @netgalley and @jp.writes for letting me read and review this book.

a great fantasy story with some engaging scenes

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

SUPERBOOK! I loved it so much! Superpowers have always been interesting to me and there was no way I wouldn't enjoy this book, but I ended up loving it way more than I thought I would. The dynamic between the siblings and their father sometimes reminded me of the Umbrella Academy and while I don't usually compare things to eachother, I hope that this comparison will spike interest of some of the people I know might also find the story captivating.
It's so fast paced and intense the whole duration of the book, I couldn't put it down, I read it in half a day.
That twist in the end was so good! I was grinning the whole time and couldn't believe how quickly it ended. I need next book to be born soon so that I can devour it as well.
I love the cover art, it's gorgeous and after finishing the book, it's twice as much interesting with all the details and hints.
I'm part Russian and loved all the Russkie words and names throughout the story. I also appreciated that one death scene of that character, very satisfying.
I'm powerless when it comes to books with superpowers, I wish we had seen more people with powers, hopefully next book will be more powerful.
I'm so grateful to the author for providing the E-ARC, this review is my honest opinion.
I will get my hands on physical copy because I truly loved "Powerless" and it needs to be in my life.

Science and superpowers mix together in this new YA fantasy of a girl raised within a lab alongside her super-powered siblings and just trying her best to gain favor with their scientist of a father even when her powers never manifest.

🧬superpowers and science
🧬super smart FMC
🧬messed up home life
🧬mafia family
🧬found family
🧬sister love
🧬self-discovery
🧬TW: self-harm
🧬world like our own, but not our world

Hannah is definitely leaning toward a morally grey nature, pursuing whatever route she can to achieving her own powers and finally fit in and feel useful for the family she was raised with. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop where it’s revealed that her brain has been her superpower all along because this girl is SMART. Like every challenge thrown at her, she’s been able to come up with a solution. She may not always choose the best option (I mean she’s human, mistakes are part of the package), but she’s able to come up with some form of solution even under pressure. Not to mention the schooling she had as a child with her medical experience and science experiments, all at the age of sixteen. It’s incredibly impressive.

While this book lacked a romance factor, I didn’t mind that too much. I enjoyed the heavier lean into found family and the aspect of discovering oneself outside the confines of the very structured lie of a world that Hannah has lived in up until the events of this story. Definitely intrigued to see where things will go from here with how the book wrapped up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced book; I was able to read this book in 2 hours. Even though the plot was pretty predictable and the plot was simple, I really enjoyed getting to learn about the characters and I really was on the edge of my seat when I read the cliff hanger. I won't rate it 5 stars since it wasn't anything extraordinary and it was a bit predictable at times, but it was still a fun read to pass time.

This was an easy read for me and if that is what you are looking I would definitely recommend this book!

This has book has everything I’m looking for but what I was not expecting was the mafia being apart of it and it had superpowers in it. This book did not disappoint and I hope you decide to read 🤩

Rating 3.75

The premise of the book drew me in - superpowers with a dash of mafia.

Hannah's character resonated with me, and I found myself rooting for the underdog. I am glad Hannah found a group of people who accepted her. And let's not forget the dash of romance in this book! Pick this book up if you want an easy read or even just want to venture out into the young adult genre.

Thank you, NetGalley, Pandora Books, and Jacqueline Pretty for an advanced reader's copy of "Powerless" in exchange for an honest review.

When Hanna was eight years old the first of her siblings got powers. Now 8 years later all her siblings have superpowers, but not her. Her father Arten Super, who discovered the superhero gene, is disappointed in her as she works hard in the lab to discover a way to unlock her powers. A supposed security leak gets her forced out of her home. She could return only if she wasn't 'powerless' anymore. She gets entangled with the Russian mafia — the Brotherhood — and learns dangerous secrets. But can she use them, who can she trust and can she survive?

The premise is captivating. A darker The Incredibles with a dangerous crime family as shadowy adversaries, what's not to like? Supers plus conspiracy heaven but with emotional gravitas. The pacing is a steady canter with bouts of galloping when needed. The writing brings you right into the action which is engagingly detailed. That and the intrigue have you not being able to put this book down.

The narrative is inviting, with a relatable protagonist you instantly root for, whose inner turmoil and familial agitation you can 'taste' from the beginning. In this story, Hanna wrestles with her moral compass. The depiction of intense feelings, self-harm etc is done wonderfully without sensationalism, but with sensitivity. The 'dangerous' parts are not sugarcoated, you feel how high the stakes are. The development of the characters is done in tandem with the story, never staunching the flow to the unfurling of the well-thought-out storyline. The twists and turns of the plot, undeniably surprising. I caught myself going "Whaaat?!" quite a few times.

This is about being true to yourself and the people who deserve it. It compliments inner strength, showing us that we are stronger than we think. About wanting to belong, to be accepted.

At times heart-wrenching, this is an exhilarating ride where anyone could be the good guy or the bad, that roars in its breathtaking intensity towards an epic finale. I adored this book and even if it stands quite well alone, I really hope there is a sequel.

“We become who we need to be to get it done”
Plot-★★★
Characters-★★★★
World building-★★★
POV- single pov from FMC

This book was given to me, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked this book, it drew me in from the start and I finished it in one sitting. We get to follow Hanna, a girl with a super human gene who never got her powers. Her father, famous for his super children, gives up on Hanna and kicks her out of the home. Left alone and homeless on the streets, Hanna finds herself in the hand of the most notorious mafia, the Brotherhood. Now she must decide which side she’s really on, and who she can trust in a world full of lies.

I wish I could recommend this book to everyone, but this book can be super triggering to people. There is a content warning in the beginning of the book that reads. “This book contains strong language and depictions of self-harm, violence, depression and unhealthy family dynamics. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers.” Other than that, I would recommend this book.