As a person that really enjoys YA fantasy, I wanted to love this book as badly as so many others. For me, I found the first half of this book to be bits and pieces replicated directly from other fantasy series I've loved. Now I'm all for using well love tropes, but this felt like pure duplicity of series such as The Hunger Games, Throne of Glass, Ember in the Ashes etc. There was little originality. This second half of the book was better but there wasn't anything unique about this book.

What a ride! This book felt so nostalgic to me in a way that’s hard to explain. The plot, the characters, the pacing made it impossible for me to put this story down once I got started. It brought me back to that feeling I had when reading The Hunger Games and Red Queen for the first time.

I fell in absolute love with Kai and Paedyn especially and couldn’t get enough of their banter. That ending left me in TEARS. I can’t believe I have to wait until June to find out what happens to my new faves.

💜Powerless💜

Powerless is the start of a new trilogy and is Lauren Robert’s debut.

It had an intriguing plot but generally nothing new - purging trials reminded me a bit of the Hunger Games. A story of people with powers vs people without - ordinaries are sentenced to death for fear they will dilute the power of those who have abilities. All that said, I found it well written and entertaining - I always enjoy stories that involve some kind of magical trial and I found them well done.

I found the characters interesting and that is what had me the most invested in the story. Paedyn, a powerless girl whose been able to hide this about herself and get close to the princes. I enjoyed her POV and was always a little nervous for her. Kai was also really interesting - the reluctant future enforcer, raised to be deadly. He reminded me a bit of Prince Corrick in Defy the Night. Then there is Kitt, the future king who has been sheltered from the realities of the kingdom.

The romance was quite cringe to me and my preferences, though I can see why it is so popular. I just don’t like the “aren’t you a cruel pretty thing” trope or whatever it is, it makes me go “ick” every time I read that type of dialog in a book but I know people love it. It just is not for me.

Overall, it was an entertaining read. The plot was interesting enough to keep me going through and had me intrigued enough to give the sequel a shot when it comes out.

Thank you to @simonschusterca & @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Powerless is available now.

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐

OH MY GOD!!! I have to admit that at first, I wasn’t conviced. I thought the writing was too much « movie style », romance wasn’t my thing and characters were a bit too stereotypical for me… but then, OMG! I fell in love with everything!! The world-building, the TENSION BETWEEN KAI AND PAE, the characters, everything!! I read the last half of that book so fast, I devoured it. And then I saw that the second book wasnt coming out before July 2024 and my heart broke!!

If you’re a fan of Hunger Games, romance, bad-ass characters, then this book is for you!!

Sadly this one wasn’t for me. I completely see the hype: it’s tropetastic, delivers on the enemies to lovers front especially and Kai was a great MC. But I personally love more world building with my fantasy books, a deeper look into the characters and build up to the romance as well.

2/5⭐️

I’m not going to lie, I don’t understand why this book is as hyped up as it is. It felt like it pulled direct quotes out of The Hunger Games or Red Queen and reworded them at times… a mishmash of better written books in the genre that came before it. Also I absolutely found the MMC insufferable.

4.5 stars
This was so so so good!! There was tension, great banter, AMAZING tension, and a great plot. This was the perfect mix of Hunger Games x Red Queen and I cannot wait to read book 2!

“She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.”
“He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.”

REVIEW✨
Powerless
By Lauren Roberts

So I loved this book! It’s kinda like the Hunger Games books but different is so many wonderful ways! I absolutely loved Robert’s ability to construct the romance, the tension, and character development! It was truly wonderfully done… and that ending… I didn’t see that happening at all! It’s going to be a very long wait till July for the second book, I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store for Pae and Kai! But I know that I will be reading it for sure. I was a little worried that it would be to similar to hunger games, but it only had a little bit of the class system and the “Plague” is similar to the trials of the hunger games! The start of the book was a little slow and a lot of information is dumped on you, but I loved Kai so much! I loved the dual POV from both of the main characters, it for sure makes me want to read more to see both POVs. The ending was super fast paced and it was delicious is every way! If you’re looking for a great fast paced, enemies to lovers, strong lead female character then this is the book for you! I would check trigger warnings before read.

If you love…
✨ Slow burn romance
✨ Tension
✨ Kinda love triangle with brothers
✨ Strong lead female character
✨ He falls first

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spicy level: No Spice but tons of tension
Plot points: 💥💥💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an EARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions

Such an incredible debut novel! I cant wait for the 2nd book. It's giving hunger game vibes but with more tension!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am eagerly anticipating the sequel.
This was a tension-packed story, with fight-to-survive trails and a sort of love triangle. I loved the magic system and that ending!! The spice level was low, however the build-up of this slow burn romance eludes to that picking up slightly in book 2, at least to the level that can be included in YA fantasy. The banter is definitely what got me in this story, I can’t wait to see how this dynamic evolves.

5.0 stars

i would give this book six stars if i could. i would give it infinite stars if i could. i loved this book so much.
i think i read this book at just the perfect time, in the perfect mood, because it absolutely hooked me in and i could not put it down. the thing that stood out to me in this novel was the characters. i love paedyn (even if i don't love her name), and i love kai. throughout the book, i felt like i truly understood and connected with the main characters. i loved learning about their individual histories and how their past influenced the person they are in the present. i also absolutely loved their chemistry. right from the beginning, i could feel like chemistry, and it was such a rollercoaster watching their relationship unravel. their romance is a slow burn, which usually isn't my go-to, but i loved it in this novel. they took the time to understand each other, and they definitely had a playfulness in their relationship, which was just so much fun to read. as for the plot, i liked it. i do think its similar to the hunger games, possibly red queen, and generally other fantasy/dystopian books, but i was still able to enjoy this one. i liked the use of powers in the book (i would love to have kai's power haha), and paedyn's ability to act as if she had a power is so clever; she's so observant. i don't even want to get into the ending of the book; i'm just going to say that i need the next book in this series and that july is way to far for the sequel.
overall, loved powerless so much, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a ya fantasy story!

Rating: 4⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I hear so many great things about this novel on social media and I can see why people like it. It’s an exciting fantasy with romance which is something I also love. And while I enjoyed this book, I didn’t love it. I feel as though it’s a mashup of other books. I found a few similarities to Red Queen and have seen people compare it to Shatter Me. The biggest comparison I found was The Hunger Games. There were a few scenes that I could pick from THG movies that were reflected in this book and I often found myself comparing them (which I don’t like doing 🫣).

I liked the different powers the people had but I would like to see them explored a little deeper. I would also like the world to be explained a little more but maybe we’ll get that in book 2. I liked the last 150 pages as we get to see some of characters arcs really change. I’m interested to see what happens in the next book.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I put this book off for so long and read it so slowly because of all of the hype around it. I knew it would be so good. And it really was.

The banter between Pae and Kai, and Kit: elite. The slow burn that never gets released. Soooooo painful? But in a good way?

This was giving Hunger Games, Scortch Trials. All of the dystopian fantasy vibes you could ask for. There is magic, royalty, war, fighting, little bit of romance, tons of banter.

And the book ends in such an intense way. I need more and I cannot wait for the next book to release in August. Lauren you have a new Stan girly I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Incredible!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advanced in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love kai is basically the summary of my review but besides him… this was amazingly written and i was kept on the edge of my seat screaming at the characters for the majority of this book. Great debut and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!!

The story takes place in the kingdom of llya, where the Elites possess incredible powers and those with no powers at all, the Ordinaries, have been banished and eliminated, as they are believed to be diseased. Paedyn Gray is a poor girl from the slums, an Ordinary pretending to be a Mundane with a small psychic ability. She ends up in the Purging trials, a brutal competition where the best Elites display their powers and where the weaker ones die. It feels like The Hunger games with magic. During the trials, Pae must fight to survive and hide who she really is. She gets close to not one, but two princes of Ilya: Kitt, the heir, and Kai, the future enforcer.

I loved a lot of things about this book: the magic system, the angsty slow burn, the banter between Kai and Pae, the way attraction is described and felt through the pages, the chemistry, the tension, the pacing, the dual POV, the writing overall.

It’s really a strong debut with a solid
storyline and interesting characters. I am looking forward to the sequel.

A less pickier reader will absolutely love this. For me unfortunately, it was too similar to The Hunger Games. It’s all I could think about while reading. I know I only did it to myself. But I’m just someone who can’t read books that are too similar. I end up comparing the two, which isn’t what I like to do.
Otherwise, this was a good and one I would have enjoyed a lot more, had I not already read The Hunger Games.

This book was so good, absolutely amazing from start to finished. From the very beginning it kept me on my toes. There were aspects of the book that reminded me of the hunger games which that I loved. The loved the political aspect of the story as well as the rebellion within three kingdom. The world building was done beautiful. The female character Paedyn was amazing a complete badass. I love that with her strength we also got to see her vulnerable side and the trauma she faced. I also really enjoyed the romance between the Paedyn and Kai. You could feel the chemistry between them and their banter was perfection, it has me squealing and giggling during their moments together. And the ending wow!!! The ending was everything!!! It made me really excited for the second book and what the game of cat and mouse take form

A great first book!! The world created is so mesmerizing. The characters and storyline are so compelling. Both the leads- Paedyn and Kai are lovable. I'll be honest, this book is not perfect but I enjoyed it regardless. I CANT wAIT FOR THE rest of the series!!

THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION. The tension and flirty banter are top tier! I cant wait for the second book because that ending ripped my heart out!

I’ve never heard of Powerless until Simon & Schuster Canada, sent me an ARC. Its been a while since I’ve stayed up way to late to read a book!

The banter, the tension … I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Kai <3. I do wish the ‘trials’ lasted a little longer.

If this one isn’t on your radar yet, I definitely recommend picking it up.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for this copy.