Powerless

Delicious, from the start! The imagery and action sequences are what made this charmer impossible for me to put down. Make the mad journey beside Hanna in this blood-pumping, emotionally charged and electrifying story that’ll leave you gasping and clawing at the pages for the answers!

Born into the Super family, famously known for the identified gene mutation and special powers, Hanna finds suspicion in her family and their past. Starting over as a Regular may be her only option. After a brutal rejection and abandonment that catapults her into the path of the feared group, The Brotherhood, Hanna must face the reality she may never know what or who she is. In this SUPER-fueled novel, her forced quest is now to discover the truth and fill in the gaping holes in the story of what is really happening in the world of Supers. Where are her powers? Why didn't they come? What really happened to her mother? Who can she really trust?

“Hanna Super
Age: 16
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Gene present: Y
Power: Unknown”

Friends among enemies or enemies among friends, she must decide what length her desperation for her powers and belonging will push her, as she awaits a dormant gift to pair perfectly with the Super genetic mutation present in her DNA.

SUPERbly written, Author Jacqueline Pretty shuttles you on magnanimous twists and turns in the epic book, POWERLESS.

This Advanced Reader Copy was Ferocious Fun!!

The action scenes are off the charts and the imagery is so vivid, it's like watching a movie in your head. I mean, seriously, I was hooked from the very first page!

Thankyou for this amazing arc.

This was a great concept overall, it had a great scifi element going through it. The characters were what I was looking for and it worked with the story. Jacqueline Pretty has a great concept and was executed really well, I'm glad I was able to read this. I hope there is more in this universe and from Jacqueline Pretty.

"She couldn’t help but wonder, though. Were they talking about her? Was this a press conference about the mess she and her siblings had made when she escaped? For the first time, a part of her was thankful that she’d never been allowed to join them on missions. At least there was no way anyone outside the family could place her. Hopefully, anyone who saw the resemblance between Hanna and Marleen would assume it was a coincidence."

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.

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.

Hanna lives in fear of not being good enough for her father or her family. All her siblings have super powers while she has none. She is also far past the age where she should have started showing them. So she spends all her time researching in her father's lab for a way to make herself better and more acceptable to her family. As the author warns us in this book are depictions of self harm. Hanna does cut herself as a way to deal with the stress and fear she is under. Well she makes a mistake and her father kicks her out of the house with only what she carries on her back and sicks her demented family members on her.

The excitement is real as she flees from her family only to wind up in the embrace of a mafia family. Will she choose them or will she do anything to get back to the family that cruelly rejected her. This book is fast paced and well written. The world is detailed, terrifying at times and quite a mirror for those of us who have terrible family members and a history of self harm. You get so wrapped up with Hanna's survival that it is hard to put this book down. I couldn't until I finished it. You spend the book desperately wanting to protect this remarkably smart teen from the evils of her world and wanting to punish her family for their depravity. This is a fantastically written book and a good read for young adults.

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.