I absolutely devoured this book. It was so good, I can't stop thinking about it! I can't wait for the next book.

Powerless is a book I really wanted to love, but was unfortunately left a bit underwhelmed. Lauren Roberts' writing sucked me in and kept me reading. I enjoyed the characters she developed and we got to know in this story. That being said this was just a bit too much like The Hunger Games and while I know other books will take some elements from stories like that I felt this was a bit too much of a copy.

Paedyn and Kai were both characters I enjoyed on their own. They were developed well and I was rooting for both of them to get the life they deserved. Both are in positions they don't want to be in, just because life didn't give them a different hand. So it was going to be interesting to see what the trials would do to both of them. Unfortunately, the trials were a bit underwhelming. They barely had a few chapters in the book and when we did get a trial it's more telling than showing. Maybe I was expecting too much?

Then we need to talk about the romance. I was expecting something to develop between Paedyn and Kai and I enjoyed their banter during the first part of the book. The pull they felt toward the other was definitely there, but when a kind of love triangle was added, it pulled me out of the romance. That's a personal thing though, I'm just not a fan of love triangles.

Now to the positives. The ending developed in a way I wasn't expecting at all! There were some twists and turns I didn't see coming and definitely has me curious to see how this will all play out! Powerless was an interesting debut that does have me curious and I want to see where the author takes our characters next. I'm just sad I didn't love this one as much as I hoped, but I do understand that plenty love this story!

My review will be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on May 9th!

I am NOT okay.

This book UTTERLY DESTROYED me. I don’t even know if I’m on the road to recovery from it because I’m lost with what just happened.

Kai - I fell HARD for this shameless flirt. And his betrayal in not believing Pae in the end HURTS.

Kitt - ugh… I am extremely disappointed in this spineless fool who had all the chances to change for the better and instead is choosing to still love a monster.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

Lauren Roberts I was not familiar with your game, but GIRL can you write a story. I don't even know where to start, but I also need to get off my chest that I'm going to need 200 more books from you, and no less.
This story follows Paedyn as she tries to navigate through a kingdom who punishes people for being different. This time it's not people hiding their secret powers, it's people have to hide being "ordinary" - which Paedyn is.
Kai is the prince of Ilya and the King's future enforcer. Trained to track down ordinaries and kill them. He comes face to face with Paedyn, but doesn't instantly notice something is off. They meet again when they both are chosen for the kingdom's trails that are kind of set up in the favor of the Elites. How far will Paedyn make it with the odds stacked against her and how far with Kai push their new found connection? What happens when he finds out her secrets?

This book is perfect for fans of the Hungers Games and the Red Queen. It does have it's own twist on classic tropes, so the story stays fresh and totally bingeable.

🗡️romantasy
🗡️slow burn
🗡️grumpyxgrumpy
🗡️forced proximity
🗡️superheroes meets hunger games
🗡️touch her & 💀
🗡️dual pov

“For every girl who has ever felt powerless”

This book follows Paedyn (Pae), an ordinary pretending to be a psychic just trying to survive in the slums with her best friend. She unknowingly saves the Prince one day and after that is thrust in to the Purging Trials. Trials where they pit “elite” children against one another. Prince Kai, the prince she saved, is the Kings enforcer, the person who does all of the Kings dirty work. The Trials are different this year because it is his final test. He is supposed to win the trials, but he would prefer to win her.

“Mark my words, Prince, I will be your undoing.” I lean in, ignoring the knife against my throat as I murmur, “Oh, darling, I look forward to it.”

This book. It has taken me all day to try to organize my thoughts about this one and I am still everywhere. This is such a masterpiece. It has superhero vibes with the magic system and elites vs ordinaries. It has The Hunger Games vibes in Pae, the Trials, and the world. The world building was superb to the point where I could picture everything in my mind as I was reading. The lore was also well told and explained almost everything. I still have so many questions but the next book comes out in July and this is an unifinished series.

“Men would likely go extinct without women to coddle them.”

Paedyn is a warrior, did she want to be? No, she wanted to be able to have a normal childhood, a normal life. But that was taken from her and she made the best of it with her best friend Adena. I love her strength and her resilience.

Kai is a new top fictional boyfriend for sure. That man is as morally grey as it comes. He does what needs to be done but does not like doing it (all the time).

Pae and Kai? Omg, their banter had me kicking, giggling, screaming, blushing, and going wtf. I LOVE them and Lauren is horrible for that cliffhanger.

I loved the premise and I thought that it was executed well. I didn't think I'd love the dual POVs, but I ended up enjoying Kai's chapters. It was fast-paced and the ending had me shook. I can't wait for the sequel to come out!

Powerless was a fantastic story that brought back so much nostalgic energy. I now own powerless merch which I proudly wear because it has become one of my all time favorite books.

Kai has my entire heart- his banter and one liners had me SQUEALING. The way he fell for Pae and protected her throughout the trials when he was supposed to be trying to win in order to not get absolute hell from the king.

Kitt was so cute and I feel bad for him because he was so easily manipulated by Pae and she wanted nOTHINGGGG to do with this man.

Adena was HEARTBREAKING. I cannot wait for the novella about her story during the time of powerless. As well as what is going to happen after Kai goes looking for Pae "without caring".

If you enjoyed Hunger Games, you'll enjoy Powerless!

The sixth Purging Trials are set to take place. 18yo Paedyn is placed in the competition unknowingly and feels out of her depth against the others since she has no powers and is secretly an Ordinary. 19yo Prince Kai is the king’s Enforcer and the trials have been planned for Kai to win. Paedyn and Kai decide to work together to win the trials. What they discover along the way will either make or break them.

Likes/dislikes: The story has many similarities with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Some parts feel rushed or forced, such as the relationship between Kai and Paedyn. I like the concept and it’s an enjoyable read.
Mature content: G for kissing
Language: R for 154 swears, no f-words
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fighting
Ethnicity: predominantly white with olive, brown and black skin mentioned

Powerless was absolutely amazing! My students and I are obsessed with the story and especially the characters. I purchased several copies for my classroom and for my personal library. We can’t wait for book 2. Thank you NetGalley for giving me this amazing opportunity. I am obsessed with Lauren Roberts writing and storytelling. I will definitely continue to support her work.

I have not finished Powerless yet but I am enjoying this romantasy. I will write a full review when I finish.

I feel like this book is what I’ve wanted every other fantasy romance novel to be. This was the perfect way to end my 2023. It had some of the best tropes in romantasy and it did all of those tropes so well!

Kai and Paedyn were honestly cute with each other! I really felt the romance between them, with them having the perfect chemistry. They honestly have the most chemistry of any couple I’ve read in a fantasy novel in a very long time.

I really liked how complex both Paedyn and Kai were. I really liked how much their stories and their personalities mirrored each other. They both do what they believe needs being done to survive in their world. I also thought Kai’s inner turmoil about being a monster was really interesting to see, because assassins in fantasy novels often are fine with being villainess, but not the reluctant villain that is Kai.

Also, can we talk about how impressive this is as a debut novel?! This book was 500 pages, but they were very necessary 500 pages that actually flew by. It was very well written and I’m so excited to read more books from her in the future.

There were a few times that it felt a little too much like other popular series I’ve read, but I think that Lauren Roberts had a unique enough spin on those common tropes that this book felt unique in its own way.

I am so incredibly excited for Reckless, especially after that cliffhanger! I’m counting down the days until I can read more of Kai and Paedyn!

THIS BOOK. WOW. I need book two in my hands NOW. Because WHAT? Kai and Paedyn have my whole heart and more! I won't even let my friend talk about Adena because WHAT WAS THAT!!!! I'm so mad it took me as long to read it as it did!! I will 100% be getting myself a copy to annotate because I annotated it for my best friend for Christmas and it was FILLED with annotations because every word out of Kai's mouth was near perfection!!!!

If you love romantasy and hunger games, you're definitely going to want to read this book! The characters and story building kept me entertained throughout.

I originally saw an ad for this book that touted it as being a crossover between Red Queen and The Hunger Games. As a librarian I am always especially intrigued by books that shift from indie to traditional publishing, and decided to dive into this powerful debut novel. I found myself really enjoying the author's writing style, and definitely want to see where the story goes from here. There were a few moments that rang very reminiscent of some other popular YA fantasy books out, but I think that's part of what happens when you love to read a lot in one genre. Overall, Powerless is a very powerful and poignant piece and I look forward to reading the rest of Paedyn's story!

I read this book before it came out and recommended it to all my followers on bookstagram! I absolutely loved it!

I received an advanced copy of Powerless from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Powerless is a book that came out of nowhere, and I ended up having a fantastic time. Though I had some issues with it, they weren't enough to distract me from the story. I was hooked from page one.

I'll start with my issues and then end on a good note. As I said, they didn't distract me too badly, but I could feel the occasional question mark popping up above my head while I read. The world-building in Powerless was ... lacking. I think the powers and everything along with that were very well done, but it was the actual world that I kept having questions about because there really was nothing else besides the two places of the story: the Slums and the capital. We barely get any mention of anywhere else, so I was a bit confused during one part where it's said that there are people everywhere waiting to help, and I was like, "Where's everywhere?" Also, is the king just the king of this little section of area that he could kick all the ordinaries out of? Does he have a whole kingdom? Is this his whole kingdom? Are there other places that Paedyn could have gone that she wouldn't have had to hide herself, and if there are, why didn't she go there? Food for thought.

Still on the note of the world-building, the Trials were the most confusing part of all. It was supposed to be very Hunger Games-esque, and I absolutely was getting that vibe, but there was no explanation of what the Trials actually were. Everyone kept saying that "this year's Trials are different," and that's great, but the reader has nothing to compare them to. I got no information on what they're actually supposed to be like for me to understand how these ones are different. Also, can I say that for a king obsessed with continuing the line of Elites, having Trials where Elites can die seems kind of counterproductive? But maybe that's just me.

Moving on, again, despite my issues, I was utterly sucked into this story. Though my grievances and questions were still there, Powerless was such a fun read that I was able to bury those things in the back of my mind and enjoy the story. It was engaging. There were no parts where I felt bored or wanted to put the story down because it wasn't going anywhere. It's been quite some time since I've been completely immersed like that, and it was a great feeling.

The banter between the characters was great. The characters themselves were great. If you love teen dramas, you will love this book. Honestly, I don't really enjoy teen dramas, and I still loved this book, so there's that. There was angst, all of the tropes you could want, the dark-haired/morally gray male main character that everyone's obsessed with lately. I will say that some of it got repetitive, but again, not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story.

I cannot wait for the second book. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here, and I'm expecting that it will only get better since this was the author's first book.

Unfortunately this book timed out on my Netgalley shelf before I could get to it so I wasn’t able to read it. However, I bought a hardcover and I’m still very excited to read. I’ve heard amazing things.

Unfortunately, the world-building, characterization, and plot in 'Powerless' was so trope-ridden it ended up lacking any depth. The plot was so similar to 'The Hunger Games' it was impossible not to compare the two, and yet 'Powerless' lacked any of the commentary or thematic messaging that made 'The Hunger Games' great. Despite having a focus on social and economic inequality, disinformation, social Darwinism, and literal genocide against a targeted group, 'Powerless' seemed to fumble the play by treating these heavy, real-world issues as superficial plot devices. This was disappointing, since the concept seemed to have potential. In addition, the only relationship that had any sort of progression or development was the main romantic one. Mind you, I love a good romance, but friendships being ineffectual background is a missed opportunity, and the enemies read as two-dimensional. Even then, the romance was a bit cheesy and on-the-nose. Overall, it read as repetitive and naïve.

All that being said, the story was exciting and kept me engaged enough to finish. The ending had me shook! This book may be a good fit for anyone looking for a strong romance plotline in a fantasy setting and entertainment you don't have to think too hard about. If you're looking for an abundance of sarcastic banter and a side of plot, this is the book for you.

Lastly, I have genuinely enjoyed following Lauren's journey to becoming a successful published author online. Although I think there is lots of room for improvement, I look forward to seeing what she does next and wish her well!

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC and ALC.)

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'll start by saying WOW! I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. I have not felt this way since I started my reading journey in 2015. I felt like a teenager kicking my legs and gasping every 5 seconds. 🤭
Lauren Roberts delivered a beautifully solid debut ya fantasy novel. The characters and storyline are wonderfully done. However, I would like to see more of the world's buildings. I feel like we could have gotten more about the politics which I hope is explored in the next book.
As I was reading, I noticed so many parallels between the this, The Hunger Games and Red Queen. I know it was marketed as a crossover between the two, but the similarities were a little much at times. The editing also needs some work.
The Slow-burn banter in this book, oh my! Kai and Pae are so cute together with the perfect amount of angst; they are fierce and adorable. 💕💕
They are my children, and they better get the happy ending they deserve. 🥺
I look forward to reading the next book and immediately preordered after finishing this one. I hope to read more of Lauren Roberts and am excited to see how she improves as an author.

I need book two now!!! 😭😭

Quotes:
"What do you want to call me?"
"I want to call you mine."

"I wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face of yours, darling."
"That's funny because I won't hesitate to mess up your pretty face."
"I knew you thought I was pretty."

“She's so stunning, yet so stubbornly oblivious to how the sunset behind dulls in comparison to the vibrance that is her.”

"So, you just want someone to keep you company?"
"Not someone. You."

"Because beasts don't get the beauty."

"Remind me to to make you smile like that again, when you aren't dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it."

"She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine line between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning."

"For every girl who has ever felt powerless"

This was an amazing fantasy book. I loved everything about it. The world, the romance, the trials - everything about it kept me invested. I really enjoyed that this author included a lot of a my favorite fantasy tropes, like dagger to the throat, ballroom scenes, rivals to lovers, in a way that didn’t feel forced. I loved Kai and Paedyn’s banter and their sweet, vulnerable scenes together. One thing that made this book stand out from other fantasies is that it was dual-pov and first-person. I think that made this book even more addicting and fun to read. I am already so excited to read the next book in the trilogy.