I narrowly missed out on getting an ARC of Powerless by Lauren Roberts at New York Comic Con 2023. I knew nothing of the book, but could just tell from the cover that it was going to make a splash, and that it did.
It is now officially the Barnes and Noble YA book of the year!
So, I guess that means it’s a good time to finally post a review.
Powerless [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] is a dual POV story following Paedyn and Kai. They live in a kingdom where most people have powers. Those who don’t, are killed because they are believed to be diseased. Paedyn doesn’t have any powers, but she is skilled in observation to the point that she can pass as a Psychic. Kai is the son of the king and will be the enforcer once his brother Kit takes over the throne. They meet when Payden picks Kai’s pocket of a whole lot of silver… and then ends up saving his life.
That attention lands her a spot in the Trials, alongside Kai, where they perform a series of challenges. If Paedyn’s true lack of powers gets revealed, Kai will have to kill her… if the Trials don’t get her first.
There are so many things I loved about this. The banter! The tension! The developed worldbuilding! The vernacular! The banter! Some phrasing felt a bit overused (looking at you, “ocean eyes”), but overall, this is a soldily enjoyable debut. If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games or Red Queen series, you’ll probably enjoy Powerless. Lauren says the series will look less like “it’s parents” as it goes on, but the start is solid enough to get you into it. I’m looking forward to Powerful [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] and Reckless [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM].
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Literary HypeWoman 