Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

180 reviews

gwen_l98's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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mahi_nad's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 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.


(Be wary of minor spoilers if you haven't read this yet)

4.25 stars.

REVIEW:
THIS.

THIS BOOK.
This has to be my new favourite fantasy book. There is no better feeling when you pick up a book you later can't put down, relentlessly turning through the pages, running alongside the characters, fighting with them, laughing with them, crying with them. This book had me gripped and NEEDING to find satisfaction through the next book. The banter between Paedyn and Kai? Light, fun filled and had me SCREAMING "kiss already!!".

"If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.”

Paedyn:
I rooted for her throughout the entire book. Incredibly witty, sharp-tongued and even sharper mind, this is the kind of female lead I love. I can see people comparing this to other series like Red Queen and Hunger games, since all the fmcs go through similar things, but I have to say, something about this book trumps the other two. Watching her prove everybody around her wrong was amazing. It gave me the kind of satisfaction that's incredibly hard to find.

Kai:
At first I thought he was an idiot because he couldn't sense Paedyn's power (obviously), but I quickly grew to love him. Once again, THE BANTER. The way I felt giddy inside like a little girl every time they fought. And he braids her hair? That has to be the cutest scene I've ever read. He was smitten with her from the very beginning -- for him, she was the first girl his eyes landed on when he walked in a room. I ALSO love how he fostered her strengths instead of trying to be the cliché overprotective boyfriend and force her to hide away herself.

The slow burn? Top tier. The way Roberts wrote this entire story was genuinely beautiful. I loved it till the very end, and this has to be the first series that made me ANXIOUS for the sequel.

--- Although, quick downside. What was with the editing? Powerless had one mistake too many when it came to grammar. Also, the amount of times eye colour was pointed out was definitely way too much. We got it, Roberts. Billie Eilish is probably crying through her "ocean eyes" right now.

BOTTOM LINE:
Amazing slow burn, quick and fun banter, but lots of grammar mistakes

AGE RATING:
12+ 

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Rating: 5/5 stars

Paedyn is an Ordinary hiding among a kingdom of powerful Elites when she is tapped to participate in the deadly Purging Trials.

I absolutely LOVED this one. It is clearly Hunger Games inspired (and sometimes reads like a fantasy version of that series) but that is one of my all-time favorite trilogies so I can hardly be mad at it. The characters here were fantastic, particularly both Kitt and Kai, and even though I am picky when it comes to my love triangles, this one was EVERYTHING (extremely Stefan/Damon coded for any TVD fans out there).

I did predict all the major beats of the ending, but I had a super fun time watching everything unfold nonetheless, and basically never wanted to put this book down, which is MORE than enough to make it a five star read. I can’t wait to continue the series!

CW: Murder/death/violence/injury; torture; death of parent/grief

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mrsalexisrjones's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The hunger games meets throne of glass meets sky high? There are the elites and the ordinary. The king has banned the ordinary from the kingdom, leaving only those with powers. Our leading girl however, is powerless and forced to find her strength in other ways.

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mads_99's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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hematthews's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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gwyllion's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0


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beebowbabe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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artmuseam's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

so maybe this just wasn’t my cup of tea, but i’m actually surprised that a lot of people hyped up this book. i personally found it to be just okay. the plot itself felt like it was pulling from a whole bunch of previously written books (i got MAJOR hunger games/red rising vibes here) and the writing itself left me feeling bored at times. i get a bit nit-picky when it comes to words being overused, and i can’t tell you how many times i sighed out loud in exasperation when i saw the same damn verbs being used in each chapter. something about the pacing felt rushed too, and i think this book started to feel more like a badly written fan fiction than an actual novel. the plot was entirely predictable aside from that one part in the ending. i think the book had a lot more potential if it was less focused on milking the enemies to lovers & love triangle including 2 brothers trope. there were also just wayyy too many cliche parts for my liking—and im someone who loves cliche. i don’t think i’ll be reading the next book, since i didn’t enjoy this one very much. 2/5 stars

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zoe_mccorkle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book will keep you on your toes. It will keep you wanting more while being heart broken.

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