erinarkin20's review
4.0
Powerless was one of those books I came across while scanning through upcoming releases and I am glad I did! As soon as I read that this book was about heroes and villains and their superpowers, I immediately had to request it.
Kenna is the main character and she is sick of being “normal” and being treated differently from everyone around her because they have some sort of superpower and she doesn’t. This is the catalyst to Kenna’s secret experiment that she happens to be working on in her mother’s lab after hours when she is taken by surprise by some villains who are looking for something specific. After her father was killed by a villain, Kenna has some pretty strong opinions about villains and when she thwarts their plans, Kenna is pulled into something bigger than she expected.
As Kenna realizes things aren’t black and white in the world of superheroes, she finds herself working together with some villains to protect her friends and family from those she thought were there to protect her.
I liked Kenna and if I were dodging some dangerous people, I wouldn’t mind being on the same side as her. I also would want to be working together with the group she is working with. Not only do they each have their own specific powers but they are also great characters. Childs and Deebs did a great job developing these characters and I found myself enjoying each and every one.
This story has a solid foundation of sci-fi and the story was good but I wanted to know more about what was going on outside of the lab and this world of heroes and villains. We never really got a glimpse outside of a news story and the fact that Kenna’s father was killed by a villain of what they did that was so bad. I guess I wanted more story to show why the villains were really….villainous.
Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down so that hopefully tells you that it was good. Along with the science fiction stuff, the story has plenty of action and some definitely swoony bits. I loved seeing the relationship develop between Draven and Kenna and I also appreciated seeing the friendship Kenna had not only with Rebel but also with her ex, Jeremy. This was a fairly quick read and add to that the fact that it was entertaining and had some fantastic characters, I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series to see where Childs/Deebs goes with the story.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the review copy!
Kenna is the main character and she is sick of being “normal” and being treated differently from everyone around her because they have some sort of superpower and she doesn’t. This is the catalyst to Kenna’s secret experiment that she happens to be working on in her mother’s lab after hours when she is taken by surprise by some villains who are looking for something specific. After her father was killed by a villain, Kenna has some pretty strong opinions about villains and when she thwarts their plans, Kenna is pulled into something bigger than she expected.
As Kenna realizes things aren’t black and white in the world of superheroes, she finds herself working together with some villains to protect her friends and family from those she thought were there to protect her.
I liked Kenna and if I were dodging some dangerous people, I wouldn’t mind being on the same side as her. I also would want to be working together with the group she is working with. Not only do they each have their own specific powers but they are also great characters. Childs and Deebs did a great job developing these characters and I found myself enjoying each and every one.
This story has a solid foundation of sci-fi and the story was good but I wanted to know more about what was going on outside of the lab and this world of heroes and villains. We never really got a glimpse outside of a news story and the fact that Kenna’s father was killed by a villain of what they did that was so bad. I guess I wanted more story to show why the villains were really….villainous.
Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down so that hopefully tells you that it was good. Along with the science fiction stuff, the story has plenty of action and some definitely swoony bits. I loved seeing the relationship develop between Draven and Kenna and I also appreciated seeing the friendship Kenna had not only with Rebel but also with her ex, Jeremy. This was a fairly quick read and add to that the fact that it was entertaining and had some fantastic characters, I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series to see where Childs/Deebs goes with the story.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the review copy!
chichiasanchen's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.75
alyram4's review
5.0
4.5/5 stars
I can never get over how much I love this book! It blends the areas of good and bad into kinda good and kinda bad. I LOVE all our characters and they way they interact with each other. It was nice to see the development between our heroes and villians, seeing how they learn to trust one another. They all have a common goal, which is to stop the corrupt heroes and save the innocent villians. This book really turns the terms hero and villian upside-down and makes you wonder who exactly is who. The ending left me so distraught, but the next one is worth it! I can't recommend this enough!
I can never get over how much I love this book! It blends the areas of good and bad into kinda good and kinda bad. I LOVE all our characters and they way they interact with each other. It was nice to see the development between our heroes and villians, seeing how they learn to trust one another. They all have a common goal, which is to stop the corrupt heroes and save the innocent villians. This book really turns the terms hero and villian upside-down and makes you wonder who exactly is who. The ending left me so distraught, but the next one is worth it! I can't recommend this enough!
elena_r's review
4.0
I read this book at my friend's recommandation and boy was it a good one.
I really liked the whole hero-villan universe which was neat, and the way it portrayed the fact that the world is grey not white and black. In addition I liked the main protagonist, Kenna, who is really great, she's hard working and tries to do the best she can in any situation. I look forward to the next book.
I really liked the whole hero-villan universe which was neat, and the way it portrayed the fact that the world is grey not white and black. In addition I liked the main protagonist, Kenna, who is really great, she's hard working and tries to do the best she can in any situation. I look forward to the next book.
dani_bugz's review
2.0
Actual rating 2.5
I did not enjoy this book very much, largely due to the fact that there is a lot of exposition, repetition and predictability, not to mention shallow characters. BUT the writing style was entertaining and I did manage to read the whole thing! I think it was probably just that I am too old and seasoned a reader take much out of it. I think the target audience is probably more for preteens to early teens, and I think it would be immensely popular with those ages. As such I would definitely recommend to customers of that age, but don't bother if you are maybe not a teenager anymore, or read a crazy amount of YA!
I did not enjoy this book very much, largely due to the fact that there is a lot of exposition, repetition and predictability, not to mention shallow characters. BUT the writing style was entertaining and I did manage to read the whole thing! I think it was probably just that I am too old and seasoned a reader take much out of it. I think the target audience is probably more for preteens to early teens, and I think it would be immensely popular with those ages. As such I would definitely recommend to customers of that age, but don't bother if you are maybe not a teenager anymore, or read a crazy amount of YA!
thesydda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
laurenevlyn's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed Powerless. It was an extremely fast paced book and at times made me forget I was even reading. The characters were funny and the found family thing it has going is working well. On the other hand, the world-building was absolutely nonexistent. I got halfway through the book before learning even basic facts about this superhero society. Also I easily predicted all but one of the plot twists that occurred throughout the book. Although Powerless is not nearly the height of literature, I still had a good time reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Grief and War
dragoneyes451's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Meh, I would have liked this more if I had read it when it first came out. They are supposed to be 18-19 year olds, but this book feels very high school teen.
aprilk's review
5.0
I have been itching to read a superhero book, so I was stoked to have Powerless on hand to dive into. I have read a couple of books by Tracy before and loved her world building, so I just knew I would love this story as well. I was so right! I read this book in one day. I was so into it I just did not want to put it down! It is a fast and super fun read and I really enjoyed the characters. The heroine Kenna is spunky, smart, and has a hilarious inner dialogue. I love that although she is powerless she refuses to be helpless. I knew Kenna was in trouble as soon as Draven came into the picture. I mean who wouldn't fall for tall, dark, and dreamy that gives you chocolate! He's every girls dream, the bad boy with a good heart * insert dreamy sigh here *. Their chemistry and witty banter had me all swoony and giddy, smiling behind the pages. I also really like the book's overall message too that not every hero is good and not every villain is bad. Everyone is capable of choosing who they are and what their actions will say about them. Powerless is the first book in a new series that I can't wait to continue! That ending has me so anxious to get my hands on the next book!
oobloobmoob's review
2.0
this book gave me uninvited, divergent, my hero academia, renegades and red queen vibes. it was like any other ya book where the teen female mc is super special and her love interest is hot and brooding.
the superhero concept could have cool but it was weak and didn’t seem very fleshed out. i was left with loads of questions by the end of the book and not many answers. Questions like ‘how is it decided if someone is a villain or a hero?’, ‘what happens if a hero is born into a family of ordinaries?’, ‘why does a child who has one hero parent and one villain parent have two powers?’, and some others i’m not bothered to write down. there are quite a few holes and things that go unexplained for my liking. Like genuinely, how do ordinaries not know about superpowers?? Does the president know or are they just kept in the dark? Does everyone who has powers keep some kind of oath that stops them from spilling the beans and what if an ordinary stumbles across someone using their powers??? Is it like the mist from the percy jackson books that disguises their powers or something?? Please explain!! None of this makes sense!!
Apart from the general confusion caused by a lack of explanations, this book took place over a week. Normally i would have no problem with that but in this case, how are their feelings for each other so strong after like three days. This is a problem i tend to have with ya/teen books in general so i’m kinda used to it but the romance just moves wayyyyyyy too quickly imo.
will i read the second one? idk
the superhero concept could have cool but it was weak and didn’t seem very fleshed out. i was left with loads of questions by the end of the book and not many answers. Questions like ‘how is it decided if someone is a villain or a hero?’, ‘what happens if a hero is born into a family of ordinaries?’, ‘why does a child who has one hero parent and one villain parent have two powers?’, and some others i’m not bothered to write down. there are quite a few holes and things that go unexplained for my liking. Like genuinely, how do ordinaries not know about superpowers?? Does the president know or are they just kept in the dark? Does everyone who has powers keep some kind of oath that stops them from spilling the beans and what if an ordinary stumbles across someone using their powers??? Is it like the mist from the percy jackson books that disguises their powers or something?? Please explain!! None of this makes sense!!
Apart from the general confusion caused by a lack of explanations, this book took place over a week. Normally i would have no problem with that but in this case, how are their feelings for each other so strong after like three days. This is a problem i tend to have with ya/teen books in general so i’m kinda used to it but the romance just moves wayyyyyyy too quickly imo.
will i read the second one? idk