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poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was fairly engaged, and the pacing was excellent until towards the end when I spent way too much time in the characters' heads thinking about how amazing the other characters were..
I liked the characters. They were complex and actually a little villainous, so if morally gray is not your color, this might not be the book for you.
The magic system was fascinating, and the way it was interwoven into the plot was genius.
I'll probably check out the sequel and novella
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
c0ve's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
jayceebutler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
cnannery19's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is basically the Hunger Games, the Red Queen, and Throne of Glass mixed together. The plot was not original and therefore was incredibly predictable.
I enjoyed the banter and tension between the MCs. I liked that it was dual POV and I enjoyed the switch to Kitts POV at the end.
Due to her writing style, the characters felt flat. I would have liked more of a backstory for these characters, that would help the readers connect more. I wish that there had been more world building and more focus on the trials. The trials almost felt like an afterthought when they were supposed to be the highlight of the book. Also, what was the point of the trails? They make no sense. Why would you want to kill off your strongest Elites?
The implied love triangle was completely unnecessary and very unoriginal. This is marketed as an enemies to lovers, but reads more as an instalove. The enemies to lovers would have made sense if Kitt were the MMC instead of Kai.
Tropes: instalove, trials, fantasy, forbidden, slow burn
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
luchikreads's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Torture, Police brutality, and War
lakinglaze's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
meganfuhr's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Not only were these characters fabulous from start to finish, but the plot was just ahhhhhh.
I have now words truly for how much I adored this story,. Even me and my high expectations were shocked with how amazing Powerless was.
And now I have to wait months until book two 😭
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Confinement
Minor: Gore, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
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!
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuester, and Lauren Roberts for providing me access to this book.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, and Abandonment