A review by accidentalmuse
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
emotional
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? No
3.75
I had a great time with this book, it's going to get a 3.75 stars from me, because while I enjoyed reading this book, I wouldn't necessarily say it was a great book from a literary point of view.
We follow two characters primarily in this novel - Paedyn, a homeless magic-less teenager, trying to get by; and Kai, the second son of the King, and future Enforcer of the kingdom. I loved both these characters, especially Kai and his brother Kitt. They were by far the best written characters, in my opinion. They were likeable, I could empathise with their struggles, and I was really rooting for them.
Pae was a fun character too, and the writing surrounding her definitely improved as the book went on, however, she did suffer from Mary Sue syndrome, which could be frustrating to read. Like girl, you're completely malnourished, yet you're a great fighter, and perfect at archery, and super observant, and stunningly beautiful etc. Don't get my wrong, she was a fun main character, but I think she would've been even better if she wasn't so perfect in each aspect of her character. The other thing that was annoying about Pae at first was how she kept blurting things out she didn't intend. It didn't seem like something her character would do - given she has to lie constantly, and also because of how she plays the psychic.
I read this book at the suggestion of a friend, I don't think I would've picked it up otherwise, because of the premise of the book. I knew there were going to be some Hunger Games similarities - and there certainly were. The book takes place in a Kingdom that hosts a set of trials twice a decade where young adults battle it out. I haven't read a book with such a premise since like 2014, but this exceeded my expectations. It's true that some of the eccentricities of the trials reminded me strongly of the Hunger Games, and made you question why anyone would do such things, but in general, I think the pace and the plot of this book were good.
The last act was definitely my favourite part of the book. The romantic tension between the main characters was really starting to come to a head, as was the plot. I knew that the last ~20% of the book was going to be what decided whether I liked this book or not. It definitely felt like the plot could go one of a few ways. It didn't go the way I expected, and it didn't even go the way I wanted, but I think it was a great way to lead into the rest of the series. It's a frustrating ending, but in a good way - we're rooting for characters to understand each other, for everything to work out, and well, it's fair to say it doesn't (otherwise this would be a standalone novel), and I wish I could read the second book now because that teaser chapter was everything.
In summary, this is a fun YA fantasy. It's pretty long, at 500 pages, but it gets more gripping as you progress through the story. There's a small love triangle element, but it's really focused on two main characters. Our protagonist, Pae, definitely suffers from Mary Sue syndrome and starts out quite one-dimensional, but she gets fleshed out as you go. Thankfully, Kitt and Kai are excellent right from page 1. This book was exciting, although some aspects seemed very classic YA. Overall I think Roberts has created a great sense of anticipation for the next book in the series, which I will be reading.
We follow two characters primarily in this novel - Paedyn, a homeless magic-less teenager, trying to get by; and Kai, the second son of the King, and future Enforcer of the kingdom. I loved both these characters, especially Kai and his brother Kitt. They were by far the best written characters, in my opinion. They were likeable, I could empathise with their struggles, and I was really rooting for them.
Pae was a fun character too, and the writing surrounding her definitely improved as the book went on, however, she did suffer from Mary Sue syndrome, which could be frustrating to read. Like girl, you're completely malnourished, yet you're a great fighter, and perfect at archery, and super observant, and stunningly beautiful etc. Don't get my wrong, she was a fun main character, but I think she would've been even better if she wasn't so perfect in each aspect of her character. The other thing that was annoying about Pae at first was how she kept blurting things out she didn't intend. It didn't seem like something her character would do - given she has to lie constantly, and also because of how she plays the psychic.
I read this book at the suggestion of a friend, I don't think I would've picked it up otherwise, because of the premise of the book. I knew there were going to be some Hunger Games similarities - and there certainly were. The book takes place in a Kingdom that hosts a set of trials twice a decade where young adults battle it out. I haven't read a book with such a premise since like 2014, but this exceeded my expectations. It's true that some of the eccentricities of the trials reminded me strongly of the Hunger Games, and made you question why anyone would do such things, but in general, I think the pace and the plot of this book were good.
The last act was definitely my favourite part of the book. The romantic tension between the main characters was really starting to come to a head, as was the plot. I knew that the last ~20% of the book was going to be what decided whether I liked this book or not. It definitely felt like the plot could go one of a few ways. It didn't go the way I expected, and it didn't even go the way I wanted, but I think it was a great way to lead into the rest of the series. It's a frustrating ending, but in a good way - we're rooting for characters to understand each other, for everything to work out, and well, it's fair to say it doesn't (otherwise this would be a standalone novel), and I wish I could read the second book now because that teaser chapter was everything.
In summary, this is a fun YA fantasy. It's pretty long, at 500 pages, but it gets more gripping as you progress through the story. There's a small love triangle element, but it's really focused on two main characters. Our protagonist, Pae, definitely suffers from Mary Sue syndrome and starts out quite one-dimensional, but she gets fleshed out as you go. Thankfully, Kitt and Kai are excellent right from page 1. This book was exciting, although some aspects seemed very classic YA. Overall I think Roberts has created a great sense of anticipation for the next book in the series, which I will be reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Torture