Powerless

“She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine line between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning.”

Book title

Powerless

Author

Lauren Roberts

Date published

31-01-2023

Date started

09-02-2024

Date finished

13-02-2024

Page count

523

Stars

5

Summary

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.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.

My review

We have found my first 5 star read of 2024! This book was amazing in so many ways! It’s a dystopian and I have always loved dystopian books, but the world building has to be good. This worldbuilding was everything I want from it and more, even when you still don’t know everything but I am sure hungry for more. I pre ordered the next book after reading this one, because I have to know where Paedyn is heading next. I love her as a character and just the way she holds up her own. I did start this book out as an audio book, but since it was so good, I had to go and get the physical copy of it. I needed to read faster, I needed to live in these pages and be the best friend Paedyn deserves. And don’t get me started on the princes, I fell in love with Kai. He is everything you want a man to be, but traumatised to the bones. He deserves so much more and I really feel for him. This book is very fast paced and easy to understand, it is perfect for people who do like a good romance!

Quotes

“Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren’t dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorise it.”

“And I’ll save your life again and again, aimlessly hoping you will allow me to stay in it.”