Today's read is the first in The Powerless Trilogy and was released in 2023. The second book came out this last July, while the last is expected to hit the shelves in April 2025. While I'm late to the game, I was still excited to get my hands on a copy of the first book. Yep, I managed to resist diving into this series somewhere in the middle and am starting at the beginning.
I find the cover nicely done with the spots of purple flowers, and it doesn't give off clear vibes of where this tale is going to go. Plus, the sword and title seem to clash, which tells me there will be some interesting twists.
I've seen that this series was praised as an up-coming wonder, and this first installment appears to have gotten good reviews. I'm not peeking at anything surrounding the second book, yet, and will see how this first one goes first.
Anyway, if you have some extra reading hours this coming week, this one might be worth picking up.
POWERLESS
The Powerless Trilogy
by Lauren Roberts
Simon & Schuster
YA Fantasy
523 pages
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.
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 TIDBITS
With nods toward Hunger Games and more, this tale weaves in dark strings of Elites and power while threading in a dangerous romance and secrets galore.
Paedyn has lived the last years in the slums, surviving with her best friend through thievery, despite her richer origins. As the daughter of a talented healer, who was executed by the king, she's not only in hiding but harbors more than a little enmity toward the crown. Still, to survive, she must remain hidden. Her lack of any special powers marks her as an Ordinary, and those are executed on sight. When she accidentally saves a royal from death, she's thrust into the lime-light and rewarded with the chance to partake in the Trials...a deadly game where those with powers go up against each other where only few survive. Without powers, she barely has a chance against any of the contestants. But then, without powers, she'll end up dead, anyway.
When diving into this tale, the nods to familiar tropes in this genre are clear, but there's an original twist to the world, characters, intentions, and more, which give it a life of its own...and soon have the reader caught up in this plot and realm. The author digs deep into the two main characters, and the switching POV between the two becomes a well-placed dance. Both struggle in their own ways, both are dangerous, both carry tons of baggage, and both are easy to root for. The scenes are rich and make it easy to sink into the slum's streets and the various Trial settings. And the emotions of each of the two characters are built out with tons of depth, making both very understandable as the story progresses. Even the plot holds a few surprising twists and grabs with its wealth of intrigue and secrets, while the characters fight to stay true to themselves and to extreme expectations of those around them. There's hesitation, fear, uncertainty, determination, a desire to do what's right, and the pain of not always knowing who to trust or which path to take. In other words, the story packs tons of goodness with gothic flair, romance, and danger, too.
It was easy to get lost in this novel and look forward to what both characters decided or did next...because the situations were difficult for both. Still, I did find myself skimming through increasingly larger sections, especially in the exchanges between characters. These added lovely character depth, but as an action girl, seemed repetitious. I'm sure romance fans will adore every moment. And there is romance as it teeters between insta-lust, enemies to lovers (maybe?), and a love-triangle-thing (which missed a third POV). While getting lost in the rich world, the reasoning behind the Trials and hate of Originals as well as the rest of the world never filtered in. But I'm assuming this will come with the next book in the series, since there's obviously so much more to come.
It's definitely worth grabbing up and sinking into for those fans, who enjoy this genre and adore strong heroines who do need help, at times, and discover that secrets and intrigue grow deeper and messier with each step they take.
1 comment:
This does sound a little like Hunger Games. I'm glad it has a unique twist. I would probably have had to skim some of it too because I'm an action girl like you. Happy New Year!
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