Book Review: Powerless  

By Lauren Roberts 

3 Stars 

I picked this book up because I had heard tons of good things about it, so, needless to say, my expectations were very high. I was disappointed.  

This review is by no means saying that this is a “bad book”, it is just telling you that this book is a prime example of an overrated BookTok recommendation. First off, I think there are quite a few plot holes in this book. Granted, they are in the background and don’t directly affect the story, but I believe that worldbuilding is vital in a fantasy book with a completely new magic system. I also think the book and some characters were heavily inspired by the Hunger Games, which isn’t a bad thing, but it is very obvious sometimes. The book takes place around some “Purging trials” that happen in the kingdom, but we are never really told the logic behind them.   

 I would say, while the characters aren’t necessarily bad, they are just very cliche. Prince Kai, the main male character, is said to be a local monster, cold and calculative, but we never actually see him being so. I do like Paedyn, the female main character, more; she makes some hard decisions in the book that I like.   

There are a lot of tropes in this book, to the point where it is obvious a scene is happening in order to fulfill a trope, which really takes me out of the book. Also, the book is not enemies-to-lovers in any way. It is more like playful banter to lovers.  

I do think the concept is good, and I am looking forward to what happens in the second book, but if anyone is going in with high expectations, I advise them to lower them. 

Reviewed by Avni

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