Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Powerless is the first novel in the Powerless Trilogy by Lauren Roberts, as well as her debut novel. It is an Amazon #1 Bestseller for Best Teen and Young Adult Fiction and a New York Times Bestseller. It is also in the process of becoming a television series, which I'm excited to learn more about. More important than any of that though, Lauren Roberts lives in Michigan and (according to her website) enjoys knitting, laser tag, and ranting. So what I'm trying to say is, since I also live in Michigan, if anyone knows Lauren tell her to call me. I think we could be friends.

Paedyn Gray has lived her entire life as a lie. In Ilya, if you are not Elite then your life is forfeit. Paedyn, daughter of a well known Healer, is an Ordinary - which means she has no special powers or abilities. But her father taught her how to fake being a Psychic, by being intuitive and observant. Years later, Paedyn's father is dead and she is living on the street with her only friend when she witnesses a man being beaten in an alleyway and she steps in to help him. Too bad for her, the man in question was Prince Kai of Ilya and the quiet, under the radar life that Paedyn has tried to live goes right out the window. She becomes known as "The Silver Savior" and her name is entered as a contestant for the Purging Trials, trials held to celebrate the anniversary of the Purging when the king "eradicated" his country of the Ordinaries. Now Paedyn will go head to head with all kinds of Elites, including Kai, the Elite that she rescued that has a rare and powerful ability, and who she can't seem to stay away from for long.

This book really surprised me. I've seen it quite a bit on a certain clock app and I have learned (the hard way - see my Lightlark review) that just because a book is popular, does not mean that it is good. But Powerless was very entertaining. The setting was well put together and easy to picture, the characters were easy to like and had their own issues and motivations. The magic system was fun if not necessarily the most unique. The plot was multilayered and exciting, with the main plot of the trials being wrapped up nicely in the book but a bigger plot continuing on into the second novel. It does feel a bit derivative of The Hunger Games but I don't think that the sequel will continue feeling that way. And there was a part at the end of the trials that I did not expect. It is a Young Adult novel so it is lighter and the characters are a little less nuanced than some, but I still enjoyed it and am excited to continue with the series.

I'm giving Powerless by Lauren Roberts 4 out of 5 stars. There was really no spice other than some kissing, so a .5 we will say. A YA novel that surprised me with the level of plot that it had. If you are looking for a summary of the book before moving on to book 2 of the series, Reckless, check out our series summary page for the Powerless Trilogy.

Pairs well with lemon tarts and learning how to sew (or to pickpocket).