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01 Dec 2025 By Admin .
Powerless is a young adult fantasy novel written by the American author Lauren Roberts. It is the first part in the Powerless Trilogy, Reckless being the second and Fearless the third along with novellas Powerful and Fearful. The storyline revolves around a kingdom named Ilya which is divided between “Elites” who possess supernatural abilities, and “Ordinaries” who are powerless. The book explores violence, betrayal, secrets, survival, and slow-burn romance set in a dark fantasy atmosphere.
Powerless if from the perspective of Paedyn Gray, an eighteen-year-old girl trying to survive in a deadly kingdom where power determines worth, and having none means banishment or death. Paedyn is an Ordinary, born without any powers that the Elites who rule the realm possess. After the massacre of her family, she hides in the shadows of the city by living in the slums, stealing food and posing as a Psychic, pretending to possess powers she never had. Her only goal is to keep a low profile and remain alive.
But everything changes one day when she unexpectedly saves Ilya’s youngest prince without truly knowing who he is. She gets thrown into the brutal competition known as “The Purging Trials” where the Elites are supposed to showcase their powers. Surrounded by powerful opponents who could kill her with a thought, Paedyn is forced to fake abilities she doesn’t have while trying not to be discovered.
The story revolves around her fighting to survive these deathly trials while hiding her true identity because if these trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s become friends with and is fighting feelings for most certainly will if he finds out who she really is… completely Ordinary.
In a world where strength rules and secrets kill, Paedyn must fight to survive each trial, protect the truth of who she is, and question everything she has ever believed about power, justice, and the people she thought were her enemies.
Paedyn Gray, the Ordinary and Kai Azer, the Elite Prince who is Ilya’s future Enforcer carry the Powerless trilogy a compelling tale of darkness and destruction, trust and betrayals and an unjust kingdom which only they, with the help of other friends can fix.
I loved Powerless so much! When I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. The setting and plot were so entertaining and it has one of the best female leads. I love Paedyn so much, she’s so strong and she reminds me of Jude Duarte from The Folk of The Air Series.
The way Paedyn met Kai was so beautiful. It has so many emotional lines and scenes. I love the trials and how Paedyn is so intelligent. I’m in love with Adena (Paedyn’s best friend) too. She’s so talented and sweet. I also loved the love triangle thingy going on between the princes and Paedyn. I really like Kitt, Lenny and Hera. Lenny serves as a sweet and funny guy throughout the book and Kitt is the mature and emotionally intelligent brother.
I absolutely hate the king though and so the end was very satisfying for me. I hated how he criticized Paedyn again and again and even threatened her. Honestly, I love the tension between Kai and Paedyn and I adored their scenes. Oh, and the plot twist at the end? Damn I was up and screaming when I was done with this book, it was absolute cinema.
I am beyond excited to read the second part of this series and I really hope we can one day get a TV adaption of this series. This book made me so happy, comforted me, made me sad and cry, gave me stress and made me laugh. It was a wholesome experience and as a fantasy lover, this was an amazing read for me. I would like to rate Powerless a solid four-star!
