Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Intro

In the kingdom of Ilya, there are two kinds of people: Elites and Ordinaries. Elites have powers, use them freely, and have high privileges and status, while Ordinaries are banished and ordered to be killed by any Elite who finds them. When Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary, from a poor starving town called the slums, steals from a man later to end up saving him, she is summoned to the castle to compete in the Trials, where only one person must win. And when she discovers the man she saved is Kai Azer, the prince and son of the man who killed her father, she finds herself lying to everyone about her power that she doesn’t have, and having to wrestle with her heart. Because Paedyn is an Ordinary. And Kai is an Elite. And Ordinaries and Elites are supposed to hate each other. But not these two.

How I came across the book

Everyone on Booktok is talking about Powerless and how good it is and Kai and Paedyn and I was so intrigued I knew I had to read it

Other books by the author/In the series

The other books in the main series are Reckless and Fearless, and Lauren Roberts has two Powerless novellas, one called Powerful and one called Fearful which will be released on September 2nd.

The Good

• Pae sees a man in all black with a tanned chest that she says is making it difficult to look away from and Kai is also described as having a tanned chest IS THE MAN KAI AND THIS IS HOW THEY MEET

• THEY COLLIDE AND HIS ARMS WRAP AROUND HER WAIST TO KEEP HER FROM FALLING

• HE CALLS HER DARLING

• KAI SAYS MEETING PAEDYN’S EYES IS LIKE DROWNING IN THE OCEAN

• He realizes that she's an Ordinary and doesn't do anything when usually he is supposed to kill all Ordinaries

• PAEDYN IS CHOSEN FOR THE PURGING TRIALS WITH KAI

• WHEN PAEDYN SITS DOWN AND DOESN’T EVEN LOOK AT KAI AND THE OTHER PEOPLE INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND SHE STILL DOESN'T LOOK AT HIM HE SAYS THAT JUST WON'T DO

• After dinner Paedyn’s Imperial starts to escort her to her room and Kai steps between them BEFORE HE CAN STOP HIMSELF and demands that he take her to her room instead himself

• OH MY GOD THEIR ROOMS ARE ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER

• Paedyn wants her and Kai to be enemies but Kai doesn’t want that

• KAI IS GOING TO GIVE PAEDYN DANCE LESSONS

• At the ball he says the feel of Blair is foreign to him after the nights spent with Paedyn in his arms

• THEY LOCK EYES AND HE SAYS HE CAN FEEL HIMSELF DROWNING

• When Kai is thinking about Paedyn in the trials he says they are wrong for each other in all the right ways and he says that she’s a flame and he's going to get burned

• HE CALLS HER PAE AND SHE SMILES AT HIM AND HE TELLS HER TO REMIND HIM TO MAKE HER SMILE LIKE THAT AGAIN WHEN SHE ISN'T DYING AND HE HAS ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO MEMORIZE IT

• KAI SAYS THE SIGHT OF PAEDYN VULNERABLE WAS ENOUGH TO SHATTER A PIECE OF THE SOUL HE FORGOT HE HAD

• HE IS SO EXTREMELY MAD THAT SOMEONE HURT HER AND HE SAYS WHICH ONE OF THEM DID THIS TO YOU AND SHE DOESN'T ANSWER AND HE SAYS HE'S GOING TO ASK AGAIN AND SAYS WHO DID THIS TO YOU

• He says if he is to be her enemy he wants it to be because she loathes herself for wanting him

• Kai and Paedyn agree to be partners in the Trials

• Paedyn puts her hands on Kai after he tells her to only put her hands on him if she wanted to

• Kai is telling Paedyn all the things he notices about her and she said she didn't know he has watched her so closely and he says DARLING I'VE NEVER STOPPED

• She asks him what his favorite color is and he had never thought about that before UNTIL HE LOOKED INTO HER OCEAN BLUE EYES

• Paedyn says she is frusterated because she doesn't know how to feel that she almost died and she would have if Kai didn't save her and Kai says he would save her life again and again aimlessly hoping she would allow him to stay in it

• Their eyes meet at the ball and she says when his eyes lock with hers she wonders why she ever bothers looking at anyone else

• She calls him Malakai and he asks her want she wants him to call her and she asks what does he want to call her and he says HE WANTS TO CALL HER MINE

• KAI USES HIS POWER TO TAKE THE SILENCERS POWER AND MAKE THEM ALL EXPLODE IN FLAMES LIKE THEY DID TO HIM

• YES YES YES PAEDYN FINALLY KILLS THE KING

The Bad

• Paedyn has to leave Adena to go to the castle for the trials and they might never see each other again

• PAEDYN'S FATHER WAS MURDERED BY THE KING AKA KAI'S FATHER

• Noooo Kitt asks Paedyn to be his partner to the ball BUT SHE IS SUPPOSED TO GO WITH KAI THE WRONG BROTHER LIKES HER

• Kai and Braxton are fighting in the Trials and Braxton chooses not to have mercy and corners Kai against the flames so Kai has no choice but to get burned

• PAEDYN FINDS KITT DEAD IN A RIVER THAT HIS BODY IS FLOATING IN

• Kai kills Ace but Ace is just an illusion and it is actually Jax who he just killed

• Kai has a nightmare where Paeden is dying covered in her own blood

• NO THEY WERE ABOUT TO KISS AND SHE JUST LEFT HIS ROOM

• NO NO NO BLAIR KILLS ADENA IN THE CENTER AND PAEDYN HAS TO WATCH HER BEST FRIEND OF FIVE YEARS DIE THIS IS HEARTBREAKING

• THE RESISTANCE IS IN THE CENTER AND A SILENCER MAKES KAI EXPLODE IN FLAMES

• NO THE KING HAS ALWAYS KNOWN THAT PAEDYN IS AN ORDINARY

• THE KING REVEALS THAT KAI WAS ACTUALLY THE ONE TO KILL PAEDYN’S FATHER NOT HIM

• NOW KAI WANTS TO KILL PAEDYN FOR KILLING HIS FATHER AND TELLS HER TO RUN

• KITT BECOMES KING AND NOW KAI IS HIS TRUE ENFORCER AND FOR HIS FIRST MISSION AS ENFORCER KITT TELLS KAI TO FIND PAEDYN AND BRING HER TO HIM

Who else would like this

Fans of addictive romance and fantasy, as well as complicated familial relationships and exploring of complex backstories with MANY plot twists.

Rating

10/10 This book was UNREAL and unlike anything I have ever read before. The yearning, the fighting, the passion, the betrayal, the responsibility, the relationships ALL OF IT WAS JUST INCREDIBLE and I praise Lauren Roberts for delivering a truly equal balance of romance and war without letting one overpower the other. KAI AND PAEDYN ARE JUST SO PERFECT AND AMAZING AND I WASN'T EXPECTING THE ENDING AT ALL IT THREW ME SO OFF GUARD I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE