Powerless by Lauren Roberts

5⭐️

Was I crying in my bed at 2am after finishing this? Yes. Yes I was. Wow, if I hadn’t met Lauren Roberts in person I wouldn’t have known this is her debut novel. Powerless reads as a Romantasy from a seasoned author with a few books under their belt. The way the story put me in a chokehold and refused to let go is something I haven’t experienced in a long time. So now I can say that anything this woman writes I’m buying. I don’t care if I have to tackle an old woman for the last copy.

🎵 Shameless by Camilla Cabello🎵

Powerless truly blew my expectations out of the water. This book follows our two main characters Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer. In the kingdom of Ilya it is divided by the all powerful elites, and the powerless ordinaries. Decades ago the ordinaries were banished from the kingdom, fearing they would infect the elite with their “sickness.” Fast forward 30 years later Paedyn is hiding amongst the elite posing as a psychic living in the slums. In a chance encounter Kai, one of the princes of Iyla and an Enforcer sent to hunt down ordinaries, runs into Paedyn. After Paedyn unknowingly saves the prince, she’s thrust into the Purging with other elites for a cash prize. As tensions rise in the trials the undeniable connection between Kai and Paedyn is getting harder for them to ignore. But how could they ever be together, after all she’s powerless.

"But I'm never sober around you, Pae. Never not drunk on every detail that is you."

I thought that the romance in this book would take the backseat in this story, but to my surprise it was a pretty big plot point. The chemistry between Kai and Paedyn is off the charts, but the only thing that tops their chemistry is the tension. THE. TENSION. BETWEEN. THE. TWO. I was giggling, kicking my feet, squealing in public, getting looks from random people. They can think I’m crazy, I was having a blast.

"Tell me, what do you want me to call you?”

"What do you want me to call you?"

"I want to call you mine.”

Kai Azer- is the blueprint. He pays so much attention to what Paedyn says, and stores it only to use the information later on. One of my favorite parts about him is that he doesn’t underestimate Paedyn, he pushes her harder so she can reach her true potential. Overall Kai has a very serious demeanor towards everyone with the exception of his two brothers, and Paedyn. Throughout the Purging Trials he put himself in harm's way multiple times to protect the people he loves, and cares about. Kai is the epitome of what I call a killer teddy bear. He looks like he can kill, and he can but he really is also a big softie. Whenever someone is having a tough situation he always tries to help. For that reason he is also one of my many book husbands.

"Only you can make my name sound worth saying."

Paedyn Gray- I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Paedyn is such a badass. All her life she’s been battling all these difficult situations and won't let it break her spirit. She strives to be a better version of herself constantly in her life. She’ll go to the ends of the earth to save someone she loves. She has smarts, wits, and most importantly determination. With all of this she is a top fmc for me.

" I don't know that I ever lived before laying eyes on the likes of you."

"I'm sure you say that to all little ladies who catch your eyes,"

"Oh, but I only have eyes for one little lady, and I can't seem to take them off of her.”

Powerless is a mix of Red Queen and the Hunger Games.. This is my favorite Romantasy book of the year so I’m here to tell you that you MUST read this. The world she crafts sweeps you up as soon as you start reading. The characters feel so real, I wish they were so I could talk to them. This book felt magical to me and I hope it does for you too.

“Bring me Paedyn Gray, Enforcer.”

So if Lauren Roberts sees this, could you please consider sending me an ARC of Reckless. The cliffhanger killed a part of me. I promise that it’ll be read immediately.

Thank you for reading 💗