Book Review :: Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Powerless by Lauren Roberts
ISBN: 1398529486
Series: The Powerless Trilogy #1
Also in this series: Powerful, Reckless, Fearless
Published by Simon & Schuster UK
on 31 January 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 502
Goodreads

She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paedyn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya's princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.

Last updated on 13 May 2025

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What is Powerless by Lauren Roberts about?

Powerless by Lauren Roberts is the story of Paedyn, an Ordinary who gets swept up in the world of the Elites and their Pruging Trials.

In the kingdom of Ilya, power is everything. If you’ve got an ability (thanks to the aftermath of the Plague that happened about 30 years ago), then you’re considered Elite. If you don’t? Then you’re Ordinary. And in Ilya, being Ordinary isn’t just frowned upon… it’s illegal. People are killed for being Ordinary.

“The strongest weapon a woman has at her disposal is that she is often underestimated.”

Paedyn Gray was born without power, which makes her a criminal by default. She’s survived this long by pretending to be one of the Elite, specifically a gifted Psychic, but also keeping her head down and she lives out her life day to day with her best friend Adena in the Loot. Life in the slums is rough, but they have a good system going. Paedyn steals what they need like food, and also material, and Adena sews garments for people to earn some money.

When Paedyn accidentally saves a prince (oops), she gets pulled into the last place she ever wanted to be: the Purging Trials. It’s a deadly arena where Elites show off what they can do, and where someone like Paedyn has absolutely no flippin’ business being. Now she really has to test her skills at faking-it-till-you-don’t-die.

With enemies on all sides and the prince she’s trying not to fall for growing more suspicious by the day, staying alive means keeping up the act. But how long can she fake her way through a world built to destroy people like her?

“For every girl who has ever felt powerless.” – Dedication

My thoughts on Powerless

I was slow on the uptake of this series, but once I started reading Powerless by Lauren Roberts, I was hooked. I read all four books (there are three in the series and then a 1.5 book, too) one after the other, pretty much, and that is unheard of for me.

I ate it up. And loved every second of this book.

The concept of the Elite vs the Ordinaries isn’t new. So many books tell a similar story, just with a different name – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard has Silvers and Reds, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo has Grisha and not-Grisha, The Young Elites by Marie Lu has characters with powers and those without … the list goes on. But for some reason, this one felt a little different.

I like that there were so many different types of Elites, and how they were portrayed and described. Kai, the prince, has a cool power where he can use the power of other Elites nearby. This is great for day-to-day life, but not so much when he’s nowhere near anyone with a power. The limitations of this were well thought out, which I really appreciated.

Speaking of characters, I liked all the main characters. Unheard of. I think this was partly one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much – Roberts, in my opinion, has done a cracker job at crafting these characters. They have back stories, they have reasons for their actions, they have personality and layers (most of the time), and I wanted the best for them. And the banter, my goodness. 👏🏻

“Promise me you’ll stay alive long enough to stab me in the back?”

Rumour has it this book (series?) is being turned into a TV show … and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I can see people being really excited by the idea, but it only being one season and done, type thing. I don’t know that this is something that would last multiple seasons. I worry it would be like Shadowhunters – and yes, that did last a few seasons, but was it good? Not really, no. People only really watched it because there was a huge series fanbase. Is a TV show going to be the best option here? … I’d just leave it be, if I were *waves hands around* the TV people …

But time will tell!

This book has a little of everything: fantasy, powers, beautiful friendships, slow-burn banter, swoon-worthy characters, humour and heartbreak. And if you’re looking for a YA fantasy series that will get you hooked in, try this one.

Have you read Powerless by Lauren Roberts? What did you think?