Book Review :: Powerful by Lauren Roberts

Powerful by Lauren Roberts
ISBN: 9781398535732
Series: The Powerless Trilogy #1.5
Also in this series: Powerless, Reckless, Fearless
on 11 April 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 272
Goodreads

Set during the time of the New York Times bestseller Powerless, fan favorite Adena gets a story all her own as she attempts to survive on the streets of Loot...and falls for a mysterious—and dangerous—Elite.

Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they would always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn—an Ordinary—has been selected for the Purging Trials, which means almost certain death.

Now alone in Loot, Adena must fend for herself. After attempting to steal, she's rescued by a mysterious man from the market. Mak's shadowy past and secretive power set him apart from the other low-level Elites of Loot. And as the pair team up to see their loved ones before the Trials, the quest tests their loyalty, their love, and their lives.

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What is Powerful by Lauren Roberts about?

Powerful by Lauren Roberts is 1.5 in the Powerless series, and it follows Adena and what happens to her after her best friend, Paedyn (main character in Powerless) heads off to the Purging Trials.

“She is an intoxicating sort of exhausting, like running until you’ve lost your breath but enjoying the feeling all the while. And I feel as though I’ve been sprinting for days. Even worse, I fear that I am, in fact, beginning to enjoy her. What a terrifying realization, to admit one’s admiration for another.”

Adena has always been the strong one. The survivor. But surviving on the streets of Loot without Paedyn? That’s a whole different kind of lonely. Who is going to bring her sticky buns? Paedyn and Adena have stuck together for years, looking out for each other in a world that’s never been kind to the Ordinaries. But now Paedyn’s been taken for the Purging Trials, and Adena’s left to fend for herself in their cold shack of a home.

When a risky attempt at stealing goes sideways (Paedyn always did that part), Adena is saved by someone she definitely wasn’t expecting: a quiet, brooding Elite named Mak with secrets of his own, and a power that makes him different from the rest. Maybe even dangerous. 👀

Thrown together by circumstance, Adena and Mak form an uneasy alliance as they set out on a desperate mission: to see their favourite people again before the Trials begin.

“To the girls with softer dreams – your purpose is just as powerful!” – Dedication

My thoughts on Powerful

I definitely thought this was a lot shorter than it was. But at around 270 in eBook form, it reads more like a short novel rather than a novella … so if you were expecting a 100-ish page story, just FYI it’s a short book on its own really.

But I loved it. Adena was a favourite of mine from the first in this series, Powerless, so I was stoked to find out that Roberts had written a story about her and what happens when Paedyn heads off to go to the Purging Trials.

“If darkness is the absence of light, then that is what I am when she is not around. And I wonder how I’ve stumbled this long without her to guide me.”

And when I say “I loved it”, I mean it broke me. It was heartbreaking and outrageously sad and tough to read and beautiful and heartwarming and sweet all rolled into one. Adena and Mak’s relationship over the course of the book is so lovely, and the heart they have for those they love who are in the Purging Trials is so apparent throughout.

I don’t want to say too much about this book because of spoilers, but just know it was beautiful. If you haven’t read Powerless, the first in the series, read that one first. And then come back to Powerful. While Powerful happens at the same time as Powerless, it’s important you read them in the correct order. Trust me.

Okay so tell me: have you read Powerful by Lauren Roberts? On a scale of one to dead, how are you doing inside?