This book was amazing, to say the least! I think it has slowly become of my favorite fantasy (going to be a series) of all time. Not only was the world-building on point, but the character development and plot twists were insane! If you loved the Red Queen series, the Throne of Glass/Court of Thorns and Roses series, or the Hunger Games, you’ll absolutely love this book.

SPOILER BELOW:

The context of the story is this: the world they live in is split into hierarchies. You have the Elites at the top, living in the palace, and they are the ones with strong powers such as the ability to shapeshift and control flames, etc. Then there are the people in the middle that have medium to lower powers such as strength that live in the surrounding cities and slums. Lastly, there are the “ordinaries” that the king has ordered to execute on sight because he believes that they are too irrelevant to live.

Our main character, Paedyn, is an “ordinary”, and she hides in plain sight as a supposed “psychic” where she reads people’s minds simply based on their facial expressions and is able to fool people with this “power” she has. She is also a master thief and steals rich people’s coins as a way of surviving in the slums.

But the gist is that one day, she was seen fighting to save someone’s life and pretty much everyone in her village voted her to be in the “games” that the Elites hold annually because they saw that she had high skills with a knife and bow/arrow. Of course, she does fall in love with one of the princes while preparing for the games at the palace. But the sarcasm that she holds and their “love-hate” story is really intriguing and oftentimes very funny!

The plot twist at the end of the book is a killer! This series is going to be a trilogy and this is the first book. The second book is coming out in July, so if you are one of those readers that like to read the books when you finish the series, I would wait a little longer. But, I cannot express how amazing the book is on all levels.

Powerless by Lauren Roberts is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.