Blurb:

Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in this sizzling fantasy romance not to be missed.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya . . . The exceptional. The Elites. The Elites have possessed powers for decades, gifted to them by the Plague, while those born Ordinary are just that, banished from the kingdom and shunned from society.

No one knows this better than Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary posing as an Elite. When she unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya’s princes, Kai Azer, she’s thrown into the Purging Trials, a brutal competition to showcase her ‘Elite’ powers.

If the Trials and the opponents don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for will if he discovers what Paedyn really is . . . completely Ordinary.

Review:

In keeping with my September reading challenge, fantasy isn’t a genre of which I read much, and to be honest, I’ve always found it difficult to stick with fantasy novels. But a challenge is a challenge, so when I asked a friend to suggest some fantasy novels that are accessible for beginners, Powerless became the next book in my challenge. Initially, I did feel a little intimidated, but the world in which Powerless is set is described quite concisely, whilst still maintaining a lot of detail, so I was able to become invested in the world quite quickly. Despite being part of a genre I haven’t previously enjoyed, Powerless has lots of the elements I love in a novel: it’s fast paced, full of action and there are plenty of emotional scenes to tug on my heartstrings. 

The central characters of Powerless are Paedyn and Kai, and they narrate alternate chapters. This often allows the reader to view the same scenes from different perspectives, and this really helps to understand how they were both feeling. Lauren Roberts conveys each of their emotions really well, and this made me root for them romantically, despite their relationship being seen as forbidden. I warmed to these characters, especially Paedyn, really quickly and I really wanted her to succeed in the Trials. I must also mention Paedyn’s friendship with Adena, which is absolutely beautiful and heartwarming. 

The Trials gave me all the tension and jeopardy I love in a novel. There’s a constant sense of danger and this kept me hooked the whole way through. I was mesmerised by the tricks the characters played on each other and I loved all the twists and turns as the story progressed.

The epilogue sets us up brilliantly for the next book in the series and I will definitely be reading it! 

Powerless is available from Amazon.

You can find out more about my September reading challenge and sponsor me here.