4/5 stars – A predictable slow-burn romance that completely stole my heart
Let me start by saying this: if you’re reading Powerless by Lauren Roberts expecting groundbreaking world-building or unexpected plot twists… you won’t find them here. If Wattpad-style storytelling isn’t your thing and you’re craving a truly original plot, Powerless probably won’t be the right fit for you. But if you’re looking for a tension-filled, heart-fluttering romance with all your favorite tropes? You’re absolutely in the right place.
Lauren Roberts’ Powerless gets 4 solid stars from me—not because it reinvented the wheel, but because it gave me exactly what I wanted: a ridiculously good slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance with every trope I live for.
The romantasy tropes? Deliciously predictable.
From forced proximity and dagger-to-the-throat tension to “Who did this to you?” moments and he falls first energy… this book is every romantasy reader’s comfort zone. I mean, nothing in this book surprised me. The storyline? You can see it coming from miles away. The tropes? You’ve read them before. And while I love a good trope (or several), this book is jam-packed with them, maybe even to the point of overkill sometimes. From dagger-to-throat scenes on nearly every page to ballroom dancing in the middle of a deadly battle, it sometimes felt like tropes were thrown in for the sake of having them, rather than to actually move the story or characters forward. Lauren Roberts has said she wanted to include all her favorite tropes, which is totally fair— I still LOVED IT but a bit more restraint could have made them more impactful.
Is Powerless spicy?
Let me be clear: Powerless has no spice. Not even a kiss. (Yes, I was shocked too.) But somehow, Lauren Roberts made it feel spicier than some of the books that go all the way. The tension? IMMACULATE. I was kicking my feet, blushing, screaming —and yet I didn’t want it to end. This is how you write a slow burn. The angst. The looks. The tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Perfection. For the romance: Powerless was a 10/10 slow-burn masterpiece. I do think that Kai and Paedyn were not REAL enemies to lovers. To be honest, Kitt and Paedyn would have been the real enemies to lovers but I am not complaining about Kai and Paedyn attraction towards each others.
Dual POV done right
One of my favorite parts of the book was the dual point of view. I’m a sucker for being inside both characters’ heads, especially when he falls first—and we know it from the very beginning. Getting Kai’s POV made the story 10x better, and his inner thoughts had me giggling, swooning, and blushing like a teenager with a crush. It’s rare that a male POV hits just right, but Lauren Roberts nailed it with Kai Azer.
Kai Azer
The man. The myth. The book boyfriend.
He might have just stolen the #1 spot in my heart after Xaden Riorson (and that’s saying a lot). Kai is cocky, clever, intense, and completely gone for Paedyn. His flirting? Top tier. The way he talks about her? Ugh. I’m still not over it. He fell hard, he fell first, and he never hid it from us. We love a confident, loyal, flirty prince.
World-building and character development? Meh.
This is probably the weakest part of the book for me as a fantasy lover. The world itself had so much potential—the plague story, class divisions, and brutal trials—but all of it felt underdeveloped. The trials did not make much sense to me – Why would they want to send their strongest elites into death matches against each other instead of having only ordinaries in the trials? I also kept waiting for more details about the plague or some deeper history of the society, but they never came. The focus was entirely on the romance. And yet, there was no real character building in this book apart from Kai and Paedyn. I really wish we had known more about Adena, Kitt, Jax, and Andy. They had no depth in character in the book and they honestly could have made the story so much more interesting.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room:
Yes, a lot of readers have pointed out the very obvious similarities to The Hunger Games and Red Queen. Some scenes feel almost identical, there is barely any part of the storyline that feels original and if you’re someone who gets frustrated when books borrow too heavily from others… you might struggle with this one. Personally? It didn’t bother me. I knew what I was getting into and I had not read the Hunger Games nor the Red Queen in a really long time so I did not mind.
Powerless was Lauren Robert’s debut novel and I am excited to see where she takes the story in the trilogy and how her writing evolves. As her first novel, the writing was not bad at all, despite some typos. That said, the book does carry strong Wattpad vibes. I really think Lauren Roberts has a huge amount of potential and I am really excited to read her next books.
Summary of Powerless by Lauren Roberts:
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 Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas 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.
What to read after Powerless by Lauren Roberts?
What’s Next in the Powerless Series? If you’re already obsessed with Powerless, you’ll be thrilled to know that the story doesn’t end there. The sequel, Reckless, continues Paedyn and Kai’s journey with even higher stakes and deeper emotional tension. Powerful is a novella set to give us even more insight into the characters we love through the character of Adena, and Fearless will be the grand finale of the series. If Powerless was all about the slow burn and tension, get ready—because things are only going to get more intense from here.
If you are looking for more romantasy books to read, check out our article “10 enemies-to-lovers books you need to read” here.
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