Powerless – Worth the Hype or Not?

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 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.

Powerless seemed to be one of the most hyped books this year on both Instagram and Tiktok. And so when I got my hands on the book, I am curious about why this book has so much hype.

I have to say, this book was good but not as good as it deserve so much of hype…in my opinion.

Paedyn Gray is an Ordinary. In the Kingdom of Ilya, the Ordinaries are nearly wiped off from the kingdom and was exiled on the outskirts of the kingdom. Only the Elites, yielding special powers are ruling the kingdom. Paedyn has psychic abilities. Kai meanwhile is training to become an Enforcer and he is the son of the current king of Ilya. Paedyn saves Kai from the Silencer and the two get to know each other. Then both Kai and Paedyn are selected to compete for the annual Purging Trials. Paedyn being the only Ordinary one had to compete against the Elites and her main aim is to survive the trial.

The story is told in the POVs of Paedyn and Kai. Both characters are brave, courageous, and likable characters. I do like how the friendship between Paedyn and Kai developed to the point when Kai is determined to protect Paedyn at any cost. Reading this book takes you to a totally different world and it was quiet engaging as well. I saw some readers commenting on how the beginning part of the book is similar to Hunger Games.

The cliff hanger at the end was interesting and so I badly wanted to read the next book of the series. Frankly, this is a good fantasy novel although I am not sure if it actually worth that much of hype. Worth four stars.