Powerless

Decades ago, a plague swept across the kingdom of Illya, separating the survivors into two categories. The Elites gained supernatural abilities that allowed them to seize control of the government. Then there were the Ordinaries, who lack abilities and are systematically killed off by the Elites to maintain power.  

Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary thief living in the city slums, fakes psychic powers using her natural observational skills to survive. When she saves Prince Kai from an attack, she is invited to compete in the Purging Trials, a yearly contest celebrating the Elites’ deadly powers. While competing, rebels recruit her for an uprising and, for the first time, Paedyn must not only survive but also find a cause worth fighting for.  

Paedyn is an underdog, fighting for an important cause with the odds stacked against her. Despite her determination to survive and uplift her people, Paedyn never loses her humanity. She assists others, such as by helping a friend find employment, and frequently expresses remorse over her past lies and deceit. However, while readers may sympathize with Paedyn’s struggles, her lack of competence can be frustrating at times. Paedyn rarely uses intelligence or creativity to problem-solve; more often, she is saved from difficult situations by other characters or sheer luck.  

The main victim of Paedyn’s duplicity is Kitt, the crown prince. Kitt is a kind-hearted and sheltered person, offering a much-needed break from the world’s brutality and conflict. He is a foil to his moodier and flirtatious younger brother, Kai. Kai is the king’s Enforcer — a job that includes systematically hunting down and killing Ordinaries. Although some readers may sympathize with Kai due to his troubled youth and angsty inner monologues, others will find his actions unforgivable. However, he is a consistently charming character and acts as a compelling love interest for Paedyn. Both Kai and Kitt are love interests, but readers savvy in the young adult genre will quickly predict that only Kai (who is introduced first and has far more page time) will win Paedyn’s heart. However, while the outcome is clear, the love triangle is still rife with angst. Kai, Kitt, and Paedyn have a tense dynamic, as the brothers are torn between their growing attraction for Paedyn and their long-standing sibling loyalty, and Paedyn is torn between new relationships and commitment to the rebel cause.  

However, the main focus of Powerless is on the Purging Trials, which add fast-paced tension full of high stakes. The competition is broadcast nationwide to showcase the Elites’ supernatural abilities, thus increasing the King’s power on a national and global stage. They include three trials, each centered around completing a unique objective, such as racing through a maze or stealing the most bands (a leather bracelet each contestant wears). However, Paedyn’s primary motivation is the secret mission the rebels give her — form close bonds with the princes, so she can exploit the intel they give her to find an entry point for the rebels to storm the final trial, alert the kingdom of their existence, and begin the uprising against their Elite oppressors.  

This story is told from the points of view of Paedyn and Kai. Both have the same major conflict — the struggle between duty and love. While Paedyn knows the only way to complete her mission is to betray the prince, she nevertheless grows attached to him over the course of the trials. Kai wrestles with the role he was born into, forced to carry out the King’s dirty work that frequently clashes with his own morality, all the while unknowingly falling in love with one of the very people he is destined to kill. Paedyn and Kai’s angsty will-they-won’t-they romance is the emotional core of the story and provides some nuance to an otherwise black-and-white moral dilemma as both characters are forced to consider stances that cut against their world views.   

Powerless explores several interesting themes, including systemic oppression, governmental tyranny, and the tradeoff between survival and humanity, but does not engage with any of them on an especially profound level. This book shines brightest as a piece of entertainment, as Paedyn competes in a deadly contest and juggles the attention of two attractive princes. While Powerless isn’t unique, it is a fun and engaging read — a perfect way to introduce new readers to the young adult fantasy genre. 

Sexual Content  

• Overwhelmed by the power plays and politics she must engage in at a gala, Paedyn escapes to a rooftop, where she and Kai share a brief kiss. She describes how the “sparks between [them] are almost tangible… [their] lips brush.” The kiss leaves them both wanting more. 
• To comfort Kai’s nightmares, Paedyn sleeps in his bed. While they do not engage in sexual activity, they do cuddle, and physical attraction is implied for both parties. “An arm wraps around my middle… he’s wasted no time in pulling me against him… [he wants] to get under my skin and make me flustered with every finger he has on my body.” The steamy scene lasts two pages. 
• Kai frequently lusts after Paedyn in his internal monologue, though not graphically. He waxes poetic about her cheekbones, hair, and how, “like the hottest flame, her eyes are blue and full of fire.” Likewise, Paedyn lusts after Kai, though more reluctantly. For example, she observes that Kai looks “just as annoyingly attractive as always.”  
• At a banquet, Kai becomes intoxicated and hints at wanting a sexual encounter with Paedyn. He traces her mouth with his thumb. While she turns him down, she agrees to allow him to “touch [her] when [he] is sober,” under the assumption he will not remember the conversation the following morning.  

Violence  

• During the trials, Sadie, another contestant, attempts to kill Paedyn with a knife. In the tense scene, Paedyn and Sadie trade kicks and punches, then Sadie gains the advantage and “holds the knife above her head, ready to plunge it into [Paedyn’s] rapidly beating heart… Blood pours out of Sadie’s mouth… She looks down… to the sword now protruding from her chest.” Kai stabs Sadie with a sword, killing her, though Paedyn does not see the swing.  
• As punishment for Paedyn’s involvement with his sons, the King forces Paedyn to watch her best friend, Adena, die in the final trial. “The gnarled wood flies, guided by an invisible force, before it meets her back, skewering her right through the chest. The scream couldn’t tear through my throat fast enough.” While the killing takes less than a paragraph, the scene lasts about four pages, most of which is devoted to Adena and Paedyn saying goodbye.  
• After discovering her lies, the King and Paedyn duel. The king overpowers Paedyn, throws her to the ground, and “points the tip of his sword… then drags it down… slow, slicing pain trail[s] from [her] jaw and down [her] neck… His slices are deep and disgustingly slow,” as he carves an “O” for Ordinary into Paedyn’s chest. However, Paedyn knocks the King off balance. The sword she drives “through his chest shuts him the hell up.” The gory scene lasts five pages.  
• As an Enforcer, Kai must systematically hunt and kill Ordinaries. However, his activities as an enforcer are not depicted but rather alluded to in his backstory and future expectations. In an inner monologue, Kai explains the “types of missions Enforcers get sent on are anything but heroic… Everything from battle strategies and executions to interrogations and torture.”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• Wine and champagne are served at a banquet. There, Paedyn and Kai sip the wine. Andy, a participant in the Trials, has “far too much wine,” to the point that other dancers worry she will “fall on top” of them.   
• At another banquet, Kai drinks wine to the point that he is “not sober” and attempts to initiate a sexual encounter with Paedyn, who turns him down. 

Language 

• Profanity is used often. Profanity includes damn, hell, ass, shit, and bitch. For example, before Paedyn kills the King, she calls him a “son of a bitch.”  
• Once, Kai tells Paedyn, “God, you’re stunning.”  

Supernatural 

• The majority of the characters have superhuman abilities, such as super strength, speed, cloning, etc. For example, when Sadie fights Paedyn, Sadie clones herself, so Paedyn is outnumbered. Another time, Kai and Kitt spar, and Kitt uses his pyro abilities to throw balls of fire at his brother. Kai dodges with a shield of water, using his ability to harness whatever superpowers are nearby.  

Spiritual Content  

• None 

by Kerry Lum