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Wow. Finished this book days ago and I would have said no. Don’t read it. Nothing like what I thought, was going to give it 4 stars. But this book has consumed my mind. The fact that TikTok and reviews of the book didn’t give away the plot is crazy to me. Paedyn is an ordinary but plays off being a psychic. Kitt is the future king that is soft and gentle and caring. Kai is the future enforcer for the king yet, he does all the killing for the king, his father, now and ever since he was 14. Kai is a flirt and Kitt is kind. Paedyn is an independent woman that needs no man and yet, stuck with caring for both. Her soul is set on fire with Kai. Yet, they both fall for her even though they don’t know what she is. An ordinary with no power in an elite society. She’s the girl from the slums forced to be in the trials where you may have to kill and may be killed, cue everyone saying hunger games, but gosh my little divergent heart was rooting for the girl that could do anything she set her eyes on and with the small help of a hot man, I was here for it.

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I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did.  It is worth all the hype.  The first four chapters felt a little slow, and then it picked up so so much.  I love how Paedyn, an Ordinary girl, has so much strength - mentally, physically, and emotionally.  She is a fierce female character.  Kai, at first, was so cocky, it was annoying.  Then *swoon* everything changed for me.Not a spoiler, but the ending of this book left me excited to read Reckless (and even Powerful - although I know it’s a novella focused around a specific character from Powerless).  If you like fantasy-type-romance, with heavy flirting and references, but no spice, this is a great read.  Even if you feel like you need spice, trust me.  You don’t.  This book is perfect as is.

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If you enjoy the following this is for you:• Strong FMC• Dystopian vibes• The Chosen One• Survival and Rebellion• Special Abilities• Complex Characters• Enemies to loversSo many of the above are done so well. I am easy to please when it comes to fantasy and romantasy - so this hit many marks for me. If you enjoyed Hunger Games but wanted some magic this is perfect. Some elements you can sense are inspired but very much their own thing. FMC Paedyn and our MMC Kai have the most fun banter throughout this book which made this easy to read in a day for me at least.Pros:√ Engaging plot - plenty of twists ?√ Well-developed world-building - the author provided a good backdrop that enhanced the story for me√ Fast-paced action - made the pacing seem quick to me which I prefer√ Banter - the chemistry ?‍??Cons:– Predictable tropes but I did not mind. ?‍♀️– World-building complexity; For some, it may be too fast-paced from other reviews but I loved it.Definitely, worth checking out.Happy Reading! ?

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️No spice ?Tropes:#Tournament #ForbiddenRomance #DystopianSociety #Powers#SlowBurn#WittyBanter #ForcedProximity#EnemiestoLoversTwo very important things... 1. THIS IS A MUST READ! 2. I NEED RECKLESS ASAP!!This was so good. 6 ⭐️ isn't a thing? That's too bad! This deserves the exra ⭐️ I was here for the BANTER!!! ? The writing, the story, the characters, the romance. It was sooo good, such a fun read that kept me completely immersed.There was no spice, but my poetic broken KAI ? makes it all worth it. ?Pae? is the definition of a BADASS. All 28 of her freckles ?‍? There are plenty of twists and turns. That love triangle ?️ had me on the edge of my seat ?  and the ending shattered me!! @laurenrobertslibrary why do I feel like you're going to stomp on the remains with Reckless?✨️Did I mention Kai is a poetic god?✨️“If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me.”“It's like drowning in the ocean. Her eyes are the color of the Shallows Sea's deepest corner, a clear sky as it begins to drift into night, the subtle shade of a forget-me-not. And like the hottest flame, her eyes are blue and full of fire.”“She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine line between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning.”“I'd never thought about what my favorite color was before. It never seemed important. Not until I looked into a pair of ocean blue eyes and realized that perhaps drowning was a beautiful thing. Not until I looked into a pair of fiery blue eyes and realized that perhaps burning was a painless thing.Not until I looked into a pair of sky blue eyes and realized that perhaps falling was a peaceful thing. I'd never thought about what my favorite color was before because I hadn't seen one that was worthy of the title. Until now, that is. ‘Blue’ I say, my voice low.”“And I'll save your life again and again, aimlessly hoping you will allow me to stay in it.”“What do you want to call me?-I want to call you mine.”The strongest weapon a woman has at her disposal is that she is often underestimated.“Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren’t dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it.”“My soldiers don’t mean anything to me. They are expendable and easy to replace.” His chest heaves, his eyes locked with mine. “So, yes, Gray. You aren’t one of my soldiers.”“Oh, I’m not making you do anything, darling. You can leave me to bleed out if you must. Because I only want your hands all over me if you want them to be.”Walking on a sharp blade and hoping I don’t get cut. Playing with fire and hoping I don’t get burned. Swimming in a dangerous current and hoping I don’t drown. He is dangerous.She’s so stunning, yet so stubbornly oblivious to how the sunset behind dulls in comparison to the vibrance that is her.“Darling, I doubt that the sight of someone dying would affect me as much as you do alive and well.”I hadn’t realized he could look at me like that. Look at me like he cared.I don’t think I’ve ever spoken so softly, so soothingly to someone before. And what scares me even more is that I don’t think I ever will for anyone but her.Everything beautiful, everything bold, everything breathtaking—that is what I feel in her gaze.She is a vision, a nightmare, a dream. A grim reaper clad in black, come to steal my soul and my heart. I’ve never seen something so beautiful, so bold, so blatantly wrong for me. She is a devil. She is a deity. She is a man’s downfall in human form. She is my downfall.His eyes are mesmerizing, like melted steel, morning fog. They cut through me as though he is unafraid to see every part of me. His gaze feels right, familiar. And when his eyes lock with mine, I wonder why I ever bother looking at anyone else.I’ve never been looked at like it’s a privilege to be in my presence, an honor to hold my gaze, a gift to get a glimpse of me. Not until I met him.“I meant what I said. I can’t take my eyes off you. I can’t take my mind off you.”“Run, Paedyn. Because when I catch you, I will not miss. I will not falter. I will not make the mistake of feeling for you.” ?

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THIS ONE WAS BREATHTAKING.I've literally never bought multiple books so fast before, but I had too for this one because I can proudly say it's my favorite.There was seriously nothing to dislike about it, in my opinion. Pretty much every other review where people talk about everything about it is true (besides the hunger games part imo- besides the trials being an event where they fight typically to the death, this story is super unique, and in my opinion, even better than the hunger games). The world it was set in was very captivating and unique, and you could tell the effort Lauren roberts put into all the abilities. The world building was amazing, and I am OBSESSED with Pae and Kai. Their dynamic is perfect to me- I hate when in books either the guy or girl (usually girl) is super normal and yet captures the interest of some amazing, powerful, devastatingly handsome prince. And while Kai is definitely that. Pae does everything to hold her own. She's smart, amazing at fighting, not willing to be pushed around, bold, and....yeah. she's great. LOVE these 2. I would go into depth about how epic the plot was, but the other reviews sum it up pretty well. I was captivated though. Finished the whole book in two days- and the sneak peak chapters especially- the twist at the end- THE WAY KAI AND KITT TURNED ON HER - it leaves so much unsaid and I CANNOT WAIT FOR RECKLESS!oh, and the other thing I loved about it was the lack of lust. You got romance, and you got heart wrenching and heart warming scenes, but nothing dirty or uncomfortable (this book reminds me of Lightlark, which I also dearly love, except for the...steamy scenes in the second book). It's just really refreshing. This book pretty much sums up everything I look for in a book.19 stars!!!

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"This is not my life to take." - Chapter 43, Page 362What a surprise this was.Powerless follows Paedyn Gray, whom is a thief and Ordinary (has no powers in a world where this is standard). Her father died by the King’s orders when she was young and she has grown up since with a shield of survival and anger. When Pardyn helps a man dying at the hands of a power silencer (self-explanatory) in the streets of the slums, she later finds out it was the King’s son she saved.Thrust into the kingdoms annual Trials due to her show of bravery and strength, Paedyn must use her survival skills and unexpected connections with the King’s sons, Kai and Kitt, to make it out alive.Pleasantly surprised by the bind this book had me in, I enjoyed every bit of the grief, tension, and dark themes created to enhance the character development of this story. It is heavily character driven, so please know that before diving in, in case that is not your style of writing. It is veryyyyy similar to The Hunger Games, but Lauren Roberts does such a wonderful job making it her own and creating an interesting and exciting setting that brought the book to life. Kai and Kitt were tremendous MMCs. Kai had an equally traumatic childhood and they trauma bonded throughout the book, leading him to care about her in a way he hadn’t been able to do with others before. Watching Kai’s shields come down was quite entertaining and this storyline was a GREAT time! Kitt might lowkey be my favorite character. I feel like he will have a lot of growing to do in Reckless, and I am so excited to watch his development as a character.The areas of opportunity for the book were in the small grammatical errors (so the editing) and the world building. I wanted more from the world. While the characters had me in a chokehold, the setting felt like a bit of an afterthought. That being said, I gave it 4.75 stars for a reason - Lauren, this debut was magnificent and it can only get better from here so I am really looking forward to continuing on in this world. This is a series I will reread again.

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I’m going to admit that this book started a two  star read for me. It was so hard to get into. I thought it was a little childish in the beginning and a lot of the details didn’t make sense. I almost felt like the author had two good storylines, on one side was the royals, Kitt and Kai, the political dynamics of the kingdom and royal family and then on the other side was the trials, contestants, and ordinaries and when she tried to smash them together it was not making a great story. It didn’t make sense why the trials and games were being played. Paedyn is an ordinary and a thief making her living by blending into the slums where she lives and stealing from people, yet when the people nominate her for the trials they know her full name to put on the banner and where to find her to bring her to the castle? Kai is the younger prince to his brother who will become king so his Father is raising him to be the future enforcer but it never explains who the current enforcer is. You would think they would be having a hand in his training and someone would need to be managing those duties while Kai is away for weeks at a time during the trials. Also, Paedyn has stayed alive by hiding that she is an ordinary and pretending to be a psychic based on little observances she makes about people, but once she is thrust into the spotlight in the trials and has to perform her ability in front of the kingdom there would end up being more than a few people who don’t have something for her to guess about them. She would eventually get it wrong. I was about 1/4 of the way through the book and dragging, I kept wanting to read something else but there have been so many amazing reviews for this book so I decided to push through and I am so glad that I did! This author is amazing at writing romance! Kai and Paedyn are everything for me ♥️♥️ They are so cute, sweet, and fun together. I wish we could have at least had ONE kiss between the two of them but let me tell you that the romantic tension and sweetness between these two almost makes up for that. I hope we get even more in the second book. A few things that I wish the author had cleared up for us by the end are why Kitt pursued Paedyn even though he knew how much she meant to Kai. Was he colder than he seemed on the outside or was he jealous of Kai and wanting to beat him to it? It never says but maybe it will in the next book. I also didn’t understand why the king didn’t try harder to have Paedyn killed. He sends Kai out to kill people in their homes so why didn’t he try to have her killed in her room? The only explanation he gives Paedyn is he needed her alive but it never tells you why. Even with the plot holes I did think this was a really good story in the end. I hope there is improvement in the next book and I can’t wait to read it!

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red queen x hunger games x fbaathis was a decent debut for me. a fun fantasy romance with danger and intrigue, but room for improvement. however, i do think lauren roberts is off to a strong start in her writing career with this. there were some common fantasy romance tropes and lines, but there were also some fun twists and turns. overall, this wasn't one of my favorite reads this year, but if done well, i could see reckless being a top contender from how powerless ended.“You’re a cruel little thing, you know that?” My voice is deep, desperate.“But I’ve barely laid a finger on you,” she says softly, emphasizing her words with a single finger tracing up my forearm.“Exactly.”the chemistry between MCs was electric, you could cut the tension with a KNIFE, and i found myself very invested in the romance as equally as the plot. a dimpled assassin prince meets a stabby girl from the wrong side of the tracks and sparks fly; say less, i'm all in. i melt every time he calls her "darling" !her last name is gray, she has blue eyeshe has gray eyes, his last name is azer > azure = blue? (endgame)there is also a quasi (ish) love triangle?? like kind of, but not, but really feels that way sometimes? but i also could see it not going that way? it's going to potentially provide much conflict next book.however, i think the worldbuilding could use improvement and one of the weaker points for me was the main villain, the king. red queen x hunger games x fbaathis was a decent debut for me. a fun fantasy romance with danger and intrigue, but room for improvement. however, i do think lauren roberts is off to a strong start in her writing career with this. there were some common fantasy romance tropes and lines, but there were also some fun twists and turns. overall, this wasn't one of my favorite reads this year, but if done well, i could see reckless being a top contender from how powerless ended.“You’re a cruel little thing, you know that?” My voice is deep, desperate.“But I’ve barely laid a finger on you,” she says softly, emphasizing her words with a single finger tracing up my forearm.“Exactly.”the chemistry between MCs was electric, you could cut the tension with a KNIFE, and i found myself very invested in the romance as equally as the plot. a dimpled assassin prince meets a stabby girl from the wrong side of the tracks and sparks fly; say less, i'm all in. i melt every time he calls her "darling" !her last name is gray, she has blue eyeshe has gray eyes, his last name is azer > azure = blue? (endgame)there is also a quasi (ish) love triangle?? like kind of, but not, but really feels that way sometimes? but i also could see it not going that way? it's going to potentially provide much conflict next book.however, i think the worldbuilding could use improvement and one of the weaker points for me was the main villain, the king. red queen x hunger games x fbaathis was a decent debut for me. a fun fantasy romance with danger and intrigue, but room for improvement. however, i do think lauren roberts is off to a strong start in her writing career with this. there were some common fantasy romance tropes and lines, but there were also some fun twists and turns. overall, this wasn't one of my favorite reads this year, but if done well, i could see reckless being a top contender from how powerless ended.“You’re a cruel little thing, you know that?” My voice is deep, desperate.“But I’ve barely laid a finger on you,” she says softly, emphasizing her words with a single finger tracing up my forearm.“Exactly.”the chemistry between MCs was electric, you could cut the tension with a KNIFE, and i found myself very invested in the romance as equally as the plot. a dimpled assassin prince meets a stabby girl from the wrong side of the tracks and sparks fly; say less, i'm all in. i melt every time he calls her "darling" !her last name is gray, she has blue eyeshe has gray eyes, his last name is azer > azure = blue? (endgame)there is also a quasi (ish) love triangle?? like kind of, but not, but really feels that way sometimes? but i also could see it not going that way? it's going to potentially provide much conflict next book.however, i think the worldbuilding could use improvement and one of the weaker points for me was the main villain, the king.  he felt incredibly two-dimensional and i didn't understand his motivations at all. why would he care that there were powerless people? wouldn't that make his reign easier? i needed more complexity and stronger motivations.