Powerless

Published in 2023, Powerless is the first installment in American author Lauren Roberts’s Powerless trilogy. The series also includes Powerful, a stand-alone novel set in the same universe and focused on Adena, a secondary character in the first book. After the success of the initial installments of the series, the second book in the trilogy, Reckless, received a release date of July 2024.

Roberts transitioned from college to full-time writing by self-publishing her first novel, Powerless, which she began writing when she was 18 years old. After the book gained popularity on social media, Simon & Schuster acquired the rights to Roberts’s work and set out to publish the rest of her upcoming trilogy. Roberts notes that “it truly gives [her] the ability to just write and do what [she loves], and then give that work to someone else who’s also doing what they love” (Ramirez, Amanda. “Q & A With Lauren Roberts.” Publishers Weekly, 23 Apr. 2024).

Roberts’s work is inspired by contemporary young adult novels like Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series, another dystopian world in which a series of deadly tasks are framed as entertainment but covertly designed to enforce an oppressive political system. Roberts also notes other similar inspirations, stating of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series, for example, “I loved the worldbuilding and the idea of these different powers creating separation within the kingdom” (Ramirez). In terms of genre conventions, Powerless follows typical young adult fantasy romance tropes. The narrative takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which social hierarchies are enforced through violence and political oppression. The purpose of dystopia is to offer a commentary on contemporary issues through the lens of a fantasy or sci-fi setting, and it thus aims to provide both escapism and reflection. In addition, the protagonists’ relationship relies on an “enemies to lovers” trope, which is common in this genre. This involves two primary characters beginning the story disliking or antagonizing each other before slowly growing to care for the other. Kai and Paedyn are set up as tragically star-crossed lovers from opposite worlds and attempt to resist their attraction to each other throughout the novel until the climactic revelation of their respective pasts.

Through its reliance on those conventions of the genre, Powerless clearly sets up the main themes, plot points, and character arcs that the author will develop over the subsequent books. First, the world building of Powerless depicts Ilya’s Social Hierarchies and Oppression and foreshadows the Resistance’s role in challenging the king’s authoritarian regime. This will likely result in social and political change, as well as a potential reevaluation of the Elites-versus-Ordinaries dichotomy. Second, the novel explores The Definition of Power by equating supernatural abilities with social status. This central theme is likely to be further developed through Paedyn’s perspective especially, as foreshadowed by her growth in confidence, self-identity, and emotional power. Finally, the tension between Kai and Paedyn is likely to be resolved by their eventual romance, a significant symbol of the reunification of Elites and Ordinaries within society.