Disclaimer: All reviews shared here are based on my personal experience as a reader. I’m not an expert, just someone who loves books and writes about them from my own perspective.
If you’re familiar with The Hunger Games, the concept of Powerless might sound a little familiar.
The story takes place in the Kingdom of Ilya, where society is divided into two groups: the Elites, who possess magical abilities and rule the kingdom, and the Ordinaries, who have no powers at all.
The Elites see the Ordinaries as a threat, almost like a plague that needs to be wiped out. Every year, the kingdom holds the Trials, a deadly competition where Elites fight to prove who is the strongest.
At the center of the story is Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary who lives in the slums, far removed from the privilege and luxury of the royal family. Meanwhile, Prince Kai and Prince Kitt have grown up inside the kingdom, raised under their father’s strict expectations to become the Enforcer and the next king of Ilya.
Three characters with very different backgrounds, living in the same kingdom but seeing the world from completely different perspectives.
So, what did I think of Powerless?
| What I Like | What I Dislike |
| Emotional character details that make the characters feel more human | The overall concept may remind readers of The Hunger Games |
| The contrast between Kai and Kitt’s personalities | |
| A dystopian setting built around social inequality and power struggles |
What I Like About Powerless
One thing I really appreciate about Powerless is how the author portrays the emotional side of its characters, especially Kai.
Kai has been raised to become the Enforcer, someone whose duty involves hunting down and killing Ordinaries. Growing up under his father’s harsh expectations, he has been trained to fight, kill, and follow his responsibilities.
You would expect someone raised in that kind of environment to become completely cold-hearted, right?
But what I find interesting is that Kai still has a softer side to him.
One moment that stood out to me was when his targets included children. Despite everything he had been taught, there was still a part of him that couldn’t completely ignore his sympathy for them.
And honestly, I found that pretty deep.
Kai has been conditioned to see Ordinaries as enemies, yet he is not entirely immune to their suffering. Beneath all the violence and brutal training, he still has a sense of humanity.
For me, these little emotional details make his character more interesting. He isn’t simply someone who knows how to fight and kill. There’s an internal conflict between the person he has been trained to become and the part of him that can still feel compassion.
What I Dislike About Powerless
One thing that crossed my mind while reading Powerless was how similar the concept felt to The Hunger Games. Both stories feature a society divided by power and privilege, with an oppressive system that puts certain people at a disadvantage. The presence of a dangerous competition also adds to that familiar feeling.
Another thing I wish the book had more of was the actual fighting and competition. Considering that the Trials are such a major part of the story, I expected more intense battles and a deeper exploration of the conflicts between the competitors. I wanted to see more of the action and feel the tension of the competition itself.
Don’t get me wrong, the story still has interesting elements, but I personally would have enjoyed it more if the fighting scenes and the Trials had a bigger presence in the story.
