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3.5 stars�� ͙͘͡��

�� ִ ֺ �� And I’ll save your life again and again, aimlessly
hoping you will allow me to stay in it. �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ˚. �� brief summary ୨୧

Powerless is set in the kingdom of Ilya, where people are divided between elites who have magical abilities and ordinarys who don't have any magical abilities. The story follows Paedyn, an ordinary who lives in the slums and pretends to be a psychic elite in order to survive. When she saved the life of Prince Kai, the future enfoncer who's known for his hard-heartedness and killing every ordinary in the kingdom, she found herself thrown into the purging trials, a deadly competition for the strongest elites in the kingdom of Ilya. She has to fight for survival and hide her identity in a world that doesn't allow a lack of power.

�� ִ ֺ �� “Mark my words, prince, I will be your undoing.��
“Oh, darling, I look forward to it.�� �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ˚. �� trops ୨୧

�� forbidden romance
�� deadly trials
�� slow burn & tension
�� touch her and die
�� the most unnecessary love triangle
�� magic system
�� "who did this to you?" boy "why do you care?" girl

�� ִ ֺ �� “I’m going to ask again. Who did this to you?��
My hand is still gripping her chin, her strong jaw, as she holds my gaze and says, “Why do you care?��
“Because I don’t tolerate my toys being played with.�� �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ˚. �� characters ୨୧

🗡�� ʚ˚₊�� �� Paedyn Gray

�� ִ ֺ �� I like when you truly smile. When you're not wearing the mask of the future Enfoncer or the price, and you simply allow me to see you. It's a smile I wish you would share with me more often �� ֺ ִ ��

she's such a badass. I really loved her. She was always such a strong and incredible fighter.but I wish that we could have seen more of her weaknesses and vulnerabilities so we could get connected to her more and acknowledge her struggles. But regardless, she was funny, smart, and a survival. She was a really a good FMC to read about and I really loved her character

🗡�� ʚ˚₊�� �� Kai Azar

�� ִ ֺ �� “I don’t remember my life before I became the future Enforcer. I don’t remember a day when all the tests and trials and training began. It feels as though it’s always been that way.�� He lets out a humorless laugh, sighing as he says, “Fate is a funny, fickle thing, of ering you no choice in how you live.�� �� ֺ ִ ��

The prince and future enfoncer of the kingdom of Ilya, who's been raised to torture, hunt, and kill ordinary people, is one of the strongest elites in the kingdom.��
This man is definitely one of my favorite fictional men now. He's so swoon-worthy; he's just perfect; everything about him is perfect. I loved him so much. He was so funny and so flirty, like he literally didn't waste a chance to flirt with Paedyn, and omg, his words were getting me every time he opened his mouth. He was so obsessed with Paedyn that he was doing everything to protect her and keep her alive. He was such a smart, strong, and caring man; he was a great character. He was always there for his brothers without asking for anything in return. And I really, really loved that we got to witness his vulnerabilities and how he suffered in his childhood and didn't get the love he needed. And that made me love him even more, and I felt more connected to him, and I wished that we got the same from Paedyn.

�� ִ ֺ ⊹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 thoughts ୨୧

I've been reading this book for a month, and I feel like it has become something constant in my life. I've been feeling so empty since I finished, and I will continue feeling empty until July. I really don't know why I didn't wait until the next book came out.��

�� ִ ֺ �� If I am to be her enemy, I want it to be because she loathes herself for wanting me �� ֺ ִ ��

₊⊹⁶��� The writing was just super easy to read and fast-paced; it will get you hooked, and you'll flow through the book and can't stop reading it (that wasn't the case for me, btw). and I've seen people saying that the writing was kind of repetitive and how much the words darling and dimples were mentioned, so actually the word darling was mentioned exactly 40 times and dimples 19 times, and I was okay with that, like it wasn't that much for me.

₊⊹⁶��� The world building wasn't the best at all; it was super simple, like I needed to know more to know what happened in the past in a better way. I don't think what the author gave us was enough; if she had given us more details and specifics, it would have been so much better, imo. If she had spent more time developing the world, the book would have been so much better, and I would have felt more connected to the story and enjoyed it so much more.��I mean, it's okay for the world-building to be simple, but in this book, it wasn't done properly at all.

₊⊹⁶��� The romance was so good, and oh my god, the tension between them was like a chef's kiss; actually, this was the best tension I've ever read about. and the chemistry between the characters was everything; they were so good together.
Their banter was so cute, I loved it (I've been seeing people say that it was too much), but actually, for me, it was okay, like I enjoyed it; it had me giggling and smiling the whole time. And the fact that nothing happened between them and still the romance was that good!!? She did a really great job with that.

₊⊹⁶��� To the point that everyone hated about this book, everyone is saying that this book is so so similar to the Hunger Games and Red Queen. Actually, I haven't read any of them, so I won't judge here, but I think even if I'd read them, maybe I would have loved to read something similar except if it was copy paste (and I've got a friend who told me that there's big parts of it that copy paste), but still, I won't judge.

₊⊹⁶��� The trials: it seems like it's just me who is bothered about that, but, sorry, is this the deadly trial? I felt like it was nothing to me; that is not what I expected from trials. I was expecting to be on the edge of my seat, not be able to catch my breath, and to be so nervous. I expected suspense. I expected to be scared about the characters and what's going to happen to them. But no, it wasn't any of that; it was so simple. In the first trial, I thought okay; it was just like that because we're at the beginning and they were just preparing them, but it didn't change much. It did change, but not what I was expecting. All the trials were kind of the same for me, and they were so boring to me. But maybe it's just me, because I've seen nobody bothered by that.

₊⊹⁶��� The ending I won't say that it was so shocking and that it was something no one could expect; no, actually, it was so easy to expect, and I wasn't that shocked. But still, it hurts so much, and I can't wait to know what's going to happen and how it'll be in the next book.��
��

�� ִ ֺ �� “I didn’t realize you had watched me so closely.��
“Watched? Darling, I’ve never stopped.�� �� ֺ ִ ��

I know it sounds like I hated this book so much, but actually I enjoyed it so much. But I am reviewing a fantasy book, and there are things that I must say. If that were just a romance book, it would have been a great book, but this isn't just a cute little romance book; it's also a fantasy with world-building and magic systems, and those things were lacking so much in the book. But maybe you would love the romance so much and forget about these things, and maybe if I'd written this review after I finished the book right away, I wouldn't have noticed all of this, but after I've been thinking about it for a week, I felt like as a romantasy book, it could have been written so much better. This was just romance for me; it was literally just romance.

This book would be great for anyone who's trying to start reading fantasy. I would recommend it to any romance reader who wants to enter their fantasy era, but just don't expect all the romantasy books to be like that.

I still have faith in the next book, and I really want the author to improve so many things, such as the world-building and the magic system, and I want a deeper understanding of most of the characters. I don't want a fantasy book all about romance and banter. But I have feelings that the second book won't be just that. So the author better not disappoint me.

�� ˚. �� favorite quotes and scenes ୨୧

�� ִ ֺ �� I realized that I’d wanted to say it—wanted her to hear it from my lips. Realized that if she died, I would never again get to look into those blue eyes and utter those two syllables that have been a constant in my mind. So I said her name,
again and again. I finally let myself do it. Let that last piece of attachment to her lock into place. Just saying her name felt intimate, personal, somehow.
And now I forever want her name on my lips and rolling of my tongue until I’m drunk on the taste and sound of it �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� There’s that look again. It’s like she’s seeing straight through my many masks, tearing down my walls, stripping me bear with nothing but her gaze. I hate it—I love it. I feel free—I feel trapped. The thought that a single pair of blue eyes can leave me so vulnerable, so exposed, is alarming �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� 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 �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� �� I could get used to you being a gentleman, Azar.��
“And I could get used to being one for you, Gray.�� �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� She held my face in her hands while I held her life in my own. She looked at me like I was worthy of being seen, like she wanted to see me. And when she said my name, the sound of it rolling off her tongue finally had my head clearing, heart racing, thoughts reeling �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� Terrified of what she is doing to me. She is a vision, a nightmare, a dream. A grim rapper 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. �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� Oh, but I only have eyes for one little lady, and I can't seem to take them off of her. �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� I don't give a damn if you forget who I am in title, so long as you remember who I am to you �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� Pae, when I look at you.... I'm devastated. I'm drowning. I'm dying to catch my breath �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� But I'm never sober around you, pae. Never not drunk on every detail that is you �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ִ ֺ �� Because everything about her is too right and everything about me is too wrong. But I'm selfish. I take what I want, and what I want might just want me for once �� ֺ ִ ��

�� ୨୧ ─ ・┈ �� ─ ・┈ ─ ・┈ ─ ・┈・┈ �� ─ ・┈ ─ ꒱꒱
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༘♡ ⋆｡˚ PRE REVIEW

14/2: omg this ending! I feel so so numb rn
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14/1: Thank you for everyone who voted in my poll 🤍
Please be good, cuz I'm starting to lose hope in 2024 😭
I guess I shouldn't read during the exams, but....... 💀