Book Review: Powerless
“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.”
Confession: I love reading book dedications. It was this book’s dedication - ‘For every girl who has ever felt powerless’- that made me read it. Powerless? That feeling washes over me from time to time like waves lapping at the shore. It’s as if this story was written for me. Of course, I have to read it.
This is a fantasy located in the kingdom of Ilya, where the Elites possess powers while the Ordinaries lack power, making them powerless. Paedyn, an Ordinary, tries to blend in among the Elites when she is thrown into the Purging Trial, a deadly competition designed for them.
The storyline was engaging enough; it does make you want to keep reading. The chemistry between the characters, especially Paedyn and Kai, is probably what the readers are drawn to. Some parts were incredibly sweet, making me smile and feel all giggly while others were a bit cheesy. But maybe that’s normal for people in love?
I binge-read this in the hospital. Every time I am sick or want to escape reality, I throw myself into a world from fantasy books. It just makes life so much more bearable. There’s something sweet about losing yourself in the words, sentences, and pages—something wonderful about being able to escape life by opening my Kindle and jumping into a different world.
Here are some sentences I highlighted from reading and my thoughts:
“But stars are far more fun to stare at than a ceiling.”
I was hospitalized as I read this sentence, and it resonates with me so much. I remember the first few nights falling asleep in the ICU: Whenever I closed my eyes or drifted into sleep, I dreamed of floating away - away from the beeping machines, the room that confined me, and the roof that blocked my view of the sky. I have never wanted to see the stars so much.
“She’s so stunning, yet so stubbornly oblivious to how the sunset behind dulls in comparison to the vibrance that is her.”
How magical and wonderful it is to be in love. This reminds me of one of my favorite poems: Under the Moonlight, Everyone Becomes a Lover
I could sit here
For a thousand nights,
You, staring at the fullness of it [the moon],
And me, looking at your eyes, how they sparkle in the dark.
“No fancy footwork, no waltz to step in time to. Just us, in the middle of a forest, surrounded by thousands of winking stars.”
Ahhhhh. Words have the power to bring people to a certain place and moment, frozen in time.
“People aren’t born strong; they’re made that way.”
Who wants to be strong voluntarily anyway? The things people have to go through to be strong… I shiver at that thought.
“Her eyes flutter shut, and I’m suddenly so terrified I’ll never get another glimpse of that hazel gaze again.”
Okay. This sentence has no business being that real and grim.
For those in a reading slump or in need of an escape from life, I highly recommend this book. Finally, will I be reading the second book of the series? YES.
