Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy)

A New York Times bestseller!

This explosive first book in the New York Times bestselling Powerless trilogy follows the forbidden romance between a powerful prince and an ordinary girl as they try to survive their kingdom’s grueling laws pitting them against each other.

She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites. The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be keenly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can to stay alive and out of trouble…easier said than done.

When Paedyn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya’s princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is…completely Ordinary.

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Published Dec 30, 2025

528 pages

Average rating: 7.6

1,249 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Marley
Nov 16, 2025
8/10 stars
10/10 banter
Sara0719
Sep 18, 2025
8/10 stars
This book was a joy to read. The storyline is a familiar one to another popular series, but it was still engaging and I was not expecting the final twist!
Zya The Book Dragon
Apr 29, 2025
7/10 stars
first books in a series can be hit or miss. the first half was hard to get through. but it still captivated me with the little hints here and there. I enjoyed the second half a lot once the action started to pick up. makes me wonder how the characters will grow and change in the next book.
Kristin Rose
Nov 01, 2024
6/10 stars
Just started reading Throne of Glass & am realizing Powerless was kind of a rip off of it. The whole time I felt like the book was missing something, and now I can see why. It was highly derivative. I’ll read the second because I feel like I have to. But, I was highly disappointed what with all the hype this book received.
fromlizaslibrary
Oct 22, 2024
10/10 stars
Just like every other fantasy reader out there I’ve seen so much about this book, and... I am obsessed with it! There’s so many classic fantasy book feels in here and it had me hooked the whole time. Plus, there’s almost nothing I love more than a fantasy trilogies/series. When I fall in love with characters, a storyline/plot and the world it takes place I just want more, and more, and more of it so when we get multiple books I know I will be getting so much more. And I definitely Loved Pae & Kai! Paedyn might be at the in the list of my favorite FMCs; there is just something about her that is so special even though she is an ordinary. On the flip-side we have Kai who is not at all good but I was constantly feeling empathy for him and wanting him to be good. Willing him to become someone that wasn’t who he was made to be. My attachment to Kai is probably why I hated the king so much and frankly I wasn’t a big fan of Kitt either. There were so many scenes I felt myself needing to grasp for air because I was in shock or emotional. And the ending had my jaw on the ground ready to pick up Reckless!

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