“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”.

Paedyn Gray is not just any girl living in the slums. She is an Ordinary, Mundane girl sleeping on garbage deep in the heart of Loot, the poorest and trashiest area of the realm. Pae has spent her entire life building a reputation that she is anything but her true Ordinary self. She has honed her skills for survival, and so far, has done just that. Until one day, a cruel twist of fate brings her face to face with the one person she should be trying to avoid the most: the man hunting Ordinaries to extinction.

In this world, beautifully built and detailed by Lauren Roberts, to be Ordinary is to sign your death warrant. To have no use of magic is believed to cause disease and weaken the Elite of society. To avoid this weakening, the King has ruled that any Ordinary beings who have not already been slaughtered, will be immediately killed (no questions asked) by his Enforcer, his youngest son.

Prince Kai has trained with his father his entire life to become a sadistic killer, who does not think twice about murdering and torturing, with or without cause.

When Prince Kai finds himself walking through the Slums of Loot, he never imagines that he will be blindsided and attacked by one of the most powerful men in the realm. A member of the resistance who has use to a powerful magic so strong that it has been labeled as Fatal. To Kai’s dismay, he is saved by a small, petite young female that he is immediately drawn to and there is an equal sense of attraction and curiosity about this young woman who saved his life.

After Pae saves the man who just might be her demise, her life will never be the same. After gaining quick attention for her act of a savior, she is elected into a deadly tournament that she may not survive.

Throughout the tournament, Pae and Kai grow to know each other on a much deeper level than either thought possible for kinds: Slummer and Royal Enforcer.

As they build their relationship, each begin to question their true loyalties, what they have been raised to believe and how far they will go to save each other (and themselves).

Pae and Kai are both magnificent main characters. We hear the POV’s from both of them, the chapters alternating between the two.

Pae is sarcastic, witty and leery of any true commitments and friendships because of who she truly is on the inside. She is the typical primary female protagonist in a Fantasy series. She comes off a bit bitter but can also be seen in a playful, witty manner. She is seemingly beautiful in an unexpected way, and continuously finding herself in situations that put her in front of a deadly rival who is monstrously attracted to her. But it works for Pae. I loved her!

Kai is the dark, negative counter to Pae. He is her “Hunt Athalar”, if you read Crescent City. Deadly, dangerous and curiously romantic and soft with his single weakness, Pae. Kai has been viewed as a killer his entire life and has never had a true, intimate relationship with someone who sees him for him. He finally starts to feel as if Pae might be his missing link, except that Pae is now the one who refuses to let Kai know her biggest secret. The one secret that would force him to kill her.

I loved the witty banter between Kai and Pae. Although cliche, it works for the story and is vastly entertaining. There are a lot of similar flirting scenes and repetitive conversations that could possibly have been condensed. For the most part though, it fits the plot line. There was also a bit of a love triangle forming with Kit (Kai’s older brother and future King), who also seemed to be developing feelings for Pae. Although, it is clear that Pae’s true attraction is only towards Kai. Kit is a strong secondary character who adds to our relationship with Kai. He pulls out a side of Kai that we otherwise would not have seen.

The plot is developed beautifully from the start of the first chapter until the very end. It’s a world of magic similar to some others (think Fourth Wing minus the dragons), but very unique in itself with its origin of magic and the Elite Society ruling the realm.

I am still a little unsure of the reasoning behind the King’s hatred of Pae and her father. There must be more to the story on that line, so I am hoping those answers will come in the following books.

Powerless left me reeling after the last chapter… talk about a cliff hanger! Lauren Roberts wrote a magnificent story that is a killer first novel to a no doubt fantastic Fantasy series.