After the huge uproar over the book Powerless, Lauren Roberts continued her debut trilogy and has had copious amounts of success on her journey. Now, this first adventure has come to a close with the final book in her series, Fearless, which was released on April 8.
The first impression of Fearless to the general public is phenomenal. Both on Goodreads and Amazon, the book has over four stars out of five, with reviews raving over the characters and bittersweet ending. The press tour that Roberts is on for this book gives an even deeper insight into just how amazing it is by sating questions fans have about the series. All the characters are so well hashed out and complex, allowing for an encapsulating experience.
From the get go, the series is filled with twists and turns, betrayal, and—most outstanding—romantic tension. The books revolve around Paedyn, a powerless girl who needs to survive in a kingdom of people with magical capabilities. Though it seems banal, this series is slightly reminiscent of The Hunger Games, with a continual trial to please those higher in power and its effects snowballing into the other books. She faces moral dilemmas along with contradictions between her head and heart.
Roberts had this final book focus on the punishment Paedyn has to face for her treachery against the kingdom for rebelling. Her crimes forced an unready prince to the throne and put a bounty on her head. Not only that, but all the inhabitants of Ilya now know her best kept secret: she has no powers. After being discovered powerless in a sea of powers, she now has to face the tragic consequences of her charades and actions.
But not everything is black and white. This book wouldn’t classify as a “romantasy” if there wasn’t any romance. The man to decree her punishment, the now king, fell in love with her early in the first book. But he’s not the one she loves back. Though Kitt, king of Ilya, is dancing around his emotions for Paedyn, there is someone else who is steadfast in his feelings for her: Kai. The big wrench in all of this is that Kai is the younger prince. Now it is Kai who has to fight between his heart and his duty to his king. The relationship between Paedyn and Kai evolves rapidly through the books, just as they grow individually. In the first two books Paedyn and Kai get a lot closer making their relationship as endgame obvious.
In Fearless, we follow this couple as they face many challenges. Since Kai is a prince, his loyalty is supposed to lie to the crown. However, it aligns with Paedyn more and more. The romantic tension between Paedyn and Kai drastically shifts based on their surroundings, but there is a comforting rhythm to it as well, which has been visible all the way since the very first book. Their flirting becomes more personal and vulnerable, an obvious sign in their progressing bond. They share many adorable moments with one another, shaping each character to the reader and allowing for a connection between them to form. But from an open, teasing romance, their story shifts into a yearning and almost impossible one.
But the book isn’t all lovey dovey—there is political intrigue which takes form in such an interesting way and shifts the trajectory of Fearless in unimaginable ways. The basis of this book is that those with stronger powers are considered better and those without any are to be killed. Fearless challenges this law in their world. The new king, Kitt, now wants everyone to live in harmony. The novel explores the stiffness in changing such a mindset that has been set for decades past and just how much effort it takes.
Over all, this final installment of the Powerless series is the richest in both content as well as character development. Each character has shown radical development from start to finish and kept readers on the edge of their seats. Fearless exhibits common tropes spun masterfully, making them seamless to the progression of the book and bringing a smile to many different types of readers.
