Review by Ronny
Series Name: The Powerless Trilogy, # 2
Reckless is a thrilling and tense second installment in the Powerless trilogy.
Favourite Quote:
“Plagues, I love that sound,” he murmurs, making me fall silent. “I would tattoo it into my skin if it meant you’d laugh at me for doing it.”
Book Synopsis:
The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…
After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.
Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.
Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.
Review:
I’ve been putting off reading this book for a few months because I knew it would end on a cliffhanger, and I didn’t want to wait too long to dive into the final installment. With the last book coming out in the next couple of weeks, I knew it was time to read this book and see how much Lauren was going to break my heart. As I predicted, this book ends on a cliffhanger that will stab you in your heart and have you anxiously wanting to read the next installment. Now, before I dive into talking about what I loved about this book, be warned that this review will have spoilers from the first book, so if you haven’t read the first book, don’t read this review.
Reckless picks up right where Powerless ended. Paedyn is on the run after killing the King. Kitt, the newly crowned King, has ordered Kai to hunt Paedyn down and bring her back to him dead or alive. What I like about this book is that there isn’t just this external conflict and battle happening. You also have this internal battle raging on in both Paedyn and Kai’s heads, and this internal battle has just as much focus in the story as the external conflict. In the previous book, there was this forbidden love blooming between Paedyn and Kai. Paedyn knew that if Kai ever found out that she was an Ordinary, he would be forced to kill her because of his role as the King’s enforcer. The last bit of the first book revealed a few big surprises, one being that Kai was the person who killed Paedyn’s father. That revelation just added more wood to that internal fire raging on in our MC’s heads. The author did a fabulous job at showing her readers the inner struggle these two MCs are going through. You have this struggle dealing with these romantic feelings they have for each other, as well as one’s duty and loyalty and how far they are willing to go to fulfill their obligations. This forbidden love transforms into this true enemies-to-lovers situation. Both Paedyn and Kai are now firmly placed on opposing sides, and despite knowing they have duties and loyalties to either the King of the Resistance, they cannot fully wipe out those feelings they have for each other. I loved that their struggle continues for most of the book, the author makes both characters suffer internally and shows readers that there is no easy answer to the situation they find themselves in. This prolonged struggle makes their interactions feel real and believable. They don’t forgive and forget easily, and both characters must work hard to regain their trust.
Shifting to the external conflict, this book ebbs and flows with moments of fast-paced action to quiet moments between the two MCs. Once again, I really enjoyed the pacing and thought the story progressed in an interesting and entertaining manner. We spend most of this book in Dor, a neighbouring city that considers elites to be the enemy. But Dor isn’t a safe haven for Paedyn, who finds that even ordinaries are willing to partner with the enemy for the right price. Danger is around every corner, and the two MCs have to work together to survive. There is this road-trip trope-y vibe to this story. Paedyn and Kai travel through the majority of this book, which creates opportunities for that one-bed situation, having to cuddle to stay warm and take care of one another. Now, this is a YA book and is a clean romance. Nothing more than some kissing and cuddling happens between Paedyn and Kai. But that chemistry and sparks are still leaps from the pages. You can feel the tension between these two characters, and I am telling you that tension is delicious.
Another great thing about this book is that it doesn’t suffer from that second-book syndrome. This book doesn’t feel like this boring bridge book between the first and last installment; it also doesn’t feel like it’s a filler book whose only purpose is to set the stage for the final climax. There is some real substance to this book, and what this book allows is for Paedyn and Kai to deal with those feelings of betrayal, anger, and hurt that were caused by what had occurred in the first book. The last bit of the book also brings to light some hidden secrets that can possibly change or destroy their kingdom.
Reckless is an action-packed romantic filled with angst, betrayal, and forbidden love
