One person gets an idea that takes off, a lot of other people admire the idea and either want to jump on the bandwagon and cash in on the idea, or take the idea and remake it in their own way that they think is better. This is the difference between a rip off and an homage, at least in my book. Heart and passion are what makes an old concept still entertaining and not just playing the formula for your shot at fame. I've expressed my irritation with the "girl starts revolution" genre a couple of times now, but because there's not a lot of heart in a lot of those stories I've come across. Still, I keep turning to these books for a reason, so let's see how this latest piece holds up, shall we?
Theodosia witnessed her country overthrown, her people enslaved, and her mother murdered all before her eyes. Kept as her country's hostage, she's raised in the court of her enemies lead by the ruthless Kaiser, to be punished and humiliated for all to see as the trophy of her people's defeat. Theo must do everything she can to stay alive for her people's sake, but their moral is crumbling after the leader of the rebellion is defeated. But the rebellion soon finds her and Theo knows that it is time to bring life back to the remnants of her people and light the fires of war.
So, off the bat, while this story is familiar with today's dystopian, fantasy, rebellion type stories...I didn't hate this book. At all. In fact, I actually liked it pretty well. Now, here's why...while the story is familiar and we've heard a lot of stories like this in recent years, there's heart here. I can feel this being a passion project and the author trying to tell a good version of a story and not just the same story over and over again. While some of it was predictable, I didn't know where it was going every time. Each character brought something interesting to the story, the plot was full of intrigue, and world-building was well done too.
Theo is a character in an interesting predicament. She knows she's in a prison and her life is made up with defense mechanisms in order to survive this horrible world she's stuck in. As horrible as her prison is, it's what she's known ever since she was a little girl. That's her big struggle, to break out of her painful prison even after it's become comfortable for her. She's forbidden to know what the state of her people is and her captors are cleverly putting a wedge between her and them, making her no longer seem like one of them and, therefore, not a rallying point. However, when presented with the option to flee to anywhere that would have her, she refuses to just give up her title as her people's queen, making it her choice to stand and fight when others would just be happy to get her out of there. It's not a bad idea. Little clever touches like that make this story work. There's a lot of thought put into this set up and that's what sets it apart.
Now, I'm not going to pretend it's flawless or just try to defend it too much. There are flaws in this story and I have every intention of addressing them. For instance, I have trouble believing that the Kaiser's son, the Prinz, would grow up in this conqueror's society and come out as the perfectly friendly, helpful, peace-loving person he's portrayed to be. That's a little forced. There's also the familiar "plan" set up that I've talked about before. Talking at length about the plan, going over the plan, figuring out the plan and then me checking my watch wondering when this perfect "plan" is just going to fall apart while the plan that actually works is kept a mystery. That's something I'm never going to excuse. There is also, of course, a romance subplot that's...kinda sorta a love triangle but isn't really. It isn't even a love angle, as most of them really are. It's not a lone girl pining over which perfect and handsome boy she should choose. Each have their own stories and flaws and reasons why she shouldn't consider either of them. It's handled better than I've seen before but, I still kinda wish we could have just scrapped it altogether.
Unlike books like The Hundredth Queen or Reign of the Fallen or Red Queen, all of which were starting points of a new series that I had no interest in after reading the first, I actually kinda do want to see where things will go in the next book. I want to know what Theo's next move is, I want to see their enemies destroyed, I wanna see what the Prinz and Cress end up doing. Maybe it'll disappoint, maybe it'll be friggin' amazing, I have no idea. For whatever reason, this one got me and so you'll get my money for a least one more book.
Final Verdict
Despite a familiar set up and "girl starts revolution" burn out, I find myself actually enjoying this one. It's well written, the characters are interesting, the build up and pay off were well done. If you're still all for these types of books, I'd say check it out...but maybe wait for it on paperback
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller
Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242
Next Time: Monsters, danger, madness...it must be Halloween...in Holtur
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