POWERLESS | RANT REVIEW

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[@ReadswithRachel]

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[@lilyshadbolt29]

the sword slashes in kai's room feel very much the fantasy equivalent of an angsty teenage boy punching a hole in his wall

[@thelexicon7294]

I keep thinking of that one Star Wars scene of Kylo going nuts with a lightsaber. That, too, read as an unintentionally hilarious angsty temper tantrum.

[@andyenglish4303]

@@thelexicon7294 Unintentionally? You mean that wasn't supposed to be funny?

[@arcane9205]

​@@thelexicon7294It was just definitely an intentional tantrum lol

[@callmekodiak]

How DARE you suggest that books have plots.

[@ReadswithRachel]

🤣

[@kathrynolsen1256]

Unthinkable!

[@saraferguson1156]

INCONTHEEVABLE!

[@Victoria-_]

😂😂

[@UltimateCheetah-zs2iw]

And the plot doesn't make sense. For example, why does Paedyn, who is PRETENDING TO BE POWERFUL SO SHE DOESN'T GET EXECUTED, want to draw attention to herself by not wearing green at the ball? If I were her, I'd be trying to hide as much as possible, especially with all the attention already on me. This just shows that the plot was written to get to cool scenes in the book, instead of the scenes servicing the plot.

[@cur1ouscatf1sh]

I was over here mentally trying to decide if the main character is Peyton or Payton, then I started scrolling the comments and found out that her name is frickin *Paedyn*. What in the r/tragedeigh is this

[@kathrynolsen1256]

It’s not fantasy if it’s not ae. But Payton is the most “I’ve been wanting to write horny books since the ‘80s” name I know. I’ve seen it in several romances that are also paranormal AND smutty written by someone in their 40s.

[@jessicar2609]

@@kathrynolsen1256 this author is like 23, so in this case, she's just bad at names

[@mariaerdgzn]

literally sounds like she could be Truly Eclair’s sibling

[@empressfreya9872]

@@kathrynolsen1256 I just choked on my laugh because my fantasy book's protagonist has an ae name. 🤦‍♀

[@kitkatattack20]

The moment I saw the main character was named Paedyn, I knew this was not a book for me.

[@kiefer666]

I was listening to this while working and assumed the whole time it was something still white but reasonable, like paydon or payden. Seeing the actual spelling is gonna put me in the fucking ground

[@xRaiofSunshine]

@@kiefer666Staeven, Paeter, Jaeffrey, need I go on? 😂

[@GOATTRANSLATIONE]

​@@xRaiofSunshineJhaenneifer.

[@t00tt00t]

OH NO 😭😭😭 I WAS WATCHING THE VID IN THE BACKGROUND AND HAD NO IDEA THATS HOW HER NAME SPELLED. I THOUGHT IT WAS Payden like HAYDEN buT with a P 😭😭😭😭

[@luckyowl6432]

Can someone please explain this to me? Having it spelled that way is bad?

[@lacata2570]

This feels like the answer to How can a book with a female main character not pass the Bechdel test?

[@pagesinked]

I'm not a huge fan of the Bechdel test tbh. Even some of my fav media doesn't pass it, like apparently Iron Widow doesn't pass it, and I loved Iron Widow. I think it should be a different test on whether a female character has her own thoughts, agency and makes her own choices and decisions based on the information she has. I don't think only talking to another woman about a topic other than men is the only metric we should measure in media pertaining to feminism. But idk if I made sense.

[@lacata2570]

@pagesinked you're right, it's not a good enough metric, but it's the most well-known one, at least I can't remember any other.... Edit: and you made perfect sense!! Don't ever doubt yourself cause you're great!! ... Yes, at first I was going to argue and say that Yelena and Natasha speak many times about things other than men, but then I noticed you wrote Iron Widow, not Black Widow, so that one's on me 😅

[@Mathee]

@@pagesinked To be fair, the Bechdel Test is pretty misunderstood; it was less designed to test specific pieces of media, and more to examine large trends in media. So it's less "this specific piece of media is sexist because there isn't two named female characters who have a conversation that isn't about men" and more "when this test was made, there was a large trend in popular media where the vast majority of media made didn't even have two named female characters have a single conversation about something that didn't center around men". So it's more of a test of how sexist the media landscape in general is by applying the test to individual pieces of media and seeing how many of them pass, and if the vast majority doesn't, ask why.

[@m2012o1]

Not a good enough metric and was never meant to be one, but to me, definitely a minimum requirement. A full novel that never has morethan one woman existing in the scene in a meaningful way is a novel that isn't doing as much as it could. You can like works that aren't perfect. There are plenty of beloved books that barely have any female characters. Acknowledging faults isn't the same as writing off.

[@abelvanvroztco.7949]

Exception for both Harems of Metaphore City and Operation ZEIT that passed Bechdel test. Harems of Metaphore City (currently has ongoing 4 books) has over 50++ named female characters which 10 of them is the MMC love interests. In some episodes of that series, they have a lot of topics to be discussed about such as book reviews for kids, future plan when radical feminism take over the conservative country, parenting dilemma, K-Drama they watched on, childhood flashbacks, their career, the murder mystery and so much more. Operation ZEIT also has bunch of named female characters no matter what timeline they have been to (16th century medieval, 1881 steampunk Victoria, 2181 cyberpunk). Even though it takes place in same country, Metaphora, these ladies always have a topic to be discussed about. Currently this story is in progress but there are some example such as in 2181 cyberpunk world, two scientist volunteers talked about foreign minerals when they explored the wasteland. In 1881 steampunk Victoria, there are a few scenes but one of them is the moment at the ball where there is one rich aristocrate discussed with two new accomplished ladies regarding how Metaphorian elite / upper class politic works where they always try to tear down one another....

[@tomdelongjohns]

i wonder if a lot of the social-media-sensation-turned-authors have written before they wrote the book they went viral with. i know i had to write a TON before i felt like i had anything vaguely polished. this book in particular feels very much "baby's first fanfiction" and that's an important step in every writer's journey, but like... how do you get a deal for something like this? i see so much of my 12 yr old habits in this - avoiding writing a community bc it's too complicated to juggle that many characters, giving the mc an uncommon name, not thinking through the politics of anything i'm writing because i just wanna focus on "the fun stuff."

[@ostatnifajek128]

Right? I'm just so happy that writing platforms were basically non existent when I was a kid, so the only embarrassed person now is me.

[@wearenotdoinggethelp3333]

this! i've been putting my writing out into the world for about 6 years now and reading my first original work I put on wattpad would make me feel so awkward right now, two years and five drafts into writing a fantasy novel. and I am sure that in 6 more years time this same thing will also seem awful haha

[@hailey_games]

I completely agree!

[@lawliet6910]

Yep! My fanfiction phase was my writing training wheels. Not all fanfiction is training wheels, but many of us who go on to write original works DID use fanfiction as training wheels. My first fanfiction did fairly well enough but I literally can't reread it because I'm so embarrassed HAHA

[@stephaniestrok7031]

Exactly! And I see so many people using her age as an excuse to why things don’t make any sense or why the writing is bad and I’m like yeah, that’s what fan fiction websites are made for: a place you can practice writing without charging people.

[@VieDeBle]

If you write the magical equivalent to ethnic cleansing you CANNOT make the reader sympathize with a major player in that operation just by giving him dimples ffs 🤦

[@jaxj968]

YES

[@Shortandnerdyy]

It would make sense if he was just oblivious to it or brainwashed into believing it, but he is LITERALLY one main people doing the ethical cleansing! And making us try to sympathize with him because he doesn’t do it to children or if he throws up after it happens.

[@DarwinRoger893]

​@@Shortandnerdyymfw when throwing up in response to violence and bloodshed doesn't absolve me from the crime of commiting murders

[@antheathetiefling8581]

*hot liquid spills down my arm* "Damn it!" I hiss " what's wrong?" My husband asks. "I spilt sauces on my arm again"

[@kathrynolsen1256]

In 11th grade, I played varsity softball. I was running to catch a pop fly and it hit me in the forehead. I caught the ball, fell over, and came up still holding the ball while my team cheered me for the hustle. Then I realized I was really sweaty. Nope. Sweat was lots of blood from a gash in my forehead. That’s what I think of.

[@theflyingspaget]

​@@kathrynolsen1256 is this a common problem because this has happened to me multiverse times, I don't notice the cut until I try and wipe away the "sweat" and my hand comes away red. I think you're more likely to mistake blood for something else than mistake honey for blood...

[@lilacfields]

@@kathrynolsen1256omg the way i had a similar thing happen to me but with a baseball bat to the forehead. was like “woah that hurt” and held my hand to my head. had no idea i was bleeding until i took my hand off and it started dripping down onto it

[@MissSeaShell]

​@@theflyingspagethoney feels nothing like blood 😭

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

Amazing. The fanfic I wrote in an afternoon while recovering from wisdom teeth surgery and posted to AO3 without even having anyone beta read it makes more sense than this book.

[@andyenglish4303]

To paraphrase Luke Skywalker: "Amazing. Every word in this [600 page book] is wrong."

[@theflyingspaget]

In its defense, all the best fanfics are written while the author is on drugs, going through a crisis, or both.

[@andyenglish4303]

@@theflyingspaget That tracks.

[@wren1024]

Please link?

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

@wren1024 Here you go! archiveofourown.org/works/57089122 It’s a Good Omens fic, specifically based on the TV adaptation, so I recommend watching at least the first episode if you haven’t already, just so you’ll have the context.

[@peggyluwhoreads]

1:23:19 Wait, so the mind readers were banished by the king, but she's there at these trials saying she's psychic? How is she as a psychic (albeit a fake) supposed to be different than a mind reader/.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Peggy don’t ask such reasonable questions

[@ShinySuccubus]

don’t bring logic to a gun fight 🤣

[@peggyluwhoreads]

@@ReadswithRachel I can’t help having a brain, Rachel. Trust me; I’ve tried to not.

[@theflyingspaget]

Completely unrelated to your comment but I read your handle with the wrong mental spacing

[@imachair4681]

Ok good I’m not crazy

[@andyenglish4303]

Seeing how careless a lot of authors are with their world-building makes me feel like an idiot for picking apart my own for logical inconsistencies and continuity errors.

[@ReadswithRachel]

It’s a fair percentage of why I haven’t finished my WIP. I want every plot hole closed and every inconsistency straightened out or I just won’t write it 😂

[@joyc.e.7511]

Makes me feel better about my own writing, tbh. It may take a long time, but I know anything I put out will never be this lacking in consistency. Don't feel bad about wanting your world to make sense, the best authors do that😊

[@lilrosetattoo]

It took me six years to develop, write and edit my book for this exact reason.

[@Grey_3438]

​@@ReadswithRachel Real 😭💀

[@jaxj968]

same 😭 i go over and go over and go over my world and watching these videos lmao

[@Stu161]

I yearn to hear this woman talk about bad books I will never read the same way Victorian children yearned for the mines 😂

[@amandapanda5087]

Same 😂

[@Rivenlore99]

😂 That’s a great way to put it, definitely feel the same

[@pompodorkii624]

Whenever a book is described as ‘if X and X book had a baby’ or ‘like X with some X’ BY THE AUTHOR, big red flags for me. Ik authors want to promo to people who might like their books by using similar media, but god it just feels like they are riding the coat tails of others

[@randomspider725]

I think it might be a publishing thing. Publishers only seem to be interested in “easy” plots these days, so combining two well-known things would catch their attention and give a higher chance of getting your book noticed. It’s scummy and lazy, but book companies seem to only want money quick and fast.

[@_vexilee]

Publishers and agents want that kind of comparison for pitch purposes for marketing usually, but when thats the only selling point and its in place of any summary (it was never meant for readers really) I agree, it's so silly

[@randomchannel323]

@@_vexilee Yeah I don't like it I think it leads to a more generic story because it needs aspects of other well selling books just to get produced

[@beeaggro2593]

its due to the nature of pitches. That's usually how things are pitched e.g; famously the pitch for GoT was Lord of the Rings meets the Sopranos

[@pompodorkii624]

@@beeaggro2593 i think think the difference here is GoT is inspired in more of an amalgam - its bits and pieces are definitely made up of more than LOTR and The Sopranos but it probably takes world building, setting and character influences from them. The problem is when a pitch becomes the selling point to audiences rather than execs - and I think the people writing such books nowadays and allowing them to be promoted to audiences as such fail to create a story enhanced by its influences and not just carried by their prestige.

[@maenochka1833]

"Paedyn" feels like one of those Mormon naming conventions where two moms wanted to name their respective children Peyton so one had to go hog wild with the aeiou(and sometimes y)s. Also her last name is Gray...and her hair is silver. Everyone's So Creative :D

[@camilliatobler3810]

@@maenochka1833 I mean, there's also Teala to consider. Fits both of those critiques too lol

[@ComedyPlastic]

It's awful

[@jessicar2609]

I said this in my goodreads review. Felt very Mormon with the spelling

[@kaitlyngracey6409]

Paedyn is the name of the feral child in the child fighting ring in the DnD podcast Dungeons and Daddies.

[@taylorlc]

there are so many holes in this plot it is triggering my trypophobia

[@kaialexander6806]

Love that the book opens with Paedyn _climbing up a chimney_ considering the author decided halfway through that she's claustrophobic. Big fan of books with so many glaring red flags that your reading experience is playing whack-a-mole with matadors and you are one exasperated bull.

[@mooninmie395]

what a colorful image that paints, hah!

[@giveandtake8428]

I thought the same thing when she stated that.

[@jessicar2609]

She was trying to give her an Inej moment and failed.

[@Whwjsiekei]

@@jessicar2609REALL LIKE IM SORRY BUT POWERLESS WAS LITERALLY A CARBON COPY OF ALMOST EVERY POPULAR BOOK😭

[@TheAbigailDee]

Sometimes at my job where I've worked for almost 8 of my 29 years, I panic when it's busy because too many people bc I'm claustrophobic. IMAGINING climbing a chimney makes me genuinely sweat.

[@Marie45610]

As somebody who grew up on an alfalfa farm, falling into hay isn't as comfy as fiction likes to make us think. Even unbailed hay is still really scratchy and can slowly pack in on itself if it sits long enough. So that one line alone would take me out of things. Hay is "heavy", it isn't fluffy like wool.

[@MortMe0430]

Oh yeah! Knew a stable manager once who had an unfortunate accident due to weight of hay. She was in a loft moving some bails, was lifting one, the twine (?) holding her bail broke, and with the sudden weight loss against the force she was lifting with she lost balance and fell backwards down to ground floor and broke at least one bone. Was probably lucky she didn't have a life-threatening injury. Farm / barn stuff ain't a joke.

[@oi2715]

Ugh and when it gets in your boots and socks and gets so pokey😖

[@Jazminsaysit]

Alfalfa!? As someone with lupus I'm terrified 😰

[@Hatsoonmeek]

I've literally been cut by hay before lol not to mention sometimes it stabs you just right

[@xRaiofSunshine]

Regular grass can be scratchy and uncomfortable, why would that change just cuz it got dried out? 😨

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

My least favorite informed trait authors give their female characters is "unusually observant/cunning" then she's only given a couple Sherlock™ Moments and the rest of the time she's easily fooled, manipulated, or generally getting run in circles by her Love interest.

[@JesseRowanShawe]

Sooo tired of characters with traits/skills etc. that are TOLD instead of SHOWN stop telling me they're smart/clever when they never actually make a smart decision and stop telling me they're the best of the best at their trade when they consistently fail for Plot Reasons please I am begging

[@TheAbigailDee]

I'm so observant except for when the plot calls for it 👍

[@LaineMann]

Well this is ONE Silver Lining: you reminded me to watch Psych again. 😂

[@the_waterlemon5296]

@@LaineMann my roomate and I started watching it again and I forgot just how fun it is. It quickly became one of my favorite shows, it just feels so cosy

[@rae3781]

It's always a good time to watch Psych 🍍

[@blackcatkai]

my spouse and i just finished our like millionth watch-through and now I'm already gonna have to start it again, too!

[@aprilgracedomingo5522]

🍍

[@strangestauthor]

these alliterations are alienating the audience

[@ReadswithRachel]

Awfully. Abundantly. Abysmally.

[@SkyArrow24]

A book being described as like the Hunger Games is an immediate red flag thanks to books like these. None of them understand what the hunger games was actually about, they just think of it as teenagers fight to the death but there's a love triangle and its romantic

[@jaxj968]

exactly

[@camillekartchner]

"So you can smell real good?" was BEGGING for a clip from Psych with Gus and his super sniffer

[@ReadswithRachel]

The amount of Gus clips I missed is a crime

[@rae3781]

Same with "We're saying balls too much" with Lassie saying "we don't have balls" and Shawn saying "I have no response to that."

[@astrocytes]

The sticky cinnamon buns are straight out of the Serpent&Dove series. The protagonist loves sticky buns, and the enemy-to-lover love interest getting her one is supposed to be a sweet moment. so even the pastries are plagiarized. 😂

[@jaxj968]

no way 😭

[@xiexielian]

I'm really tired of rebel plot against the evil king, im really tired of lost princess with overpower powers, I'm really tired of hunger games trials, I'm really tired of mary sues,I'm really tired of love triangle and pick me girls, I'm really exauted of no worldbuilding, no magic system, no plot, and how everything is wrote for the sake of hot spice paragrphs

[@theflyingspaget]

This... Can we introduce booktok to the concept of smut fics? I promise those will be a thousand times more satisfying than the half-ass spicy scenes in these books, and as a bonus, they're free.

[@katierasburn9571]

honestly? i'm down for the plot against the king thing but i've yet to see anybody DO IT WELL. could we PLEASE have a story bout a resistance movement plotting against the king and recruiting and not have everyone and everything be stupid???

[@xiexielian]

@@katierasburn9571 i think the major problem is the ppl want to make a evil king but they don't know how a monarchy works is it a absolutist monarchy? Is it a parliamentary? Constitutional monarchy? They just put an evil king doing evil stuff and the rebels sometimes are worse than the king 😆 in the end they onde draw a box to plot a romance with a empty background of world.

[@saraferguson1156]

I wouldn’t mind any of these tropes IF they were done well. If the author didn’t just fall back on the same tired overdone versions instead of trying to find a new angle. But they don’t and it’s sooooo cringe and just seems like the same recycled scene over and over no matter what book

[@jaxj968]

a good version of this I read recently was called “Immortal Longings”, although I have my gripes with that too

[@incuriousgaze]

I don’t understand why if they wanted us to like this man as a love interest…. Why couldn’t he gave either had A. A character arc or if that’s not the authors jam because it’s too much work we have B. He was actually secretly running an operation to get these families out and across the desert. Maybe he uses the assignments he gets as a way of finding them and he brings supplies. Maybe he feels guilty because it isn’t enough, or something I don’t know. Because even if he’s not actively committing genocide (he is) then he’s STILL participating in ethnic cleansing by just dropping ordinaries off in the desert to die

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

I feel like the "enemies to lovers" arc would've made so much more sense if he was worried she was the one person who could reveal that he's been going against the king's direct orders. While SHE was worried b/c he was the one person who could reveal her Ordinary status. Nah, but instead we get, "I know that he's an unrepentant murderer and would wipe me out just for existing, but... dimples."

[@incuriousgaze]

@@TheNumnutRandomness exactly I’m just sitting here yelling at her to STAND UP. Bros out here committing the ethnic cleansing of her group and she’s like but he’s sexy 🥺 both have them should’ve had a more active role in the situation. Like she’s complaining but what is she doing about it to stop these things? Protests? Maybe SHE should be the one getting them out. And what is he doing? It’s such a wishy washy stance where he just sends them off so he doesn’t have blood directly on his hands and then forgets about the people he just sent off to their likely death. It would be more compelling for him to either wholeheartedly believe the propaganda OR because the king has always treated him so terribly, do so much more to help the ordinaries. Like it just ain’t cute

[@tacticalcheeks]

@@TheNumnutRandomness this literally sums up one of the biggest problems I had with this book. I got 1/4 of the way through and just couldn’t drop the the fact that paedyn was ‘distracted’ by Kai’s abs and how ‘mysterious’ he was when she KNEW what his role was…yet she was absolutely hating on kitt, someone who had done nothing inherently ‘bad’ (like what Kai is doing) at this point in the book other than resemble the king :|

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

Plus if you bring this up re: books like this sometimes people are like ‘but we want a ~bad boy’ or whatever but like?? Make him a scary spy! Even for a good cause people have to be hardasses in dangerous situations?? It’s like they have no concept of character writing so they just hammer you over the head with gracelessly executed, borderline trivialized evil actions rather than build tension atmosphere or menace through subtler action and onscreen personality.

[@incuriousgaze]

@@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf the idea of bad boys also came from rebels and punks who are usually not genocidal maniacs but instead rebel against the norm. He isn’t a bad boy for being a prince complicit in genocide… he’s like every other royal in the history of this world. A REAL bad boy would be undermining his father and the system in any way possible

[@ThistlesForEyes]

Every time you said Ace, I was confused and thought, "There's Ace rep in this book? Men can't have long hair but can be ace?" But then I realize the author made up a term for their book. My disappointment has been piqued. Also, couldn't the power duplication prince have figured out she was 'powerless' when he tried to absorb her power and then found he couldn't?(Edit to add question)

[@seanboggs215]

Shush, don't interrupt the plot holes.

[@ragingdevi]

My brain got a little confused hearing "Ace" in that usage constantly, because aside from thinking about Ace rep or "the ace" (like, a person who's good at everything), because of how it was being used as a name, my brain kept thinking like "oh, a ww2 flying ace?" every time

[@avalyea4979]

@@ThistlesForEyes i feel like my brain latches onto the word ace so very readily... like context be damned lol

[@ThistlesForEyes]

@avalyea4979 Same. As an Ace person I get caught off guard by it every time.

[@Rivenlore99]

Ah, same; I keep getting confused too

[@not_actually_a_jellybean]

Authors describing their main characters eye colours in these books sound exactly like the author of "my immortal"😂

[@cur1ouscatf1sh]

Hi my name is Paedyn Dark'ness Dementia Raven Gray and I have long silver gray hair (that's how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and ocean blue eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like Amy Lee (AN: if u don't know who she is get da hell out of here!). I'm not related to Gerard Way but I wish I was because he's a major fucking hottie. I'm an Ordinary but I pretend to be psychic so I don’t get killed. I have pale white skin. I'm also a thief, and I’m trapped in the knock off hunger games in the capital of my country. I'm a goth (in case you couldn't tell) and I wear mostly black. I love my bff Adena at least when I remember she exists and I get lots of my clothes from her. For example today I was wearing a black corset with matching lace around it and a shimmery silver dress the same color as my hair, pink fishnets and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow. I was walking outside the palace. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of Elites stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

[@natesamadhi33]

What? You don't like reading about shimmering blue orbs of sight?

[@kattodoggo3868]

@@natesamadhi33 orbs, pools, what else we have? ponds?

[@goodnight-moon564]

⁠@@kattodoggo3868Balls, circles, pits - donuts probably

[@xRaiofSunshine]

@@cur1ouscatf1sh😭😭😭😭😭

[@robinronin]

HANDY ANDY I'M CHOKING SEND HELP. Who over the age of 12 names their characters like that I CAN'T 😭

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

tbh in a different book I’d buy it humans love to name each other and themselves dumb alliterative/rhyming things all the time. I have known people IRL who would 100% have said ‘handy Andy reporting for duty!’ about themselves if their name was Andy and they were coming over to help with your sink 🤣 but yeah it’s all about context

[@jennderqueer]

ALWAYS AVOID ALLITERATION 💀💀💀

[@SpookyStag2015]

my fav part of any review like this that rachel does is to see the fancasting. not only does it genuinely help me follow the story, but it's so funny to imagine fantasy ariana grande hitting a high note while she idk does fake magic or something

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

Ughhhhh why is it so popular it makes me so mad these books are selling like crazy when actually good YA books have just 100-200 reviews in goodreads which I assume is proportional to sales

[@ereristark425]

I really need to find unpopular but GOOD books so badly.

[@TuningAnApple]

@@Srbthmlnsmth list some recs please?

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

@@TuningAnApple soooo my fav this year that actually Rachel introduced me to is, by far, Spin of Fate (YA fantasy with scientific magic system and phenomenal worldbuilding) but it’s not for everyone (basically all 3 MCs are kinda selfish assholes tho I think they’re well written assholes with v interesting arcs that u don’t normally see in YA, also the romance is hardly there, just the start of a what I THINK is gonna be a gay slowburn which might bother ppl who want the girl to get the guy but I ship the guys lol so I’m happy) It only had 100 reviews when I last checked which is ridiculous honestly The second one is not YA but adult and it’s Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan, I got an arc in a giveaway and just finished it it’s phenomenal. Brandon Sanderson himself trained the author I think and posted about the book which is how I found out. It has amazing worldbuilding and magic and very very character driven.. but also and an asshole MC though the author does a good job developing and making u root for them even when they do bad things. it’s not out yet, releases in 2 weeks. But u can check Petrik Leo’s review. It’s standalone btw while Spin of Fate is book 1 of a series. Also though it’s an adult it kinda felt YA to me in parts so maybe you’ll enjoy even if ur looking for YA. (I have way more recs if u want, I’m just talking about the ones that have 100-200 reviews)

[@optimusprimal6155]

you said "oh yeah the names are very YA" and I was NOT ready for How YA they are.... Its Distracting

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

no, not Paedyn? the most normal and non-ya name

[@natesamadhi33]

shouldve just went full Wattpad & named her Paedyn Moon Ravyngail

[@aromaladyellie]

I can already like, feel how I'd rewrite this, which is that Ordinaries don't have powers, but the trade-off is that they are much, much healthier than the Plagued, who have shorter lifespans because while they're born with gifts they're also born either with the Plague but unable to spread it, or are born immunocompromised, and most die before the age of 40. The King says Ordinaries are out stealing life force from the Plagued to justify hunting them (he doesn't fully explain how they're doing it either, just that they are and allows the public to fill in the blanks), but in reality that's what *he* is doing to Ordinaries to extend his own life (and those of his sons) as that is *his* "gift"- absorbing life energy from people and things. Only Ordinaries are thrown into the arena, not Plagued, and it's regarded as punishment and entertainment for "stealing" life force from people. Peyden (which is a very stupid name) fakes having powers to avoid being pinned as an Ordinary and thrown into the death arena, and does it so well that she is *tasked with predicting the outcomes of the fights* for Kitt, who has a gambling problem and he wants to use her to cheat. Kai looks down on her using her gift like that, but because she now lives in the castle as Kitt's personal assistant she spends a lot of time around Kai, too. The Plagued would always be able to display their powers, where Ordinaries wouldn't be able to do so (but some get by faking powers, like Peyden, but it never lasts forever because they live longer lives than Plagued, who typically don't survive their 30's, which would also 'justify' the protagonists being youthful, unlike how they are normally). idk to me that would just make more sense than what she did write.

[@giordiennegabriel9414]

This already sounds much more plausible than what the author created

[@izzyeis5752]

obsessed

[@theflyingspaget]

See this is why I hate books with bad world building/concepts. It's so damn easy to come up with good ideas, the hard part is writing the book. You already did the hard part! Why skimp out on the easy stuff?

[@the_cats_noodles3338]

No, but I’d love to actually read this!

[@katierasburn9571]

you're so smart girl i want this

[@booksfrombed]

Am I wrong to think this is secretly written by someone who was dared to write the most nonsensical, derivative garbage with all the BookTok boxes checked and publish it for giggles? I thought Fourth Wing was bad but *YEESH*.

[@kennedymichael9403]

As someone with “half” cousins it is in fact where you only share one grandparent. But like no one goes out of their way to say that they’re half cousins you just say you’re cousins

[@ghostlystarsss]

I didn't know my cousins were technically my half cousins until I was 13 lol- people seriously don't go out of the way to say it.

[@onarosebeam]

This is how I realize that like half of my cousins are “half cousins”. This seems like the most unimportant way of denoting this😭 Just draw the family tree it’ll make more sense!

[@ava_marie_v]

This comment made me stop and think for a second and go "oh, yeah, I guess I have half cousins too." That's how unrealistic using that label in a book is😂 I literally had to calculate my family tree in my head for a second because I just call them my cousins. I also technically have a step cousin as well because she's the daughter of my mom's stepsister, but she's also just my cousin.

[@ava_marie_v]

Now that I think about it, you could use those labels as a way to build character dynamics. Like, say one character was raised to view family as only full blood. Or maybe their mother was divorced or cheated on or something so they deliberately use labels like "half cousins" as a way to separate out the family. But that's pretty much the only utility I could see for it.

[@Jessf-rn5lo]

I do specify that someone's my "half cousin" or "second cousin" when I really don't like them. Like I have an entire side of the family that's so weird I feel I need to distance myself from them.

[@imachair4681]

2:38:00 “Grief is a bitch, I should have known better. If I had a wish I would have never effed around.” -KaiKai Siwa, inventor of straight pop

[@jaxj968]

HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@jaxj968]

THE CACKLE I JUST LET OUT

[@farawayfaerie8829]

I reached my breaking point on TikTok when I had to unfollow the author because there would be one video after the next on my page of her reading cringy lines from her book then gushing over them 😅

[@Max-fo7db]

@@farawayfaerie8829 it feels like a case of someone never being told no and has never bothered with editing

[@mirimariana]

I'm tired of corny lines, I keep running into them. Exhibit one: 'Thats the different between you and me, if she set the world on fire you'd put it out, I'd give her matches' Author was GUSHING over this sentence, when it doesn't even make any sense. What will she do with matches when the world is already on fire? Set herself on fire???🤦🏿‍♀️

[@Max-fo7db]

@@mirimarianayeah not even an ounce of critical thought when an editor would have caught that immediately (or a good one should have, at least

[@darkdream1469]

​@@mirimariana 😂😂😂

[@missxfaith]

For everyone pointing out how stupid the FMC’s name is, the author said during a book signing thing recently that she just typed in “badass girl names” or “hot guy names” into Google, and that’s how she got her character names. I’m not shading writers who do that (because I use those lists for inspiration sometimes, too), but like…c’mon. Paedyn is a stupid ass name and I’ve seen some variation of “Kai” in several different fantasy/urban fantasy/dystopian books. Most of them YA.

[@natesamadhi33]

Her googling "hot guy names" perfectly encapsulates how these booktok books are conceived

[@rainydayjules]

dude. I can’t believe she’d admit that???

[@Kaiheart]

Prince Kai aka Lunar Chronicles main male love interest.

[@missxfaith]

@@Kaiheart that may be why the name sounded so familiar to me

[@Kaiheart]

@missxfaith That's what it sounded like for me, though I can't really talk cause I named myself after a different Kai. lol

[@krystinabreak6686]

"Scolding sun" was in the audiobook too. I thought the narrator had randomly manifested an accent for a second. I was so confused 😂

[@xRaiofSunshine]

Erm, I expected better of you, next time you read I hope you’re able to avoid those mistakes ☝️🌞

[@rescueferret8834]

Lol respect, I could see a voice actor/narrator going "well they're paying me to read what's written, they'll have to pay more for me to edit!"

[@frenzy2061]

Why are these books so generic. I can't count the number of book reviews I've watched where the main character doesn't have powers (they're usually awakened later on) and one's where the main guy gives her an annoying ass nicknames like it's supposed to be cute. There's always a sexually charged sparring scene. The characters are always instantly attracted to each other even though the love interest is usually a terrible person responsible for lots of atrocities that get swept under the rug. There's always a ball they have to attend for no reason. The banter is always over written and generic. It's always a half-hearted 'enemies to lovers' thing. There's always a 'who did this to you' scene. I can't take it anymore lmao. Why do these authors not want to make something that's different, that stands out.

[@flyingpigs1227]

@@frenzy2061 I recommend iLana Markarovs books for fantasy masterpieces! The depth, emotions, characters ans everything is amazing!

[@theflyingspaget]

I want to write a YA fantasy where the main character has powers but then has then taken away so we can have the powerless trope with it actually being interesting (they have to learn to compensate for their lack of power during the book rather than having a thousand faux clever things they already do) and have the enemies to lovers arc actually start with them being enemies and hating each other for real reasons before they actually grow to like each other slowly... Too bad I can't write.

[@queenb2450]

So true! However, I definitely eat up a trope of "who did this to you" if it's in a right time, charged of emotions. You can do tropes WELL and it'll fit, but just having a checklist is lazy writing like this entire book.

[@ProcrastinatingRn]

This is so real, and I'm so tired of seeing it in books😭😭😭

[@DarwinRoger893]

I have read so many books like this, its all An amorphous blob in my head now

[@a.m.1528]

A minute in and we get a Psych reference?! I don't even care what's in the rest of the review, you already got my like

[@haemocyte2224]

Didn't the book open with this supposedly claustrophobic person climbing up the inside of a chimney?

[@ReadswithRachel]

Y E S. Make it make sense!!!!

[@YinYangAngel55]

Kai Azer....Kaiser...as in emperor?

[@asteridshydrangea-jt2hf]

oh my god

[@jaxj968]

OH MY GOSH

[@RayDragonM]

WAIT A DAMN MINUTE-

[@crystalightz]

I really wish it was that deep 💀... But it goes as deep as "powerless is named powerless because the main character is powerless"

[@jaxj968]

@@crystalightz you’re so right 😭

[@MrDoenyon]

Why is it those authors always keep repeating that their characters are killers, rather than you know, make them kill people ? This is so cringe. :D

[@randomchannel323]

Hunger Games as a comp title is such a red flag. It's an outlier success and came out years ago in like 2011

[@IzzysTravelDiaries]

It was successful because you cared about the characters. That's what a lot of these books fail to do.

[@HeartseekerJinx]

Yes, but Hunger Games has recently had a revival with booktok. I assume that’s why it’s come up a ton as a comp title in the last few years. Of course, books have used the hunger games as a comp title without actually understanding what the hunger games was about since it was published, so nothing new in that regard.

[@randomchannel323]

@@HeartseekerJinx Oh yeah I wish they would use Songbirds and Snakes as the actual comp title then. But even that is too popular and sounds like you are overhyping your book

[@HeartseekerJinx]

@@randomchannel323 yeah totally agree. I hate comp titles in general but they’re so ingrained in both the querying and marketing process I don’t think they’re going anywhere. At least have the sense to be accurate about it.

[@xRaiofSunshine]

It was also researched and written well, and had something to say about inequality 🙃

[@angryotter9129]

💀 💀 💀 This book made Rachel rebuke in the name of JC. That’s gotta be a war crime.

[@margaux4466]

Why does she only snap at Kit regarding poverty and Royal privilege lol isn't Kai also royalty ?

[@friendlyghosthost1830]

No you don’t understand Kai is edgy and dark and abused so that makes it IMPOSSIBLE for him to benefit from royal privilege! s/

[@crystalightz]

Literally me the whole book and then she only started hating him when she found out he killed her dad... Like mam this guy has been killing ordinaries like every day.. Why not hate Kai more? ... But then again he's hot and the love interest so how can she 😂... She's on and on about how kit has his father's eyes which reminds her of the fact that the king and the royality killed her father.... While Kai is literally committing genocide out there against her kind.

[@ghostoyster]

the title would go hard if the plot twist is that NO ONE has powers, everyone is pretending, but it’s generations of doing so, so no one knows everyone else is also faking.

[@trucevideos]

that... would be SO funny omg 😭😭

[@amandapanda5087]

​@trucevideos Yeah 😭

[@RayDragonM]

wait that would go insanely hard actually-

[@TheGemaskerde]

I got an ad in the middle of you reading out one of Kai's lines and it was honestly better than the actual book. 2:15:52 "My only regret is" - "dry, sensitive skin" 🤣 Thank you for all the belly laughs you gave me in this video.

[@maddiedoesntkno]

If you’re in a library or archive reading real hard, you’re _PORING_ over the papers (as in _pore_ - to be absorbed in the reading or study of materials)

[@Baby.Puss.In.Boots.]

Against my better judgement I read this, it's actually impressive how bad it is. Powerless has been added to my list of books where if someone LOVES it I can't trust their book recommendations.

[@sstjohn96]

Ah. Armbands. Capture the flag but make it 🗡danger 🗡

[@netnet_in_a_sweater9351]

I think a major flaw with certain romances in books is that the prioritize the romance over the characters so instead of two characters being together because of mutual respect admiration and trust, they’re only together after they check off trope boxes. I especially find this egregious in enemies to lovers stories cause everything is the same. Knife to the throat, possessiveness, “I hate you” “and you love it” and friends.

[@emaeya]

The problem is these new authors are writing to check off items on a list. Does it have smut? Does it have banter? Is the mc “not like other girls”? Is the male mc hot and a bad boy? Is it like the hunger games? And they’re missing the fact that the hunger games was written with a real purpose. These authors aren’t writing for a purpose they’re writing for money which is why their books turn out so hollow. There’s no motivation behind their work

[@birdeaux7991]

There's something about your inflection sometimes where I can tell you've been talking w/ Natalie Megan - her brand of sass is bleeding into your own and this sad little book is gonna be obliterated!

[@ReadswithRachel]

I filmed this RIGHT after visiting her and I can hear it too 😂

[@Bookishbyjennaavh]

yessss the psych clips are amazing! no one ever talks about that show and I am so glad someone else loves that show

[@jaxj968]

Psych is such a great show, i love it

[@ledafrost]

The alliteration broke into my house and poked me in the eye

[@seraphonica]

not only is it insulting to literally spell out who the ordinaries are - it amazes me that so many writers push back against "show, don't tell". Imagine how much less effective that series of wizard books someone unimportant wrote a while back would be if we just got told by the narrator what a Muggle was. instead, several of the characters get called one before it's explained and it makes us WANT the explanation.

[@Trunksette]

this review is so depressing because this is the premise of one of my fav niche anime/manga talentless Nana. It's about a girl with no powers who infiltrates a school full of kids with superpowers by pretending to be a psychic and her goal is to murder them all one by one while not being caught as either the culprit or a talentless. She is ACTUALLY observant, and ACTUALLY a cold blooded killer because she has been raised her entire life for this one purpose.

[@Shalaena]

"Help me!" Also it is indeed supposed to be pored, not poured. "I won't bore you with the details--" Proceeds to bore us with the details. 😠😡🤬 (Edited to add my 3 emojis)

[@nicolemichel403]

The only thing better than watching Rachel destroy a book I like, is watching her destroy a book I didn’t like.

[@AlishaHerbiederbie]

I know I can't watch this all tonight, but I'll be damned if I dont try. Please send jazz hands and an energy drink

[@AlishaHerbiederbie]

My notes from last night: ONE LINE IN AND IT'S ALREADY BAD. Run on sentences, and world-dumping, and alliteration, oh my god put me out of my misery. How many times are they gonna compare the Plague and Ordinaries to the Jewish pogroms during the bubonic plague? I don't trust this author to write a good allegory about antisemitism. So pickpocketing specialest snowflake Pey-Pey has to conceal-don't-feel during the Tri-Hunger Game Tournament and make everyone believe she's Grisha and if she finishes first, she wins $500 visa gift card and a ball of lint? Got it, got it.

[@AlishaHerbiederbie]

Balls balls balls. AC/DC, are you aware this author stole your song and put it in a shitty book? On Blazer! On Flasher! On Brawny and and Vixen! On Comet, on.. oh oops. Wrong story. What in the Dumbledore's army, Order of the Phoenix bullshit explanation is this??? I demand a better resistance.

[@AlishaHerbiederbie]

There's still another 40 minutes?? Rachel, how did you survive this book

[@jaxj968]

thank you for these notes 😭 i thoroughly enjoyed reading this

[@worldsokayestlibrarian]

The fact that your child mentioned Vegeta just made my entire week. 🙂🙂

[@amberdawn5372]

Not even 20 minutes in and I’m loving the number of Psych clips that have already been used 😂😂

[@AurYouReading]

500 pages and not the scaffolding of a world. Amazing.

[@P0rk_Sinigang]

I'm reimagining all of Paedyn's lines in Ariana Grande's overly breathy Nickelodeon voice and it's kinda funny.

[@missraincanyon]

Wait A book about "Elites" who gets gifted powers by a plague sounds eerily similar to The Young Elites. . .

[@ladytopaz6358]

As a black woman this lowkey sounds like a middle class white women’s interpretation of racism/colorism and revolution. And it’s hilarious that she thinks a monoarchy like this wouldn’t just enslave all these people especially since they don’t even have magic powers. I mean slavery made/makes a LOT of money and like the uncharacteristic love intrest said: there will always be more of them. Also it is such a middle class white woman take that the main character isn’t a freedom fighter and instead what’s to peacefully change the mind of the oppressors because she has a crush on one of them (somehow), as if they would change their mind because someone said the unspoken secret (because people like this knows that it’s wrong to commit genocide they just don’t care). Now I don’t know if she (the writer) actually is middle class but she is white and a woman (or at least looks like a woman I didn’t research her that hard). And ultimately it looks like she didn’t do much research on genocide, slavery, racism/colorism, colonialism etc. Because the takes in this book is just so toothless and I haven’t finished the video but I bet that the MC doesn’t kill the main love interest, the fact that her oppressor is a love interest is honestly insulting and makes it hard to root for her.

[@DarwinRoger893]

Considering the fact that the protagonist doesn't have an issue with Kai killing her people and sending them off to death, it tells you a lot about how much the author spent time thinking about it. Paedyn only cares about the situation when it involves Kai killing her dad and only then she starts hating him. Also we are supposed to like this man even though he participates in magical ethnic cleansing?

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

Glad to say that hearing “Mundane” doesn’t make me think of Shadowhunters. It makes me think of the Fables comic series and the game they inspired, “The Wolf Among Us.” Both are criminally underrated.

[@xRaiofSunshine]

Hehe amongus

[@user-pt8rq7wv8v]

It makes me think of Xanth!

[@nahmonilldan]

Look, I know my algorithm is not your fault. I built it BRICK by BRICK!

[@arawin25]

" She lives in a fairytail somewhere to far for us to find"

[@Kaiheart]

Forgotten the taste and smell of a world that she's left behind!

[@crafterkeishajay]

So many simple fixes to make this both more interesting and more sensible. Why didn't she leave the king her father's murderer? Him recognizing her makes so much more sense for everything. He didn't kill her because he knew/suspected she was linked to a resistance group he couldn't find. Use her to set a trap for them. Resistance dealt with. Why was the purge set so close to the current day? A lot of the issues you mentioned here almost instantly vanish if you push that back a couple centuries. There's nobody left who remembers the purge, and history is written by the winners, after all. Problem solved again. Why not make the trials the way they choose the enforcer? It gives immediate and easily understandable consequences to both Kai and Peyden winning or losing. Hell, the whole thing could've simply been started because the resistance killed the previous enforcer. Voila! We've now linked both plotlines together. Why are TikTok authors SO bad at brainstorming?

[@joyc.e.7511]

TikTok keeps choosing authors that are writing almost entirely for the "romance" of the book and the fantasy aspect is just the afterimage of an afterthought😭. It's weak set dressing to characters fucking and I hate it so much because it's all garbage, including the romance😒

[@DarwinRoger893]

They're allergic to working hard on the other aspects of the book that aren't knife to throat moments

[@rachelcriswell229]

How can you start your book with the main character climbing the inside of a chimney just fine, but then retcon in claustrophobia later

[@mikankitsune0440]

Sorry for the long post, but! I think that the plot would have made more sense if: 1. The point of the Tournament was to cull all but the strongest of Ordinaries, say two is supposed to survive the trials. 2. The King could bestow powers to those without them and that's the prize of the Tournament or possibly citizenship. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3. They also could have made it be that Kai is not half brothers with the Prince, but a young man from a prominent family that shamed their station. 4. To show the classism/racism aspect - Kai has a family member who married or birthed an Ordinary, making him as the oldest and heir responsible to restore the family honor. 5. Ordinaries aren't drafted in a raffle, they're hunted two months before each Tournament and the Elites send their kids out to do this because it brings more prestige and wealth to them the more they catch. 6. If an elites child dies, they're compensated in a form of their choosing. It shows that the Elites really don't care, even about their own really. 7. Peyton tries to hide and the meetcute is her trying to escape and being hurt by them and Kai stops it and tells the elite they are displaying behavior unbecoming of their station. 8. Peyton still gets caught and Kai is told on and given a potion or something that removes his power. 9. Kai and Peyton blame one another and slowly become enemies to friends 10. Cut off age doesn't matter, because cruelty is the point. But, the contestants numbers do. And those who aren't picked are left to the horrors of whatever the Elites want.

[@rice3844]

oh this concept slaps, especially the part about elites having to catch the contestants. it raises the stakes a lot and it shows that aspect of dehumanization that this book is missing

[@ProcrastinatingRn]

You should've written this book

[@jaxj968]

@@ProcrastinatingRni 100% agree this would be such a great concept

[@booksandjava]

“they hate each other, it’s a delight.” Sold. Off to order it 😅

[@LorewithouttheE]

the fact one of the classifications or whatever for people with powers is Brawny just makes me think of the paper towel mascot 🤣 like that's just what i'm imagining everytime someone's called a Brawny, just a bunch of flannel-clad lumberjack men running around sidenote: this book's narration is a prime example of why i personally am SO PICKY about first-person narration and so often prefer third-person.... it's so so telly, i'm in pain 😩 like Rachel said in another review, all the subtlety of a gun (and god the amount of alliteration makes me want to scream 😫 )

[@LorewithouttheE]

also omfg i went to my nearest barnes&noble yesterday and saw that this book, THIS BOOK, got a whole promo table plus a cardboard cutout display - of the FMC and MLI, which hoh lordy does it ever illustrate how this book is another of too many instances of "Super Special Quirky Girl falls for Broody Ambiguously Brown Boy" and it just....made me a little sad that this book, out of all the new & recent books, was the one that got extra marketing attention..... i know that's just anecdotal, and it wasn't *huge*, but still..... sigh.

[@roselover411]

Really confused how kai never tries to copy cat paedyn to find out she has no gift considering he has to copy someone else's gift in order to do anything interesting. It literally says he does that on a regular basis so how does that just not happen?

[@roselover411]

I guess he can just assume someone else nearby is a blank or she's a mundane so he just doesn't notice the power?? Confused

[@tacticalcheeks]

This was kind of explained in the book but I’m ngl…I don’t really remember it. But what I do remember is that paedyn said Kai cannot use her “power” because it worked randomly. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t. So if her power isn’t working, he technically cannot copy it. But that still doesn’t clear up why he wouldn’t try to use it when she is obviously using it during her interview before starting the trials 🫠

[@tacticalcheeks]

Idk if my other comment can be seen since it’s not showing up on my end, but to clear your confusion in case it isn’t visible, paedyn mentioned that her “power” comes at random. She has no control over when it presents itself; therefore, Kai can’t copy it since it isn’t always in “effect”. But this is another poorly written perspective from the author since…Kai could’ve easily tried to copy her power the day the interviews were held when she was giving readings to pretty much everyone and their mother in the audience to easily see that she was lying.

[@jaxj968]

EXACTLY MY POINT

[@crystalightz]

She tells him that it's also her power that she can protect her brain as a psychic so other people can't sense or use her power against her... And he believes and doesn't ever second guesses himself ... Because he's stupid lol w

[@kilianalexander2736]

of all the adjectives for blood, thick is not one that comes to mind

[@Cakelynn6]

Well this sounds like a hot mess. Thank you again for taking one for the team, I would have been pissed if I had spent that much money on this 🤦‍♀️

[@ArabellaTurner]

The biased perception of calluses is actually a really fun thing to play with in a story. Are soft hands a sign of power and wealth or a sign of weakness? Are rough hands a sign of poverty or a sign of strength? Are soft hands a sign of vanity or of behaving? Having characters treat them differently within a story can help display internal biases and societal expectations in a subtle way. Of course, this only works if it’s done intentionally or else it just shows the author’s own bias. But it’s something I really like playing around with!

[@lawliet6910]

NOT THE COAL-LINED EYES INSTEAD OF KOHL! oh no.... oh NO

[@insertcheesypunhere]

i challenge ANY of these popular romance authors to write an introductory description of the male love interest from the heroine's perspective with the tone of "eh. he's alright." i feel like all of these cheesy romantasies have the fmc fawning over the mmc at first sight.

[@DarwinRoger893]

You say that but that's an underrated and underused trope too where the fmc overlooks the mmc and THEN later they interact. I wish there was more of it

[@crystalightz]

​@@DarwinRoger893 fr and love stories hit way more hard when we know the ml isn't a freakin model or human form of God but is just like every other guy... And our fl is interested in him because of his personality and it's not just two attractive people oogling each other

[@eyeballsoup7310]

I keep mishearing Ilia (Elia? Whatever) as Ilium, and just thinking ‘Hmmm. When does the horse show up’

[@bleuumscarlett7977]

Those tiktok books written in first person pov are so bad that if i see first person pov, i automatically shut the book and never read it ever again. I just don't trust it now. It looks like an easy way to write a book, but to me, it's actually harder to make the book good and it often looks like the author was just too lazy and wrote the thing in a single stream of consciousness and never took care to make things make sense? Like sure, it can be seen as an unreliable narrator, but there is unreliable narrator and "i make things up as i go and forgot what i wrote before" unreliable, and most feel like the latter to me x)

[@theflyingspaget]

Unreliable narrator is being used as shorthand for unreliable author

[@DarwinRoger893]

It's also hard to make sure every sentence doesn't start with "I did this, I did that, I said that" which makes it annoying

[@AceOfSpades455]

This book sounds like a discount version of Mistborn where Vin has no powers, has to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, and her actual love interest is Zane 😅

[@annakrol3774]

OH MY GOD😂

[@cricketcalin]

The minute i saw this i immediately texted my bestie "wake up babe rachel posted a 2 hour video" HI KATIE

[@c-ya-ya624]

Thank you for reviewing this in so much detail! This book reads literally like a fanfic of a wattpad book, down to the variety of powers, the female protagonist pretending to have mind reading abilities, even the name of the prince is almost identical... except even the wattpad book actually HAS world building and explains the mechanisms and limits of the magic system, and I KNOW the wattpad book came first because I read it like 10 years ago.

[@BreeKaitlyn]

I enjoyed this book, but I do agree there were some issues with it. I love it when you dislike a book I like and I get to see the other side of the argument!

[@ReadswithRachel]

You’re my favorite kind of book people. I do the same!

[@jadedoni6447]

I share a name with the main dude and am tabbed over drawing as I listen. I have to fight the urge to look over as if I'm being summoned when I keep hearing my name lol Edit to say I hate sharing a name with this dude he sucks, oof

[@DarwinRoger893]

There's a better Kai in the Lunar Chronicles, he's a sweetheart

[@ShadowDawn]

Every time you said 'secret tunnel' I had a flashback to the Avatar the Last Airbender song, Secret Tunnel, and now it's stuck in my head. 😂😂😂

[@thegingergosling9997]

I have waited SO LONG for this review. Literally, the first video of yours I ever watched, I went straight to search "Reads with Rachel - Powerless". I was a school librarian at the time and a big reader kid had recommended this to me as THE BEST BOOK SHE'D EVER READ so of course I was like, wow, that's quite some recommendation 😑 I couldn't make it through 40 pages, my god. The dialogue, the sentences... Pure pain

[@beccafawnable]

I freaking love you using Psych clips, I feel like that show doesn't get enough love.

[@porcelainchips6061]

(Timestamp 1:52:38) You've hit on a really important world building point here; logic, or how people think, does transfer to fiction; they should have a pre-prescribed response because logically humans (most humans) need a "reasonable explanation" to then justify their actions. That doesn't mean it actually makes sense if you stop to think about it, but there has to be some pre-supposed reply to anyone who might question it. Without going into specific real world examples, large populations that "go along" with something inhumane will always claim in retrospect that at the time they thought it made "sense". I can't name any example of humans both being cruel to each other in mass and not having some broken "reason" to explain themselves as they are doing something they would normally claim to never be evil enough to do. The only way you could pull it off is if the bad actions were being performed by aliens or non-human monsters; then you could start to argue their ability to think is not comparable to how our brains work.

[@alicefade]

This book bothers me on so many levels but one of the biggest is the powers and how they’re used in the society. Cause what do you mean being a psychic is “mundane” ??? That’s literally the best thing a government/monarchy could want to have and use!! Like hello! In the book Graceling where if you have two different colored eyes you have a Grace (please read it’s amazing). But anyway, it literally mentions how the kingdoms use those that can read minds for political gain, they’re highly coveted. Or even ones that can control minds, these people are fear and yet sought after cause they can do damage! And yet this author is like nah it’s so mundane to be able to read people’s minds 🤪

[@gingerbreadandtea]

I love how the only reason these characters fall in "love" is cuz hot, and it's implied to be true love, when they not only have nothing in common, but have completely opposite values. It just takes me out of the story.

[@ava_marie_v]

Oof, just got to the part where Adena dies completely pointlessly. Yeah, I need this trope to die immediately. POC shouldn't be relegated to props in fantasy stories. You know what would have actually given this moment way more character development, growth, and given actual weight and respect to Adena's character? If Blair was nice. Say Paedyn takes Adena with her from the start, but Adena can't participate in the events Paedyn can because she's not a contestant. So Paedyn finds herself sat next to Blair a lot, and they bond because Blair has an actual personality and isn't just Mean Girl TM. Yada yada yada, book stuff happens, and then the final trial is upon them. Well, the king has recognized Paedyn as Adam's daughter AND he knows she's Ordinary. But, he can't kill her off just yet because he suspects that she has ties to the resistance and wants to use her as bait or as some way to find them. But what he can do is punish Adena for harboring an Ordinary. Hence why she's in the maze. So Blair, who was working with Paedyn because they've bonded, reaches Adena at the same time that Paedyn does. She doesn't know that Paedyn and Adena are friends because Adena hasn't been around any of the other contestants. All she knows is that the king said that the person they meet in the maze is a criminal and deserves their fate. So she prepares to kill Adena, and Paedyn is left with a split second choice. Kill her new friend, an elite that she bonded with, or let Adena die. She chooses Adena and kills Blair just as the rebels come out of the tunnel. Instead of the rebels being foolish and not making it look like they're not attacking Paedyn, the act of killing Blair is what marks her as a traitor and signals what side she chose. Stakes are set, drama and character growth has occurred, and the WOC best friend is not fridged. Wow, it's amazing how much better your book plot becomes when you don't rely on sexist and racist story beats. 🍉🍉🍉

[@DreamieMomo]

I'm still listening but I thought Peyton hated people using the word "plague" like slang but she keeps using it? Like "what the plague"? Did I miss something lol

[@TeexMack]

Thank you!!! I still don’t get it

[@lucyb.2865]

Don't worry, the trad pub version of Powerless AND the sequel have the same amount of typos, alliteration, and misused vocabulary.

[@mirimariana]

😮‍💨

[@jaxj968]

THERES A SEQUEL???

[@lucyb.2865]

@jaxj968 it's gonna be a trilogy my friend 😭 I'm fully locked in for a hate read of book 3 when it comes out next year lol

[@DarwinRoger893]

...yay...

[@psinaomi]

THANK YOU for recognizing the prices in reais. 25 dollars is more that 125 reais, which is expensive af. Most of the books here are around 30-60 reais, so to pay double for a book with half the quality would be insane

[@aaaacarolina]

Feels like I should mention this: none of your past 9 videos showed up for me, but this rant review? Of course it did

[@darkdream1469]

Same for me 🤔🤨