Fearless (Powerless #3) - Book review
Fearless is the third and final book of the Powerless Romantasy trilogy by Lauren Roberts, and was published in 2025. Since this book is a continuation of a story, the following paragraphs will all have spoilers. If you would like to start with book one, please check out Powerless by Lauren Roberts. I will see you again for the review of the third book when you’re ready then ;).
I opted to listen to the 19-hour audiobook (a hefty one!) by borrowing a copy from my library and Libby. This is your reminder to grab a library card and check out their books - support your locals!
The blurb
She fled as a betrayer. She returned as a bride-to-be.
Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray was prepared for a death sentence, not a proposal. After killing the king, marriage to his son, Kitt, was the last thing she—or the kingdom—expected. But with her role as queen, Paedyn would have the chance to unite Ilya and create a kingdom where Ordinaries live alongside Elites without fear.
With a decision looming, Paedyn battles between her head, her heart, and the hidden trials she now faces. Through it all, Kai Azer fights to call her his, even if it means defying his king. Are vows strong enough to unite a kingdom? Or will betrayal break them? The choice between sacrifice and self has never been more difficult . . . or deadly.
The final installment in the epic and sizzling fantasy romance trilogy that's taken the world by storm.
While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book.
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214151222-fearless )
Thoughts on the book
I am both happy and sad that the series has come to an end, though I am missing one more Novella, book 3.5 Fearful, which I am also planning on reading. The Powerless universe reminded me very much of the time when Dystopian Fantasies were all the hype, including stories such as The Hunger Games, Red Queen, Divergent, etc. and I believe I saw some parallels there. However, Fearful was a solid book with many quotable scenes (basically every time Kai Azer opened his mouth) and dramatic revelations.
I must admit that I had a bit of trouble remembering what had happened up until the third book and had to stop to look up characters again such as Jax - who I remember to be close to the Azer brothers, but for instance not if they had been related by blood or not. Speaking of relations, having Pae and Kitt be half siblings gave me the same uneasiness as when I first read about that in The Shadowhunters series…brrr.
There were passages of the book that were beautifully poetically written, that make the story vivid and fantastical as it is and marks Lauren Roberts writing style.
“My name means nothing to me until she speaks it”
“Your eyes are my favorite color and your freckles are the only constellation I want to look at”
Those are some among many quotable lines this book had to offer. Kai (MMC - male main character) certainly knew how to swoon people, albeit some dialogues made me cringe just a tiny bit.
Pacing and plot
We dive right into the story as Kitt announces his wish to marry Paedyn, so drama was to be expected. Now that it was clear that Pae had fallen for Kai and vice versa, we were presented with a big conflict of interest. All of this also reminded me of the plot of Red Queen, I believe it may have been the second or third book where the female main character held the hearts of both brothers - it made me feel nostalgic.
I am generally not a real fan of relationship triangles since it feels impossible for them to be resolved in a matter where I don’t feel sorry for at least one person, but I guess having two of the characters be half siblings is one way to end a dilemma.
Sine this was the final book of the trilogy, loose ends needed to be tied up, but I am still left with questions:
What actually happened to Kai’s mother in the end?
I believe the two stars in the epilogue to be Aedina and Mak, but would this have been clear if people had not read the novella? (Perhaps with the “See you in the sky” reference)
I am still sad for Kai that he never actually found out, who his father was. More importantly, what actually happened to said father? Was he still alive when Kai’s mother had to remarry?
How did the queen actually know about the roses being laces with the Plague?
Aside from the couple of questions that still remain, I also think that the rhythm of the pacing was off. While the opening dragged on for a long time, all of the twists and turns got crapped into the last third of the book, giving us not enough time to process one thing before the next thing happened. Seeing that this is also because of the heightened emotions the characters had been going through and the thick tension that had built up by then, it made sense for all things to explode at once. Nonetheless, it was too fast for my liking.
Characters and character development
Kitt deserved better. Poor guy wanted nothing more than to be acknowledged all his life and ended up being betrayed in every way possible, by his family, his friends and even by his own pursuit of greatness. I mourn for all the side characters that often get treated like dirt. I wish that people had noticed sooner that their King had fallen ill, seriously ill. He had already been close to death before he was killed - all along feeling like everything that had happened to him was unfair (it was).
Both Azer brothers suffered under the scrutiny of their King, yet carried different scars. And while Kitt may have lost his mind in the end, his pain had always been apparent.
“You and me, brother. Always”
Kai and Paedyn
By now it was obvious that these two would be the OTP (one true pairing) and though their circumstances were more than just complicated, I still did not enjoy reading about them going behind Kitt’s back. At the same time it was good to see that they have found their way to each other after all this time and back and forth in book one and two.
Kai really sounded like a poet, every time he opened his mouth to speak which was equally swoon worthy as it was cringe at times. Alas, the romance was certainly there. Aside from yearning for Paedyn, what was he actually doing? Relations aside, he felt sad having to lie about his feelings for Pae and standing between his brother’s betrothed and his brother must have torn him apart, yet I can’t help but feel disappointed about how little he did to mend the relationship he had with his brother.
Memorable parts of the book
This section will include spoilers of the book. You have been warned :)
Kitt’s death
King Edric finding out that his daughter (Pae) was powerless
Verdict
4/5 stars
1/5 spice
This book was a good conclusion and fused elements from other Romantasies (which is subjective to be viewed as good or bad), albeit I believe that it has become increasingly difficult to have a storyline that is utterly original. I feel conflicted about how things were revealed and resolved. However, one must respect Lauren Robert’s beautiful way of writing.
Thank you for making it this far and reading through my review! I would love to read about your thoughts or feedback :)
Lead your dreams,
Soso
