Reckless (Powerless Trilogy, # 2)
By: Lauren Roberts
Publication: July 2, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
383 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic
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Goodreads description--Paedyn and Kai battle with duty and desire in this highly anticipated second installment in the sizzling and epic romantic fantasy trilogy that’s packed with spicy tension and edge-of-your-seat betrayal.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.
I was disappointed with the ending of Powerless. *Spoilers for the previous book!* How Kitt and Kai could both basically be in love with the same woman, know the other brother is in love with her, yet refuse to even discuss it, was beyond me. I really wanted to punch Kitt in the face, to be honest. I wasn't even sure I wanted to continue the series if brothers fighting over a girl that obviously favored one of the over the other was going to be the path we took. But since I got Reckless on audio, I decided that I would continue at least through this book and see how I ended up liking it.
Paedyn is on the run for killing the king of Illya. Of course, he attacked her first, but details don't seem to matter. Kitt and Kai both feel betrayed by Paedyn. And Kitt has charged Kai with bringing her back. Kai injures her in his pursuit, but she does manage to escape and cross the Scorches to the next city of Dor. Kai pursues her. And the two play cat and mouse for a while. Ultimately, Kai does capture Paedyn, but getting back to Illya isn't smooth sailing. Plus, their forced proximity brings old feelings to the surface.
I can't even begin to tell you how much the cliffhanger to Reckless angered me. Like, I really and truly don't know if I want to continue the series after that mess. Seriously. What in the world is Lauren Roberts thinking except trying to make her readers angry? Well, it's working.
I don't have any favorite quotes since I listened to the audiobook version, but I will say the narrators Cecily Bednar Schmidt, Chase Brown, and Jared Zeus did a fabulous job.
Reckless was actually better than I expected it to be. I was hooked from the beginning due to the cliffhanger of the previous book. But I was so angry over the cliffhanger of this book that I don't even know if I want to finish the series. Kai and Paedyn all the way. Kitt can go kick rocks. Reckless would have gotten 4 Stars until the sorry cliffhanger which takes my rating down to 2 Stars. Have you read or listened to Reckless? What did you think? Let me know!
P.S. Since finishing these two books, I have followed a series on Instagram by Kim Argyle discussing the ethicacy of this series, and I am apt to agree with her assessment on this series thus far. I noticed similarities with Powerless and both The Hunger Games and Red Queen, but it's been so long since I read the Dance of Thieves duology that the similarities with that series didn't stand out to me, even though I did notice more similarities with Glass Sword.
