▪️Spice level: 2.5/5
⚠️Trigger warnings: betrayal, psychological abuse, torture
▫️A few words about the book: Reckless is the second book in the "The Powerless Trilogy" series and is here to continue the story that Powerless left unfinished, and at a crucial point too. Here we see our beloved Kai, who has been ordered by Kit to search for and bring back Payden, who has managed to escape. But with one command: not to kill her in the process!
▪️Style/Writing of the book: The writing remains the same as in the first book, with several touching moments. What tired me was some repetitions in the plot.
▫️Why I loved it: I really liked it as a continuation of the first part, but I felt like the plot didn't move forward much. Maybe it played the role of a transitional book, as in the third book of the series a lot more things actually happen. The plot twist at the end of the book left me speechless and really made me start the third book right away!
▪️Why you should read it: If you have already started the series, of course you should continue it. As a book it may not give you a lot, but it is a very good transition to the last book, as it builds the relationship between Kai and Payden even more.

Reckless was a book I started with mixed feelings, as Powerless hadn't completely thrilled me. Nevertheless, I wanted to see how the story of Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer would unfold, and I can say that the second book left a more positive impression on me, mainly because of its ending, although it retained some of the points that had troubled me in the first one. Lauren Roberts continues to build the world of the “Empowered” and “Ordinaries” with more intensity, placing her characters in even more dangerous and emotionally charged situations. Paedyn continues to pretend to be “Gifted,” while in reality, she is “Ordinary,” and this constant threat of being exposed keeps the interest in a large part of the book. However, I felt that some of the developments were predictable or overly dramatized.

The relationship between Paedyn and Kai is one of the main elements of the series and continues to dominate in this book as well. There are moments of tension, suspicion, passion, and doubt, and although it's not a relationship that completely captivated me, I recognize that there is chemistry and emotional background. Where Reckless won me over more compared to the first one is in the action. The book moves at a fast pace, with many revelations, dangers, and tensions that keep you on your toes. Additionally, Roberts begins to develop a bit more the world and the political conflict at the lower end of the social pyramid, something I found quite superficial in Powerless. Nevertheless, I still believe that the world-building remains somewhat basic, and the characters often act more as “tropes” rather than truly multidimensional personalities.

Although I personally still find the series somewhat clichéd and with many similarities to other YA dystopian fantasy, I can see why it has been loved so much. It is full of those elements that many readers adore: forbidden love, secret identities, struggle for freedom, and moral dilemmas. If you love drama, emotional intensity, and relationships against the backdrop of an oppressive society, Reckless offers you exactly that, without straying much from the established norms of the genre. For me, the strongest point of the book was clearly the ending because it left me with the need to immediately move on to the next one. I have the feeling that the last in the series will be my favorite since after 2 books the author will have evolved and found her voice. I will return when I have the pleasure of reading it.

• Genre: Young Adult Romantic Fantasy
• Tropes: Chase, forced proximity, revelations, cliffhanger, tension, chemistry
• Pages: 490
• Series: Powerless #2
• Spice: 1/5

Favorite Excerpt
“Say we're even. Call me crazy. I don't care. Just... Just call me yours.” - Kai Azer

A lot has been up and down in Peintin's life, and maybe nothing is as she knows it, and now she's running, running to escape the ghosts of the past and the monsters of today, but above all, she's running to escape Kai Azer.

The second book in the series generously offers even more tension between the wannabe couple that can no longer be held back. If eyes could speak, Kai and Peintin would never stop talking, not that Kai does anyway.

We are no longer in the palace; we travel to various landscapes. Beautiful meadows, vast deserts, and poor neighborhoods filled with secrets and small elements for our plot.

The scenes between the couple are EN-JOY-A-BLE and many others, you know what? They are never enough because Kai never stops, and whatever Peintin says or does is never enough to stop this flirtatious delirium that this boy catches.
Was there ever a better distraction than Kai Azer?

And now that I've told you what I loved about this book, let me tell you what disappointed me a little...
It had no plot!
Yes, it had no plot, guys, for the 2nd main book of the series, given that the first left us with many unanswered questions. Apart from some crumbs scattered here and there by the author, we were given almost nothing in terms of storyline, and that somehow came to irk me, and I'm sorry to say it.
I felt this book was more like a filler than a main one in the series.

I recommend it to readers who read and loved the first book in the series and to those waiting for the inevitable to finally happen between the wannabe couple (don't get ahead of yourself and remember we're talking about a young adult book)