This recap is intended as a memory refresher for readers who have already read the book and want a quick reminder before continuing the series. It is not a substitute for the original work. All characters, settings, and storylines belong to their respective authors and publishers. If you have not read the book, I strongly recommend experiencing the original story first. No summary can replicate the depth, suspense, and enjoyment of reading the book itself.
Powerless is set in the kingdom of Ilya where the people are divided into Fatals, Elites and the Ordinaries. After the Plague, God had gifted people with powers as a reward for surviving it. However, not everyone got these powers and the people who did not get them were the Ordinaries, while the ones who did were the Elites. There are also the Fatals who have deadly powers like Mind Reading or Controlling.
For the longest time all of these people lived alongside each other happily with no discrimination until the King started spreading rumors that the Ordinaries had an undetectable disease which was why they did not possess any powers to begin with and being around them put the powers of the Elites in danger too. The King also said that because the powers of the Fatals were so strong they could easily harm the people around them. So the king started killing all the Ordinaries and the Fatals in Ilya.
Paedyn is surviving in Ilya as an Ordinary behind the lie of being a Psychic. Her father had trained her all her childhood so that she would be able to survive as an Ordinary amongst everyone. Paedyn’s mother was an Ordinary too and her Father was a Healer who worked closely with the King. Her father was against the killing of the Ordinaries and the Fatals so he had started a secret group called The Resistance where all the Fatals and Ordinaries who were in hiding would come together and fight for their rights. When the king found out about it, he was killed but even after his murder the Resistance continued to secretly grow.
Paedyn lived in the slums and would lay as low as possible in order to not attract any attention until she got selected by the King to be a part of The Purging Trials which was one of biggest events. She did not have an option but to participate in the Trials and have all eyes on her, at the Trials she met with Kai and Kitt. Kitt is the heir to the throne, he starts bonding with Paedyn and starts trusting her over the course of time.
Kai is Kitt’s younger brother, it is evident that Paedyn and Kai have chemistry. Kai is the future Enforcer of Illya and has rigorously been trained all his childhood by his father, the King. Him and his father don’t share a loving relationship and Kai’s duty is to go around mercilessly killing the Ordinaries hiding in Illya. Kai is a Wielder which means he has the ability to sense others’ powers and use it for his benefit.
Paedyn’s primary concern throughout the book is to survive the Purging Trials by not getting killed by her opponents and hiding her secret well enough with all eyes on her, until she gets approached by The Resistance when they recognise her to be one of them and help them get their way into the castle through one of the secret passageways.
The aim of the Resistance is to only take the spotlight and request the king and his kingdom to realise that the Ordinaries are of no threat to them and all they really want is to live in harmony like they once did. Paedyn being an Ordinary decides to help them and in the process she betrays Kitt and breaks his heart.
The Resistance completely change the plan without informing Paedyn and everything turns violent before Paedyn can do anything, The King is killed by Paedyn as revenge for her father’s death and that is when she finds out that the person who actually killed her father was Kai, after taking the throne, Kitt makes it his sole purpose to find and kill Paedyn for betraying him while being in an alliance with The Resistance, Kai now serves his brother Kitt and is commanded by him to look for Paedyn and bring her to the palace alive. Paedyn ran away immediately after murdering the King and the book essentially ends on this note which makes it clear that Kat and Paedyn are basically enemies and now he is expected to find and then kill her.
Paedyn and Kai very clearly have feelings for each other. Kai is not aware of the fact that Paedyn is an Ordinary because her father trained her really well to be able to hide her secret, however, the power she claims to have is rather mundane and cannot really help her at the trials so Kai keeps going out of his way to help her survive the trails. Since Kai is the future Enforcer, The trails are more important for him because everyone is rooting for him but at the same time going to judge him highly and expect him to win since he is also the prince. Kai has been trained all his life to be the Enforcer and thus has a very murderous image of himself amongst the masses. If he finds out that Paedyn is an ordinary it is his job to kill her. Paedyn and him have struggled during their childhood in their own ways and ever since Paedyn’s father passed away she has spent everyday struggling to survive.
Kitt is the future King and he is protected by his father all throughout the book. The relationship that the king shares with Kitt is very different from the one he shares with Kai because of all the training that they have gone through. Kitt has a very loving and caring image of his father in his mind. Kitt is going to take on his father’s footsteps but meeting with Paedyn changed his mindset about alot of things like the people in the slums. Paedyn speaks her mind to Kitt and for her sharpness he really enjoys her company and starts genuinely liking and trusting her after a point which is why he feels deeply hurt and betrayed by her at the end of the book.