Booktok 📚 discussion

Powerless (Powerless, #1)
This topic is about Powerless
259 views
Just Booktok Stuff > The red queen or powerless?

Comments Showing 1-20 of 20 (20 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Adeline (last edited May 11, 2025 05:48PM) (new) - rated it 1 star

Adeline Fox (adelinefox) | 27 comments I started reading powerless today but couldn't help but notice how a lot of the scenes feel like they're straight out of the red queen.

I know Lauren Roberts said she took inspiration from the book but I feel like she's straight up copied it.

For example, Mare from red queen was forced to be a thief to help her family cope with the poverty. Pae does the same.

Mare also stole money from cal when she first met him. Pae did the same thing.

There is a love triangle in both books with the two prince's and the main lead.

Both books end with the Kings' death.

The powerless series has trials. I have a question, why?
There are barely any ordinaries left, so why are there trials. In both the red queen and hunger games (from which Lauren said she was also inspired from), there was a political reason behind the trials. In the red queen, it was to elect the new queen. In the hunger games they did it to make the districts scared of rebelling. But why in powerless?

Personally, I feel like powerless is just a more romanticized version of the red queen.

In my opinion, the Red queen is world's better than Powerless. Yes, I like the sizzling romance between Kai and Paedyn. But reading it after the red queen makes it feel like a fanfiction of the red queen from wattpad.

I know you may hate what I said in the above comment, but to be clear, it's only my personal opinion. You may love the powerless series but hate the red queen. We do not have to share the same opinion.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.


Eliana Lerner | 3 comments I found Red Queen to be much more of an engaging world and the ending was better and i HATED Pae with my whole heart. The whole "enemies" to lovers was so hard to read and so awkward.


message 3: by Mai (new) - rated it 4 stars

Mai Mai | 1 comments I did not know that Lauren took inspiration from Red Queen. When I first read Powerless I would often stop and think to myself "Hey this is kinda like Red Queen, it seems like really familiar!"

Seeing this discussion board now it makes so much sense. Yes I do agree that she basically copied most of the story in Red Queen (Mare stealing from Cal/Pae stealing from Kai, the king dying at the end in both books, the love triangle between Cal and Maven/Kai and Kitt).


Livlyy ⭑.ᐟ | 223 comments @Eliana FRRRRR I HATE HER TOO , LIEK GIRL WTH ARE YOU DOING


Aina (#1bookgirly) | 42 comments Wait actually? I haven't read the red queen..... But now my favorite book has been kind of ruined for me.....


SObooks | 482 comments Powerless BECAUSE KAI


message 7: by Mary (new) - added it

Mary Dee | 4 comments Red Queen is amazing, I loved that series. Honestly cried at the end- I freakin loved those books. And I love Victoria Aveyard 🙌🏻


hails  | 1 comments I prefer powerless 100%. The red queen characters just felt…unlikeable to me, all of them. And the red queen series got worse the longer it went, in my opinion, while powerless has really only gotten better.


message 9: by Ashby (new) - added it

Ashby Dodd (ashbydodd) | 84 comments I haven't read red queen yet, but I finally started powerless today and I can't put it down


message 10: by gabby (new)

gabby | 287 comments oh lauren roberts totally copied red queen. hope no powerless fans skin me alive for this, but powerless is just a ripoff red queen with more romance and worse worldbuilding.


Author AKR | 36 comments idc abt is it plagiarised or not, I just love powerless!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Kaylee Souter | 182 comments Same I don’t care if it’s plagiarized powerless is top-tier


message 14: by Sue (new) - rated it 1 star

Sue Miz  (suereads2030) | 236 comments One is the prototype
the other is the copy cat
and ppl saying they don't care of its plagiarized are what is wrong with romantacies these days
and will be the first to cheer on and defend AI books
Red Queen is a full Well Made five course feel
Powerless is a McDonald happy meal that some kid munched then gave it to you


Savannah (Summer Semi~Hiatus) (UPDATED BIO!!!) Banana (savannah_banana) Adeline wrote: "I started reading powerless today but couldn't help but notice how a lot of the scenes feel like they're straight out of the red queen.

I know Lauren Roberts said she took inspiration from the bo..."


i actually agree 100% \

iread the whole red queen series and then i read powerless right after.

...like what?! i love powerless so much more tho


⁠♡Alexa♡ (Kai Azer's Version) | 50 comments I really loved the first two books for Red Queen but when I got to the third one I dnf'd it because the story was just dragging on so long and a lot of what was happening felt totally unnecessary and it got really boring. I'm hoping to give the series another chance this summer and try to finish it but who knows? I really really really love powerless with like all my heart and I don't like it when people say it's "enemies to lovers" because it's more of a "she thinks they have to be enemies but he knows their lovers" if that makes any sense, so anytime I recommend it to people I tell them that instead of "enemies to lovers"


⋆˖౨ৎ♡Tessa♡౨ৎ˖⋆ | 8 comments Adeline wrote: "I started reading powerless today but couldn't help but notice how a lot of the scenes feel like they're straight out of the red queen.

I know Lauren Roberts said she took inspiration from the bo..."


i honestly agree 100%, dont get me wrong powerless is great and im always there for pae but at the same time it is almost a fic/spin off of red queen in a way. i personally prefer red queen because it has more depth to it and yeah there IS romance but there is POINT to the plot (not saying powerless has no plot but yk) and with red queen theres more important things than the romance which dont get me wrong i LOVE romance but it just feels more relatable in a way because mare will be like 'yeah i need to sort out the romance shit but AFTER i help the revolution or head to this meeting' but yh i prefer red queen mainly cos it just seems more realistic in a way.


message 18: by Ann (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ann | 25 comments i think tht red queen was really good but it went downhill for me in the later books and yes powerless is similar but i just loved powerless more and i am all for paedyn and kai


Gabriella୨ৎ | 40 comments Ann wrote: "i think tht red queen was really good but it went downhill for me in the later books and yes powerless is similar but i just loved powerless more and i am all for paedyn and kai"

I totally agree with you. As much as I wanted to love red queen, I was kind of disappointed. And it was so hyped and popular. 😭


message 20: by Ray (new) - added it

Ray M. (rays-reads) | 59 comments You can't outdo the original


back to top