8 Books to Read If You Loved Powerless by Lauren Roberts
February 23, 2026
If Lauren Roberts' Powerless left you desperate for more slow-burn romance, deadly trials, and magic-fuelled tension, these eight books belong on your shelf immediately.
If you've torn through Powerless by Lauren Roberts and found yourself staring at the wall wondering what on earth to read next, you're in very good company. Lauren Roberts' BookTok sensation drops readers into the Kingdom of Ilya, where being an Ordinary - someone without magical powers - is quite literally a death sentence. Paedyn Gray has spent her whole life pretending to be something she's not, and when she's thrown into the brutal Purging Trials, she finds herself entangled with Kai Azer, the dangerously charming prince who should be her enemy.
The result? One of the most infuriating, addictive slow-burn romances in recent YA fantasy. If you loved the enemies-to-lovers tension, the deadly competition, the class divide between the powerful and the powerless, and the dual POV that lets you live inside both characters' heads at once, then the books below are going to feel like coming home. We've also included a couple of hidden gems that deserve far more attention than they currently get.
Whether you're waiting for the next book in the Powerless trilogy or simply hunting for your next reading obsession, these recommendations have you covered. You can also explore our guides to the enemies-to-lovers trope and YA fantasy series for even more reading inspiration.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
If the class divide at the heart of Powerless is what gripped you, Red Queen will feel immediately familiar. Mare Barrow is a Red - a common girl without power in a world ruled by silver-blooded elites with superhuman abilities. When she accidentally discovers she has a power of her own despite her red blood, she's thrust into the royal court and forced to masquerade as someone she isn't. Sound familiar?
What makes Red Queen such a compelling companion read is how it mirrors Paedyn's predicament almost beat for beat - the deception, the high stakes, the constant threat of being found out. But Aveyard builds a world that feels distinctly her own, with sharp political intrigue and a royal love triangle that will have you second-guessing every character's loyalty. The first book alone delivers enough twists to keep you reading well into the night, and the series only escalates from there. Perfect if you enjoyed the power dynamics and survival tension in Powerless.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass is arguably the book that paved the way for stories like Powerless, so if you somehow haven't read it yet, now is absolutely the time. Celaena Sardothien is the world's most feared assassin - yet she begins the story as a prisoner, stripped of everything. When she's given the chance to compete in a deadly tournament for her freedom, she must outmanoeuvre both her rivals and the royal court around her.
The parallels with Powerless are hard to miss: a heroine who is far more capable than those around her realise, a competition designed to be survived rather than won, and a slow-burn romantic tension that simmers across hundreds of pages before it finally, finally pays off. Sarah J. Maas builds an extraordinarily rich world across this series, and fans of Lauren Roberts will find plenty to love in Celaena's sharp wit and refusal to be underestimated. The series grows considerably in scope and complexity as it progresses, making it a brilliant long-term read.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
For readers who love the idea of a human girl navigating a world built for those far more powerful than her, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is essential reading. Oraya is the only human living in a vampire kingdom, raised by the Nightborn King himself. When she enters a brutal, centuries-old tournament where she is almost certainly expected to die, she forms a reluctant alliance with the most feared competitor of all.
This book delivers everything Powerless fans crave: a genuinely dangerous setting, a heroine who uses brains and grit rather than brute power, and a romantic tension so charged it's almost unbearable. Broadbent writes with real atmosphere and doesn't shy away from the darkness of her world, making the quieter emotional moments hit all the harder. The romance here is slow, careful, and absolutely devastating in the best possible way. If the Purging Trials had your heart in your mouth, the Kejari tournament will do exactly the same.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night
Crowns of Nyaxia (Book 1)
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is a dark romantasy of deadly trials, vampiric courts, and slow-burn love where survival demands sacrifice.
The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli
Also published as Heartless Hunter
The Crimson Moth - also widely known as Heartless Hunter - is one of the more underrated picks on this list and a genuine hidden gem for fans of Powerless. Set in the aftermath of a witch revolution, it follows Rune, a witch living in hiding who spends her days playing the part of a vapid socialite and her nights as the Crimson Moth, a vigilante smuggling fellow witches to safety. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to court the most dangerous witch hunter in the republic to throw him off her scent - not anticipating that he'll start courting her right back.
What sets this book apart is the sheer audacity of its central premise. Both protagonists are independently deceiving each other at exactly the same time, which gives the enemies-to-lovers dynamic a delicious double-edged tension that very few romantasy novels manage to pull off. There's nowhere safe for either character, and that precariousness keeps every scene crackling with energy. Fans of Paedyn and Kai's push-and-pull in Powerless will find a similarly irresistible dynamic here, but with the added thrill of neither character ever quite knowing how much the other has worked out.
Kristen Ciccarelli writes with real atmosphere and a sharp sense of pacing, making this an exceptionally easy book to devour in a single sitting. The forbidden romance is slow, carefully built, and deeply satisfying when it finally pays off. Both books in the duology are now published - the concluding volume, Rebel Witch, arrived in 2025 - so you can read the whole story without waiting. If you've not yet come across this one, consider this your sign to pick it up immediately.
The Crimson Moth
The Crimson Moth (Book 1)
The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli is a dark fantasy romance of magic, secrecy, and rebellion, where a deadly hunter and a hidden witch are bound by fate.
Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Dance of Thieves is another brilliant choice if it's the forbidden romance and political intrigue of Powerless that kept you hooked. Kazi is a street thief turned soldier of the queen; Jase is the young patriarch of an outlaw family whose land sits on the edge of a kingdom. When their paths collide, the sparring - both verbal and otherwise - is immediate and electric.
Pearson writes banter with real wit and warmth, and the romance here has genuine depth alongside the tension. The world she's built is richly detailed, with a sense of history and culture that rewards patient readers. If you love a heroine who is clever, self-reliant, and refuses to be anyone's pawn, Kazi will quickly become a favourite. This is also a great gateway into Pearson's wider Remnant Chronicles universe for those who want even more to explore afterwards.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
For readers who want enemies-to-lovers with a little more grit and historical texture, These Violent Delights is a standout recommendation. Set in 1920s Shanghai, it reimagines Romeo and Juliet through the lens of rival gang heirs - Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov - who share a history of betrayal as well as an undeniable, infuriating attraction. When a mysterious plague threatens to consume the city, they find themselves reluctantly working together.
The enemies-to-lovers dynamic here is particularly well-crafted because both characters have genuine, understandable reasons to distrust each other. There's no artificial misunderstanding keeping them apart - just real history, real hurt, and real stakes. The setting is strikingly vivid and unlike most YA romantasy, which gives the book a distinctive energy. If you loved how Powerless used its world to create meaningful obstacles between Paedyn and Kai, Gong does something similar here with extraordinary skill.
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Serpent & Dove is the kind of book that should have the same level of name recognition as some of the bigger titles on this list, and if you haven't discovered it yet, you're in for a treat. Lou is a witch living in hiding; Reid is a witch hunter sworn to destroy her kind. When circumstances force them into a marriage neither wants, the tension is immediate, constant, and absolutely irresistible.
The forced proximity trope is deployed here with real skill - there's nowhere to hide when you're legally bound to your enemy, and Mahurin wrings every ounce of awkward, charged energy out of that premise. The humour is sharp, the romance is slow and deeply satisfying, and the world-building around the church-versus-witch conflict gives the story real stakes beyond the central relationship. Fans of Powerless who enjoy a heroine who talks her way through danger as much as she fights her way through it will adore Lou immediately.
Serpent & Dove
Serpent & Dove (Book 1)
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin follows witch Lou and devout witch-hunter Reid forced into marriage after a magical accident. This 2019 YA fantasy delivers enemies-to-lovers tension, found family, blood magic, and BookTok-beloved French-inspired romance.
Frostblood by Elly Blake
Frostblood is a criminally underread fantasy that deserves far more attention from fans of Powerless. Ruby is a Fireblood - a girl with the power to control fire - in a kingdom ruled by the Frostblood elite who have outlawed her kind. When she's captured and then freed by rebel monks, she's thrown into a dangerous arena competition against the king himself.
The parallels with Powerless are plentiful: a society divided by power, a heroine who must survive against seemingly impossible odds, a morally complex romantic interest who sits on the wrong side of the conflict, and a competition that serves as the story's engine. Blake writes with a real sense of atmosphere, and the fire-versus-ice magic system is visually striking and satisfying to read. The romance is well-paced and genuinely touching, making this a deeply comforting read for anyone still recovering from a Powerless book hangover. All three books in the trilogy are already published, so you can binge the whole thing without waiting.
Frostblood
by Elly Blake
The Frostblood Saga (Book 1)
Ruby is a Fireblood in a kingdom ruled by frost - and her existence is a crime. When her mother is killed and rebel Frostbloods offer her a chance at revenge, she takes it. Frostblood is a fierce, fast-paced debut that burns bright.