Tag: Lauren Roberts

Book Lists

Worth the hype?!

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Worth the hype?!

Every year I am definitely influenced by social media to pick up certain books that are super popular or just generally hyped! And for some reason all the girlies have been gravitating more towards fantasy and romantasy, or at least that’s what’s coming up on my FYP over the last year or so. I have 5 books that I thought were worth the hype and another five that I didn’t quite like or understand as much as the masses…

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – wild, weird, unexpectedly touching, and genuinely funny. Definitely worth the hype!

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith – This has potential, but I wanted more depth, more connection.

The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli – this just had me hooked right from the start!

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli – unfortunately didn’t live up to my expectations after the first book!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – the dragons and the plot twists did it for me!

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood – Just ok… Scarlett was a little too insecure for me, Lukas was everything!

Gild by Raven Kennedy – I had very low expectations but I was pleasantly surprised!

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett – I had to DNF after this book literally put me to sleep.

Quicksilver by Callie Hart –  just enough spice sprinkled onto this pretty typical fae storyline with some fun twists and turns along the way!

Powerless by Lauren Roberts – just an unnecessarily long, tropey book

Reviews

Powerless Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Powerless Review

This had all the makings of a solid romantasy, but for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I can see why it’s captured the attention of so many readers, but I struggled to stay fully invested in the story.

The plot is packed with familiar tropes (trials, forbidden romance, enemies to lovers) which some readers will find comforting, but I found it a bit too predictable. At times, it echoed The Hunger Games so closely that it became hard to see the book as its own. While the writing itself wasn’t bad, the reliance on cliché moments left little room for originality or deeper world-building.

Paedyn was easily the standout. She’s sharp, confident, strong-willed and I genuinely enjoyed following her journey. Her friendship with Adena added some much-needed heart and those scenes were often the ones I looked forward to most. Kai, on the other hand, didn’t fully land for me. He had moments of charm, but his dialogue often felt repetitive and at times unintentionally cringey. The tension and banter between him and Paedyn, while initially fun, became a bit much by the halfway point.

The middle of the book dragged and the ending felt rushed, with too much crammed into the final chapters. I kept waiting for a big twist or something to set the story apart, but it never really came.

That said, I wouldn’t call this a bad book, it was entertaining in parts and there’s definite potential in the world Lauren Roberts has created. I’ll be curious to see how the series develops, especially if future books offer more original storytelling and less reliance on tropes.

⭐️2/5 stars A fun ride, but I was hoping for a little more spark.