Reckless

As the title of the Powerless series implies, power and powerlessness are overarching themes throughout the novel. The protagonists, Kai and Paedyn, each possess different kinds of power due to their social status and personal strengths. As a prince and skilled Elite, for example, Kai enjoys political power, supernatural abilities, and a reputation that often causes people to fear him. Paedyn, on the other hand, was born without Elite powers and has a low social status. However, her fighting and thieving skills, intelligence, and influence over Kai all imbue her with power. At the end of the first book, Paedyn flees Ilya, where she experiences oppression because she’s an Ordinary, forcing Kai to follow her to Dor.

Reckless introduces a new power dynamic once the protagonists reach Dor because that kingdom has no Elites. Since Kai’s ability relies on other Elites’ powers, he can’t access his supernatural skills in Dor. Kai and Paedyn therefore experience a reversal of power that challenges their self-identity. Paedyn comments, for instance: “Maybe that’s why I’m so desperate to start over here […] in Dor, where I’m Ordinary in a whole new sense of the word.” The word “Ordinary” takes on a more positive meaning when it’s not in opposition to the superior and very real implications of “Elite,” as it is in Ilya.