100 books like Powerless

Dance of Thieves...more like Thieves of My Heart. Seriously, this book stole my heart.

From the first few pages, I knew there was something incredibly special about this story. Kazi and Jase embody that rich x poor dynamic and warmed my heart instantly. They both deal with so many personal issues that they handle in different ways; I love how it shows how there are many ways to grieve, and seeing as I was going through a difficult time while reading, it was a part of my healing journey.

The angst was on a whole other level. Although it was a bit political intrigue-heavy, the romance DID NOT disappoint. It left me staying up well past midnight to finish their story. 

Do you ever have those books that, no matter how late it is or how tired you are, you just can’t stop reading? That was me with this book. 

This is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and since the first book was extremely boring, I was hesitant to start this one. I'm so glad I did, however, because it quite literally changed my life.

The characters feel like family and fill a growing hole in my heart to replace what I've lost. The main character, Feyre, is so resilient with her past trauma, and it helps me conquer mine. I also adored the romance between Feyre and Rhys–I will forever ship them. 

Legendborn is a King Arthur tale set in modern-day Georgia. With that description, how could I not love this book?

Tracy Deonn is a master at blending Southern folk traditions and African lore with Arthurian legends. I fell in love with Bree, the typical Southern teenager starting out at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has magic, but it’s not the same magic as the mages who are gearing up for a magical war.

The tale is a clash of magical cultures topped off with a Romeo and Juliet romance. It grabbed me from the first page, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Combining vampires, witches, royalty, dark academia, and spice into one book? Sign me up!

I found this book through Katie Wismer's YouTube channel, and it's a relief that I did. The writing style is like none other and sometimes even feels purple prose-y. Another thing I enjoyed was the characters; Valerie stands out in every way and proves it's okay to be different. I found I was rooting for her and her eventual friendships/relationships with the other individuals.

The plot kept me on the edge of my seat while other certain scenes had been gripping my blanket for dear life. I don't think I'll forget this book for a long time...especially not after that ending. 

For me, The Blood Trials accomplishes what many fiction books are rarely able to, blend the genres of science fiction and fantasy, while exploring complex social themes, such as racism, discrimination, and classism. As an African American, I often search for good action books with black protagonists. As a young black woman, protagonist Ikenna Amari becomes the target of demoralizing treatment, while fighting through the trials to earn the military rank and status of Praetorian. Written in first person, I was easily transported inside the tempest that is Ikenna’s thoughts. I was able to feel and connect with every bit of her rage, pain, and spiritual unrest from the discriminatory treatment she faces. This book is a prime example of how to explore social themes while still being a solid action story.

Katniss Everdeen is the type of hero you want to root for. She’s kind, good, self-reliant, and the type of person who makes the world a better place. And her world needs it—badly. But her world is trying to kill her, and she has to fight.

I love this book. I’ve always been drawn to underdog stories where the underdog has a heart of gold but is put in terrible situations—situations that test them until they almost break. But they don’t. They survive. And they do so on their terms even when everyone else is playing by different rules.

Talk about nonstop. The final book in the Hunger Game series sends Katniss Everdeen on one thrilling and scary journey after another. Through war zones, as the rebels fight Capitol forces and right into the heart of the Capitol, above and below ground. She and her crew face not only human fighters but the horrific engineered mutts and traps. Emotionally, it’s no picnic either because her Hunger Games partner Peeta has been brainwashed to kill her. Then there’s all the political intrigue. Whew. I stayed up into the night to read this because the story wouldn’t let go of me.  

You can’t get much more food-oriented in science fiction than a novel called The Hunger Games, and true to its name, food and food politics play a central role in the book’s theme. The book’s author, Suzanne Collins, uses juxtaposition and food politics throughout the series to highlight the difference between the haves and the have-nots. While all the books in the Hunger Games series highlight these discrepancies, it’s Collins’s second book Catching Fire where the differences are most pronounced. The feast in the Capitol, along with its potions to induce vomiting (and by extension, encourage more eating), stands out in particular: The reaction of the book’s main character, Katniss Everdeen, herself a poor girl from the Seam of District 12 makes this scene both comical and revolting.

What starts out as a camping trip in remote Halape for a boy scout troop from Hilo turns desperate when an earthquake hits and their camp is devastated by a tsunami. The boys are scattered, and it’s up to Dylan and his nemesis Louie to reunite the troop and get them to safety. Inspired by real events that I remember, this book is a survival story about friendship, leadership, and teamwork that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

I hated that I came to an understanding with the younger version of President Coriolanus Snow—the villain of the Hunger Games novels.

Despite living in the capital, his family is starving. Coriolanus buries the secret of his family's relative poverty, hiding it from the world by overcompensating in school and social achievements. Having been raised in the inner city, by parents who worked minimum wage retail jobs, I truly, truly felt this one.

Having to pretend you don’t need food is something I deeply understood. But Corio—as his little sister calls him—slowly descends further and further into ruthlessness, as he discards his good nature for power and influence to save his family.

As with the original trilogy, this book can teach us something about our own natures and the hope we must always cultivate.