It’s Just PLAGIARISM???
Ok before you guys start attacking me, hear me out. I used to be such a Powerless fan, like I recommended this book to all my bookie friends. But after looking a bit closer, I realized how much of the book is actually copied. Today, we will mainly focus on the 1st Book since that’s the one I analyzed but there is more plagiarism in the other books.
In the first book, it’s heavily relied on the book The Red Queen, while the other books have copied ideas from other books (e.g Dance of Thieves).
So here are all the copied things I found in book one (I also watched a video by Meredith Novaco which you should watch on YT):
-The world in Powerless is named Ilya just like The Selection
-Mare from Red Queen has silver hair like Paedyn
-In both the Red Queen and Powerless, there’s a king who had a son with his first dead wife and then a second “spare” prince with his second wife
-Silvers with powers vs the Reds without powers (Red Queen) is like the Elites vs the Ordinaries (Powerless)
-Mare steals from one of the princes and Paedyn steals from Kai in the beginning
-Mare’s sister is a seamstress who’s arm breaks, Adena is Paedyn’s friend who is a seamstress and her arm breaks
-Before a ball, the prince that isn’t Mare’s date gives her dancing lessons, in powerless Paedyn get’s dancing lessons from Kai while her date is Kitt
-The final showdown in Powerless happens with the rebellion in the Bowl Arena, the final showdown happens with the rebellion in the Bowl of Bones in the Red Queen
ALSO for your information, the Red Queen came out in 2015 while Powerless came out in 2023.
The recent discussions surrounding Lauren Roberts' Powerless series and its similarities to Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series have prompted many readers and reviewers to take a closer look at potential plagiarism. When examining both novels, several striking long-tail keywords emerge, such as "Powerless Red Queen similarities," "book plagiarism examples in fantasy novels," and "Powerless vs Red Queen plot comparisons." One of the key aspects underscoring the controversy is the shared world-building elements. The central world in Powerless is named Ilya, identical to the world in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, highlighting a mix of influences. Powerless features characters with silver hair, echoing Mare from Red Queen who also has silver hair, signaling thematic and visual parallels that are hard to ignore. The books also share a similar political structure—a king with sons from two different wives, a “spare” prince concept, and societal divides based on innate abilities or social class: "Silvers with powers versus Reds without powers" in Red Queen compared to "Elites versus Ordinaries" in Powerless. Character behaviors and plot points further intensify the debate. Both Mare and Paedyn steal from princes early on, and both have friends with broken arms who work as seamstresses, creating notable character arcs that follow almost identical paths. Even more, the scenes involving dancing lessons from a prince who isn’t the protagonist’s date, followed by a major rebellion in a location referred to as a bowl-like arena, stand out as remarkably similar in tone and structure. Given The Red Queen’s publication in 2015 and Powerless's release in 2023, readers question originality, raising awareness about intellectual property and storytelling ethics in contemporary YA fantasy literature. This discussion also invites readers to deepen their exploration of fantasy novels dealing with themes such as social hierarchies, rebellion, and forbidden love against dystopian backdrops. For anyone interested in understanding how inspiration differs from plagiarism, this comparison between Powerless and The Red Queen acts as a cautionary case study. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy books or interested in literary ethics, this topic offers valuable insights into how narrative elements can overlap and where the line should be drawn. Additionally, watching Meredith Novaco’s video analysis on YouTube can provide visual evidence and thoughtful commentary to further understand these concerns. In summary, while the themes of class conflict and power struggles are common in fantasy, the detailed similarities between Powerless and Red Queen make for a compelling debate about originality in fiction. Whether you read for entertainment or critical analysis, knowing the background of these books enriches the reading experience and encourages more informed discussions in book communities like BookTok and bookworm forums.
The worst part is everyone is hating on the author of Red Queen for plagiarism while her book came out 8 YEARS before Powerless. There are also Powerless fans who defend the plagiarism because quote, “Lauren did it better”. It’s absolutely crazy to me how this book is getting a show adaptation. There is line between COPYING and INSPIRATION. 😭