Powerful: A Powerless Story

Adena and Makoto are very different people when they first meet. What rhetorical devices and techniques does Roberts use to create these two differing characters? How does their characterization evolve over the course of their romantic arc?

Roberts has said that Adena’s romance with Makoto is more relatable than Paedyn’s romance with Kai. What makes a romantic pairing “relatable” to readers, and do you agree or disagree with Roberts’s assessment? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Roberts structures the novella in alternating first-person points-of-view. How does this structural choice impact the tension and suspense in a fantasy romance plot? How does it deepen the reader’s investment in the characters and their relationship?

Powerful is part of a larger series. As a novella, it devotes less space to world-building than a typical fantasy book would. Does Powerful depend too much on readers’ familiarity with the larger series, or is it able to stand alone? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Dialogue is an especially important element of romance fiction. How does Roberts attempt to use dialogue to make the romance believable and to increase reader investment in the love story?

A popular romance genre trope that Powerful employs is the “unworthy lover” who resists the relationship because they do not feel that they deserve the other person. How does Roberts develop this aspect of Makoto’s character?

Roberts utilizes a motif of light that she identifies with Adena throughout the story. How does this symbolism relate to the novella’s larger thematic concern with The Struggle for Personal Autonomy Within Oppressive Systems?

The king, Kitt, and Kai each encounter Adena briefly in the castle. How do these short meetings characterize the three men? What do their characterizations contribute to the story’s theme of The Pursuit of Power Versus Personal Integrity?