Powerless by Vicky Ball

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


They say that it’s normal for the young to be impulsive. They say: "When does one have more freedom to explore what life has to offer than in one’s youth?" What nobody seems to pay much attention to is that adventures can be dangerous. What many consider the proof of the adult’s fossilised mind, at times, is the wisdom acquired by the years of life experience.

“Powerless” by Vicky Ball is an excellent cautionary tale that puts into a different perspective what, at first glance, an innocent urge to be independent of one’s parents can lead to.

The story is an absolute page-turner. I finished it in a few days, and if I had more time to read, I would have finished it even quicker. “Powerless” is full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming and learning a new secret made me want to find out more.

When Beth returns after a seven-year absence, her younger sister Abby has mixed feelings about it. I liked that the sisterly reunion wasn’t portrayed solely in happy colours. Abby was eight when Beth disappeared, and now she is the same age as was Beth when she went away. At fifteen, it is difficult to see outside your ‘box’ of teenage worries. And Abby needs time and guidance to come to terms with her older sister being back in her life. She gets neither, for Beth’s return puts into motion a rollercoaster of disturbing events, and their parents are not keen to share anything with young Abby.

Beth falls into a trap of love so many fifteen-year-old girls would have fallen into easily. Alas, the man she falls in love with and who lures her out of her parental home and her life as a schoolgirl turns out to be more dangerous than simply a guy wishing to rob an innocent girl of her virginity. This man, Michael, will rob Beth of so much more…

Fast-paced and unpredictable, “Powerless” is a book you won’t want to put down until you know how the mess one seemingly usual family’s life has turned into ends.




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Powerless