Fearless. By Lauren Roberts. Audiobook

Emma Smith

My expectations for Fearless were cautiously mixed. While Reckless won me over, Powerless left me underwhelmed. I went into this finale aware of the series' significant flaws - its heavy reliance on familiar tropes feels less like homage and more like a patchwork of elements from other popular YA titles. I’ll admit, I’ve had to cross-reference other reviews to pinpoint some of the more specific parallels, as I’m still catching up on genre classics and my memory for exact dialogue is notoriously poor. Despite this, the cliffhanger ending of Reckless promised an explosive conclusion, and I was genuinely curious to see how Paedyn and Kai would navigate their final challenges. I anticipated a fast, enjoyable read despite the flaws. Unfortunately, my hopes were misplaced.

My central critique lies with the characters. I found them lacking in the first installment, but they earned my investment in the second through genuine growth - a highlight of that more character-driven narrative. Regrettably, every ounce of that development has vanished here. It's utterly absent. Both Paedyn and Kai have been reduced to one-dimensional figures, incapable of making mature decisions. They became boring, leaving no lasting impression, and I struggled to remain engaged with them. Their actions are painfully predictable and, frankly, often ridiculous. They've devolved into generic, cookie-cutter protagonists stripped of any distinctive personality.

Roberts's writing style is unremarkable. The pervasive sense of borrowed concepts makes it difficult to assess the prose on its own merit. The narrative is bogged down by excessive repetition, which consistently broke my immersion. I found myself zoning out frequently - a consequence of both the writing and the uninspiring plot and characters. The one technique I still appreciated was the dual point-of-view narration; it remains necessary for the storyline and was a consistent, expected element from the prior books.

Let's address the plot. It simply doesn't hold up. The similarities I noted before - between Paedyn's arc and Mare's in Red Queen, along with numerous Hunger Games elements - were just the beginning. As a perceptive Goodreads reviewer meticulously outlined, this series borrows heavily from a slew of popular YA and romantasy novels. This final entry even incorporates facets from Carissa Broadbent's The Serpent and the Wings of Night, a personal favorite of mine from winter 2023. Beyond the lack of originality, I took major issue with the plot structure. More trials? It felt like a tedious rehash of Powerless (and, yes, those other books). I was never truly captivated and seriously considered not finishing multiple times. I only persisted because the €15 ebook felt like too much to waste. The sole positive is a conclusively wrapped-up ending with no loose threads.

As you can tell, Fearless was not for me. I found it profoundly disappointing. The prior character development was discarded, the plot was repetitive and boring, and the outcome was predictable. I finished it out of obligation and sunk cost, not enjoyment. I have to be brutally honest: it just isn't good. However, if you're intrigued by the premise despite my critique, the story's fast pace might translate well to another format. The audiobook could make for easy listening, or a library copy would be a risk-free way to see if the series finale works better for you.