When I finished Powerless, I discovered that Red Queen was one of the books readers were comparing it to. Curious, I picked it up for myself and ended up with pages of notes. From hidden identities and divided societies to palace politics and rebellions, the similarities were impossible to ignore. But do they tell the same story? That's where things get interesting.

Powerless by Lauren Roberts has sparked countless comparisons to The Hunger Games. After reading both series, I took a closer look at the similarities, differences, and shared story elements to see whether they feel like common dystopian tropes or something more. Here's my spoiler-filled comparison of the two books.