Powerless v. The Hunger Games

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for both The Hunger Games and the Powerless series.

When I started reading Powerless, I had already read and loved The Hunger Games. What I didn't know was that many readers were comparing the two series and claiming that Powerless copied Suzanne Collins' work. I went into the series completely unaware of those comparisons, so the similarities I noticed were my own observations as I read.

This post isn't meant to decide whether Lauren Roberts committed plagiarism. That's not a conclusion I'm qualified to make. Instead, I'm comparing the similarities I noticed between the two series and discussing whether they feel like shared genre conventions, inspiration, or something more specific. You can decide for yourself where you land.

I also know that many readers have drawn comparisons between Powerless and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. That deserves its own discussion, so I'll be tackling that comparison in a separate post.

What is the difference?

Stories inspire other stories all the time. Some of the most beloved books ever written were inspired by works that came before them. Wicked by Gregory Maguire reimagines The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding draws heavily from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Even Shakespeare borrowed plots from earlier histories, poems, and plays.

The difference is that these stories take familiar ideas and transform them into something distinctly their own. You can usually recognize the inspiration, but the new work develops its own identity, characters, themes, and voice. The inspiration becomes part of the foundation rather than the entire structure.

Plagiarism is different. Rather than simply borrowing an idea or trope, it involves presenting another person's original expression or creative work as your own. Determining where inspiration ends and plagiarism begins isn't always straightforward, which is why discussions like this can become so passionate.

The Powerless series by Lauren Roberts has been compared to several popular fantasy novels, most notably Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In this post, I'm focusing solely on the similarities I noticed between Powerless and The Hunger Games. I'll save my comparison with Red Queen for a separate article.

Comparing

To be honest, I knew going in to reading Powerless there were claims of plagiarism, but I didn't know what book she was accused of plagiarising. I went in blind to that. I was about 25% in and I started noticing the similarities between Powerless and The Hunger games. It was almost like she received a writing prompt that said "rewrite The Hunger Games, but make it magic".

Both works are young adult dystopian stories with a caste system. That's not really an issue though. This helps to just set up the similarities. Many books, not just dystopian, have a caste system. The haves vs. the have nots. This has been used across many generations of storytellers. A divided society is a common theme in dystopian stories.

Setting the Stage: Two Divided Worlds

In Powerless, there was a plague that ravaged the kingdom. The plague killed about half of the people. Those who remained developed magical abilities. Some were desirable, Elites. Some were deadly or bad, Fatals. Some were not desirable or useful, Mundanes. Those who did not develop powers were called Ordinaries and were executed if discovered. To survive, many lived in hiding or blended into the poorest parts of society, constantly fearing exposure.

Our main character Paedyn is part of the have nots. She is an "Ordinary". She does not have a magical ability. She lives in "The Slums" which is the run down part of the kingdom. Ordinaries are typically killed to keep from having the magical powers of the Elites being watered down.

In The Hunger Games, Panem has been ravaged by war with the Capital coming out on top. The Capital people are the the haves. The people of the districts are the have nots, however, District 12 is described as the poorest of the districts. Even within District 12 there is a class system, the people who live in town are wealthier than those living in "The Seam".

Our main character Katniss, is part of the have nots. She lives in the seam with her mother and her sister. Katniss has learned how to get past the fence to be able to hunt for her food. If she were found, she would be killed.

The first major similarity is that both heroines occupy the lowest rung of society. Katniss risks execution every time she slips beyond the District 12 fence to hunt. Paedyn risks execution every day simply because she exists. Both become resourceful out of necessity, learning to survive in systems designed to erase people like them.

Oppressive Governments

Both Ilya and Panem are ruled over by an oppressive government. King Edric Azer is not a great ruler. He divides his people willingly. He sends Ordinaries to their death for just living. He keeps Mundanes as low as possible with no way out of the poverty they are born into. President Snow is very much the same. They both maintain their rule through fear, oppression, and violence. Both rulers use their guards as a constant reminder of who holds power.

Speaking of the guards on to another comparison. The Imperials (Powerless) and the Peacekeepers (The Hunger Games) are both used as a visual reminder to the lower class. They enforce the laws by intimidation and violence. What is interesting, is both series dress their guards in white uniforms. White is usually a symbol of peace, but these guards are anything but peaceful.

The Purging Trials vs. The Hunger Games

Our next comparison is the Hunger Games and the Purging Trials. Both pit young people against each other to fight to the death in a remembrance of the event that scarred their homes. The difference though, the Games are punishment for the districts and happen yearly, whereas, the Trials only happen every 5 years and are looked at by the Elites as an honor. The Trials also serve another purpose. While they're presented as a celebration of Elite strength, they disproportionately place Mundanes in harm's way. Because contestants with weaker abilities are often the first to die, the event also functions as a means of eliminating the kingdom's least valued citizens..

Both Trials and Games have an audience watching. The Games are televised throughout the districts. The Trials typically have a live audience at the bowl, however, this year they are played at a different location and then played to an audience after the trial has ended.

Both series include public interviews or presentations before the competition begins. In The Hunger Games, the interviews are designed to help tributes gain sponsors who can aid them in the arena. In Powerless, the interviews serve more as a public showcase, introducing competitors and building excitement for the Purging Trials rather than directly influencing their survival.

Both series the contestants have personal stylists. In the Games, Katniss did not get to choose who her stylist was, however, through the series Cienna became a friend to Katniss and part of the Rebellion. Unlike Katniss, who is assigned Cinna by the Capitol, Paedyn is allowed to choose her stylist and selects her best friend, Adena. Both ended up being killed to punish our main characters. Cienna's was much later in the series, but still used for the same purpose. It was an act from the antagonist to show they have all the power and to try to control Katniss and Paedyn.

During the Games/Trials, both Katniss and Paedyn were able to get a bow and arrows. The choice of weapon stood out to me because bows and arrows aren't the most obvious weapon to place in both protagonists' hands. While Katniss is an expert archer and Paedyn is anything but, I couldn't help but notice the visual parallel.

The Rebellion Beneath the Surface

In both stories, the protagonist unknowingly becomes a symbol for an existing resistance movement. Neither Katniss nor Paedyn begins the story intending to lead a rebellion, but their actions inspire others who have already been working behind the scenes to overthrow the government. Both the Rebellion and the Resistance had sympathizers from the powerful party. Both used the games as a way of showing themselves and instigating acts of rebellion.

The Love Triangle

The final major comparison I noticed was the love triangle. In both series, the heroine finds herself caught between two men, one of whom is tied to her larger mission.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss initially leans into the romance with Peeta because Haymitch convinces her it will gain sympathy from the audience and increase their chances of receiving life-saving sponsor gifts. What begins as a strategy gradually becomes genuine, and by the end of the series, Katniss realizes she truly loves Peeta.

In Powerless, Paedyn grows close to Kitt while secretly gathering information that will help the Resistance infiltrate the Bowl through its underground tunnels. Although she genuinely cares for him and feels remorse for using his trust, her feelings never become romantic. Instead, she falls in love with Kai.

While the outcomes are different, the setup is strikingly similar. Both heroines enter a relationship, at least in part, because it serves a larger purpose tied to the rebellion. One relationship eventually becomes real, while the other remains a painful deception.

Final Thoughts

I don't think any one of these similarities proves anything on its own. Plenty of dystopian novels feature oppressive governments, class systems, rebellions, and strong female protagonists.

For me, it was the sheer number of similarities that stood out. I started this comparison thinking I'd find a handful of shared ideas. Instead, I ended up with two full pages of notes. The more I read, the more I found myself saying, "Wait...that's another one."

At the end of the day, I'm not here to tell you whether Powerless is inspired by The Hunger Games or crosses into plagiarism. I'm simply sharing the comparisons I noticed while reading. After looking at all of them together, I'll let you decide where you think the line is.