Reckless By Lauren Roberts Book Review & Book Club Questions

Reckless Summary

Reckless follows three perspectives: Paedyn, Kai, and Kitt, as the stakes rise in the kingdom of Ilya.

Paedyn, now on the run after killing the King, flees to her late father’s house. Kai, tasked with hunting her down, arrives with his Imperial guards, forcing Paedyn to escape as Kai burns the house to the ground.

A tense cat-and-mouse chase begins as Paedyn has a chance to kill Kai but chooses not to. She escapes the city and crosses the desert to Dor, constantly in hiding due to the bounty on her head.

To survive, she meets Rafael, a bookie who runs underground fights. Disguised as a boy named "Shadow," Paedyn enters these fights to earn money.

Eventually, Kai tracks her down, and Paedyn challenges him to a fight: if she wins, she’s free; if he wins, she returns to Ilya.

Mid-fight, their disguises are torn off, revealing their true identities. Neither can afford to be seen — Paedyn is in hiding, and Kai, as an Elite, is despised by the people. Forced to escape together, Paedyn, now wounded, has no choice but to return to Ilya with Kai.

One night, their camp is invaded, and Paedyn is rescued by Resistance members Lenny, Leena, and Finn, who take Kai hostage. They journey to a refuge run by Lenny’s mother, Maria, where many “Mixes” — people who are part Elite, part Ordinary — live, though their powers are too weak to make them valuable.

Despite finding safety, Paedyn and Kai are kidnapped in the middle of the night by Rafael, who plans to collect the bounty on Paedyn and ransom Kai.

They manage to escape through the sewers, and both have the chance to leave the other behind, but neither does. They even save each other.

Determined to bring Paedyn back to Ilya, Kai cuffs himself to her, ensuring she can’t escape.

During their journey, Kai shares the story of his sickly younger sister, Ava, who passed away. As the pair grows closer, Paedyn discovers a bow while climbing some rocks, and later, as they seek shelter from the rain, they build a fire using her father’s notebook.

Before burning the pages, Paedyn reads the entries, discovering shocking truths: the Ordinaries were never sick — the disease was a lie fabricated by the King and the Healers. She also learns that her father wasn’t her biological father — she had been abandoned on his doorstep, and he adopted her as his own.

As they continue their journey, Paedyn and Kai are ambushed by bandits. Though Kai is injured, they manage to kill the attackers and escape.

Their relationship shifts from enemies to lovers, but as they reach Ilya, Kai decides to let Paedyn go. However, Paedyn refuses, knowing that Kitt will never stop hunting her, and she can’t imagine a life without Kai.

Two Imperials find them, and Kai devises a mysterious plan, asking Paedyn to trust him. They are taken back to Ilya and brought before Kitt.

Instead of sentencing Paedyn to death, Kitt announces that she will be his bride, shocking both Paedyn and Kai, and leaving readers on a cliffhanger as the book ends.