It makes you a One.
Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.
If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.
Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.
Merrin’s mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub’s internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it’s more important to fly solo, or to save everything – and everyone – she loves.
Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.
Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)
Jaime’s Thoughts
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One by LeighAnn Kopans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
We’ve all dreamed about the super powers we would want … or at least I know I have. Flying… indestructibility, mind control… you name it.
In Merrin Grey’s world, it’s common to have not only one, but two superpowers… only, she doesn’t. She’s what she refers to as a ‘half-superpowered freak’, because she only has one power. As a One, Mer is unhappy. She wants to be able to fly, but unfortunately she can only hover no matter what she tries. She’s convinced that if she could just get an internship at the Hub, she will be able to figure out how to fix this problem so she pushes herself to succeed, only to be shuffled off to a regular high school where she won’t be able to interact with other supers or study with the teacher who’s helped her in the past.
This change in schools has her meeting Elias VanDyne. He’s also a One and they just seem to click. Suddenly school and the internship aren’t the only things she wants. Elias and Mer have a deeper connection though. One she can feel every time they are near each other, and when they touch… their One powers combine to make them fly. They are stunned by this revelation and take advantage of it any chance they can.
As they uncover what they can do, and what that means for them, they realize that things at the hub and at home, maybe aren’t exactly as they have been led to believe.
Kopans takes the superpower world and gives us readers a unique twist… and I loved it! Now, keep in mind that I’ve only given you the bare bones of this story here, there are twists and turns that I wouldn’t dare tell you about and ones that I hadn’t even guessed. You’ll find yourself trying to guess what is going to happen at certain points only to find out that you were completely wrong!
I really loved the characters that Kopans has created as well. Merrin is the kind of girl that I love. She’s incredibly smart and determined, and protective of those she loves. And Elias … I predict he will be found on many ‘swoony boy’ lists once this book hits shelves.
Elias has always wanted his One to develop… if only to make his father proud of him. At times he comes across as a bit secretive, and I always felt a bit suspicious of his parents for whatever reason… I’m not sure if I was supposed to, but I definitely did! LOL Once he realizes what he and Mer can do together he isn’t sure what to do, mostly because he seems to know that it’s not really something that should be happening. But Merrin is convinced this melding of their powers is a good thing… mostly because it’s given her the thing she’s always wanted, and so they struggle with each other on who to tell and who to trust with their secret.
I thought both Merrin and Elias were wonderfully developed. In addition I loved the secondary characters of Daniel and Leni and hope that we get a bit more with them in book 2.
The story itself was wonderfully paced and well written. And while I found a few of the twists to be a tiny bit predictable, the big ones are the ones I wasn’t expecting and I think you’ll agree once you read it for yourself.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next in this series because I’m excited to see where Kopans takes us and what Elias and Merrin are up to. You’ll absolutely want to pick this one up when it hits shelves in early June.
Merrin Grey has the ability to hover…unfortunately in her world that isn’t enough. As a One, she lacks the second power that would make her a Super and able to fly. When she transfers to Nelson High School (for Normals) for her sophomore year of high school, Merrin meets Elias and things change. See, Elias is a One as well and his ability is he can control the air. When they are together they feel a buzz and their powers are compounded. Now Merrin is finding that she wants more than to be able to fly and an internship at The Hub, Elias has become just as important to her.
One mixes this world of superpowers with a world of normals and I loved it. I would have liked to see a bit more of the interaction between the Supers, Ones, and Normals. I enjoyed the background we got and it was clear that, as with anything, depending on what side you are on, stories can vary. It would have been nice to see what things were really like between the groups as I didn’t really get a sense that there was conflict with the exception that Supers felt differently toward Ones.
People are definitely keeping secrets in this book and I don’t just mean Elias or Merrin. Anyone who works for The Hub seems to know more than anyone else and they aren’t telling. Merrin’s parents won’t tell Merrin something about her science teacher, Elias’ parents seem a bit odd – we really never meet his dad until later and his mom seems to be hiding something, and Elias’ sisters clearly have some secrets of their own.
Kopans does a wonderful job developing the characters in this story. I could feel Merrin’s anger and disappointment in the beginning and as her relationship with Elias progresses, she becomes more accepting of the fact that she is a One. Don’t get me wrong, Merrin hasn’t stopped trying to find out a way to fly but she has come to accept that Elias is just as important to her. It was great to see it all come together in her mind toward the end and see her decide what she needed to do.
Elias feels the connection to Merrin right away and is perfectly swoony. He knows that if certain people found out what they can do when they are together things could be dangerous for both of them so he does what he can to protect Merrin as well as their friends Leni and Daniel. On top of that, he is worried about his sisters and worried that he will never make his father proud of him.
Keep in mind that I really haven’t said much about the story here as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. There were a few twists I expected but a number of them I hadn’t so hopefully you will be as entertained as I was. This was a quick read and I found myself unable to put this one down until I turned the last page. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA, a solid story, and great characters. I am excited to see what is in store for Merrin and Elias in the next book as well as what happens with not only Leni and Daniel but also Merrin’s and Elias’ families.
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