One by Leigh Ann Kopans

One
by Leigh Ann Kopans
Read: August 3 - 4, 2013
Published: June 11th 2013 (self)
Source: Kindle purchase
Category: Paranormal Romance, Superheroes, YA
Series: One Universe book 1

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

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. (From Goodreads)
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Merrin Grey lives in a world with two types of people in it: those with superpowers and those with none. People born with superpowers always have Two, because it's useless to be able to make fire without indestructibility. If you didn't have the latter, you'd burn yourself every time you tried to use your ability. Unforunately, Merrin falls into the little discussed in-between category of having One superpower, without it's essential mate. She can float about 3 feet off the ground, but doesn't have the ability to make herself move in the air. Merrin longs to fly, and practices for hours hoping that the ability will come. But so far, she's had no luck.  

At sixteen, it's unlikely that Merrin's second power will ever show up. She's tired of being useless at the Superhero High School where her classmates are using their powers in amazing ways. This year she's determined just to be Normal, transferring to the regular town high school. But as much as Merrin tries to fit in there, she still feels like an outsider. That's when Merrin meets Elias VanDyne, another One. Together Merrin and Elias discover they can do something together that they'd only dreamed of on their own. They also begin to realize that not everything in their world is what it seems, nor is the truth about their powers. 

I really like that this book had to do with superheroes, and that their abilities came in pairs. I thought that the science presented in One was complex and believable, and pretty fascinating. One takes place in a future United States, and the explanation for how part of the population got their powers was well thought out, which I greatly appreciated. Although it wasn't the main focus of the book, there were also some political and social ramifications of people with powers vs those without, and it all served to flesh this world out well. I really like when the science-fiction/fantasy aspects of a book are tempered in reality, especially when they take place in an America that looks like our own. A book like this only works for me if there is some sense behind it, and I definitely found that here. 

I could also sympathize with Merrin's desire to fit into her world. Her struggle over being a One and feeling trapped between two places - the world of regular people and the world of superheroes - was believable and relatable. I like that she played the drums and listened to heavy metal music. Fun, personal details of her life that we don't often see in YA heroines. Merrin also loves science, especially Organic Chemistry (I know, crazy!), and a major part of the plot in One involves her quest to work for the big Superhero research facility, the Biotech Hub. 

When Merrin meets Elias they have an instant attraction to each other. I know some of you are checking out now. But for me, this is a case where a quick connection did not bother me, because there was a reason behind it. There were a few instances where I thought things moved a bit quickly between them - mostly because of some of Merrin's past experiences and how that's affected her trust, but for the most part I was easily able to connect in with them. I can imagine Merrin feeling like she'll never fit in, then finding someone like her and wanting to cling to that. It was really fun to see what these two discovered about themselves and each other once they were together. 

The main struggle I had with this store is that the conflict in the plot was largely based on characters not telling each other things. On secrets. Not just between Merrin and Elias, but their parents and others weren't always forthcoming. A lot of problems could be solved, or at least figured out sooner, if they had just communicated with each other.

But overall, One was a fun book. I read it on the car ride home from vacation and it was the perfect story for that journey back to reality. I'm also looking forward to its sequel Two, which I believe is going to be from Elias' point of view.

Love Triangle Factor: None

Cliffhanger Scale: Low. The second book, Two comes out in October. I believe it's going to be in Elias' POV (or maybe a split?) It has another gorgeous cover.