Emily is also one of my students, an avid reader and one of my favorite people to sit around and discuss books with. Read her review and you'll know why.
Okay, this is my first time writing a review of this scale,
for a book that hasn’t been released yet and all that jazz, and I have to
admit, it was pretty freakin’ awesome. One by Leigh Ann Kopans was gifted to
me, and I devoured it in two days. The story opens with Merrin Grey preparing
to switch from her former high school Superior High, alma mater of Supers
(those with a genetic code that gives them Super gifts like flying,
teleportation, and combustibility) to the much more normal Nelson High. Her
problem, you see, is that she’s a One, only having half of the two gifts she
needs to have a complete Super. In her case, she has the ability to float,
missing another One that would allow her to fly. This inability leaves her
outcast and bitter, the actual epitome of teen angst (which I shouldn’t have
identified with as much as I did).
Almost immediately upon entering Nelson High, Merrin finds
herself in the presence of the perfect and wonderful Elias VanDyne, another One
like herself. Even though I normally detest insta-love, Elias was pretty
fantastic, so I could let it slide just this once, especially since there was a
far greater reason for their attraction than the fact that they both thought
the other was the modern-day Adonis and Aphrodite.
Even though there were times when I actually wanted to reach
into the pages and strangle Merrin, I could understand why she was scared and
angry at points. Seriously, the girl had a ton going on, besides the fact that
she was a sixteen-year-old outcast discovering the delicate beginnings of young
love or whatever happens when you want to kiss a really hot guy who sort of
completes you.
The conflict,
although introduced a little bit too late, was really interesting to me, in
which science exploration and the thirst for knowledge played the part of the
antagonist. The last 25% of the book was impossible to stop reading, especially
as Merrin risks so much to save those she loves.
So, yes I would recommend this book, especially to fans of
superheroes who don’t get nauseous whenever happy love emotions are mentioned
and know what it’s like to wish to fly.
Check back later for an interview Emily did with the amazing Leigh Ann Kopans.
Nailed it!
ReplyDeleteI liked ONE too. I think it's a great, unique book. I'm like you, I don't always buy into the whole "I'm madly in love and all else shall fail" thing for YA, but it totally worked in this case.
Great review! I hope you get an A+