Title: One
Series: One Universe #1
Author: Leigh Ann Kopans
Publish Date: June 11th 2013
Source: Purchased
Buy it from: Amazon
Goodreads summary:
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.
Review:
Though I never became involved in superhero fandoms (unless you count Sailor Moon), I love me a good superhero story. Love them like… I watched Heroes, I reblog almost every Avengers joke I come across on Tumblr, and I’m pretty much the only person I know who likes the movie Superman Returns. (I noticed a few tributes to said superhero culture, and I suspect that bigger superhero fans than I am would notice even more.)
So when I heard about the plot of Leigh Ann Kopans’s One, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. And I’m glad I didn’t because I really enjoyed my time in the One universe with Leigh Ann Kopans’s main character Merrin.
I’m not going to ignore my issues with it. They existed, but they weren’t glaring. I did feel like the parents’ personalities shifted from time to time, certain points were predictable, and a few plot points were a little too “easy” or glossed over. They seemed explained away. And at the beginning, the world was a little info-dumped on me.
But I forgive those things easily when things like superpowers and a main character that I can relate to are around.
Merrin had a great voice and is relatable– her fears of relying on others and not living up her her potential came through great. She’s down to earth (…in as much as someone whose power is FLOATING can be) and fierce.
I liked her love interest as well. Elias is handsome and cute and… I’m not sure why, but something about the way Kopans described the glasses he wears had me all swoony. There’s instant attraction between Elias and Merrin, which felt real because it didn’t make the jump to instalove. That developed a over the course of their relationship.
Do I hope to see the issues that I had with the book resolved? Sure. I think those improvements would make Two even better. But even if the sequel has the same issues as One, I think that I’ll still enjoy it a great deal.
Need a second opinion?
“I enjoyed ONE from the first page.” –A Life Bound By Books
