The Sarcastic Palmtree: Review - One ~ By Leigh Ann Kopans

"One" was one of the BEST YA Sci-Fi books I have read in a very long time.

From Amazon:

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.

My husband made a comment to me the other day that when I was in school I hated reading and doing book reports. Now I do it all the time and all because I want to. This.....is a true statement. I'm sure anyone that reads this blog will eventually figure out I hated to read until about 8 years ago. I literally read about 2-3 books a YEAR and now I read that a least in a month, sometimes in a week depending on how busy the kids are keeping me. There is a reason I tell you this, it is because I still tend to prefer certain types of books and YA is on top of my list. I love YA. It's my favorite genre to read. I think a lot of it comes from the fact I didn't read anything when I was a YA. Never for enjoyment, EVER! A good YA novel makes me think. Now I'm older I like to think. Go figure.

One was, hands down, one of the best YA books I have read in ages. It had everything I love in a good book, great story, strong characters that compliment each other, a little bit of romance, action, mystery of the "what the hell is going on here" sort! It made me think. It made me use my brain to try and figure out what those "Hubsters" (that's my term not one from the book) are doing to these poor kids!

One is told from our heroine's point of view. Merrin is a One though deep down she believes she can and will be something more. She wants to work at the Biotech Hub and is currently trying for an internship there when she is transferred from Superior High to Nelson High. She isn't really thrilled about the change but things become better when she meets Elias. Also a one, Elias starts showing interest in Merrin and eventually the have a great connection which leads them to find out that together they can fly. I found both of these characters to be strong independently and even stronger together, as most great couples are in real life, making each other better.

There were a lot of elements of who is doing what to whom and why in this book. Everyone seems to have an unknown agenda which you figure at some point is going to cross into one big reason for everyone doing what they are. This is always an element that keeps me reading, especially when you can see everything is coming together really quick! I sent a tweet to Leigh Ann Kopans at this point cursing her because I had to leave for church shortly and didn't want to stop reading to even shower! So here's my word of advice......when you are about 2/3 of the way into the book, give the kids a Sam's Club size box of snacks, a case of juice boxes, put on Nickelodeon and just read! You won't want to put it down!

Now a bit about Leigh Ann Kopans. I am always interested to see when I try a new author how I'm going to like them. Will their writing be a style that clicks with me? Can they actually write? Are they going to be too detailed to keep me intersted? This being the first of her novels, I was extremely impressed! She is a very well balanced writer, meaning detailed but not boring, able to create a world that I can see and feel like I'm in because its a world within our own world. Her characters were independently strong but made a unified couple, excellent together having a need for each other without being needy for each other. You are a very, VERY talented writer Ms. Kopans and I can't wait to see what other stories are rolling around in your head just waiting for us to enjoy! (No pressure of course!)

Since we don't do "official" ratings here at The Sarcastic Palmtree, (it is way too much stress on me to do a 1-5 stars so I prefer to make my own up) I would like to now give you my official, unofficial rating:

I give "One" by Leigh Ann Kopans

10 of my favorite things....

Palm trees!

(There is no higher honor coming from me! Palm trees are my favorite things on earth!)