One

I should begin this review by saying that I don’t usually read Young Adult fiction. And I don’t really care too much for Superhero movies. And I’ve never seen X-Men. So there are no preexisting conditions for me to like One by Leigh Ann Kopans.

One is the story of Merrin Grey, your typical High School girl who lives in a futuristic version of the United States where people have super powers. In this world, you need two abilities to be a Super, like being combustible and being indestructible. But Merrin is a One. Merrin can float, but she can’t create a vacuum to push air away from her so she can fly. And that means she doesn’t really fit in anywhere.

You think you know where this is going don’t you? You think this is the story of a girl who doesn’t fit in anywhere, but she finds a boy who likes her and gives her some self worth and she fits in better.

But you’re wrong.

This isn’t a story about how boys validate girls by being in a relationship and then they learn to rely on that feeling to feel good about themselves. This isn’t a story about a girl who gets saved from her own poor choices by a boy. This is a story about a girl who knows her own self worth and knows she can achieve them on her own.

Merrin is going to fly. I could tell within the first three pages she would fly, because anyone with the sheer amount of determination Merrin has would ever let something so trivial as biology hold her back from her dreams. She’s the strong-willed, in-control, and totally amazing teen heroine we’ve all been waiting for.

In the midst of Bella’s and Ana’s, Merrin has the brains of Hermione Granger, the conviction of Eowyn, and the scrappiness of Katniss Everdeen. I love her. She’s not infallible, but I love her. And I’m so glad that there are people writing about strong female characters that kiss boys and kick ass.

People should be recommending this book to everyone they know but especially to young people. Young girls should be learning how to act like Merrin and young boys should be learning how to treat women like Elias does. It was a surprising and suspenseful read with backbone. A great read!!!