The Ones (Ones, #1)

by Daniel Sweren-Becker

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
Look, this book had me from "dystopia". You know I love it. Can't get enough of it. So obviously I needed to read it! It's actually set not that far in the future, and is crazy plausible. "Designer babies" are already a thing that happens, so this isn't really that hard to imagine. Nor is it hard to imagine that anyone feeling threatened by the new crop of genetically modified folks would be up in arms, especially as they reached adulthood and started competing in colleges, the job market, etc.

The story follows Cody and her boyfriend James, who have been quite successful (though also hardworking) in academics and athletics. When the backlash against The Ones begins, they have very different strategies on how to deal with it. James wants to keep his head down and just keep doing his thing while trying to ignore those who want to oppress him. Cody, meanwhile, will take none of this lying down. She's a fighter, it's clear. James is mostly just worried about Cody doing something that will hurt her, and his escalating problems with his family.

I really felt for them both- on one hand, as much I would want to say I'd be like Cody, fighting for what is right... how many of us really do? The quietly oppressed like James would likely be the majority. They were both great characters, and I felt for their plights equally.

This story was incredibly readable, quick, and full of action. I breezed through it, eager to know what was happening, and why it was happening. There are a few things that I felt were a bit unbelievable, even in a technologically advanced society. Some of the science seemed a little too convenient for the plot, but that was really the only issue I had with the book.

The main thing I took away from this is that it is quite easy to compare it to so many different groups' struggles in our own society. With all the current turmoil in our present-day country, this book is timelier than you can imagine. The parallels to things happening right now are uncanny, and I loved how it is all mirrored in the issues facing Cody, James, the other Ones, and society at large who has to decide: What will their legacy be? What will they stand for?

Bottom Line: The Ones is a past faced, thought-provoking debut that has an eerie basis in our current societal landscape. Add to it some relatable characters, and great twists, and it makes a book I didn't want to put down!