Genre: Young Adult Near-future Fiction
Rating: 4/5
This is the second and final book in The Ones duology, preceded by the e-short, The Between.
Now that the Ones have been moved to concentration camps around the country, Cody and Kai seek a way to bring true equality back, for Ones to not be discriminated against for the genetic engineering done to them before they were even born. While Cody aims to save James from the camp he is in, Kai introduces her to Edith, the leader of a group of Ones in hiding and the oldest One alive, the first One.
SPOILER SECTION
While Edith aims to sacrifice one or two lives for the greater good of many, Cody aims to convince Edith to send a team to save James. While saving James is her one desire, Edith and Kai aim to save all the Ones they can to make a statement to one of the Equality Movement leaders, Agent Norton.
After saving a number of Ones from one camp, Cody finds out that James is dead. Unbelieving, she finds solace in Kai, too little too late. When Cody and Jame’s brother, Michael, make a plan to capture Agent Norton, they are successful, but Cody once again takes plans into her own hands. When it is revealed that James is alive, Cody makes a Pact with Agent Norton to free James and repeal the Equality Act that hinders the Ones.
When Cody finds out that Kai is actually Edith’s son, a number of events from his past begin to make sense to her, and a secret makes itself known. Edith has been doing genetic engineering in the mountains for a great amount of time, her goal to have the Once become the main population and to overthrow everyone else. Kai’s genetically engineered daughter, created from his DNA and not traditional means, is the first of a new generation of Ones, and perhaps the only.
When Cody and James realize what Edith is doing is just the same as the Equality Movement, she knows that the woman must be stopped, no matter the cost (although as few casualties as possible would be preferred). At the loss of someone important, Cody finally realizes that, no matter what, she is equal to James, equal to all as a human being.
I really enjoyed this series. Both the first and second book are very quick reads. While it feels like a lot is going on, the events go by so fast that there is barely time to process what just happened (albeit, that is not necessarily a bad thing!). When I asked at a signing, the author said there are no plans for another book in the series, but I can see potential if he ever changes his mind, and I would love to see what happens to the remaining characters and their society after they have diminished the Equality Movement and Edith’s plans. This was an excellent and fast-paced read that I would recommend to any young adult reader or person interested in how genetic engineering might change society. It is a book relevant to today’s sciences and shows potential scenarios that could come from the genetic engineering technology in our world today. An eye-opening must read!
Teresa Crider, Review Writer 