The Ones by Daniel Sweren-Becker

In America one percent of the population has won the ultimate lottery - the chance to be genetically altered to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be.  These Ones have the ultimate advantage, they are more intelligent, more athletic, more talented and more beautiful.  All her life Cody has know she is a One, and so has her boyfriend James.  They are a perfect match for each other, although his parents may not agree quite so much because Cody comes from the poor side of town.  Life seems perfect - until a single moment creates a movement that leads to the Ones becoming second class citizens, punished for the perfection that was supposed to ensure them a bright future.

It seems as thought overnight everything they have worked hard to achieve is ripped away from them - their achievements not their achievements, merely a result of their genetics.  James and his family seem to take it all in stride, watching all the changes and waiting to see what comes next.  Cody on the other hand is consumed with intense anger as everything she worked for is taken away, and she is determined to fight against the changes no matter what the cost.  Cody is soon tangled up in a web of lies and danger as some of the Ones decide to fight back - and they are not afraid to use force to fight back.

There has been a trend in recent years to write dystopian or speculative fiction and some of them have been really good, some have been mediocre, and some have been rubbish - the fact I read The Ones in a single sprint proves this is one of the good ones.  Sweren-Becker has created a world that is just around the corner and that is totally, scarily believable.  The smallest incident explodes into a huge movement that sweeps everyone up in it's path - the Ones are affected, their families are affected, and the unrest affects everyone.  There are some delightful little twists that keep you wondering what will happen right to end - and I hope, hope from the ending that there will be more in this series.

If you are looking for an excellent dystopian read for younger teens or teens who struggle with "dense" and complicated reads then I highly recommend The Ones.   

If you like this book then try:

• The Jewel by Amy Ewing
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
• Renegade by J.A. Souders
• Adaptation by Melinda Lo
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
• XVI by Julia Karr
• The 100 by Kass Morgan
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Proxy by Alex London
• Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
• In the after by Demitria Lunetta
• ACID by Emma Pass
• Reboot by Amy Tintera
• What's left of me by Kat Zhang

Reviewed by Brilla