A review by zombiezami
The One by John Marrs

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I read this because I started watching the Netflix adaptation and heard that it was based on this book. I like the Netflix adaptation more overall, but I did like that this book had more worldbuilding in terms of what the geopolitical ramifications of gene matching like this would cause. Even so, I wish there was more showing, rather than telling. The twists were quite wild, but it was overall an intriguing story that made me want to know what was going to happen next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Biphobia, Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse and Genocide