THE WORLD HAS CHANGED.SCIENTISTS WARNED IT WOULD HAPPEN.Meteors devastated the Earth. World Governments developed plans to help surviving citizens. The United States disbanded and salvageable land was divided into four quadrants—North, South, East, and West— governed by The Remnant Council.Struggling to survive, seventeen-year-old Ava ends up in juvenile detention, until she is selected for a new … up in juvenile detention, until she is selected for a new life— with a catch. She must be injected with an experimental serum. The results will be life changing. The serum will make her better. To receive the serum, Ava agrees to join a program controlled by ISAN, the International Sensory Assassin Network.
While on a mission, she is abducted by a rebel group led by Rhett and told that not only does she have a history with him, but her entire past is a lie perpetuated by ISAN to ensure her compliance. Unsure of who to trust, Ava must decide if her strangely familiar and handsome captor is her enemy or her savior—and time is running out.
AWARDS
2018 WINNER AMERICAN FICTION AWARDS IN SCIENCE FICTION: POST-APOCALYPTIC
2018 WINNER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS IN SCIENCE FICTION
2018 WINNER READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS IN YOUNG ADULT: ACTION
“Captivating from the very beginning … this thrilling dystopian drama has a splash of romance and tons of action.”
~ School Library Journal
“Addictive and impossible to put it down!”
~Addison Moore, NYT Bestselling Author
”… will leave readers breathless with anticipation as they race through each exciting page.”
~Tiffany King, USA Today Bestselling Author
“Dystopian fans, prepare to be blown away!”
~Ednah Walters, USA Today Bestselling Author
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A great read !
They only have ten minutes left to get to the other side of the building.
They run fast, bullets whistling past their ears.
Suddenly, Justine is touched .
Ava looks at her watch and Brooke asks them to shut up…
But where is that damn door ?
Only four minutes left…
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Imagine…… you’re locked away somewhere for a long time and you are given the incredible opportunity to be free and have some superpowers….
Honestly, what would you do ?
Here is a thrilling action and adventure YA novel, with an incredible main character full of strenght and moreover rather endearing.
A real treat to read
Well done to the author !
A must read for lovers of the genre.
“Whatever it takes”
This story was absolutely phenomenal! This author has a royal knack when it comes to writing no matter what it is or who her audience is. She loves to keep us on the edge of our seats.
The characters are amazing. Ava is a complicated character. She is so confused and sad. You could feel Ava’s feelings just pour out of each page. I wanted to reach through the story and hug her at times.
The story-line was incredible. The way this author wrote this story, kept me intrigued and and addicted, and left me wanting to know more about Ava and her past. Such a remarkable story that left me stunned and shocked at the end. I really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to read more about Ava. I highly recommend it.
This book was wonderful. It had everything I was hoping it would, between realistic and interesting characters, great world building, a steamy yet mysterious romance, and a plot that kept you on the edge of your seat. I recommend this to anyone who loves a great action packed dystopian with believable and relatable characters and fight scenes that even outclasses some of the most classic spy movies
I have read this story several times, and each time, I am still sucked in and mesmerized by the story. Follow Ava on her journey of discovery. Ava is a trained assassin with ISAN, but when someone from her past surfaces, all that she believes to be true, might all just be a facade. Stuck trying to decide what is fact and fiction, Ava begins to question everything around her, her training, her friends, family and her love and the motives of ISAN.
Wow! Its like the divergent meets shadowhunters. but note there is no paranormal involved. Yet this is good. Mary ting has an awesome imagination! A secret government called ISAN that has picked and chosen certain teenagers that were in juvie or foster homes because they had a certain dna. They choose to join it in which they will be trained to become assasins…. ava is a leader but gets kidnapped on an assignment by rhett a rebel and his group. ava’s past starts to unravel and becomes confused or is in denial. I can’t give anymore hints to this book cuz then i will completely spoil it. You got to get a hold of this. I know for sure i will be purchasing this baby. Can’t wait to get my hands on that one!
This book was different than what I was expecting. The world building was very good and believable. I liked the main characters as I could relate to them. The story was easy to read and I wanted to know what happens next. It did not end the way I thought it would. There were enough questions left for another story to come out of this one. It would have been better if the ending had been different, but it was a pretty good book. I would recommend it.
After the world as we know it was destroyed by meteors, adjustments were made to help the survivors. The U.S. separated and became four quadrants- North, South, East, and West- governed by The Remnant Council. Ava is simply trying to survive when she winds up in juvenile detention. While there, she gets offered an opportunity to join ISAN, the International Sensory Assassin Network. However, in order to do this she has to agree to injections of a serum that is supposed to make her better, but that is still under testing. She agrees and begins her training. Eventually, she and her team go on a mission, but while on it, she gets kidnapped by a group whose goal is to destroy ISAN. While there, their leader, Rhett, tells Ava that she knows him and in fact has a history with the entire group. He claims that everything she remembers is made up of lies ISAN created to control her. ava must decide is she will trust Rhett and the strange feelings she gets while with him or if she will go back to the organization that is everything she remembers.
Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion, and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Additionally, the author sent me this book as a free review copy; however, this did not influence my review. This is 100% my honest opinion. Let’s begin:
If you have read my other reviews or have checked out my Instagram, you most likely have caught on to the fact that I’m a huge fantasy person. I’ve read a few sci-fi books, but not a ton. I enjoyed the ones I have read, but not necessarily enough to get me to look into sci-fi more. I think this book might change that. I loved it so much that I didn’t realize how much I was reading at one time. I looked at the bottom of my Kindle and it went from 5% progress to 40% in what felt like 5 minutes of reading.
I think that the plot is very interesting. I liked the idea of the serum and the different things it can do to people. I am also super intrigued by the idea of Ava potentially not remembering everything about her past and why/how this might have happened; I am certainly looking forward to finding out more about that in the next book. The plot in general kept me invested in the book the entire time. I was never bored and found myself wanting to keep reading even when I knew I had to stop to sleep or get work done. Like I said before, I didn’t even realize how much I was reading because I was enjoying it so much. Also, the action sequences were super cool and well written!
I really liked all of the characters. Ava is a great protagonist, and I love how there are so many morally grey characters. A lot of the characters were difficult to figure out (and I honestly still haven’t figured them out) because you, like Ava, can’t tell who to trust or who knows what information. This is a great technique that really puts you into the book and makes you relate to the main character, and I adore that the author wrote the book in this way. Rhett was a great character and I loved how I got the same sense as Ava on the matter of not knowing him, but still feeling like I maybe can trust him. All of the characters were well developed and I loved them all (even the ones whose personalities I didn’t like). I’m excited to see how they develop more in the next book, and I have a feeling some of the characters who are sort of smaller in this first book are going to be bigger later.
The world’s differences from the world that we know in real life were shown slowly. It did not play a super major part in the first half of the book, but still did have an impact in a lot of ways. It became bigger later in the book, and because of this, it was discussed more there. I don’t think that the wait to start developing the world in a less subtle way hindered the reading experience at all though. In fact, I actually liked how it was done because it made me more curious about it and excited to learn more in the next book.
Overall, I loved the book and would very highly suggest giving it a try even if you are not sure sci-fi is your thing because this book may just change your mind on that. The plot was extremely interesting, the characters were well developed, and I really liked the way the world is set up. I’m not sure how to convey how much or why I enjoyed a book when I loved it as much as I loved this one. I simply get this feeling when reading it that I cannot put into words. Hopefully you either know what I am talking about when I say ‘feeling’ or I did a good enough job that you can tell exactly how much I enjoyed this read and how highly I recommend you giving it a chance.
Thank you so much to Mary Ting and Angie from the Instagram page @marytingnews for the copy of this book!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Author: Mary Ting
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
# of Pages: 333 (Kindle edition)
Genre: YA, Sci-fi
Series: International Sensory assassin Network (Book 1)
I could not put this book down! From the beginning of Ava’s unique story it pulled me into her world of action, suspense, mystery, friendship, and self-discovery. Throughout the story she is discovering what her purpose truly is while meeting an array of interesting characters. I did not want the story to end. I am glad that I am able to continue learning about her journey of self discovery and the future of her place in ISAN with the other books in this series. I can’t wait to get started on book 2.
Mary Ting’s dystopian world envisions a planet pummeled by meteors, destroying life as we know it. Two generations later and science has surpassed anything their ancestors could have imagined thanks to resources those meteors brought to the earth. Fragile governments have sprung up and a power struggle is firmly in place. Enter ISAN, the International Sensory Assassin Network. With a secret formula known as Helix, teenage assassins are sent out to eliminate any threats to peace before they become a problem. Pulling girls from foster homes and juvenile detention system, ISAN promises a better life for troubled youth, but they soon realize they’ve traded one hell for another. Ava is an orphan with a rough past, but she takes to the Helix serum especially well, giving her abilities the other girls don’t have, propelling her into a leadership position, one she doesn’t feel she’s earned. Still, she does her best to nurture and support her team on their missions. This is her life, training, eating, killing. At least until she starts receiving mysterious messages from someone on her computer. When she’s kidnapped while on a mission, not only is her world turned upside down, but her entire identity as she learns painful details about a past she can’t remember.
Plot
The plot is amazing. I couldn’t put this book down. It moves from the opening page through to the end. There were so many unexpected plot twists that kept me needing to find out what happened next. The primary plot isn’t really Ava’s, it’s Rhett’s. His goal is to get Ava back. But because it’s told through Ava’s point of view, the goal wasn’t completely clear until at least halfway through. By using this technique, the author keeps us in the dark, along with Ava, so we truly experience the backstory as it unfolds for Ava. This was a brilliant technique that kept me on my toes!
Characters
Ava is tough, but not to the point of being hard to like. From the opening pages, I loved her loyalty and her moral center. Even as an assassin, she has a conscious that tears at her. Her team is a blend of friends and adversaries that must form a cohesive unit during missions, which makes for some really great conflict. The leadership is intriguing and mysterious, meaning anything is possible at this point. As Ava learns the secrets of her past, readers are left to wonder who we can trust. Rhett, as the forgotten love interest, is everything you’d want for Ava. He’ll do anything to get her back, except put her at risk.
What I Loved About ISAN
1. World Building. The dystopian future Ting creates is a joy to behold. Rich details bring it vividly to life.
2. Kendrick. His toys for the assassins are a thing of beauty and straight out of the best spy movies.
3. Ava. She kicks butt and takes names, but she is loyal and has a strong moral code — everything I want in my teenage assassins.
4. Rhett. He’s tough and badass but his tender feelings toward Ava makes him swoonworthy.
5. Surprises. There were a lot of surprises throughout the book that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Bottom Line
A fantastic young adult dystopian with cool tech and swoony romantic subplot.
Great read. Page turner from the beginning.
ISAN: International Sensory Assassin Network by Mary Ting is a dystopian sci-fi thriller that keeps your heart pumping fast with adrenaline as the pages turn promising mystery, intrigue and suspense. I could not put this gem down and was so into it, I didn’t realize I was nearing the end. The cliffhanger literally had me first just blinking at my tab, then I swear for a few seconds I was willing to sell my soul for the second installment to magically appear.
Ava is a delinquent teenager who ends up in juvenile detention. Given the opportunity to make something of herself, she signs on the dotted line to join ISAN, having been told her blood work came back with the special gene they were looking for. After some time though, she starts to question a lot of things. Truth and lies become indecipherable.
Mary Ting builds a most extraordinary post apocalyptic world, this story taking place two generations after a meteor strike demolishes the earth. The cast of characters are unique, some you will fall in love with, some will leave you guessing as to their true intentions. The suspense of waiting for the next book in series is excruciatingly painful but well worth it. I recommend, my dear bibliophiles, you pick up this book today!
Interesting storyline and well written.
Mary Ting’s ISAN – International Sensory Assassin Network is mind-blowingly great. Pretty shocking for me as I generally avoid post-apocalyptic tales, but there you have it. Ava is s fantastic lead character and her story is one wild thrilling ride. Well written and with s plot with some really neat curve balls built in. I can easily see why this book had been a hit. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises – the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.
ISAN (International Sensory Assassin Network) was a read I enjoyed very much.
I have been reading quite a few YA novels at the moment and this was one that intrigued me massively.
So this was my first book by this particular author and “ISAN” overall was a clean YA read.
The blurb initially piqued my attention in a good way and this was one I was really looking forward to getting stuck into.
so if I had to split this down into parts I would say the second half of this book is of a much faster pace than the first.
I would also have myself liked for the beginning of”ISAN” to be of a faster pace with maybe more in-depth world-building.
For me, this would have pushed this from a four-star up into a five.
But when this eventually did get going it was fast paced with plenty of action and definitely kept me on my toes throughout.
With a vast array of diverse individuals “ISAN” delivers on all fronts.
I am still finding my feet in regards to what is occurring and the hidden agendas buried within the narrative here, but I am also very much looking forward and ahead to where this may go in the future.
The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to see where they lead.
So all-though there is a romantic element here in “Isan” this very much takes a back seat in the overall storyline plot.
This has more of a post-apocalyptic dystopian vibe than a romantic one and the setting hooked me right from the beginning.
“ISAN” is told from Ava’s POV I myself would have definitely preferred a more well-rounded perspective from multiple characters, but that’s just me.
I Also should mention that this is also quite a lengthy read of at least five hours and it also ended on a giant cliffhanger.
I’m almost positive from this there is going to be a twist coming, there just has to be, It cant be left like that.
So I found this to be a great dystopian read that also had an extremely imaginative narrative.
It was a fabulous start to what I am sure will be a great new series.
Eagerly awaiting the next instalment now.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of “ISAN – International Sensory Assassin Network ” of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Note: This review contains NO spoilers
Again, Mary Ting has wowed me with another of her fictional worlds. This time, this science fiction/dystopian novel is filled with action and adventure with a lot of teenage girl angst. Of course, it it! Come on now!!! What would you expect of teenage girls…haha!!! But… These teenage girls are not your ordinary and average teenage girls. They have got some skills!
Anyways, ISAN is told in the main character’s, Ava, point of view. It makes sense. We get an introduction to this dystopian world of a network of assassins. We get an introduction of all the players in this secretive network. However, not only do we get your “lips wet” with this imaginative world, we also get an in depth look into these individual personalities of these characters that pull this book together. Can’t forget all the twists and turns that runs throughout this story either.
I can gush and fangirl all over this book, but then, I would give away too much as spoilers. Nah, I don’t do spoilers. Just as much as I hate spoilers, I won’t ruin it for others who want to read this new book by Mary Ting. What I will say is that this is not your ordinary dystopian/science fiction read. It is different. This is Mary’s take on another genre that is wonderous and inventive. ISAN has various elements that makes for an intriguing and innovative story that is worth reading.
Don’t take my word for it. Not everyone likes and enjoys the same reads. But, it definitely not an adventure when readers don’t venture out to reading… Right!?! I for one enjoyed this new story by Mary Ting.
I love Mary Ting’s ISAN (International Sensory Assassin Network). Seventeen-year-old, Ava has a special DNA marker that allows a unique drug known as Helix to enhance her abilities. She is given a choice of remaining in juvenile detention or joining ISAN (International Sensory Assassin Network). After being captured by a rebel group she is told that her life is a lie. She has no idea who she can trust. This dystopian novel is suitable for young adults.
ISAN reminded me of a combination of the television series Alias (2001-06) and the Matrix movie series. It is creative, full of action, and mysterious. I like Ava. She has some interesting powers like being able to store architectural blueprints in her mind to help her on her missions. She is a good leader. She has had a difficult life. I like that she is strong-willed.
The plot was amazing. A lot of interesting twists occur throughout the novel. ISAN was skillfully written and thought-provoking. The story had a captivating ending. I cannot wait for the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book to science fiction lovers. ISAN would make a great movie or television series. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
This is an amazing book! Her best book yet. A must read for all. Couldn’t put it down!
ISAN is a beautifully inspirational and breathtakingly touching story of learning what it means to truly live. Having the privilege to eat, breathe, and take care of your body is not the same as living and experiencing a full and enriched life. While staying alive is important, we can’t afford to neglect our heart. Our body is only a part of who we are as a whole being. Our mind can guide us, but it is only with our heart that we can feel and truly cherish the people and the world around us. To truly live, we must be whole.
Ava can’t really remember who she was before coming to ISAN. In her dreams, she sees glimpses of events and images of people that she doesn’t always recognize. What should make her desperate to search for answers only fuels her determination to forget the past and keep moving forward. After all, the past can’t change her present or redirect her future. Only she can redirect her future, but she has been convinced that she doesn’t have a future. All the more reason to just appreciate what she has now and forget about anything else. One simple message will forever change her life. One word will tear her entire world apart and awaken her long dormant heart. One person will topple the mirage that is her existence and show her what it means to really live life to the fullest. In the end, the choice will be hers to continue living a half-life or do whatever it takes to fight for a life she has always dreamed could be hers.
I was immediately captivated by Ava. Her character is simple yet so deliciously complicated once we get a better picture of her life. I can’t say how much I love stories that are chock full of action and mystery while sweetly laced with a beautifully delicate romance. There were hints of a “La Femme Nikita” format which made me squeal with delight since that is my all-time favorite TV series. Once Rhett was introduced I was thoroughly and completely invested into this incredible adventure. Rhett wasn’t what I expected, but he was utterly perfect for Ava. He was able to give her a small but precious taste of what it means to live an authentic life with every part of who you are. He left no stone unturned in showing her how mesmerizing, intoxicating, and scary is can be to leave behind the world she had grown comfortable with, but at the same time she saw what it meant to feel and be completely real and whole.
Mary Ting has forever etched her name on my short list of favorite authors, and this story placed another gold start next to her name. I am not sure there are words that can truly explain how an author can push their way into your heart, make you feel and hurt and soar with the eagles, and in the end transform a part of you into something better and wonderful. The impact of one heart to another can be limitless and life changing, and every word from Mary’s heart has always and will always have that profound effect on me. I hope that you will give her a chance to touch you just as deeply and what better time to start then with this phenomenal new series!
I thought this book was Great! I loved it from beginning to end. Highly recommend