Title: ISAN
Author: Mary Ting
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Publishing Date: May 1st, 2018
Pages: 330
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Dystopia
Series: International Sensory Assassin Network #1
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Dystopia
Series: International Sensory Assassin Network #1
Source: ARC
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 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.
I came upon this book on NetGalley and thought it sounded intriguing. I love books about secret groups, powers, and assassins. Sounds really good. I enjoyed this read. I did have some issues with the read, mainly the pacing. Really that is about it. The pacing was a bit off but other than that it was a good read. I felt the story interesting and the characters solid. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, nothing to keep me up at night but enough to make me want to get to the next book… which of course will be a while before its out.
This was an interesting story. The main character, Ava was taken from a foster home as a young teen and put into a secret agency that trained her. She knew about the missions but didn’t know the missions might require assassinating. This gives her worry. She doesn’t want to kill. Ava is a complex character in a way that she has been trained to be one way but her heart tells her to different. She has never really questioned what the agency wants of her, she is just thankful they gave her a home and they keep her safe, warm, and fed. After having to kill she starts to question things. Not too much. Just a little. Then she gets a mysterious message from someone who claims to used to know her and wants to meet her. This changes everything and really brings on the questions that change her entire world.
What I liked about Ava… even though she has been trained to think one way, she refuses to ignore questions that nag at her. She isn’t really into investigating but isn’t afraid to ask questions. She also has a fierce loyalty to her team and her friends. Even if she doesn’t to the agency. She is brave… even without the helix. She ignores her fears and fights through them. She is smart and knows when to quit and think and then knows when to speak up. She is sharp and quick thinking. I didn’t find much fault with her really. I mean she is a little naïve at times, but only because things have been kept from her and she trusts just a little too much in what she has been told… only in the beginning though. Once she finds holes in the story… she starts to question everything.
What I liked about Ava… even though she has been trained to think one way, she refuses to ignore questions that nag at her. She isn’t really into investigating but isn’t afraid to ask questions. She also has a fierce loyalty to her team and her friends. Even if she doesn’t to the agency. She is brave… even without the helix. She ignores her fears and fights through them. She is smart and knows when to quit and think and then knows when to speak up. She is sharp and quick thinking. I didn’t find much fault with her really. I mean she is a little naïve at times, but only because things have been kept from her and she trusts just a little too much in what she has been told… only in the beginning though. Once she finds holes in the story… she starts to question everything.
The boy in the story, Rhett. He is sweet and loyal to his friends too. I didn’t really connect with him as much as I did Ava but he was alright. I hope to spend more time with him in future books. I think he will be a pretty cool character once I get to know him better. He is sneaky and smart and I did like that. I felt at times he came on a little strong and desperate but I guess that comes with being separated from the one you love.
There is romance. A little. Rhett says that Ava loved him once, but she has no memory of this, so the romance is a little one-sided. I guess that is why I felt Rhett came on a little strong and desperate. I think the romance will go somewhere for sure. This was just the setup. I couldn’t get on board fully with the romance, but it was starting to flourish in my heart. I can see it becoming deeper and oh so lovely.
In fact, this book was a set up for a lot to come. I can see that. The beginning of the book was a little slow. The time spent training and on missions. A lot of action, but done in a way that kind of bores me. I did get a feel for Ava, and her friends, and the agency during this time. So it was just the start of building the story. After halfway through, the story picked up and was really interesting. I had a hard time putting the book down.
I think the pacing caused me to not love the book quite as much as I wanted to but the story is interesting. There isn’t a lot really given away in this book. The surface was just cracked a little, so the book left me wanting more and I am hoping the next book will fill in all the blank spaces in the story. I wanted to know about the world in this book. The country is split into four corners and they have different rulers. The world doesn’t seem to be in much peace and chaos seems to be all around. I didn’t get much of the world though. SO I am hoping this will be expanded in the next issue.
There was a bit of a cliffhanger in the ending. Not a jaw-dropping heart pounding type of cliffhanger. Just a small one, a doable one. I do want to continue with the series and I will for sure continue once the next one is out.
There is romance. A little. Rhett says that Ava loved him once, but she has no memory of this, so the romance is a little one-sided. I guess that is why I felt Rhett came on a little strong and desperate. I think the romance will go somewhere for sure. This was just the setup. I couldn’t get on board fully with the romance, but it was starting to flourish in my heart. I can see it becoming deeper and oh so lovely.
In fact, this book was a set up for a lot to come. I can see that. The beginning of the book was a little slow. The time spent training and on missions. A lot of action, but done in a way that kind of bores me. I did get a feel for Ava, and her friends, and the agency during this time. So it was just the start of building the story. After halfway through, the story picked up and was really interesting. I had a hard time putting the book down.
I think the pacing caused me to not love the book quite as much as I wanted to but the story is interesting. There isn’t a lot really given away in this book. The surface was just cracked a little, so the book left me wanting more and I am hoping the next book will fill in all the blank spaces in the story. I wanted to know about the world in this book. The country is split into four corners and they have different rulers. The world doesn’t seem to be in much peace and chaos seems to be all around. I didn’t get much of the world though. SO I am hoping this will be expanded in the next issue.
There was a bit of a cliffhanger in the ending. Not a jaw-dropping heart pounding type of cliffhanger. Just a small one, a doable one. I do want to continue with the series and I will for sure continue once the next one is out.
A good read. A good start to what may just be a pretty awesome series.
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Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.
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