~ BOOK REVIEW ~ ISAN ~ by Mary Ting

Title: ISAN

Series: International Sensory Assassin Network #1

Author: Mary Ting

Genre: YA Dystopian/Science Fiction

Release Date: May 1, 2018

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 our 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.

5 out of 5 Stars

This is by far the best dystopian book I’ve read in a very long time.  I was absolutely hooked from the moment I started reading.  There was no slow build – it was an immediate hit of action, and it rarely ever stopped.  Yes, there have been books about secret agencies that are built up after an apocalyptic event, in a new dystopian society, but not from this point of view, and not to this extreme.

For the majority of this book, I – along with Ava and her team – was sure she was in the best place possible for her, even though it wasn’t ideal living in secret underground.  At least she was doing good in the world.  But Ting does a great job at slowly and carefully planting tiny seeds of doubt; is it REALLY a good place? Is there something else going on? Just when enough seeds are planted, Ava is abducted, shown a completely different point of view, and her world, along with the readers’ worlds are completely flipped upside down.

Right when you start to question what story is real, and who can be trusted, there are even MORE surprises that keep rolling in…and they never stop until the very last sentence.  I was absolutely wonderfully written, and killed me that it ended.  I really can’t wait until the next book comes out and we find out what happens next.  But one thing’s for sure: Ava is NOT someone to be messed with or attempted to trick from here on out.

“Would you like my assistance? Or you can just stand there so I can stare at you a bit longer.”

Startled, I whirled toward the sound of a familiar, seductive voice. Sniper stood by the walk-in closet in a cool, relaxed manner with his hand braced on the door. His hair was slicked back, looking polished and debonair. My heart pummeled, but not in fear. 

Was I crazy to be attracted to him? Mesmerized by the black tuxedo forming to his perfect body, I stared at him and wondered if I’d dreamed him up. His presence confirmed I hadn’t imagined him above the stairs earlier. Then I wondered if he’d come alone.

“How’d you know I was here?” 

Unnerved, I gritted my teeth. He hadn’t heeded my warning to stay away. I should scream or plan an escape out of the bathroom, but I couldn’t move or think. His presence stirred my curiosity and I wanted answers, especially when the lunatic thought he knew me.

“It doesn’t concern you,” he said. 

His nonchalant tone caused me to raise my voice. “The hell it doesn’t.” 

“I’ll explain later.” 

I scoffed. “Are you here to try to kidnap me again?” 

I might not have Helix, but I had my heels and months of training backing me up. If there was one thing I was good at, it was bringing a person to their knees. Courage grew inside me and I dropped my dress.

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International Bestselling/Award Winning Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke 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. She also toured with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

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