ISAN Review

ISAN
By Mary Ting
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: May 1st 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis

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.

“Captivating from the very beginning…this thrilling dystopian drama has a splash of romance and tons of actions.” –School Library Journal

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Review

This is a great novel that highlights what first interested us all in dystopia novels. ISAN will gradually introduce you into a mix of complex characters, interesting surprises, and wonderfully depicted world-building. We follow Ava on her journey as a training assassin and discovery of this harsh world. It’s a survival of the fittest post-apocalyptic setting that evolves into wild abilities, action, mystery, and a bit of romance. Rhett is an amazing character with so many quotable lines and I so rarely enjoy the love interest right away. Well I did this time. I liked that the romance didn’t overshadow the plot as well. It was easy to read into and Ting really shines in her characterization.

Young women, like Ava, are taken in by ISAN and given an experimental serum to become elite assassins. It really drew me in from the start as it reminded me of Captain America mixed with Black Widow. As a big fan of comics, this book flew by and was over before I knew it. I was really surprised by certain turn of events and the secrets that Ava’s past revealed. This so-called government is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this world. I enjoyed the gradual feel it took and learning everything from Ava’s perspective. Certain scenes and lines really conveyed a deeper meaning for myself and I really enjoyed Mary Ting’s style. I’m looking forward to another book in the series!

About the Author

International Bestselling 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. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.