Mary Ting

"Meteors devastated the Earth. World Governments developed plans to help surviving citizens. The United States disbanded and salvageable land was divided into four quadrants...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 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"--Back cover.

International Sensory Assassin Network

ISAN

Megan Lowe

This book was an interesting prospect for me. It’s been a while since I’ve read a distopian book and one could argue that after major successes, the genre is a bit done.
I think it probably is. I liked Ava and I liked the situations that were presented and how the world operated. My problem was with the lack of detail at the beginning of the book about the world. I think this was majorly needed and the lack of detail didn’t quite hold the story together that would’ve improved it.
I also think the obsession with boys was a bit overdone as well. It just seemed a little uncouth to me.
That said, it was a solid book.

Tatiana Alvarez 

I haven’t read a dystopian book in a very long time because I honestly got burnt out on them. They are still not my favorite genre, but this book was a fast, easy read. 

Ava lost her mother at a young age and was placed with foster parents. Unfortunately, there was no love in her placement and she wanted out. Ava soon received that chance when an employee from ISAN asks Ava to join their secret society. 

Naturally, she says yes. 

Turns out, this secret society trains many girls to become assassins by injecting them with a serum called Helix. Essentially the serum makes them stronger and their pain tolerance is much higher. They also heal faster. 

This is a typical set up for a dystopian novel, but it’s always fun to see how authors make this setting their own. ISAN is this huge entity in the book that we don’t know much about, only what Ava knows about this institution. As a reader, I enjoyed seeing the thoughts and struggles Ava faced when she had to start reevaluating her life and the lies that she was fed. 

The dialogue is slightly juvenile but I feel like it’s because these girls are so secluded and aren’t normal teenagers. I had to keep that in mind while reading. 

Overall, it was an interesting story that I’ll put into my classroom library.

ISAN International Sensory Assassin Network

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