Book Blurb:
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.
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With Helix, your senses become heightened. You’ll experience an increase in ability—especially the five senses. Images will be sharper, colors brighter, and you’ll see farther. You’ll be stronger. Your reflexes will be faster, and you’ll be able to hear from longer distances. However, your senses will tame a speaking voice not to boom in your ear. The reason why it doesn’t sound like I’m yelling at you.”
“Incredible.” The word barely left my mouth.
“Some lucky ones have more. We call that extrasensory perception. Based on the blood test, I think you might be one of the lucky ones.”
Something flashed. I caught it with my right hand, then another projectile with my left. Again, my reflexes had taken over and when I looked down, I’d caught two golf balls. I gawked, trembling. The hair on my arms rose.
“Like I said, fast reflexes.” His lips spread in satisfaction.
I clenched my jaw and stiffened. “You could’ve hurt me.”
“No, Ava. Helix doesn’t wear off quickly. I’d never hurt you. I bet you feel pretty powerful right now. Pretty special. What if you can do something good with that? What do you say?”
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My Review:
3.5 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Teen--
Ava was given the choice to leave her juvenile detention center for the opportunity to join an organization that will use her strengths on covert missions- the catch is that she will be given small doses of an experimental drug named Helix that alters all her senses, pretty much making her into a super soldier. The plus side is that she will get out of jail, not have to go to a foster home and be fed- sounds like something she can't pass up. Now after months of training, Ava is in charge of her own team of kickass girls, but this "amazing opportunity" seems more like a different kind of prison, one based on lies. Ava does not know what she stands for anymore but she is willing to dig to find out.
What a ride full of twists! I would easily classify this as an action adventure mystery. The pacing of the plot was very fast, jumping from one thing to the next, keeping the reader on their toes. And the mystery was so twisty I had no idea what was going to be dropped on Ava (aka me through Ava) next. The take away message in this book is everyone lies, secrets are common occurrences and trust no one.
The best part of the book for me was the action, be it the virtual training encounters or the real life danger the team encounters. ISAN started off with Ava and her team being in the middle of a intense situation which pretty much set the tone for what was to come for the rest of the story, you don't learn that it was a training encounter until Ava "dies"...again. I loved how the author created all the training games, be it the virtual scenarios or the crazy obstacles courses with the jumps and booby traps all while wearing a vest and basically playing laser tag. At times I was a little hesitant about what was going on in the plot but the action was intense and engaging enough that I kept on reading to discover more challenges next. I personally was not a fan of the pretty much insta-love that came into play (3 days is not enough time to love a person in real life- lust and infatuation, totally, but not love), I would have been happier without it, but alas YA it seems must have romance even when a book is better without. But to each their own.
This my friends is not a standalone book, instead it is the first in a series where answers to old questions just started to be hinted at and brand new questions popped up. Fact- we have uncertainty about a lot of things, hints at some stuff, and basically you need to patiently wait for the next book to dive deeper into the heart of ISAN and the the lies and conspiracy surrounding the organization. I hope that Ava is up to the challenge...
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance, complimentary copy of this book.
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About the Author
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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