CODE – Mary Ting

Okay, wow. Just wow. I don’t even know where to start. This series has been such a rollercoaster so far and this book was no exception. I was blown away by the twists and turns that took place in the story and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, just waiting to see what would happen next!

Plot

Picking up from where the last book – GENES – ended, Rhett and his team search frantically for Ava. His one goal is to get to his girl and his desperation begins to grow as the search grows longer and longer.

Along with this, one of the Remnant Council members joins forces with another network named ANS, who is also searching for the creator of the Helix serum. 

Meanwhile, Ava is a prisoner in ISAN’s secret compound. As Ava plans an escape, she finds out more and more secrets about ISAN and their plan for the upcoming war. She discovers that she isn’t the only rebel being held hostage in the facility, and the lives of the prisoners are in her hands. Ava is able to meet her family, her real family, and discover who exactly she wants to be in this upcoming war. 

Ava learns of a secret army that Mr. Novak is creating called CODE, and his plans for Ava and the rebels will mean a permanent end to the uprising against ISAN. 

Characters

Let’s start with Ava. I’ve always loved Ava and her development throughout these four books has been incredible. Her power has been super cool to see and while we didn’t see a ton of her power throughout this book, we could definitely see that she could hold her own ground without it. She’s strong and her one goal is to make her way back to the rebels, saving her mother in the process. Ava has been through so much as a character and it definitely shows how strong she is that she continues to keep fighting, especially when she finds out who her real father is. I pretty much have nothing but compliments for this incredible character. She adds so much to the story and she’s just such a fun character to follow. 

Rhett has always been one of my favorite characters too. I feel like we get a bit more insight into who he is a character and we also get to see his motivation to find his father, which he comes really close to doing in this book. It’s pretty cool to see this side of him since we haven’t seen a lot of Rhett’s love for his family in the previous books. I feel like it shows a whole different type of Rhett and it made me love him just that much more. 

“My heart is my map, and it will lead me to her.”

Rhett’s love for Ava continues to be unwavering and it’s absolutely adorable. I feel like Rhett is exactly the kind of person that Ava needs. They’re both so strong and he would stop at nothing to get her back. They were both apart from each other, but the one thing holding them both together was the thought of each other, which is beautiful. Their relationship has been through some serious ups and downs but neither of them would ever give up. 

“It had only taken him a half a day, but he would have walked forever to find her.”

I also have to mention Rhett and Tamara’s friendship throughout this book. While searching for Ava, the two of them seemed to have formed a bond and I can’t get enough of it! Tamara has been such a cool character throughout this series and I feel like their friendship would be so powerful! They act like siblings but also best friends, it’s just too cute and I need more of it. 

““Rhett, don’t be like a big brother.” She walked on ahead with that assassin swagger.”

I’m also going to mention Justine. I feel like her character completely flipped in this book. She went from being Novak’s loyal assassin, to somehow joining the rebels? I don’t know whether I’m excited to have her on the team or not, I mean she’s been pretty mean throughout the previous books and I never really liked her, but I’m hoping that’ll change with the next installment in the series. 

Setting

The main setting in this book was ISAN’s secret facility. It was pretty much the same as ISAN’s facility from the first few books, and it kind of reminded me of a hospital from the way it was described. It doesn’t seem super welcoming and it was definitely intended to intimidate and that’s exactly what it did. 

Writing

Once again, Ting blew me away with her writing. I couldn’t put this book down and ended up finishing it in one sitting, which I absolutely loved. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. I laughed, I cried (a lot), and I adored being back in the world of ISAN vs. Rebels. 

In Conclusion… 

This addition to this already incredible series was amazing. It was totally mind-blowing and powerful. I couldn’t get enough of this storyline, the character interactions, everything. I needed more, more, more. I was shocked to my core with the twists and turns that nobody would’ve seen coming. It’s a truly beautiful story and an amazing addition to this series that I can’t get enough of and will most likely be rereading very soon. 

For fans of this series, buckle up, you’re in for a ride. 

Rating: 5/5⭐