HELIX – Mary Ting

This book was incredible. If you didn’t know already, I devoured the first book in the series (ISAN), and this time around, it was exactly the same way. I found myself addicted to the book and couldn’t stop reading, I finished it in a matter of hours!

Plot

As Ava is slowly getting fragments of her memory returned to her, she searches inside ISAN compounds to find her family. Memories and her love for Rhett haunt her every move and distract her constantly. 

Meanwhile, Rhett is falling apart without Ava. His one and only goal is to get her back alive and make sure she’s safe, so he comes up with a plan to once again “kidnap” her. Ava goes on a mission and is thrown off when Rhett appears, the love that she’d been missing since she’d gotten there taking a hold of her heart and guiding her towards him. 

Each step that Ava takes not only uncovers the truth but a whole new set of secrets and lies. The more than Ava discovers, the more of a threat she is to ISAN and everything they stand for, her only chance is to join the rebels who are growing day by day.

It’s a race for survival, the rebellion is growing larger, ISAN is becoming more powerful. The war is coming.

Characters

Okay so to start it off Ava was super different throughout this book. Rhett has completely changed her character, and not necessarily in a bad way. Before, Ava didn’t really have a ton to fight for. Her mother was dead, she only had one friend, she didn’t have anything else, and then Rhett came along. In this book, Ava realizes how important it is to protect the things she loves while keeping herself alive in the process. I like how she keeps her main goal of finding her family in her head, while completely fooling ISAN in the process. I pretty much just adore her character and everything she is. 

I also absolutely loved Rhett. It was so cool to see his point of view in some chapters and I loved seeing his love for Ava and his friends. It was also super cool to see his side of the story and I feel like I got a lot more information on how he came to ISAN, who his family is, etc. He’s definitely one of my new book boyfriends!

Reyna was a character I feel like I need more information on. She obviously cares a lot for Ava and Rhett and her friends, but I just don’t know enough about her. Unlike Reyna, however, Ozzie is a character that we did get to see a bit more of. He definitely showed his softer side in this book and I could see how much he genuinely loved Ava. From giving her a sleeping serum to his “I really missed you”, when he found out she had some of her memories back, I was in tears with his feelings of pure love and friendship towards Ava. 

Along with the rebels, we got to see a bit more of our ISAN friends like Brooke, Tamara and even Russ and Mitch. Brooke had always been a constant companion for Ava and I loved how much Brooke stood up for her. She always had her back and it was nice to see that Brooke didn’t have any hard feelings towards Ava for everything that happened with the rebels. We also were able to see a bit more of our “innocent”, “quiet” Tamara, who, plot twist, isn’t so innocent. I pretty much adore Tamara and her character. She’s just so amazing, and I was completely fooled by her!

Overall I loved seeing each of these characters grow and progress and I didn’t expect half of the things that happened to be real!

“Love can’t be forced or coaxed. It happened sometimes in the least expected ways.”

Setting

Once again, we’re put in the ISAN East compound with Ava, Brooke, Tamara, Mitch and Russ, and we’re also able to see Hope City with Rhett, Reyna and Ozzie. 

The ISAN compounds are pretty much the exact same as the last book, however, Hope City was certainly an interesting setting. While it looked like rubble and debris, people made their homes there and it turned into Hope City, and it sounded beautiful despite its many flaws. While it isn’t necessarily a “home” it is the rebels’ salvation and their fight against ISAN which is the most important part. Rebels from different territories have been making their way to Hope City and it’s like a beacon calling all of the rebels to come and fight. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect it to be; a rebellion. 

Writing

Once again, Mary Ting blows me away with her writing style. I can’t believe I’ve never read this series before. I was constantly on the edge of my seat from the intense storyline and action happening. I laughed, cried, and sometimes wanted to throw the book across the room. It kept me captivated and I absolutely couldn’t put it down, (which is probably why I finished it in one sitting). 

In Conclusion… 

I can’t recommend this series enough. I’m adoring and devouring this series so far and I can’t get enough of these characters, this story, and the entire book. I can’t believe the cliffhanger at the end of the book and now I’m sitting in anticipation until I get my hands on the next one. This series is a must read for YA dystopian lovers, and I can’t get over how incredible it is. 

Rating: 5/5⭐