Book Review:
Title: WARCROSS
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Penguin UK
“It is hard to describe loss to someone who has never experienced it, impossible to explain all the ways it changes you. But for those who have, not a single word is needed.”
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.
So, I finished WARCROSS over 3 months ago (September 21st) and I've only just gotten the time to sit down and write a review. Terrible, I know. Especially since this book was EVERYTHING. I loved it so much, but I've kind of forgotten a lot of the little things I wanted to talk about and all that comes to mind are huge spoilers, which I obviously don't want to share. Therefore, I'm going to keep this review short and sweet.
WARCROSS is the first Marie Lu book I have ever read and believe me when I say, IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I'm still shook...
It's the kind of book that draws you in from the very first page, the very first line and from then on you are hooked, unable to put the book down until you reach the end. (And then you proceed to spend 10 minutes screaming at the book demanding answers and cursing it because you now have to wait a whole year to find out how the story ends...)
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the point, WARCROSS was one addictive read.
So what exactly did I love about WARCROSS? Well, let me tell you...
- Emika Chen - She is the main character, a total badass with tattoos & multi-coloured hair and a hacker. Oh, and she's Chinese-American! When reading this book all I could think when it came to Emika was BADASS, BADASS, BADASS!! I mean, she frigging hacked into the biggest virtual game in the world
- The gaming aspect - this is the first time I've read a book where gaming/technology/virtual reality is the sole focus of the story and now I'm left wanting more. I'm not much of a gamer myself but I grew up with older brothers who are all into gaming and technology, so I know a fair bit about trends and what not. The concept of wearing the glasses to enter the virtual reality world reminded me a lot of the google glass but a MUCH MORE advanced version. It was a lot of fun.
- The World-building - this kind of relates to the previous point. I absolutely LOVED the world Marie Lu has created. It was innovative, imaginative and immensely immersive. As well as exploring the world of Warcross, we're also in a futuristic Japan, which was as awesome as it sounds.
- Diversity - Chinese-American MC. Hideo is japanese. The majority of the book it set in Japan. A lot of the side characters came from different backgrounds, had different nationalities. There was even a disabled (in a wheelchair) team captain. 👌
- Hideo Tanaka - my favourite thing about Hideo was that I wasn't 100% sure about how I felt when it came to him. On the one hand, he was mysterious and a flirt, which I loved, but at the same time, because he was so mysterious I couldn't help but feel he was hiding something, which made me extremely wary. By the end of the book, I'm still not sure where I stand, but I do know that somewhere deep, deep, deep down, he's just a pure cinnamon roll.
- The twists - now I did figure out one of the twists before it was revealed, but the other one (vague, I know) took me by surprise! I honestly had no clue whatsoever, and when it was revealed, I was shooketh. Seriously shooketh. But the downside is that it got me all pumped up for the sequel for me to realise that I have a whole year of waiting before I can get my hands on it. :(
If you haven't read it yet, pick up a copy and dive right into this diverse, all-consuming world.
5 Stars
Goodreads
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