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adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun science fiction fantasy young adult book. Not amazing, but enjoyable. Virtual reality, competitions, team camaraderie, rags to riches/cinderella, romance/young love, mysterious bad guy trying to destroy the VR world, secrets, betrayal, grief/loss, surprise/cliffhanger ending. This book has some “Hunger Games” vibes, but not as brutal or blockbuster worthy. An enjoyable read overall though and it made me want to read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Dementia, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Finished another one! Audiobooks are really helping me out tbh.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this book. It had a kind of...shounen anime quality to me, which is a positive in my book. Marie Lu has a real knack for writing action scenes that I find fun, and fast pace, and engaging. The world building may feel a little thin in some respect, there are a lot of questions one could ask about the setting, but I think its detailed enough to give it a real sense of place without it being overbearing. I feel this way especially about all of the tech in the world, but, I will say, I don't know much about the inner workings of computers and hacking. If you do this aspect of the book might annoy you or pull you out of the story.
I think the characters, overall, are fun!
Emika Chen, out main character, is fun to follow. She starts off down and out: broke, in massive debt from her late, father, on the verge of being homeless. She can't get a stable job because of some criminal activity in her past. She's going through a lot 🥺. Her only escape is the mega popular Warcross. Some kind of game-slash-virtual world thing. She tried to hack into one of the games to steal something, some kind of code to sell on the digital black market, but get found out. Caught in 4k 📸📸📸.
But instead of going to jail she gets sent on a Cinderella type story, whisked away to Tokyo by her #1 idol, the creator of Warcross himself, Hideo Tanaka. He was her light in the dark when she was younger, basically inspired her to get into coding and all of that. So, you would think she'd be star struck. And she sort of is, but she's mostly suspicious. Why had he flown her all the way out to Tokyo? Well it turns out he needs her elite hacking skills to help him find and catch a criminal named Zero. And she'll have to go undercover as a Warcross player to do it.
Once she's set on her mission she's determined to see it through to the end. Firstly, because the bounty she's being paid is 10 million dollars, and that kind of money is literally lie changing, and secondly, because she starts to catch serious romantic feelings for Hideo (that he reciprocates) and doesn't want any harm to come to him. I like her, she's setting up plans, going into the black market to spy on people, confronting the villain, ect, ect. She's a proactive lady.
I will say, toward the middle of the book, if you're not feeling the Hideo and Emika romance it might feel a lot slower to you. There is a lot of page time developing them, which is good for the ending. I do think, from Hideo's perspective it feels a little..."insta-lovey" but I don't have a problem with that trope at all if the ensuing relationship is written in a fun, interesting, and compelling way. And I would say that the development between Hideo and Emika is interesting, especially considering where they end up.
The other characters, most of whom are Emika's teammates in the Warcross game, are pretty thinly sketched, but I get the feeling that they will be more important in the second book. And while they are thinly sketched there was still enough that gave them a decent sense of character. So much so that when the 3rd act argument happened between Emika and her teammates I was legitimate worried that they wouldn't talk to each other any more. So I would call it effective.
Also, I did in fact call one of the final twist, but I still gasped (a story being predictable isn't bad, ya see) cause it was a fun ride to get there.
All in all, very solid YA outing.
Anyways, I really enjoyed this book. It had a kind of...shounen anime quality to me, which is a positive in my book. Marie Lu has a real knack for writing action scenes that I find fun, and fast pace, and engaging. The world building may feel a little thin in some respect, there are a lot of questions one could ask about the setting, but I think its detailed enough to give it a real sense of place without it being overbearing. I feel this way especially about all of the tech in the world, but, I will say, I don't know much about the inner workings of computers and hacking. If you do this aspect of the book might annoy you or pull you out of the story.
I think the characters, overall, are fun!
Emika Chen, out main character, is fun to follow. She starts off down and out: broke, in massive debt from her late, father, on the verge of being homeless. She can't get a stable job because of some criminal activity in her past. She's going through a lot 🥺. Her only escape is the mega popular Warcross. Some kind of game-slash-virtual world thing. She tried to hack into one of the games to steal something, some kind of code to sell on the digital black market, but get found out. Caught in 4k 📸📸📸.
But instead of going to jail she gets sent on a Cinderella type story, whisked away to Tokyo by her #1 idol, the creator of Warcross himself, Hideo Tanaka. He was her light in the dark when she was younger, basically inspired her to get into coding and all of that. So, you would think she'd be star struck. And she sort of is, but she's mostly suspicious. Why had he flown her all the way out to Tokyo? Well it turns out he needs her elite hacking skills to help him find and catch a criminal named Zero. And she'll have to go undercover as a Warcross player to do it.
Once she's set on her mission she's determined to see it through to the end. Firstly, because the bounty she's being paid is 10 million dollars, and that kind of money is literally lie changing, and secondly, because she starts to catch serious romantic feelings for Hideo (that he reciprocates) and doesn't want any harm to come to him. I like her, she's setting up plans, going into the black market to spy on people, confronting the villain, ect, ect. She's a proactive lady.
I will say, toward the middle of the book, if you're not feeling the Hideo and Emika romance it might feel a lot slower to you. There is a lot of page time developing them, which is good for the ending. I do think, from Hideo's perspective it feels a little..."insta-lovey" but I don't have a problem with that trope at all if the ensuing relationship is written in a fun, interesting, and compelling way. And I would say that the development between Hideo and Emika is interesting, especially considering where they end up.
The other characters, most of whom are Emika's teammates in the Warcross game, are pretty thinly sketched, but I get the feeling that they will be more important in the second book. And while they are thinly sketched there was still enough that gave them a decent sense of character. So much so that when the 3rd act argument happened between Emika and her teammates I was legitimate worried that they wouldn't talk to each other any more. So I would call it effective.
Also, I did in fact call one of the final twist, but I still gasped (a story being predictable isn't bad, ya see) cause it was a fun ride to get there.
All in all, very solid YA outing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
5 ⭐ CW: death of a parent mention, bullying mentions
Warcross by Marie Lu is book one in the Warcross duology. Marie Lu's books have been pretty hit or miss for me, but this one definitely hit! This is in my top two of her books I've read so far. This was a great fast paced scifi read, perfect for the gamers out there.
We follow Emika Chen, an 18 year old girl living in NYC trying to make ends meet and not get evicted by being a bounty hunter. Emika hunts people illegally gambling on the worldwide popular virtual game, Warcross. Emika is a talented hacker, and when she tries to hack into one of the official Warcross games to steal a power up, she glitches into the game for everyone to see, causing her a lot of unexpected attention.
She is invited to Tokyo by Warcross creator Hideo Tanaka, who wants to hire her for her hacking and bounty hunting skills. Oh and she also gets to be in the official world championships. She is tasked with finding out who another hacker is that is causing Hideo problems. Things get wild when Emiko realizes the stakes are much higher than she thought.
This was a great story about virtual reality and what you would be willing to give up to keep it. I guessed one of the twists, but not the second one! I'm definitely interested in finding out what happens next!
Warcross by Marie Lu is book one in the Warcross duology. Marie Lu's books have been pretty hit or miss for me, but this one definitely hit! This is in my top two of her books I've read so far. This was a great fast paced scifi read, perfect for the gamers out there.
We follow Emika Chen, an 18 year old girl living in NYC trying to make ends meet and not get evicted by being a bounty hunter. Emika hunts people illegally gambling on the worldwide popular virtual game, Warcross. Emika is a talented hacker, and when she tries to hack into one of the official Warcross games to steal a power up, she glitches into the game for everyone to see, causing her a lot of unexpected attention.
She is invited to Tokyo by Warcross creator Hideo Tanaka, who wants to hire her for her hacking and bounty hunting skills. Oh and she also gets to be in the official world championships. She is tasked with finding out who another hacker is that is causing Hideo problems. Things get wild when Emiko realizes the stakes are much higher than she thought.
This was a great story about virtual reality and what you would be willing to give up to keep it. I guessed one of the twists, but not the second one! I'm definitely interested in finding out what happens next!
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Blood
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had been on my radar for over a year at this point, but for some reason I never got around to reading it until now. What a mistake on my part because Warcross was such a fun read! I was thoroughly immersed in the world of Warcross the entire time I was reading, and though I basically spoiled every part of the book for myself (way to go Lauren), I really enjoyed it. Definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced, and futuristic story that will capture all your attention from beginning to end. I can’t wait to read Wildcard next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Murder
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hmm it’s not the best book I’ve read but it’s not the worst either. A pretty decent book, lighthearted in its own way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief
Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this book in practically one sitting, apart from the first few chapters the day before. I just kept reading, not realizing as the hours slipped by. The book just kept me engaged the whole way through, it was just great.
I really like the plot of this book because I felt it was quite unique, while still sticking to the futuristic theme of virtual reality being integrated with every part of life. The mystery was interesting and evolved well, keeping me interested. The characters were very likable and the main character, Emika, was realistic with how she reacted with the obstacles in her life and in the story. The relationships between the characters all worked well.
I really like the plot of this book because I felt it was quite unique, while still sticking to the futuristic theme of virtual reality being integrated with every part of life. The mystery was interesting and evolved well, keeping me interested. The characters were very likable and the main character, Emika, was realistic with how she reacted with the obstacles in her life and in the story. The relationships between the characters all worked well.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for something that's adventurous, emotional, tense and mysterious. The book has a bold female main character just trying to survive and great plot twists sprinkled throughout it. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series and I'm planning to read some of Marie Lu’s other books because I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Bullying
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment
Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia