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taliesinrex's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was solidly written and had a cool premise, and I loved the central driving mystery as it was initially presented. The world Lu creates is also interesting, and her prose does a great job of presenting a really vibrant, immersive vision of it - both the virtual world of Warcross itself and the reality that Emika lives in. There's an obvious Ready Player One comparison and I think that in terms of thoughtfulness and writing this blows RPO out of the water.
Overall, I did find myself a little dissatisfied with this by the halfway point and while I did not realize this was a series going into it, the ending cliffhanger felt a bit rushed and lazily executed. For me, a lot of it boils down to the character writing and how events of the book were prioritized. We get a good picture of Emika as a person early on, and a pretty good idea of Hideo (or the image that he can afford to present to the world), but even so it seemed like there were things they revealed to one another as the book went on that didn't fully align with what the book was trying to say about them at large; it seemed like maybe some of these details were supposed to be clues to part of the larger mystery but were implemented in a kind of inelegant way. Their romance was fine and I thought it was well-written (I saw people saying it was insta-love but it didn't read that way to me?) but it seemed like a disproportionate amount of time was spent on it versus on Emika's investigation and interaction with the game of Warcross. Hideo's turn towards the end felt inevitable, which I don't think is bad - I don't usually knock things too hard for being predictable - but the reasoning behind it was flimsy to me.
I also felt that the supporting characters - Emika's Warcross team members and Tremaine - were a bit flat and I really wanted more time with them to learn more about them as people rather than the occasional mention of their siblings or a past relationship. This especially was troubling in the wake of Emika's "liar-revealed" moment as we didn't see much of their dynamic, and then following the quick change of scene afterwards any tension seemed to have been resolved immediately.
I know I did a lot of talking about my dislike of certain elements, but for the most part I did have a good time reading this book. It is well-written, and drew me in with some really interesting world ideas. While I had issues with how the events of the narrative were structured, I thought the pace kept a great momentum and really did keep me wanting to read on. The Warcross matches Emika takes part in never feel trite or overly derivative, and I think the narrative pace and Lu's writing style both lend themselves to making these fun to read about. Similarly, concepts like the Dark World and the Memory Bank - both pulled from familiar knowledge of modern internet and technology - really come alive on the page. In summary, I think Warcross could have benefited from a clearer vision and some restructuring to allow for its characters and mystery to really shine, but is still an enjoyable read.
Overall, I did find myself a little dissatisfied with this by the halfway point and while I did not realize this was a series going into it, the ending cliffhanger felt a bit rushed and lazily executed. For me, a lot of it boils down to the character writing and how events of the book were prioritized. We get a good picture of Emika as a person early on, and a pretty good idea of Hideo (or the image that he can afford to present to the world), but even so it seemed like there were things they revealed to one another as the book went on that didn't fully align with what the book was trying to say about them at large; it seemed like maybe some of these details were supposed to be clues to part of the larger mystery but were implemented in a kind of inelegant way. Their romance was fine and I thought it was well-written (I saw people saying it was insta-love but it didn't read that way to me?) but it seemed like a disproportionate amount of time was spent on it versus on Emika's investigation and interaction with the game of Warcross. Hideo's turn towards the end felt inevitable, which I don't think is bad - I don't usually knock things too hard for being predictable - but the reasoning behind it was flimsy to me.
I also felt that the supporting characters - Emika's Warcross team members and Tremaine - were a bit flat and I really wanted more time with them to learn more about them as people rather than the occasional mention of their siblings or a past relationship. This especially was troubling in the wake of Emika's "liar-revealed" moment as we didn't see much of their dynamic, and then following the quick change of scene afterwards any tension seemed to have been resolved immediately.
I know I did a lot of talking about my dislike of certain elements, but for the most part I did have a good time reading this book. It is well-written, and drew me in with some really interesting world ideas. While I had issues with how the events of the narrative were structured, I thought the pace kept a great momentum and really did keep me wanting to read on. The Warcross matches Emika takes part in never feel trite or overly derivative, and I think the narrative pace and Lu's writing style both lend themselves to making these fun to read about. Similarly, concepts like the Dark World and the Memory Bank - both pulled from familiar knowledge of modern internet and technology - really come alive on the page. In summary, I think Warcross could have benefited from a clearer vision and some restructuring to allow for its characters and mystery to really shine, but is still an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness
Minor: Kidnapping
laurenevlyn's review
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
4.75
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: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, Addiction, and Abandonment
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Murder
roseamillerg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Murder, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Dementia, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, and Child death
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