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A review by thebakersbooks
Wildcard by Marie Lu
3.0
3.5/5 stars — disappointing; main character lacked agency
I thoroughly enjoyed Warcross, but Wildcard was a letdown. The plot dragged from the beginning, lacking the structure of the Warcross game schedule that drove the previous book. More frustrating for me was that this no longer seemed to be Emika's story; rather, Emika was a means by which to tell Hideo and Zero's stories. Some of the most brilliant moments in the first book came from Emika's intelligence and independence, but she was essentially a pawn in this one. The best I can say for this novel is that it got into some interesting moral questions and earned its emotional ending.
This minor disappointment hasn't put me off Marie Lu's books, though—her writing style is one I enjoy, and when her characters shine, they reallyshine. I think I'll enjoy the Legend series more than this one.
Additional note: I very much appreciated the inclusion of two gay characters and a character with they/them pronouns!
I thoroughly enjoyed Warcross, but Wildcard was a letdown. The plot dragged from the beginning, lacking the structure of the Warcross game schedule that drove the previous book. More frustrating for me was that this no longer seemed to be Emika's story; rather, Emika was a means by which to tell Hideo and Zero's stories. Some of the most brilliant moments in the first book came from Emika's intelligence and independence, but she was essentially a pawn in this one. The best I can say for this novel is that it got into some interesting moral questions and earned its emotional ending.
This minor disappointment hasn't put me off Marie Lu's books, though—her writing style is one I enjoy, and when her characters shine, they reallyshine. I think I'll enjoy the Legend series more than this one.
Additional note: I very much appreciated the inclusion of two gay characters and a character with they/them pronouns!