– Reviews for Warcross duology by Marie Lu –
#1: Warcross | #2: Wildcard
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Warcross by Marie Lu
Series: Warcross #1
Published September 12th 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Representation: Japanese
Rating:
Synopsis:
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 Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. 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.
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For gaming-centric books, I tend to watch the TV show/movie adaptation instead of reading since I find it more comprehensive through visuals than words. I had put off reading Warcross for ages because of this reason. But! Marie Lu blew my mind with Warcross. The VR game felt like the anime, Sword Art Online.
Warcross is a multiplayer game where five team members tries to steal the other team’s artefact (aka capture the flag). Everyone in the team has a specific role: Thief, Architect, Captain, Shielder, and Fighter. Marie Lu’s writing brought out the whole setting so incredibly well. It was visually stimulating and I really wanted to watch the game live.
Marie Lu captured my attention immediately. Because of what Emika is tasked to do and the nature of the game, I didn’t know who to trust. Are the people genuine in befriending Emika or are they working for the mysterious character, Zero? What’s their plan? There were many peculiar characters in Warcross, especially DJ Ren, Hideo Tanaka, and Asher but Emika knows how to defend herself. She’s sharp, smart, and brilliant. She doesn’t trust people that quickly too. Emika has the good qualities of a professional Warcross player with her fast thinking.
“Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.”
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Review of WILDCARD, book two, might contain spoilers for book one. Do not venture there if you haven’t read the previous book yet!
– Reviews for Warcross duology by Marie Lu –
#1: Warcross | #2: Wildcard
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Wildcard by Marie Lu
Series: Warcross #2
Published February 2nd 2021 by Imprint
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Representation: Japanese
Rating:
Synopsis:
Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.
Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.
Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?
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Reality is where you can lose the ones you love. Reality is the place where you can feel the cracks in your heart.
Wildcard demonstrated how dangerous technology can be when hacked or used for harmful and malicious intent. The take on the technology Hideo had created took a deeper and more sinister turn. Power-hungry people are looking to exploit this technology to be in control.
Marie Lu hooked me into Wildcard with exciting action scenes, shocking revelations, and interesting character developments. The virtual world is as vast as before. This time around, though, we dive deeper into the dark web. The working of the underground world was an aspect that I wanted to explore since Warcross. I loved Japan’s setting with the overlay of the virtual scenery.
Emika is a great main character. Whenever they hit a tough situation, she’s always one step ahead of everyone, trying to figure things out and her strategic mind runs 24/7. She knows the difference between right and wrong. I loved her interaction with the rest of the phoenix rider team members. Even though she’s out of the team, they still treated her like a member. The unwavering friendship between all of them was touching. They believed in her, supported her actions and decisions, and followed her to do whatever is needed to be done.
When the world is murky, guide yourself with your own steady light.
that’s all for my review for both warcross and wildcard! hope you’ve enjoyed it~ i wasn’t a huge reader of books with gaming as the main element when i first read warcross so this duology surprised me when i liked it.
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i loved warcross so much !! it was one of my first marie lu books and it’s one of my faves from her! i loved the plot, the build-up and the characters, lovely review💗
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thank you!! i had so much fun reading warcross. i didn’t read that many gaming related books when i was reading warcross. marie lu is a brilliant writer too~
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