Book Review: Warcross by Marie Lu

11/23/2017

SYNOPSIS

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 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.

Synopsis from Chapters.Indigo.ca

PERSONAL REVIEW

Warcross is a virtual game where players compete in teams to win, and the story jumps into the world championship series with our down-our-her-luck hero entering to the shock and awe of the crowd. I love this idea in theory because it’s very connected to how quickly our world is changing; the idea of a virtual game essentially becoming new wave of world sports doesn’t seem too far fetched to me. But there were some parts of this book that just didn’t convince me. So let’s talk about it….

What I Liked:

Great World Building: It’s really hard to create a future that is believable without simply stating that “a war happened and humanity had to start all over”. Lu did a create job (as she always does) of bringing up into a very plausible future. People are still living in cities, have regular jobs and make money, but there’s a techy digital aspect of this future that completely changes how people talk and interact. I thought this was a very cool concept and that Lu did a brilliant job convincing me that this could happen (if someone in real life is as smart and creative as Hideo!).

Equality Between Genders: There is a very real equality between men and women in this book, as characters in the Warcross game come from different genders, sexual orientations and ethnicities. I love Hammie (and can’t wait to see what happens with her and Asher) and absolutely love that Emi is such an awesome hacker; no one questions how women are gamers in this novel. I know that Lu talks about being a female gamer was her inspiration, and that really resonated with me. Although I’m not a gamer (I had to skim the sections where they were actually playing…didn’t mean too much to me) I do love graphic novels and often feel like I get a lot of surprised looks and comments from people if I mention it. So hears to strong female characters who also kick serious butt in the game!

What I’m On the Fence About:

Not a Hideo Fan: I really didn’t care for Hideo. I felt just a disconnect from him and it was pretty clear that he was hiding things from Emi the entire time. I also didn’t like their relationship; it felt very forced and awkward and I didn’t love how she would run to him whenever he called. Although it made sense in the employer/employee role, it got uncomfortable when they crossed the line into boyfriend/girlfriend-ish relationship.

The Cliffhanger(s): I’m not going to spoil it, but I will say that while I think Lu left us at a great point, I just wish she had taken a little more time to explain the “big plan”. We were given the details so jarringly and I had to read part of it twice to realize what was happening. While I think it’s a great set up for the next book, I didn’t really appreciate how it was basically just dropped in our lap without warning or follow up. This too felt a bit too forced to me. On the other hand, the second cliffhanger when we find our who Zero is was awesome and I can’t wait to read more about it!

Overall, I think this was a good start to a new series by Marie Lu. I’m definitely excited to meet the other gamers (rebels?) and get to know them better. I feel like we didn’t get enough of Asher, Hammie, Roshan and Termaine this book, so I’m hoping we see more of them soon. And we get more of ZERO! I’m excited to see where this goes.

FINAL RATING: 4/5