Day: March 19, 2018

Jessica’s Thoughts on Warcross

Author: Marie Lu
Published: September 12, 2017
Audiobook

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: February 11-27, 2018
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars

Book Description:

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.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

Jessica’s Review:

Kim recently reviewed Warcross and her review is here.  Her review piqued my interest in the novel. I would have never picked it up on my own. I’m not a gamer and the only game I have recently played is a mobile game called Ingress which is a location based, augmented reality game. I played it with my husband. It is a great way to get out and learn the area where you live or wherever you may go.  I’m ‘retired’ from Ingress now, as I have a new pastime: this site! 

I listened to the audio version of Warcross. I liked Emika (Emi) who is totally relatable: She is a regular girl with real struggles we all face.  She does what she has to do to survive.  She’s a bounty hunter too!

Warcross is a beyond popular game worldwide and people live for this game.  It is all some people live and breathe.  There is a ‘Hunger Games-ish’ feel to it with the popularity of Warcross.  To summarize the description Emi finds herself in Tokyo with the creator of Warcross. She is offered a job that could earn her a lot of money, more than enough to take care of herself.  Emi finds herself in the game’s final tournament and she makes discoveries: Things are not what they seem.

There is a romantic subplot that occurs that I cannot go into details about,as it involves, but I felt it was inappropriate, though you knew it was coming. But, for the YA audience that this novel is geared towards, it was hot!

As I am not a gamer, I did find myself losing interest in the novel when Emi was playing Warcross. Everything else had me pulled in!  I wanted to know what was going to happen next! I did figure out the twist as to who Zero was: To me it was obvious. But then Lu had that final twist that I did NOT see coming!  OMG, I need the next book now!!!!

Warcross could be read as a standalone and it may make you wonder if our world is heading toward this as reality: Will the virtual world become more important than the real world?  It seems like we are heading that way as we are all attached semi permanently to our phones.

Warcross is very highly recommended and I am very much anticipating the sequel! 

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK