Review: Warcross (#1)

★★★★★/ 5

Author: Marie Lu
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Buy Links: Amazon , Book Depository
MVP: Emika Chen

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 players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing 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.

Every locked door has a key

Review:

Its safe to say that Warcross is now officially on my top ten list of favorite sci-fi books. Just like Ready Player One, I picked up this stunning looking book – no, seriously, look at that beautiful rainbow cover! – because I’m super into virtual reality and gaming books, and I was not disappointed. From the very first chapter, Marie Lu captured my attention and I was completely invested in seeing how the female protagonist, Emika, was going to survive as a bounty hunter and as a hacker on the not-too-far-in-the-future streets of New York and later Tokyo.

Warcross is a fun and addictive ride that had me guessing the true identity of the bad guy, Zero, until the very last page. (I may have stopped reading a few times to jot down who I thought was the suspect and who was a red herring 😛 ) Like any good murder mystery novel, I was suspicious of every single character and I honestly did not figure out who Zero was until the final chapter.

There is so much I want to rabidly discuss about this book – but I don’t want to spoil anyone. So to keep it safe I will say that plot was cleverly constructed, without any drop in momentum and the technology was sophisticated in the way it was described and used. All of the characters we met along the way had interesting backstories and I especially loved the team interaction and communication between the characters. Additionally I’m totally a sucker for a slow burn romance 😀

I’ve never read any of Marie Lu’s work before and after reading Warcross I will be rectifying that situation and adding her other books to my already toppling pile of TBR books. If you have any recommendations on which ones to start with please let me know in the comments.

From what I can see there will be another book in this series, yet there is no title or release date as yet. As soon as there is you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be ordering it.

If you liked Ready Player One or enjoy books about video games, hacking and mystery than Warcross is a safe bet.