Book Review #2: Warcross (#1) by Marie Lu:

Book: Warcross

Series: duology #1

Author: Marie Lu

Pages: 402 pg.

Rating: 4 stars

Date read: 6/8/18

Summary from Goodreads:

"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."

Hello,

This next review will focus on Warcross (#1) by Marie Lu, which was one of my most anticipated books of 2017 and while I was glad I read it, there were a couple of things that I did enjoy about the book and things I didn't like about it as well. Marie Lu is also one of my top favorite authors. Other books that she has written include The Legend Trilogy, The Young elites trilogy, and Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2).

Things that I didn't like:

- It actually took me a couple of tries to get into it as it did start out slow for me but it finally picked up when Emika started playing Warcross.

- The story was pretty predictable and I could almost instantly predict who the enemy was.

- I wasn't really a fan of Emika at first but once the action got started I started to like her as the main character.

- I did think the romance was a little fast-paced and it almost felt like it was an insta-love romance.

Things I did like:

- I loved the interaction between the characters throughout the game.

- I also loved the discussion of coding and the hacking that Emika did. The descriptions were really well done and I kept wanting to learn more about it as well.

- The game of Warcross was really interesting too. There are some things about it that I wasn't sure about but i thought the game was very strategic and easy to understand in some places.

- While I thought the story was definitely predictable I am interested in finding out more about Hideo's family and how he made the game. I'm hoping that the second book Wildcard, will give more insight into that.

Would I recommend this book?

Yes! This book is definitely a must-read. I also it is similar to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, though the plots are very different. If you love gaming and science Fiction books I would definitely recommend this one!

Until next time,

Marybeth