Warcross

Been excited to read this book for ages. I have read almost every book by Marie, and I have loved them all. Was a little bit nervous about this one, because I wanted to love it so so much. And oh, I ended up enjoying it so much. Yess. Had a few small issues with it, but nothing big, and mostly this book was perfect.

I found this writing to be flawless. Yesss. It was such a joy to read this book. It's fast and easy to read as well, which I loved lots. And I fell in love with this creative world right away. I'm not sure how I will be able to describe it, so will only mention parts of it. I wish is that this book had been even longer. I needed more.

I don't know what to say about where this book takes place. In an alternative reality, maybe. Not much different from our world. Difference is the virtual reality. The glasses that everyone wears for most of the day, to take part in the games and all the different worlds. It was so exciting to read about. And a bit different. And I loved every moment of it. Not able to describe it well enough, but it's easy enough to understand while reading. And it is so much fun too. I wish we had this kind of virtual reality too. Hmph. How rude. Would have been amazing. I loved that it was possible to do almost anything in this unreal place. I loved how they are hosting a big game called Warcross each year, were young people compete in virtual games. Not sure what they win, though.

There is so much that I enjoyed about this book. The writing, the characters, the world. Everything about the virtual reality. All of it was just very interesting to read about. Eee. This book is told from the point of view of Emika. And oh, I adored this girl to pieces. Some parts of her bothered me a tiny bit, but most of her was perfect to me. She's fierce and badass yet sweet and a bit unsure as well. I loved reading her memories about her father. I loved how awesome she was at hacking. I just adored everything about her.

This book tells the story about how Emika ended up hacking the biggest game in this world. And how now everyone knows about her, even the most known person in this place, Hideo. Emika ends up getting a job offer, and ah, I just loved everything about that. I loved how she fangirled for Hideo. I loved reading about her taking part in Warcross, reading about all the games. I'm unable to describe it any better. And so I will just say that the plot in this book was unique and oh so exciting. Few small faults, but there weren't many.

What I loved the most about this book was the growing relationship between Emika and Hideo. They first meet in an interesting way, after she hacked his game. Then they spend more time together, while slowly getting to know each other. And slowly become friends, then more. Okay, maybe not that slowly, but still. It was so sweet to read about. I ship them like crazy. And they fit together so well. Sigh. Romance was the best part and I want more so badly. The sharing of the past was heartbreaking and sweet. Loved it.

There is a bunch of awesome characters in this book. I loved Hideo and Emika the most, but I also really enjoyed getting to know her teammates. They were interesting to read about, and seemed like they could all be amazing friends for Emika. Ahh, I hope so. And hope there will be more about them all in book two. Then there was the bad guy, aka the villain. A boy named Zero. A hacker that Emika is trying to capture. We don't get to read much about this Zero person at all, just a few glimpses. He did not seem nice. Hmm.

And here is the reason for why I'm not fully loving this book, for why it's a four star. I feel like there will be a love triangle in book two. Nothing at all about it yet. But, yeah. At the ending Emika is unsure what to do next. Once choice could end in a triangle. And god, I hope not. Please don't. Emika and Hideo are perfect together. Please don't ruin that with another boy. Sigh. And, the secret identity of this boy. Would be such a cliche if this ended up a triangle. Hoping it won't happen. Thinking it won't. But I fear that it might. Ahh.

Gosh. I just thought of something. Not a single person died in this book. Which is unusual these days in books that I read, lol. Someone always seems to die. But not in this one. At least, not so far. I hope no one ends up dead. Because this book is most about the virtual reality, and so people don't get hurt in real life. And this book wasn't all that dangerous, and so no deaths. It was pretty nice to not have anyone die. Yay. Just hoping it will continue to stay that way in book two as well, ack. Either way, I enjoyed reading it.

I'm super nervous about book two, for reasons I mentioned, but also dying to read it. I'm hoping it won't be as I fear it will. Either way, though, I'm so excited for the next book. And just wishing it was out already. Hmph. I have high hopes for it, to be honest. The romance in this first book was so stunning, but also too little. And I hope that there will be much more in book two. Yet with this ending, sigh, I'm not sure how that will be. I just, please, please don't make this into a love triangle. I couldn't stand it. But, I'm still so excited.

Huge thank you to the lovely Penguin Random House International for sending me this ARC for review. It's so precious to me. I also cannot wait to get my three different pre-ordered editions of this lovely book. Eee. You should really, really read this book. Simply because Warcross was amazing. Such an exciting and fun book to read. The characters were all amazing, and the world created was so so interesting and awesome. So glad that I read this lovely book. Please let the sequel be even more amazing than this one.

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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books.

Marie Lu has got to be one of my favorite authors! She dominates in every world and genre she tackles and never fails to deliver well-rounded stories from start to finish. I’m so very happy to say that Warcross was another amazing book to add to my favorites!

I have to admit I was slightly nervous heading in, something that easily dissipated early on. Sometimes science fiction and the technology within can get a little confusing and go over my head. Warcross has some super cool yet scary technology going on, yes, but I was easily able to pick it up and get sucked into the world. Basically, a device was invented that allows the wearer of NeuroLink glasses to slip a virtual world on top of reality. You basically have a computer directly connected to your brain. You can change the setting around you to look like you are somewhere completely else, from a famous city to something more fantastical. You can even store memories to replay or share as you wish, something I found particularly fascinating. This invention led to the creation of Warcross, an immensely popular virtual reality game allowing players to battle against each other in crazy game world simulations with the purpose of capturing the other team’s Artifact before they can catch yours. This story follows Emika who is a little down on her luck and desperate for money to survive. She is a brilliant hacker and uses her skills to hunt down criminals. In an act of desperation, she hacks into the Opening Ceremony Game of the Warcross annual tournament. When it all goes wrong she finds her life turned upside down as she is whisked away to Tokyo by the creator, Hideo, to not only join the Warcross tournament but to also secretly hunt down Zero, an unknown person who is trying to interfere in the games with a deadly objective.

Everything about this plot was exciting – the games, the virtual world, the real world, the characters. Emika is very driven, pushing herself even in the wake of danger, especially to help those she cares about. She’s sort of badass with the technology and in real life as well. A romance brews with Hideo and I found it incredibly swoony. The secondary characters aren’t super prominent as Emika is the type to do things on her own, but the pieces of them we do get left me intrigued with hope of learning more in the next book. And the ending! Of course Marie Lu would throw the plot in a tailspin leaving me with so many questions and dying to get them answered! Honestly, the entire book was filled with excitement and it flowed at a great pace. It left me thinking about technology and where we could be heading in the future and if ours will look anything like this. It seems plausible, and that’s what makes it so cool and scary! Warcross was so much more than I expected and definitely one to pick up!

I remember when Marie Lu mentioned she was writing a Sci-Fi my ears perked and my excitement overflowed. Sci-Fi has been one of my favorite genre’s since I was a kid and it’s so great to see it all over the place now. Of course I'm also a gamer so I loved that aspect of it as well. I love love having a kick-butt hacker heroine.

I really liked Emika. She’s kind of like a Robin Hood. She does not have a clean record but she is also not malicious. She doesn’t do things without thought and does what she does feels is right. I also love that she is a hacker. Yay girl hackers and that rainbow hair is awesome! I like that she manages to stay grounded even with the things that are happening around her. She might be alone but I think her father’s memory keeps her centered.

There are a lot of different characters. I liked them all but I didn’t find myself particularly attached to any besides Emika. I feel like we get to know Hideo the most and even he still has his mysteries. I liked him but at the same time you could tell he’s deeply troubled. I’ve always liked the smart guys.

I loved the world of Warcross it’s always interesting to get involved in the world of virtual reality. It is limitless in the way that you can do almost anything with it. It’s a whole world to bend and manipulate to reflect the stories needs. I loved the way Marie Lu created not only the game of Warcross but the under belly of the internet. We all know there are dark corners since the internet is something that is difficult to control. I liked that we had a little of the actual games but it also wasn’t boring. When we were involved in game action it is because it has importance to the story. I also really like that fine line she creates between who villians are. She shows that gray area that exist.

I wasn’t surprised at all by the Zero unveiling. Earlier when a piece of information was revealed and it wasn’t even something elaborated on. I’m like yep there it is. It didn’t matter though because there is still so much mystery surrounding the whole thing. So many questions I still need to have answered.

I loved Warcross and felt the writing was top notch. It really drew you into the story and it was easy to get invested in Emika and her story. As a Sci-Fi lover and gamer it made my heart happy. I feel like if your not hardcore Sci-Fi reader you can definitely still get into this story. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment.

An Advanced Reading Copy of this book was reviewed on my blog As the Book Ends

In 2011, Marie Lu captured my heart with June and Day. The Legend trilogy became an instant favorite of mine – with two inherently good characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. Then, in 2014, she took that same heart and broke it with Adelina’s story. The Young Elites trilogy was a darker one, told through the eyes of a villain whom I couldn’t bring myself to hate. Now, in 2017, Marie Lu has taken my breath away with Warcross. It is unequivocally her best work to date. Somehow, Lu has managed to combine the goodness and lightness of the characters from Legend and the darkness of Adelina in The Young Elites to form a set of characters who leave me happy, sad, and confused all at once.

Emika is down on her luck hacker who, in a bold move, manages to catch the attention of her idol, Hideo. I was enamored of her from chapter one. Though she is great at something that is usually frowned upon in society (hacking), she has a strict set of morals and is just a good person. She reminds me a lot of June in that way – stuck in a tough situation and making do however she can. Admittedly, Emika is a bit more sassy than June – something that just made me like her that much more. I do love a sarcastic lead.

Additionally, the secondary characters, though not quite as focused on, interested me. There are hinted at relationships that I am anxious to explore moving forward, and team dynamics that brought a smile to my face on more than one occasion.

The immersive world Lu created is rich, colorful and wonderfully imaginative. Her virtual reality landscapes transported me, and made me feel like I was wearing my own pair of NeuroLink glasses. Everything from the modernized versions of current cities to the Warcross arenas and levels captivated me.

Best of all, about halfway through the book, I was SURE I knew who the enemy was. I convinced myself I had the rest of the book figured out. Then, out of nowhere, Lu managed to wipe the smug smirk right off of my overly confident blogger face – surprising me with a twist that I never saw coming. Guys, I almost always see the twists coming (when you average 3-4 books a week, you learn to spot them). Though I was able to predict one rather large bit of plot, the direction of the series caught me completely off guard.

Those of you who are as excited as I have been for this release have, I’m sure, been reading every review you can get your hands on. I’ve seen a fair amount of reviewers comment that this series is aimed towards a younger YA audience. I must politely disagree. Warcross ticked off all of my 28 year old boxes – action, adventure, unexpected villains, romance, and stomach dropping twists.

My Takeaway: Another of my most anticipated reads of 2017 did not disappoint! I genuinely believe that this is Marie Lu’s best work and will wait with baited breath for the next book in the Warcross series. I only hope that Lu doesn’t keep me waiting for too long. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have the sudden urge to dye my hair rainbow colors…

There's a lot of Ready Player One in the DNA of this sci-fi adventure about a poor teenage orphan who becomes a sudden celebrity after finding something strange in a wildly popular VR game. But instead of an intentional easter egg, Emika Chen discovers a programming vulnerability, and is promptly hired by the game's reclusive billionaire developer to find the hacker that's been targeting his systems. In the process she is placed in the upcoming esports championship and (of course) starts developing feelings for her handsome patron.

The plot that follows is good sweet fun, although the action scenes could have been better described -- the titular game seems sort of like Harry Potter's Quidditch crossed with the battle room from Ender's Game, but author Marie Lu never quite gets around to sharing all the rules with us, which sometimes makes it hard to visualize just what's going on. But the cast of characters is great and diverse, and the ending delivers a terrific setup for the forthcoming sequel. I liked this book a lot, and I'm really excited to see where the story goes from here.

Warcross has got to be one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot of books. It tells the story of a girl working behind the scenes of a virtual reality game to stop a sinister plan. The world is absolutely incredible, and no details are overlooked. The main character is so brave and comes a long way from the beginning of the book as well. This is a book that should be on everyone’s TBRs.

This book is one of the most original books out there. It tells the story of a girl who hacks her way into the Warcross games in hopes of making some money quickly, but ends up getting recruited by the creator to help figure out who is sabotaging the game. Emika joins one of the Warcross teams and competes in the games herself to be an effective spy. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved this book and its nonstop action, twists, and turns. It’s so hard to describe the incredible experience of reading it, but I guarantee that it will shock you. Gamer or not, Warcross will suck you in!

The world of Warcross has got to be one of my favourites ever. Warcross is a virtual reality game created by a teen genius. Everyone is obsessed with it, and it has taken over the world. Marie Lu has honestly thought of everything. There are specific power-ups in the game and a black market where rare ones can be auctioned. The logic is there, and it makes everything so believable. This world is just so developed that it actually feels real. I would honestly love a pair of Warcross glasses in real life to experience the magic of it all.

Emika is such a likeable main character. First off, she’s so fierce. She has rainbow hair and a tattoo sleeve, and she is a pro hacker. Emika impresses the whole world by appearing in a game that is supposed to be un-hackable and even lands herself a job because of it. She is also so intelligent and makes a great spy. Emika has a pretty complex backstory and lives a hard life before getting hired. She really develops throughout the book, and I couldn’t think of a better narrator.

Warcross is the ultimate book for gamers, and everyone else, to be honest. It is action-packed and set in one of the most amazing worlds I’ve ever read. The main character is also clever and courageous, making this book even better! I absolutely recommend this book to everyone—it might even be my favourite Marie Lu book.

I thought the world-building was excellent! I felt fully immersed in the world, probably because it’s not difficult to imagine how technology changed our everyday lives. This is the time when virtual reality no longer becomes a myth, but a norm. You can see people have virtual pets around the streets. People have also embraced an eccentric sense of style (i.e colorful hair). What’s even more intriguing is the concept of the dark web and how dangerous it is. Warcross glasses are used most of the time, so it’s no wonder that Hideo is one rich guy. The Warcross games are often followed by many and there are illegal gamble dens in the dark web betting for teams and power-ups that could potentially affect the outcome of the game. Have I convinced you to read Warcross yet?

I liked Marie Lu’s descriptive writing. Even if it seemed far-fetched at times, I can see it play out in my mind. Sort of like I’m watching some kind of science fiction show!

Our mc, Emika Chen, is a bounty hunter looking for illegal Warcross gamblers. While she technically could be like Hideo Tanaka, creating something big in this world, she couldn’t take part in it. Partly because she doesn’t have the funds. This type of opportunity cannot reach her because she’s been in jail. Ringing a bell anyone? I know finding employment is difficult after coming out of jail. At least that’s what I’ve read in a couple of articles in my criminology class.

So opportunity strikes for Emika, as she was able to hack into an opening game of Warcross. She travels to Tokyo and secretly worked under Hideo. Sigh…

What I liked most about this book is its morally gray characters. There is no mary-sue, a goody two-shoes character, or even a villain. Despite the motivations of these characters and their means of getting them, they’re all morally ambiguous. I also like the iPhone speech bubble chats that are spread across the pages of the book. There are also reminders about the game. Like a level up here or you can earn points (even leveling up) by purchasing something from a store. Tokyo also starts to look like a virtual reality when it’s near the opening Warcross game.

I’m telling you right now, you guys need to read this book. It’s my favorite book (so far) this year!

Warcross is the 3D game millions in the world play everyday... Emika is the bounty hunter who catches the petty white collar criminals spawned by the game with her major hacking skills... Hideo is the young millionaire inventor who Emika dreams of working with... When desperation causes her to take a foolish risk, instead of heading to jail, she heads to the capital of tech, Tokyo!

The title suits the book as it speaks to the world as well as the conflicts Emika goes through... Warcross is the name of the game inside the book that has become a world wide sensation. You put on glasses that the company provides and it transports you to thousands of other worlds where you and a team of players battle against another team for artifacts. It's basically a cross between a brawling game of Quidditch and a complex strategy of football!

The cover totally drew me in... I am SO a lover of COLOR and it gives you more hints as to the contents than you might think! I've never read a Marie Lu book so I was excited to get a copy of Warcross.

The World...
Tokyo as a setting is super cool alone but the WAY it was described as this mega-center for the Warcross glasses technology MADE IT STAND OUT! The story hits full gear here...

The world of Warcross felt very real yet made from the future! It will be VERY familiar to an avid sports fan or gamer. I think that there was a wonderful effort made to develop the sport of Warcross, the fandom surrounding it and the technology that made it possible...

This is when I really started to get a sense of the storyteller that Marie Lu is!! I really enjoyed the combination of the hacking world, the gaming world as well as the internet black market. And the game itself is nothing to sneeze at! It is as developed as Quidditch with each team member performing their specific role. It was quite believable when Emika stepped up at the architect.

The Romance...
I found that like Emika I was persuaded to fall for Hideo. His quiet reserve and the intense way about him are both characteristic of Asian men and it is quite compelling!! I found him the perfect foil for Emika's impulsiveness and insistence on being different. I can see why he would be attracted to Emika and want to share with her. She felt the loss of her father quite keenly and it has become an integral part of her!

Besides just LOVING these two characters I really enjoyed their romance. It's kind of like a work romance. Emika was already primed for it having crushed on him so long but it felt natural and particular to a hermit inventor and the hacker chick he hired. I was surprised after the info dump beginning that actual dialogue and meetings supported the romance!! These moments were some of my favorite and I could quote quite a few of them... I TOTALLY SHIP Hideo and Emika...

The Diversity...
I can see that Marie Lu excels at team relationships. Even though we get very little screen/page time with Emika's team I felt like I knew each one and I had fun when they were competing... Part of what is so wonderful is the DIVERSITY! Emika is Chinese-American, Hideo is Japanese, Asher is wheelchair bound, and Roshan and Tremaine are gay. Wikki the little robot servant whose pleasure it was to learn everyone's favorite foods and drinks was super adorable too!! Hammie and Ren while not special on the minority front were excellently characterized too.

The Writing...
The setup was rough for me. I liked Emika but I wondered why she was PUKING her life story all over me... There didn't seem to be a cause for this except that its a book and she a character. This sort of info dumping character exposition is terribly annoying to me! It made me worried that I would HATE the book... (NOOOOOOO!!!)

Oddly this exposition setup was mainly at the very beginning and I got the sense that she couldn't settle on a scene to show and link all the things about Emika that she wanted known to the reader. While the bounty hunting scene which is the first event of the book is weak it was also intriguing! Without all the info dumping about her life I quite liked how Emika handled events and her attitude was quite a bit better! Also the way events were written was quite exciting.

Still the premise is BRILLIANT! Plus it is executed quite well even thought the plot was rather loose until Emika got to Tokyo but is REALLY amped up there and I enjoyed it from that moment on. The twist ending was quite good! You may see part of it coming but others you won't even guess at... The reasoning behind motivations were not the best...? I think they were there but the explanations themselves were not very clear.

Why 4 stars?
Well as I've been saying the prose is quite rough. It's heavy on exposition (basically the character puking her life on me) plus the description is DENSE (amazingly not heavy! which means it was well executed) but there was just a LOT of it. It left little space for ACTUAL EVENTS and INTERACTION. So while I was enjoying the story now that we got away from that beginning the writing was keeping me back from ADORING it.

The plot itself was also not always stable. Threads were introduced in the beginning that really had nothing to do with anything. (Making them contrived if she is such a brilliant hacker!) I wish the beginning were tighter so we could read more interactions in training or as a team. While I found the storytelling quite good it didn't overcome the prose problems.

As a Reader...
Since I don't like half stars I rated this 4 stars but as you can see I'm not totally happy with that number... The story was engaging once we got to Tokyo and Hideo. I enjoyed Warcross and the tech savvy world it occupied. The hacking was fun as was the romance. The team dynamics worked well (just deserved more page time!) And the DIVERSITY! I am TOTALLY on board reading the second half of this story... I know how I WANT it to end... but will Marie Lu play ball...? We'll have to wait on tenterhooks to find out!

Warcross isn’t a book that I would normally pick up, to be honest. I’m not a huge science fiction reader, nor am I interested in video game books, but I’ve already read and loved one book by Marie Lu…and the hype did get to me a bit, so I had to read it. The hype is justified, because I loved this adventure!

Warcross is set in a world where virtual reality has become mainstream. Even businesses and cities cater to it. Most people spend all of their free time in the virtual world and in Warcross game.

I liked Emika a lot. She was tough and good at what she does. She had a complicated and sad past that made her interesting. I liked that she didn’t take crap from anyone, but she still had a soft side. She was easy to root for. Emika’s teammates were a very diverse group. Marie Lu does a wonderful job adding in wonderfully diverse characters without it feeling forced. I loved seeing them interact and clash. I’m excited to learn more about everyone in the next book.

There’s also a bit more romance than I was expecting. Wow! Was it full of steamy chemistry! *heart eyes* That’s really all I’m going to say about that for now…Sorry to be vague, but I don’t want to give anything away!

The game was so creative and captivating. The players-characters-were literally thrown into a video game. There was so much action. It was so thrilling. I had no idea what was going to be thrown at them next or how they would ever get out of it. Virtual reality isn’t just limited to the game in this world. People wear their glasses all the time. Whole cities and businesses have incorporated virtual reality into everything. It’s just part or the fabric of this society. I found it a little jarring and unnerving. It definitely made me think about our society’s obsession with our phones and how we miss the world around us because we’re always looking down. Emika’s world felt very possible.

Warcross was just a fantastic read! There were just a couple of places where I felt like the plot dragged a little, but other than that I was totally hooked! The wait for book 2 is going to be a tough one!

Of course I’ve heard of Marie Lu before, but this was actually the first book by this author I’ve read, and yeah, I totally get the hype. This author can write! And the world she created? Wow!

I’m in love with the world Marie Lu created for Warcross. It’s kind of my dream world, in fact. I’m not a huge fan of video games, but it totally gave me a The Sims vibe, and who isn’t obsessed with The Sims?

Anyway, Warcross has the kind of world that draws you write in and makes you want to live inside the book’s pages, and in this case, inside the game (Marie Lue and) Hideo Tanaka created. The thought of putting on a glass and then going into a game like that leaves me salivating. The whole concept is new, fresh and unique!!

You know what else I loved? The diversity portrayed in this book with characters from all over the world and non-white main characters, plus the outside-the-USA setting.

There was a lot, a lot right with this book.

Emika was such a strong character. She was so relatable and likable and badass. I loved how smart she was, and how she didn’t back down from a challenge. Go, Emika!

Hideo was also my kind of love interest—mysterious, keeping a secret, hot and damaged. I wish I’d gotten to know him a little better, but I’m guessing that’ll happen in book 2.

The romance was cute. I expected more from it, but I wasn’t necessarily disappointed in what I got. Emika and Hideo made a good couple and they shared some great scenes. Was it just me or the fact that the characters were upper YA suggested the romance would have a little more heat? *shrugs* It was probably just me.

The only thing I didn’t exactly love about this book was the mystery around the villain and the people helping him. It was pretty obvious to me who was involved right from the beginning and I also guessed the identity of the villain when he was first mentioned in the story. I’m also guessing I know the motive behind the villain’s action already.

Having said that, the plot twist involving Hideo and Emika caught me by surprise, so yay for that!

Overall, this was an excellent first experience with this author. I know a lot of people love her books, and after reading Warcross, I’m more inclined to try her previous titles.

Sure, Warcross could be compared to Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, but it is so much more than the ultimate book for gamers. Marie Lu’s new series is packed with fun action, refreshingly diverse heroes, and twists to keep readers wanting more!

Emika Chen is a bounty hunter on the verge of being evicted from her apartment. On the night of one of the biggest events for the Warcross empire, she decides to risk it all. Little did she know that her decision would flip her world upside down and change her life forever.

Marie Lu immediately catches the reader’s attention through her world building. Although this story is set in the future, it is easy to picture ourselves inside of it. Everyone has an outlet to forget our troubles, and inside this story it just so happens to be a game called Warcross, a virtual world where there are unlimited possibilities for its players.

Emika receives an offer from the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, that she can’t refuse. Let’s talk about our two main characters for a second here. Emika is the hero we need in YA literature because her authenticity makes her incredibly relatable. She has faults that make her human, like her decisions not always being the best choices. But her actions reflect her heart and that’s something I admired about her. She knows right from wrong and is brave while she fights for what she believes in. (Plus, she has rainbow hair, how cool!)

Then we have Hideo, who is the perfect balance to her character. I absolutely loved them together! (Quick side note: the romance is slow-burning and never takes center stage, but I ship it and need more now.) Hideo is an intelligent, rich, and sensible person. We get bits of pieces of his character as the story progresses and his development was everything. And Marie Lu is a genius because when a certain plot twist happens, your heart will probably break. But it’s only because she pours so much into her characters that you feel deeply connected to them. And when their actions hurt people in the story, they cut deep for you also.

Speaking of characters, I adored every single one in this book! All of them are complex and easy for readers to root for. And the cast is very diverse, I loved all the representation in Warcross! Marie Lu never disappoints, does she? Her interesting characters inside this fun world will have you relating to their situation in some way.

As Emika dives deeper into the world of Warcross, the readers will also learn about how the game works! It’s all easy to follow even if you aren’t a gamer yourself. And if you are then I think you are in for a fun treat with this book! The action, twists, everything pinpoints to the depths of where Lu hopes to take this series. And the ending will have you screaming! Emika and her friends will fight for what they believe in, and I love the way Lu decided to tell this story.

Believe the hype surrounding this book because Warcross isn’t one to be missed! If you’re a fan of sci-fi, YA literature, or Marie Lu then pick this up! And let’s all start a support group to keep us together until the second one releases, okay?

In a New York of the only slightly distant future, Emika Chen is a broke orphan with rainbow hair and a knack with computers. Or not so much computers, anyway, but instead Warcross: the Second Life meets Google Glass meets, I don't know, Facebook? It's an immersive virtual reality overlay on real life that has taken the world by storm. Emika can't play in her real name, as she's a criminal. And a bounty hunter. And a badass. But when she glitches into the Warcross Olympics (not called as such, but yeah), she catches the attention of the elusive creator of the game and is flown to Tokyo to compete.

She's also given a mission, which is to track down who it is that wants to disrupt the games. She quickly realizes that her mission goes deeper than she expected, into the Dark World and eventually uncovering a potential assassination plot.

A quick criticism of the book: while it's extremely creative and imaginative, the virtual reality world kind of lets Lu write herself out of whatever situation her character gets into. "Oh, of course, this new world also has this feature." And, while not a criticism, fair warning: some of the romantic parts of the book (yep, those parts are there) are very feminine. As a girl I'm okay with that, and I hope that male readers are, too.

Now, fair warning. Without giving away any spoilers (although you, too, will probably see at least some parts of the dramatic twist coming miles away), the ending is not a pat, neatly wrapped up finale. And I would be okay with that, except that I suspect Lu was setting us up for a sequel rather than wanting ambiguity. And that annoys me. Why can't YA books just be books these days? Why do they all have to be a series?

I’ve never thought of myself as a sci-fi reader. And when it comes to coding or gaming, I actually have little to no interest. But heck, I would read anything Marie Lu writes.

Warcross is set in an incredibly imagined futuristic, sci-fi world. I honestly didn’t expect I would enjoy this so much (see above paragraph). I should have known better. Every aspect of this book was a true testament to Marie Lu’s passion for video games and storytelling. I loved every bit of it! The writing was incredible. The author created a whole new, original and addictive world you could get lost in. And the characters were impossible not to love. (Emika is definitely my favorite. She’s a hacker and a bounty hunter. With rainbow-colored hair. Need I say more?) BUT. There was one thing that bothered me. It's a small thing really. I can’t believe I’m saying this… the romance. Don’t get me wrong Hideo Tanaka is *insert heart-eyes emoji here*. You know how I love my fictional boyfriends brooding and mysterious. The problem was I didn’t see where his feelings for Emika came from. It felt so out-of-the-blue to me. Nevertheless, I loved Hideo and Emika’s interactions and banter. It might have verged on insta-love for a second there but Marie Lu sure knows how to make her readers swoon.

Warcross is all parts intriguing, twisty and enthralling. I was enamored by the world the author created I wanted to join the Phoenix Riders myself! It was one heck of a book. And THAT ENDING! Woah that ending.

Kudos to Marie Lu for proving once again that she could write anything.

Set in a futuristic world where video games and real life interface, Emika, a seventeen year old bounty hunter, faces a moment of temptation that will change her life forever. During the Warcross World Championships Emika hacks the game in a way that shows her face to the world and she goes from on the edge of homeless to world famous and a wild card entry into the Championships.

Hideo Tanaka is the child genius who invented glasses that interfaces his Warcross video game with real life. When Emika hacks his game he offers her a job as bounty hunter and gives her entrance into the Championships to work as his spy.

I do not play video games and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into this book because of that but I shouldn’t have worried. The world Marie Lu created was vivid, had amazing energy, and painted a 3-D picture for me to visualize and engage with. The games themselves were exciting, the action well written and Emika’s thought process as she deconstructed play exciting. I loved the game!

There was plenty of action to keep this book moving along at a fast pace, and when the action slowed down Emika’s relationship with Hideo painted the page with soft brush strokes. I didn’t know if I liked the fast paced gaming or the slower paced relationship better.

Deeply immersive and compellingly readable, Marie Lu delivers in her latest book Warcross. Think The Hunger Games meets online RPGs.

The novel, which is first in a planned duology, follows teenage hacker and bounty hunter Emika Chen who is three days away from becoming homeless. With waitressing gigs in decline and a hunt gone awry, she goes for some quick cash and hacks into the opening game of the International Warcross Championships. Except she accidentally glitches herself into the actual game in the process. Now, convinced of an imminent arrest, Emika is nonplussed when she instead receives a call from the game's creator, young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, who has a job to offer. Then she finds herself in Tokyo, drafted in one of the official teams, and working for her idol. This is my introduction to Marie Lu, and while it didn't convert me, it has made clear why there's a massive number of champions (pun definitely intended) of her books: the author does a fantastic job in crafting vivid, nuanced settings and stories that have mass commercial appeal.

Virtual realities aren't anything new; I can easily cite Ernest Cline's massive 2011 hit Ready Player One, for instance. But there's something very seductive about the idea of Warcross and the NeuroLink glasses. Imagine entering the Hunger Games without risking, well, your life or playing Ragnarok where you are your character, avatar and all. Take everyday occurrences, like going to a coffee shop or playing Mario Kart, but with enhanced experience and points to be gained. It actually doesn't take a bout of imagination, given how much we rely on the internet for almost everything nowadays. Moreover, the novel is incredibly cinematic. I haven't been to Tokyo, or anywhere else in Japan for that matter, but I grew up consuming enough anime to acquire a certain set of mental images of the city. And Lu's Tokyo not only captures that, it also improves it. I must say I had issues with the pacing, though, mainly because I feel like it lost its momentum towards the second act. But damn those final chapters. They were pretty intense and I couldn't read fast enough. And when it's time for the major plot twist—the major plot twist—I was inwardly facepalming myself for believing I had it all figured out.

I also laud the author for inclusivity. Emika Chen, the plucky, badass heroine, is Chinese American. The captain of one of the Warcross teams is in a wheelchair. Two dudes have a history of hooking up and it was mentioned so casually—like it's the most natural thing, and it is—and half the cast is non-Caucasian. Hideo Tanaka has his charm, but it often reads as paradigmatic. And I wish we got to see more of Emika interacting with her teammates. Perhaps we'll see that in the sequel, but I think it's a missed opportunity to witness an independent female MC have better fleshed out relationships outside of her romantic arc. Which conveniently brings up my next point: the biggest turn off for me, the romance. I was ready to forgive its insta-love nature, YA throws you that every now and then. But I find zero chemistry between Emika and the love interest. None. Where people were freaking out over their ship sailing, I was left with a resounding why? The result is me lowkey cringing over border line cheesy dialogues (and I love cheesy!).

If you are looking for a title that will give you the satisfaction of a good summer blockbuster, look no further.

I really enjoyed this book a lot, although I figured out a twist right when they story line for the twist started. I was actually hoping it wasn't going that way because it was soooo guessable.

After putting the book down, I would keep thinking about what was happening. I can imagine everything in this book so well, it is like I watched a movie. She describes everything so well, that it is so picture clear in my head. And the characters are all different and entertaining. The ending of the books leaves you wanting more and you know more will happen, that there will be another book...but it doesn't leave in a cliff hanger.

This book is sort of kind of futuristic, but not. It is like, present time but with the introduction of the neurolink which is kinda like those 3-D goggles we now have but much better, were you can't tell the difference between real life and virtual reality. And in this virtual reality there is the Warcross games which 16 teams compete in fantasy lands and try to grab the other teams gem.

I actually wish there was more War Cross game in the book. The book is mainly about Emika trying to find a hacker in the game and trying to figure out who it is for the maker of War Cross but there isn't too much war cross gaming in the book. But overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the next one!

This was my first Marie Lu book and it did not disappoint!! I was instantly pulled into the story and the game that I was just reading it too fast. I was also able to listen to the audiobook which is also really well done! Since finishing this I will definitely be reading her other books! Marie Lu has delivered us action, romance, and intrigue! I definitely need the next book in this series. This has to be one of my favourite books of this year!

Warcross is such a unique book with a great plot because it's a story about Emika who has hacked into the most famous game out there. She then hacks into the system during the opening games only glitch herself into the system. Then competes in the game itself as a spy to find out a security problem. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. There were so many twists and turns that you will not be able to put this book down. Emika is a very likeable character. She is smart, fierce, and even has rainbow hair! I really like how much she develops as a character. Her backstory is so interesting that I was on the edge of my seat!

Overall, Warcross is a must read! While it may appeal to gamers it can be loved by everyone! Looking for a fast paced book you will want to grab the book immediately because Marie Lu is now on my list of favourite authors because her writing is incredible! Now to wish I had the sequel!!

The premise is interesting enough- desperate young hacker-girl "glitches" (via a very visible hack during a huge tournament) her way into a giant multi-player virtual reality game and uncovers more than just a few secrets along the way.

The gaming parts are decently written- I kind of compare everything to "Ready Player One" (that was very immersive to me) and while Warcross isn't on the same level in any way, the game and the descriptions of the virtual environments were fairly gripping.

The characters? Meh. A little too cookie cutter for me- beautiful, lithe, smart-as-a-whip young woman intrigues handsome billionaire tech company CEO who whisks her straight to his office in a fancy private jet, etc. The romance did not read as genuine. It would have been so much more interesting if the main characters were a little more rough around the edges. The supporting characters were more interesting- I love that Marie Lu included disabled people as warriors/champions in her book (because the game is virtual reality, anyone is able to play).

My main issue is that the multi-player tournament part of the book (players being trained, dressed, broadcast, wined and dined, etc.) was very reminiscent of "Hunger Games", and "Warcross" pales in comparison.

I don't know- it's a tough call. The book was decent, but the issue is that there are too many really excellent books about similar topics (hackers, virtual reality games, young adults pitted against one another in multi-player environments) already out there. But this book is readable, and kept me interested so I can't criticize it too much. It's just definitely not going to be the next "must read"/"must make into a movie franchise" YA book, and I feel like the author was trying really, really hard to hit that target.

I am not prepared in the slightest for this to be over. Will be nursing this book hangover for days. Thoughts? Emika is a rainbow haired unicorn that I love and want to be friends with. She is so clever, loyal, and also vulnerable. She has an amazing backstory. Lu does a fantastic job with the world building, like really stellar. It is colorful and vivid and the interaction with the VR/neuro link is like a SF lovers dream come true. The side characters are also wonderful - esp Hammie - I need her in my life.

This was one of my newest SF reads that I fell head first in love with. It is everything I wanted and it raises really important questions about the ethics of technology, VR as escapism, and freedom. Also there is just so many good writing elements going on with the mirror characters, the twists (which I did see coming, but still enjoyed a million percent to be right), and the ending.

Towards the end of this book, it just got better and better and that ending is MAGIC. If I thought I loved the book because of its action and characters before the end, my love for it sky rockets at the end. I'm given everything I need - ethics, technology, and a hope for the sequel. I need the sequel yesterday. The wait will be hard, I can tell.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This book is amazing. It takes in you into high stakes world Warcross. Marie Lu creates this world and makes you feel like you are in it and want to try out this game. I enjoyed the gaming sequences through where the character is playing the game. The book also takes into the dark world of technically and makes feel like I’m in another world. This book also is fast-paced and will have you flipping the pages like crazy to see what is going to happen next. I also like the suspenseful feeling of not knowing what will happen next. This world of Warcross is so deadly.

As for the main character Emika Chen, I think she made this story. She has got to be one of my favorite female characters I read about this year. She is smart, a total bad ass that has a moment where she pulls the gutsy moves and I like how there are many layers to her. I see her grow as a character through the series and can’t wait to see her in the next book.

Overall, I was really amazed by the book and happy that I finally got to read a book by Marie Lu. And even though I might wait awhile till the next Warcross book to come out, I am still happy that there are other Marie Lu books that can keep me busy.

Lu’s storytelling ability grows with each book, and Warcross did not disappoint. Everything from the intricately painted setting, filled with flourishes of color and rich with detail, to the engaging characters, fully-realized and just as vibrant as their setting, Lu’s Warcross is painstakingly brought to life.

Our heroine, the brilliant Emika Chen, is both a hacker and a bounty hunter. When she accidentally hacks her way into the biggest game of the century, a virtual reality competition called Warcross, she catches the eye of its creator, the enigmatic and mysterious Hideo Tanaka. Assigned by Hideo to complete a bounty hunt in the game, Emika brings the reader along a whirlwind adventure.

I adore each and every one of the characters, from brilliant Hammie to the mysterious Ren. The games will enthrall and dazzle you like a carnival ride you never want to get off of. Lu also excels at crafting yet another excellent plot twist, one that will make you fall from your seat.

With stakes and games akin to The Hunger Games, and a wonderfully diverse cast, Warcross is a delight in every way. I recommend it to everyone! Also, can I have the sequel RIGHT NOW?!

So when can I get my hands on sequel?!? ?

Ummm.. This is definitely different read and also quite amazing. I love the protagonist Emika Chen. The whole story is pretty awesome.
Even though there was a lot things I predicted and I had answers to the questions, before the end of the book, I Still think this book deserves 5 stars.
And the end of the book... Just com'n. How an author can leave the reader with unknown, like this?!

The story starts in New York and than we are transported to Tokyo. It revolves around computer game and artificial reality. There are good and evil characters ( or are they?). There is a lot of action, wild imagination, fantasy and romance. New friendships, new adventures, and new possibilities. This book has it all and is really fun to read.
I really need the second part now. I really do!

3.5 stars for this futuristic gaming story with mystery, adventure and romance. I liked the protagonist in this book and I thought she was a compelling character. I cared about what happened to her and I wanted to see what happened next. The tech and gaming pieces were cool, even though that isn't really an interest for me. There were times when the story dragged - the romance was nice, but it pulled me away from the action of the game and the mystery. Some of the gaming sequences felt long and didn't hold my interest (like long descriptions of Quidditch matches in Harry Potter) so I skimmed through them. The "twist" wasn't a big surprise for me, although we didn't get a lot of answers on how or why, so I am curious to read the next book and see if the answers to those questions pull me through another story in this series.

I really like Marie Lu, I’m a big fan of her series Legend (if you haven't read it yet, add it to your to read list!). She writes futuristic storylines very well, and the settings are very vivid and easy to see yourself there. Warcross is very good, I’m not much of a gamer, but the characters explained enough to where I understood to follow the storyline. I really liked the characters, even though they were pretty deep, you got to know them as the story went along. I felt that the book flowed very well and I didn't feel that it dragged anywhere, but kept me up past my bedtime! There is going to be a another book, so it does end on a bit of a cliff hanger. I liked that even though this was mainly an action book, there was humor and some romance in it. Even though this book is mainly targeted to YA, I think that adults would enjoy this as well!

I have not read any Marie Lu before (confession: I'd never heard of her before this book), but she's hugely popular, so the most important thing I want to say is that if you like Marie Lu, my guess is you will love this book.

It's not terribly original - I kept running across bits it reminded me of: The Hunger Games, The Matrix, Ready Player One, Harry Potter (the video game feels a lot like a Quidditch match), but it's not as good as any of those. However, again, if you've enjoyed those, you might really like this.

However, the first half of the book is lots of fun. I loved the world she built, and the problems Emika had and the opportunity to solve them. The characters are so diverse, and because of that, the story feels alive and exciting.

The romance that develops is disappointing, largely because neither of the characters have much of a personality, and the game never felt really clear to me (other than Quidditch-like). There are also a lot of characters to manage in the second half, and a lot of plot lines, so it felt like everything got short shrift.

But it was fun, and if you're a Marie Lu fan or like any of those other pieces I mentioned before, you might really enjoy this.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!

I couldn't put it down at all! I loved everything about Emika and this entire god damn book. I loved the flow of this book because it was so fast paced. It definitely captures your attention from the first page and has you constantly all over the place with each twist and turn. I'm pretty emotional since I read the ending of this book and I'm freaking thrilled that there is going to be a second book. Thrilled people! I just wish I didn't have to wait for the book - I want it right now!

Also, I wont write any spoilers in this book because you need to read it. Right now. Drop whatever you are doing. Go shower. Go to a god damn book store or a library. Go get this book. Right now.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
The story is about Emika Chen, a young woman who has suffered several traumatic events in her life. She uses her hacking skills to earn a living as a virtual bounty hunter. But she’s broke and needs some quick cash. Emika decides to capitalize on a glitch she’s noticed in Warcross, a virtual reality video game. She hacks her way into a global Warcross event in hopes of quietly stealing enough to pay her rent and accidentally ends up in the main game sequence. Suddenly she’s recognized around the globe. Hideo Tanaka, the creator of Warcross, contacts her with a offer she can't refuse. The ending is maddening and satisfying at the same time and now I'm going to be going crazy waiting for the next book when this one isn't even out yet.

Warcross is the first book I've read by author Marie Lu. (Yeah, I know .... where have I been? ? I have several of her other books in my TBR but haven't yet read them. After reading Warcross, I am definitely moving her books to the top of my list!

This book is fast paced, full of action, adventure and a bit of romance. I was surprised at some of the twists and turns and they definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Ms. Lu did a fantastic job of world building and her story is creative, unique and a great read!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Lu, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers as well as Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Warcross was a book that I think kids aged 12+ will really enjoy. I'm going to see if my 13 year old son will want to read it. He enjoys computers and video games a lot, so much so that I think he will enjoy this book.
Lu built an awesome scene/background for this story to take place. I had my own virtual reality in my head from the great descriptions she gave in the book. I can see how many aspects of the story can become real and actually happen, making for a great dystopian read. I enjoyed the world building more than the story itself.
I really think kids will enjoy this story and if you have kids who enjoy video games, or heck, they don't even need to enjoy video games to love this story.

This is my favorite Marie Lu novel yet!

It's a super fun sci-fi read, with stakes that actually matter. Emika Chen is a hacker thrown into a global video game tournament on a mission to uncover a scheme. Her snooping and hacking work really well on the page and she's a clever and compelling narrator.

The dynamics of the Warcross game were super fun to read as well, and the teams were made of interesting side characters I wanted to root for (or hate).

Wow! This book will definitely be on my 2017 Favorites list. I read it so quickly because I just could NOT put it down. It was immediately captivating. The characters are so appealing that you can't help but become immediately invested in their lives and futures.

Around the halfway mark I had a theory on how it was going to go down and I was completely wrong. In fact, the turn of events at the end was so shocking I still feel like I have no idea what just happened or how to feel about it. I will definitely be thinking about this story for a long time. How am I going to wait for the next book in this series?!  Marie Lu is an extremely talented writer and I am looking forward to picking up more of her books.

Warcross by Marie Lu took me by surprise, in a good way. The book is slow to start, but there is good world building from the very beginning. With the introduction of Emika Chen, a teenage hacker who works as a bounty hunter to make rent and food money, the author has once again given life to a strong female main character. Emika's resilience and determination, despite difficult circumstances, gives readers an underdog to which they can forge a connection. The ending is unpredictable and gave me the feeling that subsequent books will be even better. I would definitely recommend Warcross to other readers and I look forward to more books featuring Emika Chen in the future.

There's a lot of things to like about the main character, Emika Chen. Independent, righteous, has great hacking skills, is an underdog (which somewhat conflicts with the great hacking skills part) with some rebellious sarcasm, and even harbors some naivete of a girl her described age would have. She's ostensibly Chinese, but if you replaced her description with just about any other assimilated American ethnic minority or majority, it probably wouldn't have made any tangible difference to the character or plot. There's a decent amount of backstory layering that's present to make you sympathize with her, and none of it seems too contrived.

I didn't like Hideo Tanaka too much. Perhaps influenced by Japanese anime stereotypes, but I pictured him as somewhat of a cross between Heero Yuy in Gundam Wing, very stern despite being young, and the quintessential male wealthy scion stereotypes that plagues Korean/Chinese (and presumably Japanese, although I don't watch those) dramas that takes an interest in a girl of a lesser socio-economic background. He's meant to be wealthy, complicated, mysterious, and good-looking enough to make the female protagonist swoon upon first sight. His motivations are foreshadowed early on, but there's quite a bit of a leap towards the big reveal at the end of the book. There's some logical "why didn't this or this happen" that wasn't given sufficient explanation, but that's a symptom of the ambitious turn of events that I'm not sure is perfectly matched with the characters driving them.

Despite just finishing this novel, I have very little recollection of what the supporting characters are as intrinsic characters. Many clearly serve plot devices and fill out the sidekicks/contagonists/antagonists cast, but none are fully developed enough to warrant intrigue.

Overall, I hope Marie handles the conclusion of this duology well. As I mentioned, the ending of this first book was ambitious, but the plotting leading up to it, at least as of right now, seems somewhat thin. It may be purposeful, though, to make the second entry more impactful. Only time will tell.

I've been waiting for this book since forever! I just recently got a copy and I absolutely love it! The main protagonist Emika Chen is literally one of the coolest protagonists, what with rainbow hair and a hover board, not to mention insane hacking skills and a tendency to use sarcasm. I new before I read this book that Mary Lu loves creative endings, and creating big twists that can come close to breaking her characters. I was just waiting for that to happen through the book, and although many bad things did happen to Emika (her memory's of her father being deleted, team dorm being blown to bits, being stalked) nothing could have prepared me for the ending. My subconscious knew it was coming, but I still died a little inside when it actually happened (in a good way!). Even though this book has good messages its main purpose was for entertainment, with the added bonus of very relate able characters with the main protagonist written in deep POV so you feel as if you were there competing in warcross, feeling everything happen around you. I would definitely recommend this book if you wanted something a little different than most YA adventure romance, but still had both adventure and romance. LOVE IT!

Marie Lu is one of those authors whose books I have collected simply based on her excellent reputation for exciting storytelling. I read Legend a while back, did a reread of it at the start of this year and then jumped right into Warcross.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. There are so many geek culture references and the whole idea of Warcross, a VR MMO that the novel revolved around, is so plausible. I would love to play it. It reminds me a little of Overwatch, with players being allocated specific roles and facing off against another team of real players.

There is solid world-building in between epic action scenes. I didn't feel that anything about the world in Warcross was glossed over and enjoyed that it also wasn't too far removed from our own.

Emika is a decent enough character, though she does fall into some YA trope territory. I admit that she was more of a vehicle for the story than the reason I wanted to keep reading. But that's 100% ok as this is not a character-driven novel.

There is a smattering of romance, which actually does play a role in the story, but to tell you more would give important things away. ;)

This is even better than Divergent, although not a Dystopian, and shares a similar feel in the latter parts of the novel. So if you found the former lacking, give Warcross a try.

It’s been a while since a book sucked me in like this one did! The story in “Warcross” is very “Ready Player One” meets “The Hunger Games” in a really captivating way. I tore through this book in about 48 hours.

Emika Chen is an 18-year-old hacker/bounty hunter who (sort-of-accidentally) hacks her way into popular virtual reality game called Warcross. After accepting a job offer from the game’s creator, she gets wrapped up in a sinister plot that she doesn’t fully unravel until the very end of the book.

Great characters, exciting action, and a compelling story all add up to a super fun read. “Warcross” ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, clearly setting things up for a sequel, but it must be my lucky day because the next book in the series (“Wildcard”) comes out on Tuesday 9/18 :D

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! Like...I-finished-reading-and-fan-girl-screamed-because-I-loved-it-so-much-amazing. Like...I-got-it-from-the-library-but-now-I'm-going-to-buy-my-own-copy-amazing.
The action was exciting and suspenseful. So many twists and turns....edge of my seat....can't handle how cool it all was (The romance was perfect. Just perfect. Not a single word wasted. The sexual tension was so intense I found myself yelling "JUST KISS ALREADY."
There is not a single thing I disliked about this book. Not. One. Thing. If you haven't read this book yet, just stop what you are doing and read it. READ IT. READ IT NOW. You won't regret it.

There's a ton of action that drivers this thriller as Emika steps into Warcross to find the hacker. It's a mystery, it's a sci-fI story, it's a little romance, it's a lot of fun.

The world-building is terrific with a lot of fresh ideas. Gamers will appreciate some of the references (Leeroy!) and the story is mainly and lovingly set in Tokyo with some mouth-watering food mentions. There's a wide cast of characters and some romantic tension that smolders.

The pace is brisk and there are plenty of twists and turns as this book ends and sets up the next book. This is a great start to another winning series by Marie Lu!

Oh, WARCROSS. How I wanted to like you.

WARCROSS is a book with a lot of hype behind it, and as a player of MMORPGs, I was hoping to love it. No book I’ve read yet has completely captured the sense of living to play a game.

WARCROSS didn’t do it for me. For starters, it takes over two hundred pages to show a real Warcross match. For the first half of the book, the reader is constantly told how much people play the game, how they practically live in the virtual world to escape real life, how important Warcross is, etc etc. BUT WHAT IS THE ACTUAL GAME? When the book finally gets there, the Warcross match is the best part of the book.

I gave up on the book soon after reading the game, because nothing else was holding my attention. There’s a lack of worldbuilding/too much hand waving over how the technology works, an insta-love romance reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey, and boring filler like reminders about Emika’s rainbow hair, tattoos, or tragic past.

Why O' Why publishers did you not make WARCROSS a manga/graphic novel. It would have been excellent and 5 STARS. It has all the elements a great artist could have made brilliantly entertaining. As it is, this first book is entertaining and going to be hit with fan-girls, but it's likely not to pick up the older-adult part of the audience.

What Marie Lu does well is to generate some intriguing background to the technology that other writers stumble over. She's given it some thought and proves she's no slouch. And other readers are going to love the characters. Despite the fact that the characters will all be fairly familiar to those of us who read too much scifi/fantasy.



I know I sound like I'm dumping on this book and I don't want to do that --at all. Young women are going to love the romance, underground elements and feisty Emi. Warcross however was just a 3 for me.

**Suitable for Middle-graders, Young Adults, and maybe even some Tweens. There is some heavy kissing and carrying on. Nothing graphic. No graphic violence. No language that I remember. No reading level info available at this time.

My 16yr old daughter absolutely loved this book. She said it has tons of actions, romance, and the end had a massive plot twist. She said the author put a ton of character development in to make the stories so much more relatable and reachable. She read it in less than 2 days. Devoured it, wouldn't go out to dinner with us so she could finish it. She had already read her Legend series and gave that 5 stars too. She is so excited for the sequel Wildcard coming out in September.

The book WarCross is a really good book. I would recommend WarCross for people that like action mystery books. It really focuses on modern technology we have today and where it will lead us in the future. I would compare this book to spy books because they are so focused on their high tech gadgets and they have to solve a mystery. The author writes this book in the perspective of Emika and as a teenage girl I find this as good fit. I would say this is more of a book for teenagers, not adults because it makes lots of teenage references. I liked this book because it had a little romance in it, but it wasn't the focus of the whole book like so many other teen books. It was a really fun read and learning about the characters just made the story more relatable because of their personalities.

The characters in the story have such wholesome personalities that really tie the book together. Hideo, Emika's then boyfriend, is this serious teenager that is only concerned with business through the first half of the book. But to balance him out you have all the funny characters like Ren and Kenn lighten up the mood of the book. This book has unexpected endings that you would never expect (or at least I didn't). I didn't like how the book was left at a cliffhanger and the second book isn't out so beware. Overall, I love this book and the bond I have formed with the characters. I don't know how to explain the feeling when reading this book. Maybe excited, anxious, or downright funny. All I know is that you should read the book now. It's by Marie Lu and buy or download right now.
Warcross

I love Marie Lu's books so much that I was both excited and nervous for Warcross. What if I was SO excited for it that I was setting it up to disappoint me? But do not worry, Warcross was riveting and I loved it!

I loved the world of Warcross and the vivid descriptions of the cities and technology. Marie Lu's previous experience as an Art Director at a video game company really worked its magic here! There was one thing that I guessed immediately, but when it was confirmed part of me still felt the surprise of the moment. I was rooting for Emika throughout the story, and I also loved Hammie. She was a very discerning character, and I really hope to see more of her in the sequel! Speaking of the sequel, I NEED IT NOW.

I am not a hard core Lu fan. I’ve read almost all of her books because they’re creative and well written, but she’s not my go to author. I liked Legend fine but was depressed at what I felt was an anti-climactic ending. I couldn’t finish The Young Elite series because I couldn’t identify with her anti-hero. But this one resonates. The world is so vivid and well developed. You can taste, touch and feel it. Her hero is relatable and intelligent. The story is compelling. She finally gets all the pieces to work together. I either liked the world or the character but not both. This has both. Highly recommend, hope she doesn’t disappoint in the next book and be prepared for classic Lu twists

I'd characterize this novel's plot as a modern-day Hunger Games (maybe Olympics is more accurate, but I was thinking of Hunger Games throughout the book) with a virtual reality augmentation and a dash of Cinderella. I've read both of Lu's other trilogies (the Prodigy Series the Young Elites), and she brings the same skills to this novel that made both of those series a solid read: good writing, twists and turns in the characters' relationships (i.e., things not being quite what they seem), continued and strong development of friendships, and a well-established alternate reality. However, I thought the plot was rather predictable, and it was pretty obvious early on what one of the major twists was going to be. But overall, I'm a fan and I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy. I'd recommend it.

Warcross was a massive adventure that made my heart race & totally boggled my mind. Marie Lu has created such an interesting world, with diverse & complex characters whom all partake in an exciting & surprising plot. Although I worked out part of the ending I was still flipped upside down by the plot twists thrown into the final chapters & I am so stressed out that I'm going to have to wait for the sequel to find out what Emiko decides to do! I was so excited to read this book & damn, it did not disappoint.

Despite the compelling world and believable character backstory that Marie Lu creates, this book disappointingly rabbit holes itself into as many YA tropes as were accessible to its plot. Protagonist Emi trades away the character complexity that the opening chapters develop in exchange for forced chemistry between her and the Main Love Interest--a man whose instant, "just-add-water" interest in her felt entirely skeptical after being described in several examples to be The Most Reserved Human Ever. Emi's decisions throughout the plot frustratingly lurch back and forth between being a professional hired to do a job (whose grim backstory understands precisely the way the world works) and a lovesick teen (whose feelings are underdeveloped and come across much more strongly as inexperienced lust than anything remotely approaching love).

I gave it two stars because I was far enough along by the time I was full on verbally questioning Emi's decisions that I was still able to finish it, and the twist that set itself up for a sequel WAS unexpected to me (although details surrounding it were visible a mile off). However, this book was a huge let down after the hype around it had me looking forward to Ender's-Game-With-Romance but instead delivers Twilight-In-Sci-Fi.

After a very promising start of futuristic Tokyo, hacking and gaming, the story leans on the genre tropes a bit too much, making once exciting romance kind of corny and the plot entirely predictable. My interest completely waned by page 250. Pity.

I have never felt so betrayed. I really wanted to like Warcross (it is Marie Lu! Sci-Fi, virtual reality, video games!) but it is just not for me. Warcross seems like Arena’s [by Holly Jennings] younger brother, who is really trying to be like big bro but it is not quite there yet.

Warcross is full of LIGHTS. The way Japan is described it is LIT UP and everyone is fabulous and connected to their virtual reality. To me, however, it all sounded just very superficial, like we barely scratched the surface of our surrounding. When in America, Emika was mainly subjected to the impoverished parts of town; she is a bounty hunter and that job is not exactly stable. She hunts for people the police has no time for, as it seems crime is at an all time high (specially with gamblers who like to place bets on Warcross-the reality game this books evolves around). But once Emika is “discovered” by Warcross’ developer, dreamy Hideo Tamaka, she is transported into a world of wealth.

Hideo hires Emika for both her bounty hunter skills, and her hacking skills. Someone is threatening the foundation of Warcross, a hacker who goes by Zero, and it is Emika’s job to catch him/her. To do this she is to join the Warcross games as a “wildcard” and compete among much more experienced players to see which one of them exactly is a double agent.

This all sounds interesting, sure, but I felt like every single aspect of the novel was barely explored. The only characters that have a well established background are Emika and Hideo. Emika because she is the main character so we get to learn how she got to where she is. Hideo is the love interest and developer of the world’s foremost technological advance. I liked Emika, thought nothing of Hideo. He seems kind of a boring character to me. Hideo is reserved, aloof, with a tragic past, and even so he seemed very bland. Other than Emika’s childhood crush on him, I do not see what she sees in the guy quite honestly.

I wish I could say the rest of the characters were interesting, but I can barely remember their names. they are just there to fill the “teammate” roles, or other necessary roles, but they did not feel real. At the end they even help Emika save the day, and then they become a sort of real team, but even then it is like they do not have opinions of their own, they just go with whatever it is necessary for the plot.

Warcross, the game this all revolves around, has its rules of course, and other intricacies, I just find them very hard to believe. “Wildcards” are introduced unto every tournament; “wildcards” are pretty much not professional players that get drafted into playing the game. An already established team then has to add them into their rooster and somehow find a way to learn how to work together in a very small time frame. I find all of this hard to believe, specially since I watch gaming tournaments now. This is something that in reality would never fly, and a rule that was created for the sole reason to add Emika to the games.

I gave this book two stars though, because at the very end it does present us with an interesting conundrum/question regarding the lengths we will go to to achieve world peace. In this world, ruled by virtual reality and games, what would you give up to see the virtual benefits (like for example, people don’t die in the virtual, there are very clear established rules) being totally reflected in the real? What is worth giving up? Who’s in charge of this decision? And is it worth it? It is a very interesting question, one I don’t know exactly in which side I fall of the argument.

I guess I am spoiled because I read Arena before reading Warcross, and that book really takes the topic of virtual reality by the balls. It explores a lot of different factions of it, and it is very satisfying. Warcross does not. The romance is forgettable, I guessed some of the big twists coming a mile away. I will not be picking up the sequel. It is all glitter, and no substance.

This book was so good. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book, but I am glad I read it. I downloaded a sample, and after reading the first four chapters, I had to have it. I could not put this book down. I needed to know what was going to happen next.

Now lets talk about the characters. I first loved the diversity that Marie used for this book. I really enjoyed Emeka's character. She was smart and a hustler. I don't want to give away any details but please read this book

I was told that if you loved Ready Player One, this would be a great book to read. To avoid spoilers for those that want to read this book, Warcross is a VR game that "everybody" plays and Emika Chen is tasked to find out who is trying to take it all down. The game scenes are good, and even the detective stuff was pretty good. Than for about three chapters the actions comes to a screeching halt as we suffer through a poorly written and very cliche love story. I actually put down the book for a month before I came back to finish it. The love story was frustrating enough that I only came back to the book to finish it because I felt obligated to since I was so close to finishing it.

Dropped it early. The writing was fine but when your book is titled Warcross and the in the first 30 minutes of the audiobook you reference how important the warcross game is to society and how the championships are about to start and how fashion trends follow the game and so on... Describe the freaking GAME!

I’m not a gamer but this book made me want to be one. Now I’m totally intrigued by the virtual world and hacking. I devoured this book. I kept thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it. To me that makes a great book. The ideas that were put forth by the author are terrifying and could happen. I believe that’s what makes them so scary. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book. I really want to know what happens now and how things go from here.

I fell in love with Marie Lu's writing the first time I ever picked up Legend, and I'm thrilled that each new story builds my excitement further. Warcross is a dynamic sci-fi adventure set in a vibrant world populated by charismatic and compelling diverse characters. With a dash of mystery, a sprinkling of romance, and a pinch or two of pop culture references, Marie has created a compelling new story that has this reader eager to dig into a second helping in book two.

At times I felt like this book may have been too predictable but the premise and story were so much fun that I didn't mind.

I love the gamer aspect of this book and that the main character was a female hacker. But my favorite part had to be that Hideo has a corgi! In the acknowledgements, Lu mentions that the corgi is based on one of her corgis. It's a very small part of the book (seriously it's only a couple of sentences) but it made this corgi mom very happy!

The world building was very well done. I listened to the audiobook and between the descriptions and the excellent narrator, I actually felt like I was in Warcross from time to time. I love Emika! She is such a fierce badass and I can't wait to see what is in store for her in the rest of the series

If you're a fan of Ready Player One I think you will enjoy this. This was a lot of fun and I love Emika's character. It is an interesting world and learning all the rules for Warcross and the NeuroLink was really entertaining. As a fan of video games it was also fun seeing little references through out the story. Can't wait for the next book and to see where this goes because that ending was amazing.

I went into this hoping it would be good, but not expecting a lot and it blew me away. This is one of those books that I couldn't even stop to take notes during because I was so enthralled. I had to put it down a few times just to breathe. I adored this story every step of the way, but the end wrecked me. I had predicted half of the twist, but didn't see the other half coming. I'm really intrigued to see how Lu continues this series!

When this book first came out I was fairly disinterested. Somewhere along the line it started to intrigue me to the point that I picked it up from the library. From the first page I knew I was going to get sucked in to the story.

There were some obvious aspects but nothing that ruined the story. It was an enjoyable and relatively fast read (because I couldn't put it down!)

I really enjoyed Warcross. It definitely surpassed my expectations. Marie Lu is an awesome writer and I am looking forward to reading more from her. Warcross was exciting, thrilling, and it kept me reading past important times of the day. It is part of a duology and I plan to read the conclusion as soon as possible.

If I could, this book would be rated higher than five stars--it has everything I want in a book. I loved the main character Emika, the action and gaming kept me turning the pages, the swoony romance was just right, and the mystery with a twist at the end blindsided me in the best way ever. I can't wait to read book number two and will be checking out more of this author's books.

I’m not saying that this is a bad book, I would definitely recommend it to people, but in my opinion the book felt a little slow and I think could’ve had a better plot or at least a plot twist, the book foreshadowed te plot twist a little too much because by the time I got to it, I wasn’t surprised at all. The main character in the book is Emika Chen, she went from barely having food to eat to having lots of money in just a matter of a couple days, it felt as though everything was just handed to her without her having to work for it, as if she had to best luck possible. The reason I gave this book 3 stars is because it’s still a good book but I’m my opinion there’s still room to improve and make the plot more interesting.

This book doesn't tread a whole lot of new ground. Hacker-girl-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks (who is, of course, as beautiful as she is skilled with code) accidentally bumbles into the world of the rich/famous/powerful. There's a nearly-insta-love, which i give a pass since the author does give it some basis. There's rivalry because reasons, friendship because reasons, so on and so on.

And the middle is really quite good. The story balances the multiple plotlines (the warcross tournament, Emi's side work as a hacker, the romantic element) quite well, keeping each up to speed without awkward transitions.

By the last few chapters, though, it falls back on some really basic cliche plot 'twists'. While i didn't guess exactly what the big reveal was, the who and why and how were all telegraphed WAY ahead.

And it ends on a totally unnecessary sequel hook.

This was the first book i've read by this author, and it may well be the last. Skilled writing can't overcome trite plotting.

Having read a couple of Marie Lu's previous books and considering the somewhat unoriginal plot, I was expecting WARCROSS to be a decent if not amazing book. While a lot of the story elements and character types were familiar, the book as a whole was a lot of fun, easily my favorite Lu book so far. The writing is tight, the pacing never drags, and there are just enough twists to elevate this story over similar ones. It reminded me of Ender's Game in several places, with dashes of The Hunger Games and a few other big YA titles. The focus is firmly on the plentiful action scenes, which Lu describes in vivid cinematic detail. There is a romantic plotline too, but I wasn't wholly invested in it. The ending is supposed to be shocking, but I found it to be on the predictable side. Still, this was a really fun read and I'll be sure to pick up the sequel when it releases.

This was such a fun, wild ride. Marie Lu is an expert at building interesting, multi-layered stories that keep you on your toes, and WARCROSS is no different. I was triple-guessing everything in the story at every turn, and I’m SUPER excited for the next one in this series.

I finished this while on an airplane and it was all I could do to contain myself. I did not see that twist coming! Marie has created a book for not only us geeks whose hearts jump at the idea of such advanced VR. This is a book with depth of right vs wrong, family and friendships and so much more. I need book two in this series, asap!

Great story and narrated well. I listened to this with my wife shortly after listening to "Ready Player One". Although they are two very different books I thought this was a good follow-up listen as it was in a very similar genre. I would definitely recommend.

Warcross is an exciting and compelling read that most readers will find hard to put down. It didn't take me long to realize that I had read this story before. There have been many stories built around a plucky heroine, an aloof genius and an all pervasive video game that threatens to overcome our sense of reality. It seems to me that all these elements have been thoroughly covered in many previous YA works. Still, Warcross succeeds in making this story fresh and exciting thanks to some superb writing, imaginative world building, and heart stopping action.

The action in Warcross is incredibly cinematic, turning this book into a fast read. It's the details that really draw you in and make both the real world and virtual reality video game world so believable. The characters are all intriguing and well formed, adding just the right amount of real emotion to a story built around a sci fi concept. I liked these characters quite a bit, so it was easy to forgive them when they began to fall into well trodden tropes.

Warcross is a must read for any sci fi or dystopian fan looking for a next read folliowing the Hunger Games or The Testing.series. Young middle schoolers all the way up to adults will find much to admire in this exciting read. This author is at the top of her game and I think this might just be the next "big thing."

I really didn’t expect what happened in the ending.
This book was soooo good!!!
I don’t understand anything about videogames and such, but I totally got immersed in the world that was cleverly built.
Totally recommend this book.
I’m so hoping that the sequence is so good as this one! :)

I knew Warcross was going to be enjoyable (because, duh, Marie Lu), but it was so much better than I had even anticipated! It's not stop adventure at a break neck pace and it kept me reading until the weekend hours of the morning. I loved the characters, the world-building, the entire thing. Superb.

Emika just wants to pay the bills so she won't get evicted from her tiny New York apartment. So, when she is contacted to find a bounty that will pay more than she's ever dreamed of, she jumps at the chance. The bonus is that she gets to be in the world of Warcross, something she would never have even dreamed of for herself. But, can she figure out who is hacking the game? Or will this bounty be more than she can handle?

Great thriller that kept me engaged. I devoured this book. I really liked the world and Emika, but had problems with the logic behind Hideo putting her in the game to discover a security problem. I fail to see how hiring her to work in security wouldn't have made more sense.

Marie Lu has always been one of my favorite authors, so when I found out about Warcross I knew I would be reading it! This is the best book she has ever written in my opinion. The combinations of a Dystopian world and the fact that it something I could totally see happening in our reality was fantastic. Nothing in this novel was to farfetched. As a gamer myself, I loved the idea of video games and VR taking over the future. This novel really makes you think about how much we rely on technology in our daily lives. Okay so maybe not to the extent that they do in the novel but there are similarities. I will be eating very impatiently for the next book!

In the end, I finished the game regretting nothing.

I'm down with my first Marie Lu book. And it was hell of a ride!

Not gonna lie. It's pretty predictable at some points, but I can feel that there are bigger things ahead. Well, we're going to have to wait 'til next year.

Now we play the waiting game. Game! Set! Fight!

I loved Legend and Marie Lu didn’t disappoint me with Warcross!! I really recommend if you enjoyed Legend!

*SPOILERS*

I was kind of hoping that Emica would just accept Hideo’s plans because I love them together tbh and like it would be interesting to see a protagonist that doesn’t always seek out justice. Like get a peek into how “evil” people think. (Although imo I don’t think Hideo is evil I really just think he’s a poor lost soul who’s had a lot of bad stuff happen to him and this is how he’s coping...not that well but anyways...)

*END SPOILERS*

In knowing personal loss, maybe this book struck a different chord than it would if you hadn’t. Without spoiling, I enjoyed and could relate to each main characters in this book. While it is a work of fiction, I found myself invested in those characters whose interest were motivated by their losses. There must be another book in the series? I hope so because i can’t wait to return to this world. It was a mix of hunger games (without the mandatory death) and ready player one, definitely a world I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book! I was drawn in early and found I want to play Warcross. The 'sinister plot' of the book had pieces that were predictable and pieces that didn't even crossed my mind. I thought some of the characters could have used a little more development, but for the purposes of this book it didn't lessen my enjoyment. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Amazing writer. I loved this book and mourned it’s ending. The sequel cannot come fast enough. I read it in 2 days. I’m addicted to her books. The legend series was awesome. This tops it in every way. I didn’t think that was possible! Must read for all ages.

While I read a lot of YA, I have never particularly been a fan of narratives that center on video/virtual reality or the gaming industry as a whole. But Marie's writing has always been stellar and so after edging around the book for a while (and hearing great reviews) I finally picked it up. And then promptly could not put it down. Emika Chen is a character you want to keep reading about and the world-building is strong and the twists will keep you turning the pages (and wanting a sequel). Highly recommend.

My new favorite book of the year. It's absolutely thrilling! If you love near-future, realistic sci-fi and fun (but also terrifying) technology, then don't miss this book. I cannot wait for the sequel. That ending about killed me.

I enjoyed this book. Loved the world created and can see how technology can really take over. It did make me think about people and their tech, including myself. Excited to see how this is going to end.

I’m not saying that this is a bad book, I would definitely recommend it to people, but in my opinion the book felt a little slow and I think could’ve had a better plot or at least a plot twist, the book foreshadowed te plot twist a little too much because by the time I got to it, I wasn’t surprised at all. The main character in the book is Emika Chen, she went from barely having food to eat to having lots of money in just a matter of a couple days, it felt as though everything was just handed to her without her having to work for it, as if she had to best luck possible. The reason I gave this book 3 stars is because it’s still a good book but I’m my opinion there’s still room to improve and make the plot more interesting.

This book doesn't tread a whole lot of new ground. Hacker-girl-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks (who is, of course, as beautiful as she is skilled with code) accidentally bumbles into the world of the rich/famous/powerful. There's a nearly-insta-love, which i give a pass since the author does give it some basis. There's rivalry because reasons, friendship because reasons, so on and so on.

And the middle is really quite good. The story balances the multiple plotlines (the warcross tournament, Emi's side work as a hacker, the romantic element) quite well, keeping each up to speed without awkward transitions.

By the last few chapters, though, it falls back on some really basic cliche plot 'twists'. While i didn't guess exactly what the big reveal was, the who and why and how were all telegraphed WAY ahead.

And it ends on a totally unnecessary sequel hook.

This was the first book i've read by this author, and it may well be the last. Skilled writing can't overcome trite plotting.

Having read a couple of Marie Lu's previous books and considering the somewhat unoriginal plot, I was expecting WARCROSS to be a decent if not amazing book. While a lot of the story elements and character types were familiar, the book as a whole was a lot of fun, easily my favorite Lu book so far. The writing is tight, the pacing never drags, and there are just enough twists to elevate this story over similar ones. It reminded me of Ender's Game in several places, with dashes of The Hunger Games and a few other big YA titles. The focus is firmly on the plentiful action scenes, which Lu describes in vivid cinematic detail. There is a romantic plotline too, but I wasn't wholly invested in it. The ending is supposed to be shocking, but I found it to be on the predictable side. Still, this was a really fun read and I'll be sure to pick up the sequel when it releases.

This was such a fun, wild ride. Marie Lu is an expert at building interesting, multi-layered stories that keep you on your toes, and WARCROSS is no different. I was triple-guessing everything in the story at every turn, and I’m SUPER excited for the next one in this series.

I finished this while on an airplane and it was all I could do to contain myself. I did not see that twist coming! Marie has created a book for not only us geeks whose hearts jump at the idea of such advanced VR. This is a book with depth of right vs wrong, family and friendships and so much more. I need book two in this series, asap!

Great story and narrated well. I listened to this with my wife shortly after listening to "Ready Player One". Although they are two very different books I thought this was a good follow-up listen as it was in a very similar genre. I would definitely recommend.

Warcross is an exciting and compelling read that most readers will find hard to put down. It didn't take me long to realize that I had read this story before. There have been many stories built around a plucky heroine, an aloof genius and an all pervasive video game that threatens to overcome our sense of reality. It seems to me that all these elements have been thoroughly covered in many previous YA works. Still, Warcross succeeds in making this story fresh and exciting thanks to some superb writing, imaginative world building, and heart stopping action.

The action in Warcross is incredibly cinematic, turning this book into a fast read. It's the details that really draw you in and make both the real world and virtual reality video game world so believable. The characters are all intriguing and well formed, adding just the right amount of real emotion to a story built around a sci fi concept. I liked these characters quite a bit, so it was easy to forgive them when they began to fall into well trodden tropes.

Warcross is a must read for any sci fi or dystopian fan looking for a next read folliowing the Hunger Games or The Testing.series. Young middle schoolers all the way up to adults will find much to admire in this exciting read. This author is at the top of her game and I think this might just be the next "big thing."

Wow! I went into this book with low expectations, have previously read some of Ms. Lu’s other works, but this novel was FANTASTIC! I tore through the pages. The world-building and plot are both well thought out and expansive. The characters are intriguing—they are aren’t perfect, but make mistakes. This makes them realistic and more human—a huge theme throughout the book. The world is so fresh and foreseeable (I get Ready Player One vibes!). Check this out if you’re at all into YA books, technology/gaming, or looking for a fun read!

I really didn’t expect what happened in the ending.
This book was soooo good!!!
I don’t understand anything about videogames and such, but I totally got immersed in the world that was cleverly built.
Totally recommend this book.
I’m so hoping that the sequence is so good as this one! :)

I knew Warcross was going to be enjoyable (because, duh, Marie Lu), but it was so much better than I had even anticipated! It's not stop adventure at a break neck pace and it kept me reading until the weekend hours of the morning. I loved the characters, the world-building, the entire thing. Superb.

Emika just wants to pay the bills so she won't get evicted from her tiny New York apartment. So, when she is contacted to find a bounty that will pay more than she's ever dreamed of, she jumps at the chance. The bonus is that she gets to be in the world of Warcross, something she would never have even dreamed of for herself. But, can she figure out who is hacking the game? Or will this bounty be more than she can handle?

The world Lu creates in this book fully sucked me in from page one. I flew through this, totally immersed in Warcross and the virtual reality world. Without giving anything away, I'm really looking forward to Book 2 and seeing who Emika sides with and how she uses the NeuroLink in the future.

Great thriller that kept me engaged. I devoured this book. I really liked the world and Emika, but had problems with the logic behind Hideo putting her in the game to discover a security problem. I fail to see how hiring her to work in security wouldn't have made more sense.

Marie Lu has always been one of my favorite authors, so when I found out about Warcross I knew I would be reading it! This is the best book she has ever written in my opinion. The combinations of a Dystopian world and the fact that it something I could totally see happening in our reality was fantastic. Nothing in this novel was to farfetched. As a gamer myself, I loved the idea of video games and VR taking over the future. This novel really makes you think about how much we rely on technology in our daily lives. Okay so maybe not to the extent that they do in the novel but there are similarities. I will be eating very impatiently for the next book!

In the end, I finished the game regretting nothing.

I'm down with my first Marie Lu book. And it was hell of a ride!

Not gonna lie. It's pretty predictable at some points, but I can feel that there are bigger things ahead. Well, we're going to have to wait 'til next year.

Now we play the waiting game. Game! Set! Fight!

I loved Legend and Marie Lu didn’t disappoint me with Warcross!! I really recommend if you enjoyed Legend!

*SPOILERS*

I was kind of hoping that Emica would just accept Hideo’s plans because I love them together tbh and like it would be interesting to see a protagonist that doesn’t always seek out justice. Like get a peek into how “evil” people think. (Although imo I don’t think Hideo is evil I really just think he’s a poor lost soul who’s had a lot of bad stuff happen to him and this is how he’s coping...not that well but anyways...)

*END SPOILERS*

In knowing personal loss, maybe this book struck a different chord than it would if you hadn’t. Without spoiling, I enjoyed and could relate to each main characters in this book. While it is a work of fiction, I found myself invested in those characters whose interest were motivated by their losses. There must be another book in the series? I hope so because i can’t wait to return to this world. It was a mix of hunger games (without the mandatory death) and ready player one, definitely a world I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book! I was drawn in early and found I want to play Warcross. The 'sinister plot' of the book had pieces that were predictable and pieces that didn't even crossed my mind. I thought some of the characters could have used a little more development, but for the purposes of this book it didn't lessen my enjoyment. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Amazing writer. I loved this book and mourned it’s ending. The sequel cannot come fast enough. I read it in 2 days. I’m addicted to her books. The legend series was awesome. This tops it in every way. I didn’t think that was possible! Must read for all ages.

While I read a lot of YA, I have never particularly been a fan of narratives that center on video/virtual reality or the gaming industry as a whole. But Marie's writing has always been stellar and so after edging around the book for a while (and hearing great reviews) I finally picked it up. And then promptly could not put it down. Emika Chen is a character you want to keep reading about and the world-building is strong and the twists will keep you turning the pages (and wanting a sequel). Highly recommend.

I am very picky with books. Usually when I start to read a book I end up putting it down only minutes later. But this book hooked me instantly. I definitely suggest this to anyone who like sci-fi fantasy novels.

I really enjoyed the descriptive way the writer explained the gaming. It's interesting how close our society is to being pulled into a virtual reality versus living.
I liked the twists the author provided and look forward to the next book.

From 2017, I was trying to get a hold of this book, but did not get the opportunity. First I fell in love with the cover with its colorful letters. I was able to complete the book within 3 days, because it was completely intriguing.
So, this is why the book was completely special to me;
We meet our valorous female protagonist, Emika Chan who is a bounty hunter in the New York city, draped in poverty and debt. Her life changes from penniless to affluent in days by the offer of the young, well renowned, billionaire and the creator of the Warcross game, Hideo Tanaka.
The story was amazing. I was speechless after reading it. I felt that Marie Lu being in the video game industry, have had some influence in creating this story.
One of the most important things that I found in this story was that it did not get dragged or bogged down in the same place. It is totally hypersonic, which is why I love it so much. You feel that the story is moving forward while reading without being in the same spot. It kept me hooked-up to the book till the end, without feeling even slightly bored.
The romance aspect of the story was really great and I enjoyed reading. I found the romance between Hideo and Emika, super cute. <3 <3 <3 The way their love built, gradually is so adorable.
The ending was totally not what I expected. There is an excitement that builds gradually when you reach the end of the story. The ending makes the reader wants to know what will happen next? So, definitely the sequel :)
If I don't talk about Hideo Tanaka, I think I am being completely unfair. Hideo's character is the most complicated one the in the story. His childhood and how it affected in his present life is well presented by the author.
Overall the plot, characters and the settings are amazing.
There is so much I can keep on talking about this wonderful story. But, I am forcing myself to stop from here :) :) :)
My Rating
(5/5) Tremendous, I like it very much

This book kept me on my toes the whole way through. I absolutely cannot get over how amazing this book was. It's been a long time since I've had a book truly surprise and shock me, and this one did that effortlessly.

I thought this was going to be too close to “Ready Player One”, but this was definitely different! I liked this book and the mystery involved in it as well as twists and turns you actually don’t expect, I just thought the whole love story that was added seemed like it was added at the last minute to fill a quota. Good book, I’d recommend it!

This is going to be a rant. (and a very unpopular opinion)

This went downhill soooooo fast!! Good beginning but terrible rest of the book. I actually truly feel so insulted by this book in so many ways.

The main romance in this book is just such a bad example
the technical aspect is so over the top and so wrong that it gets super frustrating and annoying
And I'm really disappointed by the Americanized version of Tokyo we get to see in this book.
I'm going to start of by saying a few positive things about this book. Obviously there are still some good things to be said about this book (otherwise I would have given it 1 star). First, the world building is sublime. It's very detailed and original and I loved every second of that part of the book. The Warcross game is a simple game that is made super cool by adding a futursitic version of the virtual reality we already now in 2017. I also loved the overall concept of the book. We also have a lot of diverse characters, LGBT, many countries participating in the games. So far for the good points.

This book is about Emika, orphan, super smart, super cool (rainbow hair and everything) and a super unrealistic mega brained programmer girl. She has spent some time in jail (for helping out a friend of course, couldn't have anything that sounds actually bad in a YA book...). The first thing that started bothering me is the technical aspect.
I'm currently in my last year of studying engineering in computer science and electronics and this book annoyed the living hell out of me after a while. Okay, I get it, it's sci-fi and obviously not really supposed to be realistic. But this was just too much bogus. Was it really necessary to talk about programming like it's some kind of magic? Like you can actually see code as some sort of magical blocs floating through the air in giant colourful blocks? What kind of drugs was she on? Also, is this kindergarten? It's bad enough that most girls look at technical things like it's a weird disseas. This book just confirms that programming needs to look like sexy magic or no girl will ever touch this book. It also lacked so many explanations, how does a pair of glasses connect to someones brain? How does a pair of glasses now that you are curling your toes? With the lenses we get a bit of a halfhearted explanation, but with the glasses we just have to believe that it somehow works...

Next I thought, wow, an American book that is situated in Tokyo for a big part? Cool cool cool! Sadly, Tokyo just felt like an American city and not like an Asian City. We got two names of Asian dishes (sushi and spring rolls) and that was about it. Knowing that this book was actually written by someone born in China makes this even more sad. Is it really necessary? I'm sure the American Youth also wants to read this book if it has some real Asian vibes to it.

The part that annoyed me the absolute most were the characters and the relationship. Talk about unhealthy and bad role models!
Hideo, Mutlibillionaire and handsome (can't have an ordinary looking nerd of course) wonder child with lots of musceles and intense looking eyeballs. He reminded me so much of Christian Grey (and that's a bad thing) brooding, overbearing, controlling, childhood trauma... You can just thick all the boxes (except the red room, it's still a YA of course). There was so much wrong in the relationship between Emika and Hideo

She has been obsessed with him since she's 12 and he's her boss
He makes her important decisions for her without even consulting her and she isn't even really mad about it. She has no gut at all and just lets him control her.
if she gets a bit mad he solves the problem by kissing her. Hard.(doens't this remind anyone of fifty shades? no? come on!?) Like, she's wining let me just make her horny.
And why is the guy even dating her? There is absolutely no story about why he loves her! There even is a company rule that says that no one is allowed to ask Hideo about his family. But apparently without even knowing the girl that well he decides to tell her everything... Okay... We only get one explanation:

I wanted to kiss you since I first saw you in that red dress.
So, first she's just a normal very smart girl with crazy talent (which I still need to rant about, I'm acutally not even sorry). But only when she starts to dress nice he's really interested? WHERE IS EVERY SELF PROCLAIMED FEMINIST NOW??? BTW, they lie to each other and decide to not tell each other things that could litteraly save the other persons life constantly, talk about a toxic relationship. I really don't get why they are into each other...

Let's talk a bit more about wonder child Emika. She's really not that bright. Okay, she's just brainless. She makes the most obvious wrong decisions EVER, all day long. She's like: Oow, I have really important info that can save my boyfriend's life, maybe I could tell him? Or naaah, it's just too vague... Come on girl? Where is your super smart programming brain now? I tought logic thinking was your thing?
Other things that bothered me; at one point she looses valuable info, never heard of backing up things on a remote device that's, maaaaybe.., not connected to the internet? Like, uuum, a oldschool hard drive? No internet, no way to get hacked, right doll? And also let's not forget that she is able to get back some of her information that she lost, by accessing the left over "ghost code" of the information. What even is ghost code? Is it code in a light gray font instead of black? Why doesn't she just use her "ghost code hack" on all her other lost files? Use your brain a bit more darling.

It's a super high-tech world and everyone is 24/7 connected to their phone, but you're going to make me believe that she never ever again checked in with her roommate she had to leave behind in the beginning of the story? She's like, I lived with you for a couple of years, now I'm rich and famous and I really don't want to have anything to do with your sorry poor ass. I'm just assuming this, why else would she completely forget about her the moment she boards a private plane?

Overall I really don't get why everyone loves this book and is such a fan of the relationship. It's like I read the wrong and disturbing version of the book and everyone else read the normal healthy version. Why is no one else bothered by this?

It has been a long time since a book has pulled me in from start to finish. So much so, that I stayed up late to finish it the same day I picked it up. I was hooked from the beginning, and through every twist and turn.

I am very picky with books. Usually when I start to read a book I end up putting it down only minutes later. But this book hooked me instantly. I definitely suggest this to anyone who like sci-fi fantasy novels.

I really enjoyed the descriptive way the writer explained the gaming. It's interesting how close our society is to being pulled into a virtual reality versus living.
I liked the twists the author provided and look forward to the next book.