Warcross, by Marie Lu

Good afternoon, dragonflies! 

I just finished reading Warcross, by Marie Lu! 

I'm reading it as a part of my Sci-Fi and Fantasy Week. 

"For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. "

Suffices to say, I could not put this down! 

I'm a real nerd when it comes to sci-fi, and anything involving video games has lately been catching my attention. When I heard of Warcross, last year, I wanted it because the cover was pretty. 

Now, I'm all in for the story, under every single aspect. 

Let's start with the plot. The plot is something that was constantly evolving throughout Warcross, at such a pace that it was difficult to stop reading because every chapter had something new to offer. Whether it was an antagonist attack or a love interest twist or a wave of nerdiness from the characters, reading this book was a wholly fun experience that I did not want to end! The competition aspect of the book is something I really tend to like in books in general - Throne of Glass, The Hunger Games, Shades of Magic... I've always liked competitions!

I am so glad that Wildcard is out next month already. The month-long wait is already going to be long. 

And now for the characters, my preciouses. 

Emika is awesome. She has an edge but is still the slightest bit girly with her habits of being conscious of what she is wearing, her appreciation for haute-couture and her fangirling over Hideo before she meets him. But she's also incredibly smart and good-hearted. Her talents have made me decide to sign up for a programming course at uni. (I'm not joking - it was that or a mathematics course!). She was a character who felt real to me. 

Hideo is a character that I feel should have more fangirls out there. Yes I know he's not all good but I still would totally fangirl about him too if I were Emika! He is even smarter than what he shows in the book - I'm sure that Marie Lu did a lot of research to know and understand that you can have a nanolayer that's one atom thick that can act as a really efficient electrical conduit. It would be expensive, but Hideo seems to have that covered.

The side characters were also just lovely in their own rights - they were each different and brought a different personality to the story, to make a perfect balance.

Plus the whole artificial intelligence aspect was really well thought-out. That's the thing about upcoming technologies - they are getting smarter and smarter the more we rely on them. 

I could ramble about this book for ages, it has become one of my 2018 favorites! But I don't want to send spoilers your way, so make sure to read it before Wildcard is published! 

I'm giving Warcross a 5/5 feathers! Truly amazing discovery! 

Have you read Warcross? What did you think? Let me know!

Stay bookish,