Review: Warcross - Marie Lu

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Published: 12th September 2017

Length: 353 pages

My rating: 9/10

Overview: Warcross is a highly addictive VR game that has taken the world by storm. Emika is a casual player but she's also a hacker, looking for any chance to pay off her late father's debts. Spotting a rare opportunity, she hacks into the opening game of the Warcross tournament, with life-changing consequences.

This is the first book I've read by Marie Lu, and if all her other works are as enjoyable as this I will soon be a big fan! I love Sword Art Online so naturally when I heard about a book about virtual reality and fighting I knew I had to read it. The setting and the concept itself were my two favourite things about this book. The vivid descriptions of the VR world, and of it's effect on the real world created beautiful imagery and I had a really strong picture of what this awesome world looked like through the NeuroLink. I also really wanted to play Warcross and experience the NeuroLink for myself!

The characters were a nice diverse bunch - there's a wide mix of race, ethnicity, and sexuality. There is a disabled character who is just as capable as everyone else. The main character Emika was likeable enough, although I don't think she (or anyone else in this book) will ever be in my list of favourite characters. Personally I found her Warcross team mates more interesting but I didn't mind her as the protagonist. The other main character, Hideo, was similar in that I liked him but he doesn't stand out from hundreds of other book characters. To be honest I found their relationship a bit unrealistic. Hideo is described straight away as being closed off, emotionally unavailable and unwilling to share any of his private life with anybody. Despite this, after having about three five minute conversations with Emika he is instantly head over heels for her? I'm not saying I don't ship them, but it felt a bit forced and rushed.

There were a few plot twists, but to be honest, most of the story was fairly predictable. The identity of Zero is kept secret to the end of the book, but as soon as the character who it was was first mentioned I knew straight away it would be them, and I was right, which kind of took away the drama of the supposedly big reveal. However, I look forward to finding out more about them in the next book and discovering more of their history. The only plot twist I didn't see coming was the very final big reveal. I loved the new dimension it gave to Hideo's character and how it set the direction for the next book, whilst leaving a lot of uncertainty in the air.

This was very enjoyable to read and I eagerly await the next instalment in the series! A definite must read.

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