Warcross

Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads:

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

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

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

I am a big fan of Marie Lu’s books, but with this book, I realized that I have a bad habit of starting to read her series, really enjoying the first book, and then for some reason never reading the next books in the series. But I really really really enjoyed Warcross, so I’ve got to make sure I read book two! Perhaps I should use the time until the sequel comes out to catch up on the other books in Marie Lu’s series.

This book was really fun and pulled me in right away. I loved so much about it: the setting, the technology, the video game aspect, the mystery and intrigue (Dark World!). In some ways, this reminded me a little of another book that I love, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

As excited as I was about this book, my enthusiasm waned towards the end. Despite the high stakes, I didn’t feel as invested in things, perhaps because my brain knew that this was the first in a series and that things would not be resolved by the end, in order to lead into the next book.

Overall though, this was another great book from Marie Lu, possibly my favourite of hers so far! Recommended!