Warcross

Warcross
by Marie Lu

Rating: 4/5

When I first started reading this book, I was a
little cautious because the description sounded very similar to any other generic
“Here’s a contest. I gotta win.” But I have loved Marie Lu’s other series and
knew she would surprise me. And boy, was I right!

In the first chapter, my first thought was honestly,
“Oh…. it’s Ready Player One.” And though the whole virtual reality thing was
similar, Marie Lu makes it her own.

Marie Lu is a master of world building and I can
only hope to be as proficient in descriptions as she is. I’ve noticed that most
of the time when I’m reading a novel that has lots of description, I tend to
skim over it and fill in missing pieces for myself. Marie Lu keeps her
descriptions quick yet full of all the information needed. Her action writing
is so fun and vivid that I have no trouble imagining the scenes in my head.

Her characters are always unique and amazing and I
fell in love with Emika Chen. I can pinpoint the exact page (73 in the
hardcover version) when I was absolutely positive that Emika was a force to be
reckoned with.

“But
sometimes, people kick you to the ground at recess because they think the shape
of your eyes is funny. They lunge at you because they see a vulnerable body. Or
a different skin color. Or a difficult name. Or a girl. They think you won’t hit
back—that you’ll just lower your eyes and hide. And sometimes, to protect
yourself, to make it go away, you do.

But
sometimes, you find yourself standing in exactly the right position, wielding exactly
the right weapon to hit back. So I hit.”

LIKE… YES. EMIKA, YES.

I can’t really talk about the other characters right
now because it would most likely spoil the story but if you’ve read Marie Lu’s
other novels you should already be familiar with the fact that She is amazing
with characters and making every character special and three dimensional.

Now, to the actual story. Honestly, I couldn’t put
this book down. I don’t have very much time to read but the hour or so that i
did have to read, I never once set it down. In total, it took me maybe three or
four hours. It’s safe to say I DEVOURED it.

If you love video games, strong female characters,
dystopia (I thought I was over dystopia but guess not!), world building,
mystery, and surprises, this book is for you!

OKAY FOR THOSE THAT HAVE READ THE BOOK YOU CAN KEEP
READING, OKAY? OKAY.

WHAT THE HECK. DID MARIE LU JUST PULL A HANS ON US?
WAS I SERIOUSLY SHIPPING THAT? WHAT? I mean, props to Emika for not staying
with him after that revelation. But also… I knew something was coming and
though I sort of guessed a little about what was going on there was no way I
was about to guess MIND CONTROL. WHAT.

I
AM SO PUMPED FOR THE NEXT BOOK