Warcross

by Marie Lu

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $10.99

Hardcover: $18.99

Kindle: $10.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $15.51 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Warcross by Marie Lu was published in 2017 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Page Count: 416 pages (paperback) 368 (hardcover) 366 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 12 hrs 30 mins

Chapters: 31

Languages: English (also available in the follow translations: Spanish and French)

Summary of Book:

“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 Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. 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. 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 best selling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Author Biography:

“Marie Lu is the author of the#1 New York Times bestselling series The Young Elites, as well as the blockbuster bestselling Legend series. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry as an artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and one Pembroke Welsh corgi” -G. P. Putnam’s Sons

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Warcross was a very interesting novel. I was fascinating with the way Lu portrays her video game background into her writing. This novel is full of futuristic video gaming technology and extremely resonated with me because it reminded me of an early writing project I did. This novel brought the video gaming industry to life in a way that made me want to revisit my own project and make something of it.

I read this novel in a hurry because I was working on finishing it before the release of Wildcard. I had no trouble getting through this novel and enjoyed every bit of it. Lu’s characters are carefully crafted and the chemistry between the characters adds on to the rising tension of the novel. I was nervous and and anxious of the outcome of these characters and shocked at the ending of this first part of their story.

I have mentioned my fascination with Marie Lu’s writing before, and nothing has changed. Al of her novels are amazing to me, and I really enjoyed seeing how different this novel is from The Young Elites series. Warcross is a must read for aspiring authors who want to write stories that incorporate video gaming technology. This story has allowed me to see how a bestselling author successfully did just that, and I recommend this to other writers going down the same track.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Nancy Wu

Wu’s narration’s is really good if listened to at more 1.25 speed. Her narration at 1.0 speed sounds as if it is slowed down a bit. Wu narrates the novel effectively and in a way that really captivates the story.  I enjoy how Wu captures Emika’s sarcasm and snarky attitude. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found  2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed. 

Other works by this Author:

Novels

Batman: Nightwalker

Legend Series

• Legend
• Prodigy
• Champion

The Young Elites Series

• The Young Elites 
• The Rose Society
• The Midnight Star

Warcross Duology

• Warcross
• Wildcard