This isn't my usual type of book but I heard such wonderful things about it that I thought I would give it a chance. I should have listened to my gut as this wasn't the book for me. I was right with my first instinct. I am also happy so many others have loved it because Marie is a wonderful author. Another case of "it's me and not you".

3.5 stars

This was an entertaining action-packed story about Emika Chen - bounty hunter turned spy in the Warcross games. She is tasked with uncovering the person (or people) behind the security glitches in the game, but what she finds of course won't be a simple answer.

I enjoyed the plot - there was action, plot twists, and an incredibly interesting premise. I didn't foresee some of the plot twists and reveals which made it very entertaining.

This did lack a bit of world building and plausibility that made me not quite as invested in the characters as I wanted to be. But overall, it was an enjoyable story and I plan to read the sequel for the duology.

This was a fascinating world and it felt like something the world could become. Scary futuristic. I really liked Emika. It's just a cool book.

Imaginative, addicting and beautifully diverse. I am completely obsessed with this story and the twisty and mysterious Hideo.

Warcross is the perfect book for the science fiction addict and the gamer! As a gamer I so appreciated this book and have recommended it to many and gifted it to other readers. I hope other authors will follow Marie Lu is creating rich and fascinating worlds with themes relating to gaming like this one.

This book is just amazing!
I loved every single detail of the story and Emika is one of my favourite female character ever! Marie Lu’s writing style is awosome, she makes the reader feel like he is in the story, living the adventures among the other characters!

I love the video game references, the badass female main character, and all the diversity!!

This is going to be a review of gushing, hyperbole, and adjectives. As someone who loves video games, diverse stories, and sci-fi (but who is always desperately in search of more sci-fi books), I knew Warcross was going to be a winner. I wasn't disappointed. Like the author, inside a shiny superfun rainbow package is a deviously clever core. With a vibrant main character (not least because of her hair), a dazzling neon cyber-world with a sinister underbelly, a steamy romance, and a breakneck plot, Warcross rockets you through breathtaking rollercoaster loops and smacks you with an ending shock that leaves you clawing for more.

Lu has a rare command of both characters and world, with some exceptions. Our MC, Emika, is a snarky Chinese computer whiz whose personality leaps off the page as vividly as her rainbow-colored hair. She's as fierce as Katniss, with a similar edge. Hideo is a Japanese genius playboy worthy of Bruce Wayne's mantle. They spark against each other like flint, their relationship intense and complicated. Unfortunately, the secondary characters don't burn as brightly. I loved Tremaine, the snarky bad-boy hacker and Emika's rival, but Emika's teammates were a little too subdued for people who played such important roles.

Even if the main characters had been cardboard, the world was enough to draw me in. Lu crafts an atmosphere with the punch and lightning of old school Nintendo on acid. With precise, evocative descriptions, she renders a futuristic cyber technicolor Wonderland that I'd die to play in. It's a world where virtual reality is layered over physical reality, where you get points for going to the grocery store, where you can slip into fantasy playgrounds with the touch of a button. She gives enough detail about the platform, Neurolink, to seem scientifically plausible, without going into so much detail that the science begins to break down.

On this stage, Lu takes the intersection between life and video games to its logical conclusion. The battle game Warcross is something that I could easily see being a real game; Lu's game designer roots are obvious in its intricacy. I was just as enthralled by the descriptions of Warcross battles in the grand tournament as I was with the underlying mystery: who's the hacker Zero and why does he want to take down Warcross? Lu also plays around with the dark side of technology, including an extra-sinister Dark Web that's actually a 3D black market. And the final twist...it's too much of a spoiler to say, but it elevates Warcross from fun cyber adventure to dark cyberpunk thriller with one punch.

I won't say Warcross is a perfect book. The side characters get kind of shafted, and the central romance moves a little fast. However, the main characters and the world itself are so intensely vivid that you almost have to squint from the strobelight. I rode Warcross's wave on a rave-like high and crossed the final page with vicious book hangover. It left me with so many questions and theories, so much anticipation. I can't wait to jump back into Lu's technicolor Tokyo and follow Emika as she contends with the dark side of virtual reality.

in a sentence
Warcross is a vibrant science-fiction thriller that riffs on video game technology to spin a cyberpunk mystery adventure that will leave you reeling.

A few years ago, I read Marie Lu’s Legend series and hated it. I hated everything about it, the writing, the story, the execution. I did force myself to finish the trilogy, but when I was finished I just had this feeling of wishing I’d done something better with that time. So, when I heard that a new book was coming out, I didn’t pay much attention. I don’t like Marie Lu’s writing, I told myself.

Then, that odd colorful cover got me interested. It was ugly, sort of 80s-style, but still great and still spiked my interest. I read the blurb, I liked the premise. As a gamer and geek myself, I felt drawn to the story. So, when I got the chance though NetGalley to read an ARC if Warcross, I leaped at the chance.

But life happened, and it took me a while to get to it. But when I started, I couldn’t stop. And I loved the book. This is such an amazing page-turner that makes you invested in the characters and the world, so much so, that I feel like I lost my friends now that the book is over.

In Emi, Marie Lu created a character that you instantly connect to, you care about her and want her to do well. She’s well developed and I really like the fact that Emika knows who she is from the beginning. This is not a story of a weak girl finding herself though silly juvenile mistakes. This is a story of a strong girl who knows who she is and what she can do. Never do I feel frustrated and angry that she’s going against better judgement doing something silly. She’s clever, intelligent, has enough street-smarts to spot dangers far in advance, and she’s super talented without being braggy about it. She’s flawed and perfect. Beautiful and rebellious. She’s someone to look up to, someone to listen to and follow. I love her.

The worldbuilding in this story is also great, and I felt like I was in Tokyo as I was reading. The way she had developed the virtual world was believable, and I felt like Marie Lu knows what she’s writing about here. She managed to describe the complicated workings of the virtual world without losing me on the way, she made me feel like I was as skilled as Emi. The virtual realm and the workings of the games could have been confusing, too overloaded with information. But Lu manages to portray a clear vision of what happens, what it looks like, without making it hard to follow. Not even once did I feel lost in her world.

This book is easy to read with a steady pace that never lets you go, it’s never boring.

I can’t find much that is wrong with this story and I really want to read the next part of this series. There are a few mistakes, and a few plot holes in the version I read, but since I read and ARC of Warcross, I’m not going to let that take away from my rating. I’m positive that these things were corrected until the final release.

So, all I can say is: Read this book!

A clear five stars from me on this one.

I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait for the second in the series!

Marie Lu does not disappoint. Such a really good book. Can't wait to read the sequel.

With WARCROSS, Lu brilliantly builds a world of technology, tension, and intrigue. Emika's adventurous spirit swiftly attracts readers and her relentless pursuits to hack, solve, and win lead to non-stop action. Even the most avid of readers will find themselves caught off-guard with Lu's tactical plot twists. Recommend it to fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and THE EYE OF MINDS. ~Lisa Brennan, Middle School Librarian @noveltalk

I loved this book and can't wait to get it in the hands of my students. The only reason I'm at 4.5 stars is because I saw the twist coming, but it was satisfying to know I was right! Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy!

Fans of Sword Art Online and Ready Player One will be in awe the instant they got this book into their hands. I, myself, can’t hold the feelings after reading the whole transmission happening in and out the game within this book. Brainstorming something like this to put all together, I know is a lot of pressure to take knowing you must be in some kind of simulation to sync every aspect of the information. The imagination you need to develop this kind of storyline must be vast and creative and unique, though the virtual reality is nothing to be new now as it is merely possible we can acquire something like that in the near future. Virtual reality, as we speak of it, is a kind of promise some of us might wish to already have nowadays. Warcross, as it drives us into something a virtual reality can be a sort of promising technology, is certainly the tool that specifies theoretical factors one VR could have more or less.

Warcross by Marie Lu, the game and the book of this era, is in no doubt something to look for. This book creates vivid pictures out of your mind in a world we humans are near on conquering which I think definitely on our way for us now. It’s so good. So fascinating read I have this year.

Honestly, I’m just programming this book into my mind as a game only that what I read is an introduction and guide texts and I’m the main character. Although, I was thinking of a guy version for Emika Chen and Hideo Tanaka as the opposite – I gender bend both of them. Both characters are well calibrated for this kind of story. More love I put for Emika as she trudged along the whole session as brave and strong. She is the badass heroine without the use of some kind of magic but just the skill she has and that’s why I adore her. The love affair that involves between them with Hideo, I think is a romance sideline that I appreciate to have in this book which gives some tingle sensation for the readers.

Marie Lu really did her best in forming this virtual realm of Warcross. This is my first book of her I have read so far and I cannot wait to indulge on other she has.

Through a series of chapter way closer to the end somehow I manage to expect the ending but not as calculated in perfect prediction – just a bit of. I’m not shocked though or I do, only not what a shock could be exaggerated. The anticipation is really a pulling magnet as the end ends, revealing what you hope to be but not closely. Throughout the book, one can always hope for more but that is where the exciting thing I guess for the story to continue and left the reader hangs in question in the last hour the book closes. So, I guess I wait for the next book to come.

Best advice I could give is that, if you give fascination in the idea of virtual reality or want to have some idea about it then give this a try. Also if you watch Sword Art Online as I do and read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, you definitely read this book of Marie Lu. It will give you same vibes both two have given to me.

Marie Lu changes directions once again and brings the reader into the world of immersive gaming. She weaves in elements of the dark web, team rivalries, and a bit of romance to create an intriguing mystery. Looking forward to more books in this series.

you know how while reading Ready Player One, you kept thinking 'THIS VIRTUAL GAME COULD BE BETTER'. let me introduce you to Warcross.

a marvelous cross between a spy/mystery and science-fiction novel, Warcross had a lot going on but it was handled deftly. great world building and wonderfully developed characters, it's really well written. I definitely recommend to readers 14 and up (there's some steamy make out times and (possibly) a sex scene) so younger ages may need parental supervision.

I received a free advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Warcross! This book features a futuristic world where technology has advanced through a virtual reality game that is popular with every person around the world. This virtual reality is so unique because it uses the human brain to create extremely realistic worlds. Our main character, Emika Chen, is an awesome hacker who finds herself in public view after accidentally glitching herself into a major Warcross professional match which leads to her being pursued for a job opportunity by billionaire, Hideo Tanaka, the creator of Warcross. She learns more about the world of Warcross and her relationship with Hideo develops in new ways but there is a looming threat over both that she must work to uncover. I loved reading about this world, the idea of this virtual reality honestly made me feel extremely anxious because it is used in a fun game but that kind of technology could so easily be dangerous in the wrong hands and that was always a worry for me. I don't know how everyone in the world was convinced to try out this kind of technology because if I was there, I would definitely have concerns. Emika as a main character was fantastic, I absolutely loved her. Her hacking skills were so cool and I loved getting to see that. I really can't wait to see more from her in the rest of this series. I also really loved Hideo. He is so intelligent and hearing about each new idea he comes up with is baffling, the contact lenses were especially impressive, even if each new idea also seemed kind of terrifying. The Warcross games themselves were incredibly well written, I found myself really invested in the games like I was actually watching them happen and I was tense for Emika while she played each round. There is this underlying tension of Emika working to find this hacker who wants to destroy Warcross and I really liked the bounty hunter element of the story as well. There was so much going on in the story but it all worked and it was so enjoyable to read. I knew who Zero was going to turn out to be pretty quickly but the twist at the end came out of no where, I did not see it coming at all and I loved that. I like to be surprised, even if it hurts my heart like this one did. I can't believe how this story ended but I am so intrigued and I cannot wait for the next book and to continue this story. This is excellent and people who love adventure and games would love this book.

Marie Lu is at her best with "Warcross." Worst thing about it is having to wait for the next book!

In the future, millions login and play Warcross every day, a virtual reality game that for many is a way of life. Teenager Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who gamble illegally in the game. During a Warcross championship, Emika takes a risk and hacks the game - but accidentally glitches herself into the championship - and is seen by everyone watching. Emika is shocked when the young and handsome creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, offers to hire her to look into another hacker who could compromise the future of Warcross. Emika goes undercover and enters the championship as a Wild Card player, and discovers someone is planning to sabotage the game. As she digs deeper, she uncovers a vindictive plot that could not only compromise the future of Warcross, but could hurt those she loves. THOUGHTS Marie Lu’s newest title should find a niche with fans of Ready Player One, but also appeal to fans of her immensely popular Legend series. Warcross is a smart, thrilling read for older middle school and high school students.