Shannon's Library

LET’S GET EXCITED ABOUT THESE BOOKS!

Warcross, a virtual reality game, is played by millions of people across the globe and has completely altered the shape of society. Emika Chen, a skilled hacker and bounty hunter, unexpectantly finds herself drawn into this world of high stakes gaming and technology. Hired to find a saboteur, Emika struggles to know who she can trust. With her life, and the life of millions of people at stake, Emika will need to use all of her skills to save the day! This fun-filled, video gaming adventure series kept me entertained from start to finish! Keep reading below for my full review!

Shannon’s Rating — PG-13

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LET’S TALK ABOUT THESE BOOKS!

Can I tell you a little secret? I have a minor video game addiction. As a child of the 80’s, I played Centipede for hours. As a freshman in college, I almost failed a class because my roommate brought Super Mario Bros into our dorm. As a first-time mom with a newborn, I once stayed up all night playing a Dukes of Hazzard car video game until I passed off all the levels. (I definitely regretted that decision the next morning!) I’m smarter now and I’m careful what I let myself play. For example, I know I can’t ever put Candy Crush on my phone or I’d never stop! But my love of video games is still there, deep inside me. I’m sure this is the reason I loved the book, “Ready Player One,” and the movie, “Free Guy.” Well, if you loved either of those things too, then you’ll be sure to enjoy “Warcross” and “Wildcard,” by Marie Lu, as much as I did!

In this sci-fi thriller, Warcross is a virtual reality game that has taken over the globe. Millions of people log on every day to watch the games that are played and to escape the reality of their every-day lives. Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter tracking down those who bet on the Warcross games illegally. But she’s not just a bounty hunter. She’s a skilled hacker who, on the opening day of the games, accidentally glitches herself into the competition. When the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, offers her a security job in Tokyo, Emika’s life changes forever. As she hunts down a sinister plot against Tanaka and his technology, Emika isn’t sure who she should trust or even, how she will survive.

I flew through the first book in just a couple of days, and I immediately picked up the sequel. I NEEDED to know how Emika’s story was going to play out! I’ve decided I’m a big fan of duologies. Sometimes reading three or more books in a series can feel overwhelming. But reading two books in a series? That’s just right! And, luckily, the fun and the action of “Warcross” just picked right back up again in “Wildcard.”

In this story, the line between the real world and the virtual world is often blurred. At one point, Emika realizes…

(In the real world…)”we fight for survival with everything we’ve got. That’s the difference between the real and the virtual. Reality is where you can lose the ones you love. Reality is the place where you can feel the cracks in your heart.”

Emika, and her newfound friends and teammates, will fight with everything they have for survival and for the ones they love. This series was full of unexpected twists and turns that kept me frantically reading until the very end! These two books were packed full of fun!

(And, as a mom of teens, I appreciate that there was not one swear word in either book. That’s very unusual in young adult fiction and I feel like it should be commended!)

So, if you’re in the mood for an action-packed, fun-filled, video gaming adventure story – then this is the series for you! It was certainly a nice break from some of the heavier books I’ve been reading lately. Now, I just need to find someone with Super Mario Bros to visit. I’m ready to pretend I’m Emika Chen, just for an afternoon! Anyone want to invite me over?