Please Note: I received an advance audio book copy of this book from Listening Library in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.
Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Emika Chen barely made
it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth
behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one
person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.
Determined
to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band
together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of
Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for
survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika
soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes
at a price.
Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?
Review:
What I Liked:
Characters:
Emika continues to be a conflicted character. She is still reeling from learning of Hideo's plans to control the minds of nearly everyone on the planet. But she can't help but feel drawn to Hideo. This is a classic conflict that I knew would happen. But I also was surprised that Emika did trust her teammates so much. She started out as such a loner that it was nice to see her let a few people get close to her.
Camaraderie:
I loved how the members of the Phoenix Riders took Emika into their ranks. In the first book, Warcross, the team was full of tension between the players and Emika. That is now gone, and they are a tight family. Given how alone Emika has been, I really loved this. This is also a nice contrast with the impersonal nature of all the faceless corporations and technology that saturates this universe.
Themes:
I liked how the book explored how dependent we are on technology. In the novel, everything is connected to the NeuroLink. Many businesses and lifestyles are so couples with this tech, it would bring down entire economies. This could happen in real life. What if the internet suddenly shut down for everyone? How would that change our lives?
Also, I liked that the book brought up the issue of what actually makes us human. Is it possible to integrate technology to the mind so much that we lose our humanity? Can we exist without a body? Would we want to, or would it be a prison?
Narration:
Nancy Wu did a great job with all the various voices and accents. I particularly enjoyed how she voiced Hideo. She played him as cautious, and genius-level smart. I could feel his weariness as he tries to grapple with corporate intrigue and possibly finding her brother.
Ending:
I'm obviously NOT going to spoil the ending, but I can say that it was very satisfying. Warcross ended on a big cliffhanger, which I found annoying. But in Wildcard, the ending wraps up all the loose ends nicely.
What I Was Mixed About:
Need for a recap:
Wildcard picks up right where Warcross ends. While I'm glad the action started so quickly, I wish there had been some exposition first, so anyone could pick up this book without first reading Warcross. Also, as a reader, I would have liked a refresher. I had to do a bunch of quick memory recall in order to remember the characters.
via GIPHY
I read many books per year, and I do not have time to re-read books in order to follow what happens in a sequel.
What I Didn't Like:
Some Plot Points:
Although I enjoyed the themes of this book, I found a few of the plot points to be implausible. Without spoilers, I will attempt to explain. If you've read Warcross, you will remember that someone wants to use the NeuroLink to control people. This mind control technology is taken to ridiculous extremes in Wildcard. I realize this is a work of speculative fiction, but I couldn't help but think of the SpongeBob Squarepants Movie where Plankton gives away chum buckets and then he can control everybody.
I could understand controlling what people see, but not what they actually do. As a reader, that was a step too far for me.
Rating:
Release Date: September 18th, 2018
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Listening Library
Narrator: Nancy Wu
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Page Length: 343 Pages
Listening Length: 10 Hours, 51 Minutes
Source: Publisher
Format: Audio Book
Recommendation: A satisfying addition to Warcross. Full of creative (if somewhat implausible) technology that will leave the reader hoping that some of it will come true.
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Please Note: I received an advance reader's audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way. Also, I have linked the book cover to Amazon. If you buy the book through this link, I will get a small fee.
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.
Review:
Author Marie Lu wowed me with fantasy in The Young Elites series. In the Legend series, she takes a stab at science fiction. I think this third series, Warcross, cements her place among the top science fiction writers around. This was a highly entertaining novel with fun technology, complex characters and a plot that takes us to unexpected places.
What I Liked:
Technology:
One of the reasons I love science fiction is because it presents possible futures that actually seem like they could happen. The technology in this novel was thrilling. In the book, people use devices (sort of like Google Glass) where information pops up as you look at people. Advertisements begin to show as you drive near stores, with buy it buttons appearing to make instant purchases. The glasses interface with a person's brain to create a seamless virtual reality experience. And the ultimate VR adventure is Warcross, a virtual reality game that everyone in the world plays. A whole culture evolves around the game with professional teams playing to stadiums full of screaming fans.
Characters:
Emika Chen is just scraping by on the streets of New York. The eighteen year-old works as a bounty hunter, capturing small-time criminals that the police don't have time to bother with. But as hard as she works, she is about to be kicked out of her apartment. She is obsessed with Warcross and it's creator Hideo Tanaka. I love how Emika is willing do most anything to survive. While it's true she does hack into games and steal some small things, she does have a moral compass. She is not willing to sell her soul to make her life easier. I enjoyed how Emika goes from jittery loaner to become part of a team. Her long journey of learning to trust others is tested by the end of the book.
Hideo Tanaka is a Mark Zuckerberg type genius entrepreneur. He invented the neural interface that makes virtual reality so realistic, and created Warcross. Still in his early twenties, and already a billionaire, he has isolated himself from others. When he meets Emika, he is drawn to her independence and ingenuity. I love that Emika's romantic interest is an Asian hottie! Thank you, Marie Lu, for showing diversity in your lead male character.
Unpredictable Plot:
At first, I thought the story was going to follow a traditional path of win the game, solve the mystery, and get the guy. But, the plot took some surprising turns. I do not like to give spoilers, but I was impressed that the author was willing to forego a neatly wrapped up finish to create lots of tension that will be very exciting for the next book.
What I Was Mixed About:
Reusing ideas:
Some of the details of this virtual world are things she has used in
other books. People can get points in Warcross when they do things in
the real world, such as watering a plant. This was an exact repeat of
she wrote in Champion. Can an author plagiarize themselves?
While I was surprised by this, it didn't bother me because Marie Lu has
taken this seed of an idea from her previous book and expanded it to
show an array of possible applications in the world of Warcross.
Audio Production:
While I enjoyed Nancy Woo's performance, I wish that she would have sounded more like a teen. Her deep voice seemed better suited to a character who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day than a teenager. Her attempts to sound younger translated to a Keanu Reeves-like kind of amazement that you get in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
via GIPHY
Rating:
Release Date: September 12th, 2017
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Publisher: Putman's Sons Books For Young Readers
Length: 368 Pages
Listening Length: 11 hours, 46 minutes
Audio Book Performer: Nancy Woo
Source: Publisher
Format: Audio Book
Recommendation: With fun technology (some of which I would LOVE to come true), this book was a fast-paced playland of science fiction.
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