Review: Warcross

Image Source: Yuki Klotz-Burwell // @yuki.reads

Warcross is just a game. An intense virtual reality game that is breathtakingly lifelike, but still, just a game–or is it? In Marie Lu’s Warcross, entrepreneur Hideo Tanaka creates new technology that revolutionizes the world. For struggling bounty hunter and part-time waitress Emika Chen, that piece of technology, Warcross, is just a game; she uses it as an escape to pretend that she’s not going to be evicted from her apartment in just two days. But when Emika hacks into the Warcross Championship tournament to steal and resell a rare power-up, her life is turned upside down.

Suddenly, Emika’s identity is exposed across the globe. Reporters turn up at her small apartment, and her name and face are in the papers from Rio de Janeiro to Shanghai. Her identity is also revealed to Warcross creator Hideo Tanaka, and before she knows it, Emika is thrust into the world of Warcross herself, acting as Hideo’s assistant to track down security problems. Soon, though, Emika finds out that she’s dealing with more than just some viruses and bugs.

Warcross is an incredibly gripping story that perfectly blends science fiction, romance and reality. Going in, I wasn’t expecting to love the novel so much, considering I had rarely read science fiction before. However, Lu develops a world where everything seems to be real, and I was completely lost in it. With strong female characters, jaw droppingly brilliant technology, and a touch of romance, Warcross is a must-read.