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.
My Thoughts:
I really like books set in virtual reality or games which is why I was looking forward to this book. Lu has always written interesting novels though there is always something missing that stops me from falling in love with her novels. While I enjoyed Legend and Prodigy, I have no urge to read Champion anytime soon. Similarly, While I enjoyed the Young Elites, I am in no rush to pick up the sequels while I do think this series has more potential than Legend. The reason why I am focusing on informing you about Lu's previous work will be revealed below.
Positives
The World Building
The world building in the novel is absolutely fantastic. I loved how Lu builds up the world and transports us to a futuristic Japan. I also loved how she focuses on the details in certain areas that really helps build up the plot and the life of the characters.
The First Half
The first half of the novel really pulls you in as it is follows a natural progression built on just the right amount of suspense, action and world building. I was invested in the characters and the story before I even knew it!
Emika
Emika is a character that is really well defined and it's so easy to relate to her. If you've ever played a game in your life and felt that you weren't good enough, I think you will find a little bit of yourself in Emika. I also liked how she stood up for herself and did things without seeking validation for all her actions.
Warcross and The Gaming World
This is one of the biggest positives of the book. I loved how well Lu built up the fictional game of Warcross and the challenges were some of my favourite parts of the novel. I wanted there to be more tournaments because they were so much fun and so unique. Warcross seems to be a fascinating game and I wanted to know more about it and the world in it as well as the dark net.
Negatives
Insta-Love
While I did not notice this immediately, the novel does focus on a romantic relationship mostly built on hero worship and instant love. While one-sided affection based on hero worship made sense, the fact that the romantic interest was mutual did not. (I'm sorry I'm trying to avoid spoilers!) The romance seemed very rushed and built on a house of cards and I predict a love triangle in the future.
Predictable Storyline
While many who read Lu's work for the first time will find the end shocking, the fact that I had read Lu's work before made the last few chapters extremely predictable. Lu always has some kind of shocking twist towards the end of her first novels which is why I was able to predict the climax of this novel. There were other plot points which were also very predictable, if you're new to Lu's writing style you might not be able to predict them but I felt that The Young Elites managed to shock me more than this novel. I felt that a lot of the plot and the tropes were used by Lu previously and just repackaged in Warcross and I found that to be very problematic.
Pacing problems
While the first half was at the right pace and built up the story very well, I felt the second half was extremely rushed. I also felt that the narrative took certain things for granted and some adversities were overcome too quickly especially the final tournament. Alliances were also formed very quickly (which might be addressed in the sequel though)
Overall, I had high expectations and though the first half lived upto those expectations, the second half did not. It should be noted that this book did manage to get me out of a very bad reading slump but I am not dying to read the sequel. I felt that the premise had a lot of promise and hope that maybe more gaming world novels will be released in the future.
My Rating:
Toss up between 3 and 3. 5
(While I am very glad I picked it up, I was extremely disappointed by the second half)
