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Thursday, September 07, 2017

An Exhilarating Journey: Warcross by Marie Lu

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I received this book for free from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

An Exhilarating Journey: Warcross by Marie LuWarcross by Marie Lu
Series: Warcross #1
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on September 12, 2017
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, YA
Source: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
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four-half-stars

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.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

*exhales loudly*

Listen, this book is going to change everything. Are you a non-gamer and kinda wondering if this will really be your thing? The answer is YES. To be fair, I do play occasionally play multi-player Nintendo games with friends but, I am not a gamer and usually don’t have a long enough attention span to actually play anything on my own aside from Mario Kart. Warcross is amazing and has the ability to appeal to almost everyone (so it might not appeal to people who live under rocks and don’t know what books are *shrugs*)

The hype behind this book is INTENSE and honestly, that kind of hype is usually terrfiying to me and might even be terrifying to you but I read Legend by Marie Lu 6 years ago on a whim and a recommendation from my librarian so I’ve never gone back since then. Marie Lu has never failed to blow me away with her amazing world-crafting abilities. There is a reason why her books are so well-liked. Her characters are always great but her worlds are really what distinguish her from other writers. With Legend she brought something new to the world of dystopia, with The Young Elites she crafted a fantasy world so uniquely her own and with Warcross she has crafted yet another world unlike what is already out there. I mean sure, there are lots of books written about virtual gaming realities but none of them are Warcross.

Hideo Tanaka developed Warcross when he was only 14. Since then, the game and his innovations have taken the world by storm. He is easily the most powerful man alive and he’s only 21 *shrugs*

Emika Chen is an orphan with a lot of debt who has taken to bounty hunting to survive. Her life is forever changed when she tries to hack into Warcross. She is flown out to Tokyo and gets to meet the guy she has worshipped since she was 11 and better yet, she is drafted as a wild card into the Warcross championships. But. All good things come with a cost and in this case, she is given the task of finding the person trying to ruin Warcross. If she can successfully complete the mission, she will be awarded $10 billion. Thaz a lot of $$$$$$

Warcross transports readers into an alternate, exciting Tokyo where stakes are high and lives of many are on the line. This exciting sci-fi thriller is sure to captivate the attention of many readers and inspire many fans. There is also a ship that you’re gonna be shipping with all your heart and some twists that you might see coming but that will also leave you curled up in a ball because why cannot our fictional children EVER BE HAPPY.

My verdict on Warcross is that it is a book everyone needs and really a book that has so much mass appeal that it really does need to be read by everyone. We got some badass mcs, an exciting world, a bounty hunt for a villain, some questions regarding morality, etc. What I need is a sequel now because that ending has me shaken to my very core.

four-half-stars

4.5 Hot Espressos

Recap: To C2E2 and Beyond

Posted by on 05/01/2017 • 0 Comments

If you live in the Chicago area you’ve probably heard of C2E2 but for those of you that haven’t. C2E2 or Chicago Entertainment and Comic Expo happened April 21st-23rd and was basically a weekend of geeking out over comics, TV shows, books, etc. Also known as the event where you want to be if you were in the area-ish. Two weeks before C2E2 was set to happen, I had no idea I would be attending, never mind getting to meet a blogger friend. As a scrounged to make plans, I got more and more excited. This would be my first time attending the expo and I had only heard good things.

C2E2 is primarily a comic and entertainment expo but even for a major book nerd like me, there were so…

Not really memorable: Freya by Matthew Laurence

Posted by on 03/29/2017 • 1 Comment

I feel pretty let down by Freya? The question mark is there because I am not even entirely sure how I feel, just that Freya wasn’t what I wanted it to be when I was looking for a book with norse myth in it. I love books that are set in the modern world and feature heavy doses of mythology and yet, while Freya-the book-was absolutely adorable at times, Freya as a character was kind of annoying. She was obnoxious and while it sometimes made sense since she was a goddess, it could also get really annoying.

I like the contrast the author attempts with her being badass and feminine at the same time, but I also feel like he wasn’t entirely successful with crafting Freya’s character as a blend of those characteristics. She…

5 Books Carrie Mac Wishes Were Around When She Was Growing Up

Posted by on 03/21/2017 • 1 Comment

Hello and welcome to Xpresso Reads’ tour stop for 10 Things I Can See From Here. Today, author Carrie Mac shares 5 books she wishes were around when she was growing up! Her list is full of many wonderful recs (and some new to me titles) so I am definitely piling up on those books! I hope you’ll check the books and 10 Things I Can See From Here!

PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR, Carrie Mac!

I’ve picked books aimed at younger readers, say 8-12-years-old or so because that’s when kids need to see the people they are, or will become, represented in books. When they don’t—because the book hasn’t been written or they’re not allowed to read it—that’s when feelings of isolation really set in, just…

Just Another Teen Novel (IN A GOOD WAY!!): The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Posted by on 02/09/2017 • 2 Comments

2k17, the year where my eyes tear up because of everything. Currently tearing up because I wish I was a teen and I wish I could have had all these wonderful #ownvoices books in my life as a teen. I am not Latinx but goddamnit, it is so so SO good to read so many #ownvoices novels with non-white main characters. It is so good to see a POC main character and its so incredibly good to see a POC character in familiar tropes. Don’t ever let anyone tell you tropes are bad. TROPES ARE AMAZING (if done right) and people who think books need to not be trope-y are just reading books where tropes aren’t done well.

The Education of Margot Sanchez has been described as being ‘Pretty In…

A Well Written, Character Driven Novel: Fire Color One by Jenny Valentine

Posted by on 01/27/2017 • 3 Comments

Fire Color One is usually not the kind of novel I would find myself enjoying but I was thoroughly swept away by it. I love character development but I don’t really tend to enjoy books that are solely character driven. Fire Color One is primarily character driven. There is definitely a plot but it revolves around character revelations. Not around actual happenings. Yet it somehow managed to sweep me away till I had somehow run out of pages to read (*shakes fist at book for not being longer*)

This is a novel about grief, about relationships and a little bit about some revenge (and I am totes petty so I am all about the revenge life.) I think part of the magic of this book comes from how well the relationships…

7 Bookish Stores to Spend All Your Money At

Posted by on 01/24/2017 • 4 Comments

*This bookish list was sponsored by Uber Prints*

A major part of being a bookworm is owning a LOT of bookish merchandise. Be it candles, book markers, prints and all that jazz. This list will feature some of my fav places to window shop, shop and drool at goodies over. List is in NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

1. Frostbeard Candles

At this point, Frostbeard is probably the ultimate place to buy candles from and has been around since before I was born (JK), but I thought I’d feature it anyway BECAUSE THEIR CANDLES make my heart beat faster.

2. Novelly Yours Candles

Brittany, the shop owner, is also a book blogger which means she knows exactly what it is that we want book nerds want. Her candles…

(Some of) My Most Anticipated Books of 2017

Posted by on 01/04/2017 • 16 Comments

I was planning on doing this post at the end of last year (I cannot fucking believe 2016 was ‘last’ year) but a lot of things came up so HERE I AM with my most anticipated! I also have a giveaway on Twitter for some of my most anticipated books if you are interested (it includes some books not mentioned here but also I am limiting myself to 15 here SO I CANNOT INCLUDE EVERYTHING.) This list is not even the top of the iceberg because there are SO MANY GOOD books coming out this year and IDEK how to handle it. I am going to stick to the first half of 2017 in this list.

 

1. Here We Are… edited by Kelly Jensen

I am SO FUCKING EXCITED FOR…