Posts Tagged: Marie Lu

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

#PlayWarcross: My Dream Warcross Team

Posted by on 09/04/2017 • 0 Comments

Hello, hello friends. I’ve been sitting on this post for a while because life is hard but also because coming up with the perfect Warcross team is also hard. There are so many good characters to choose from for the individual roles but I really wanted to get together a team that would complement each other in terms of their personalities and help each other make up for their faults. SO. I PRESENT TO YOU:

THE RED HOT LONES

Team Captain: The captain has the most difficult task of leading a group of rag-tags so finding the person fit for the job requires a lot of thought and care. While there are many great people out there capable of being a leader, I went with Yelena from Poison Study because even…

Blog Tour: The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Posted by on 09/26/2016 • 4 Comments

Today we’re kicking off The Midnight Star tour and I am excited to share with you my top 5 reasons to read this series and sharing some of my series sensory associations!

5 Reasons to Read The Young Elites

 

1. A villainous MC.

Adelina is not your run-of-the-mill villainous MC. Over the course of the series, she spirals down into a dark places and goes from being a naive and clearly wronged girl to someone who is downright terrifying and hurts people she loves.

2. Hits you in the feels.

Do you enjoy having your emotions messed with? Do you enjoy having a series leave you completely drained and feeling like life cannot go on? This is the series for you.

3. World building.

This series has amazing world…

Legend: The Graphic Novel Series adapted by Leigh Dragoon, illustrated by Kaari

Posted by on 05/08/2016 • 1 Comment

Having loved the first two books in the Legend series (I still haven’t read Champion!), I was so excited to dive into these graphic novel adaptations and see how the story would translate over into a new medium.

Day and June are fantastic characters whether they are in a novel or graphic novel. I love them as individuals and I love them as a couple. Although, admittedly, I am kind of upset my favorite bathroom scene did not find its way into the graphic novel (SO MUCH SWOON IN THAT SCENE.)

The action scenes also translate very well into the graphic novel format and I love the ways in which the world building comes to life through the beautiful illustrations. It allowed me to experience the dystopic world Marie Lu…

Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Posted by on 10/07/2014 • 17 Comments

After reading Legend, when I heard Marie Lu was coming out with a new series I just knew I had to read it. This woman is a fantastic author with great imagination and a knack for character development. This one was much more fantasy that I usually read, though, so it was less my taste, but it was still an entertaining ride that I think will captivate a lot of readers of the genre.

We begin this journey with a look into the heartbreaking story of Adelina’s upbringing. A girl who was once affected by the blood fever that swept the nation and made her a malfetto. A girl with a marking; useless, worthless – and feared, for many are thought to have unnatural abilities. This immediately made me…

Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Posted by on 01/22/2013 • 21 Comments

Prodigy Marie Lu Series: Legend, #2 Genre: YA Dystopian Publication date: January 29th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss…

ARC-Apalooza Giveaway!

Posted by on 01/11/2013 • 19 Comments

Courtesy of Penguin Canada, I have three gorgeous extra ARC copies of Prodigy, Paper Valentine, and The Ruining for giveaway. Thanks to Jenni of Alluring Reads for the fabulous giveaway name! And don’t forget to stop by the blog in the upcoming weeks for tour stops on all of these pretties! Here are the pretties:

Prodigy Marie Lu Series: Legend, #2 Publication date: January 29th 2013by Putnam Juvenile      

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must…

Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Legend by Marie Lu

Posted by on 11/12/2012 • 20 Comments

Today I am happy to be spotlighting this great series. It’s a dystopian told in dual POVs where both are as great as the either–which is rare. You can read my full review on Legend here.  

Legend Marie LuSeries: Legend, #1Publication date: November 29th 2011 by Putnam Juvenile

 

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have…