Source: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

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.

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.

4.5 Hot Espressos