Wildcard by Marie Lu Series: Warcross #2
Published by GP Putnam's Sons (9.18.2018)
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: ARC, 352 pages
Source: Borrowed
Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.
Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.
Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?
My thoughts
It was so awesome to return to this imaginative virtual world! The world of the NeuroLink is my absolute favorite part of this series. It’s so cinematic! I also LOVE the setting because it’s in Japan!
Honestly the whole concept of mind control through the form of a virtual reality is terrifying, because everything in this book seems viable. It feels realistic, like it could actually happen someday.
I really liked the catharsis in this book. I can’t say much without spoiling things, but everything came together nicely in the end. I have to admit I felt rather underwhelmed by the ending, though – I was expecting a bit more sacrifice involved. View Spoiler »
The characters in these books are fabulous! I love Emika and Hideo, and Emika’s whole Warcross team is a wonderful tight knit family. I love the friendship. But in Wildcard the character that really stole my heart was Jax! I LOVED her! She was my fave for sure, I knew I’d love her from the moment she stopped for a bite of cake in a life or death gun chase. Yep, she’s awesome.
If you haven’t read this series yet, you definitely should!
Favorite quotes
“For a girl that you claim you don’t care about, that little wild card sure has a grip on you.”
“I’m not going to tell you it’s never too late,” I reply. “But, in my experience, it’s always the not doing that I regret more.”
We fight for survival with everything we’ve got, as if the oxygen mask and the seat belt and avoidance of chocolate cake might be the thing that saves us. That’s the difference between the real world and the virtual. Reality is where you can lose the ones you love. Reality is where you can feel the cracks in your heart.
Every problem has a solution. But after every solution, there’s a new problem to tackle, some new challenge to take on. You don’t stop after you solve one thing. You keep going, you find a new way and a new path, try to do better and create better. Tearing something down isn’t the end; doing something great, or better, something right, is. Or maybe there isn’t such a thing as an end goal at all. You accomplish something, and then you shift, ready to accomplish the next. You keep solving one problem after another until you change the world.
Overall Assessment
Plot: 3.5/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 4/5
Feels: 2.5/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Book one of this was one of the first books that I actually liked from this author so I am excited to know that it was really good. Thanks for the review.