Review - Warcross

Warcross

Title: Warcross

Series: Warcross (Goodreads)

Author: Marie Lu 

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Genre: Science Fiction, Romance

Age Group: YA

Source: Penguin Random House Pulp Shelf (this did not affect my opinion)

Review 

Warcross is gamer’s story with a twist of romance. Marie Lu’s Warcross brings together a mix of genres that leaves the reader with a thrill – but is it for the romance or the gaming? Personally, I think having a balance between the gaming and romance in the book was great because it doesn’t alienate readers because there is something for a number of different readers in this book (although I will note that the main focus of the story is definitely geared more towards the gaming side). Lu’s writing is light and airy and she incorporates a number of text message formats within the text to appeal to modern teen readers but importantly this only develops the story rather than hindering it. Though the tone of writing is light some of the themes and issues explored by Lu are much darker (especially in the sequel). However, I did really enjoy this book, I haven’t read much like it for some time, but I really did race through the story just out of pure enjoyment.

What I loved about Warcross was not only that it is a different genre to other recent books I’ve read, mainly fantasies like Sarah J. Maas’s series’, but because the setting is rather refreshing. Usually most young adult books are set in America, very rarely anywhere else, expect Warcross isn’t. Instead we are based in Japan and this was really exciting because as readers we get to engage with a different country and the possibilities this brings along with it such as allowing us to engage with cultural differences. In particular Japan is one of the major developers of the gaming industry so it makes sense why Lu would have wanted to base her story in the heart of Japan. With the major focus of Warcross being about gaming this also brought us as readers an exciting protagonist who challenges gender stereotypes. Emika, the protagonist, is a young woman who loves gaming and is a great literary representation of someone who doesn’t let her gender dictate what she can or can’t enjoy. More importantly, Emika is also a hacker and great with coding, something we usually associate with men being better at or generally having more enthusiasm for, but Emika proves that gender doesn’t have to define what your abilities allow you to achieve ‘I’m a good-great-hacker’ and she loves ‘Harry Potter and Warcross and League of Legends and computers’. However, Emika isn’t the only young woman to love gaming as one of her teammates and later her friend Hammie shows as she is another positive representation of someone who not only loves gaming but also has a love for chess. Without the representation of young woman like Emika and Hammie in books young woman in real life might feel isolated and like they don’t fit in because they don’t behave like ‘normal’ girls should or because they don’t see themselves represented enough of the time in other books.

Although the overriding theme of this book is about gaming and competing in the Warcross game there are other important issues that are explored in this book. Some of the other issues include social injustices, LGBTQ+ representation, and the importance of asking for help. In particular something Hammie says to Emika is one of the more outstanding concerns of this book, the issue of struggling to ask for help. The reason why this resonates with me is because in real life so many of us struggle with actually asking for help when we need it and we shouldn’t have to struggle when we have people around us who want to help. I leave you with Hammie’s words ‘You remind of myself from years ago… I always offered help- but I refused to accept any. My mother scolded me about that. Do you know what she told me? When you refuse to ask for help, it tells others that they also shouldn’t ask for help from you. That you look down on them for needing your help. That you like feeling superior to them. It’s an insult, Emi, to your friend and peers… Let us in’.

Warcross uncovered

Synopisis (From Goodreads)

When a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. 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 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. 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.

Key Quotes 

‘What must it be like to have a perfect life? To be a superstar beloved by all? To be able to pay your bills on time and buy whatever you want?’ 

‘It is hard to describe loss to someone who has never experienced it, impossible to explain all the ways it changes you.’ 

'Everything's science fiction until someone makes it science fact' 

‘Most people never really observe their surroundings; ask anyone what the person sitting nearby was wearing, and chances are good that they couldn’t tell you.’ 

Similar reads

Ender's Game, Mind Games, Ready Player One, Snow Crash

Afterthoughts

Has there been a time when you've needed help and not asked for it, what would you do differentlty to help yourself next time, now knowing that help is available.

Are you into gaming? Do you feel like you don't fit into the 'normal' idea of what it means to be a boy or girl?


What other recommendations do you have for readers that want something similar to Warcross?

Review - Catwoman: Soulstealer

Catwoman: Soulstealer

Title: Catwoman: Soulstealer
Series: DC Icons (Goodreads)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Genre: Fantasy, Superhero, Family, Romance

Age Group: YA

Source: Penguin Random House Pulp Shelf (this did not affect my opinion)

Review 

Catwoman is about more than just superheroes/heroines versus villains it explores far more in depth issues like family values, racism, class and even environmentalist concerns. However, as a superhero book when we do see the hero’s fight against the villains it suggests that what makes a villain or a hero/heroine is far more complex than someone doing bad or good because the individual will have justifications for their actions. Unrelated to the content but more focused on the style of writing itself I felt that it lacked the usual depth of character and beautiful language usually found in other works written by Sarah J. Maas. Although this did not feel like other works I’ve read by Maas what I did recognise is her continued ability to write considerately about difficult issues such as racism and family abuse, some of the issues in particular concern to Catwoman, and though these issues are raised and considered with care as suggested already they are not always dealt with in-depth to the same degree as her other works. I’ve already indicated that the characters are not developed in-depth what I mean is that we are given moments where the characters justify the reasons for their actions but on a basic level to give some indication of their thought process but not an overly complicated description of their reasons for their behaviour and actions.

I have already raised some of the main issues in this book but would like to go into more depth on two in particular which are the concerns of racism and family values. Racism and family values are the two most prominent issues that I found stood out in this book. Firstly, for Selina aka Catwoman family is the reason for her return to Gotham as well as the justification behind her actions and the creation of her alter ego. Very early on we are told that Selina is the main career of her sister Maggie, who is slowly dying of Cystic Fibrosis, and that they have been abandoned by their parents. The opening of the book sees Selina at an illegal fighting pit as this is the only way she can raise the money she needs to provide for herself and sister. On returning home with her winnings we see the two sisters watch a movie, Carousel, a ritual upheld by the sisters. The movie Carousel is used to mirror the reasons behind Selina’s actions to provide for her sister, ‘the man belting out every note, every dream to shelter and clothe and keep food on the table for his child. To attain money in any way he could […] His only alternative: die trying.’ In this moment we realise the love shared between the sisters and the strength of Selina’s devotion to her sister as well as the lengths she will go to care for her whether it means staying on the side of the law or bending the it.

Secondly, is the issue of racism and how Luke as a black man raises our awareness of the discrimination faced by black people in Catwoman. In particular relation to Luke we are told that he is a black man but one who has a lot of wealth. Therefore, this affords him some protection from racism that those from a poorer background wouldn’t have. That is not to say that he is completely excluded from experiencing racism though but he is saved from extremist racial prejudice because of his wealth and the status this has given him and his family. During a scene in the book Luke observes the injustice faced by a young black boy who isn’t protected by money. We learn that ‘Luke himself still chafed when he had to work with the GCPD’ and this is because he sees the unjust treatment of the young black boy taken into police custody ‘He’d nearly made it through the halls unnoticed when he’d spied the black kid, no older than fifteen, handcuffed to a bench […] Soaked through, his clothes hanging to his thin frame’. This moment signifies how easily Luke himself could have been treated in such a manner if he hadn’t been raised with the protection of money and the status it gave him and his family. More importantly, it highlights the ongoing injustices faced by non-white citizens both in this book and in the world that we currently live in. 

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

When the Bat's away, the Cat will play. It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing.

Selina is playing a desperate game of cat and mouse, forming unexpected friendships and entangling herself with Batwing by night and her devilishly handsome neighbor Luke Fox by day. But with a dangerous threat from the past on her tail, will she be able to pull off the heist that's closest to her heart? 

Key quotes 

‘The media is just another weapon to wield’ 

‘They’ve already done enough damage to the earth that there might not even be a chance to turn back. Entire ecosystems – gone. Who fights for them? Who makes sure that they get justice?’ 

‘He might have grown up with the world at his feet, but his parents hadn’t. And they’d made sure he never took any of it for granted.’ 

‘Let’s blow up the stage where they’re hosting that kiddie beauty pageant’
‘Jesus Christ, Harley!’
‘What? Not while the kids are on it, obviously. But those contests are gross.’

Similar reads  

DC Comics, Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Batman: Nightwalker, Superman: Dawnbreaker

Afterthoughts 

How far would you go for the ones you love?
Prejudice should not be tolerated whether it is because of someone's race, gender, class, sexuality or religion (this list is only an indication of some of the prejudices faced by people, there can be others that aren't listed here) 
What can we do to make a better tolerant society? How can we as indviduals challenge our own prejudices?

Review - Love, Simon

Love, Simon

Title: Love, Simon (originally Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)
Series: Creekwood (Goodreads)
Author: Becky Albertalli
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Genre: Romance, LGBT, Coming Of Age

Age Group: YA

Source: Penguin Random House Pulp Shelf (this did not affect my opinion)

Review 

Love, Simon it would seem is a book that is either wholly loved or loathed by its individual reader. For me, I cannot say it was as simple as either loving or hating it. I found that at times this book had great moments but also some troubling ones. Reading this book the style of writing itself felt bland and stilted therefore giving it a rather slow-moving pace and for an already short book that wasn’t encouraging.

Some of the issues I had relating to the characters was a lack of development this wasn’t just for the protagonist but the supporting characters as well. Descriptions of the characters were given at some moments in the book but were never really developed enough to give volume to a character to make them feel real. For example, for some characters they became defined by one single aspect of their identity in Nick’s case this was about him being Jewish. Whilst at a teen party a small group of Simon’s friends discuss their potential heritage. Relating to Nick it is assumed by his friends that he is automatically of Israelian descent because all Jews come from Israel, Simon even states ‘I really thought Jewish people came from Israel’, when in fact Nick’s family is from Russia. I will note that this conversation does take place at a teen party and a few of them have had an underaged drink. However, for me this kind of conversation shouldn’t really be held on such an occasion. For me, the issue surrounding Jewish people is more complicated, arguments have been had about whether a Jew should be defined by race and or religion, and whilst this is an important discussion to be had about the representation of Jews in literature and the real world in Love, Simon this was dealt with on a superficial level with no depth to the kind of discussion being had around literature (both YA and Adult) as well as the wider real-life issues.  

What I do believe is good about this book though is the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. This is one of perhaps many books to be written in the present and future years to represent LGBTQ+ people which is hugely important because literature reflects the world we live in. So why wouldn’t we write or read about a young gay man? I even believe that the emails sent between Blue and Simon was one of the most captivating aspects of the novel. I think this was because the email provides both Blue and Simon the chance to explore their own identities as well as begin to get to know one another. The safety of the email allows both of them to discuss their own experiences of being gay and trying to understand what that means for themselves, each other, and the important people in their lives (their family and friends). In one of the first exchanges of emails titled ‘when you knew’ this was one of their first honest exchanges between the two of them. For Simon this an important moment when he learns to confront his own identity and the beginning of his journey to self-acceptance about being gay ‘I had girlfriends…because I didn’t one hundred percent believe I was gay. Or maybe I didn’t think it was permanent’. This is a key quote I believe because it is relatable to people that don’t identify as completely straight, because they don’t have to question their sexuality in the same way. Whereas non-straight people are more likely to question their sexual identity and acceptance not only of themselves but from their loved ones because for many years they have been told that it is unnatural and criminal to be something other than straight. Therefore, in regard to this book it begins to engage with other emerging literature surrounding the representation of LGBTQ+ people and this is what makes the book an important one worth reading.  

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Straight people should have to come out too. And the more awkward it is, the better.
Simon Spier is sixteen and trying to work out who he is - and what he's looking for.

But when one of his emails to the very distracting Blue falls into the wrong hands, things get all kinds of complicated.

Because, for Simon, falling for Blue is a big deal . . .
It's a holy freaking huge awesome deal.

Key quotes 

'Being secure in your masculinity isn't the same as being straight.'

'...he does like to talk about social media as a vehicle for constructing and performing identity'

Afterthoughts 

Are there any books you would reccomend that are similar to Love, Simon?
How did you feel reading Love, Simon?

Love, Eastendreader98