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?