In Marie Lu’s riveting sequel to Warcross, Emika Chen must choose a side as the destiny of free will hangs in the air. Emika is on a mission to put a stop to the formidable plans of Hideo Tanaka, a young billionaire who created the sensational virtual reality game known as Warcross. After uncovering the secrets behind Hideo’s NeuroLink algorithm used to create the virtual reality images of Warcross, Emika, a teenage bounty hunter from New York, discovers an additional threat. A bounty has been placed on her head and her chances of survival relies on Zero and his team, skilled hackers known as the Blackcoats who previously caused many problems for Hideo. Emika groups with her world championship Warcross team, the Phoenix Riders, to face the problems around her, soon discovering that Zero and the Blackcoats aren’t all what she’d initially thought. Set in ultramodern Tokyo, Wildcard provides a spectacular finale to the first book in a fast-paced, intense read.
Wildcard is a fantastic and thought-provoking book that sparked many emotions. The setting was portrayed vividly, as it was a huge aspect of the story’s plot. The setting, along with the unique and complex characters featured, arose questions involving the future: What will happen if technology evolves to be the way it is in Wildcard? The storyline was fast-paced and although there were some slower parts of the book, they were still interesting and helpful in the progression of the story. One important point to take note of is that Warcross, which is the first book in the duology, must be read before Wildcard. Wildcard picks right up after Warcross ends and there is no reintroduction of the characters or background of the story, so it would be best to read the two books back-to-back. The climax of the book featured many plot twists, keeping the reader on edge, and the structure of the book was helpful and easy to follow. Furthermore, the characters were highly diverse and the narration was effective, although it would have been nice if there were some reminders on the previous events of Warcross. All in all, Wildcard presents a well-balanced blend of action and stimulating questions, tying the whole duology together in a way that doesn’t disappoint.
Call # Fiction L9605wa2
Student review by Cadi
