Wildcard by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 341 pages
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release date: September 18, 2018

Series:  Warcross #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

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?

Emika Chen seems to be caught in the middle of a high-stakes match, one where she could pay her life as a price. Rather than repudiate Hideo for the revelations in the last book, Emika makes a different choice. Instead, she tries to understand the human emotions and motives behind Hideo and Zero, discovering a much bigger plot than she ever dreamed. Wildcard kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation! Where the first novel was building the idea of the game of Warcross and Emika was discovering her team, her mission, and an entire new "arena" of players, this next novel went past the game and contemplated hard questions of morality, choice, freedom, and society's system of punishment. This had less worldbuilding and gamification of the first book and covered more exploration of the characters.

Emika, who had been very used to depending only on herself for most of her life besides her father and maybe her roommate, had become part of a team even if she was mostly working on her own. However, her choices and their effects come to pay a price on her team and they push Emika to open up, to trust them. Here, she finally has a chance to show them whether she does or not -- with the revelation of her "kidnapping", Hideo's plans for the Neurolink, and her adoption into the gang. Emika also has to question her feelings for Hideo. Do they change now that she knows his plans? Does she question his motives? For instance, does Hideo not realize the consequences of his actions? The effect he has had on the populace? The choice of life that he's taken away from people? Emika has to weigh who holds the real power? Is it Hideo? Is it Zero? Is it someone else? It's a new question of Machiavellian power--do the ends (Hideo's algorithm saving everyone from bad choices) justify the means (controlling them and taking away their capability of freedom)?

There are a lot of answered questions and strings wrapped up satisfyingly, like the identity of Zero and what happened with his kidnapping. I like that this goes deeper into questions of humanity and actions, but also contains a lot of twists I never saw coming. We get more Hammie, who I love for some reason, and more Tremaine and Roshan (I loved this subplot btw.)...

Without sharing any spoilers, the one thing I'm still not sure I followed well was the, er, villain of the series and the motives behind it and the hidden dots that Emika puts together. Maybe I just didn't anticipate things well, but I think there should have been a little more stitching together. Who knows? Maybe I just need a re-read! I will say that my husband is reading this series right now on audiobook, and it kept him engaged over 8 hours of driving so much that he grabbed his earbuds and is now reading this second book. It's incredibly engaging and I recommend to anyone who enjoys videogaming or who liked Martha Wells' recent Murderbot series or Ready Player One. Can't wait to see what series Marie Lu embarks upon next! What did you all think?

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, game fiction, Marie Lu, Science Fiction, Warcross, Wildcard, young adult  9 People left their mark

Warcross by Marie Lu

Warcross by Marie Lu

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 353 pages
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release date: September 12, 2017

Series:  Warcross, #1

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

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 Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. 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.

If Marie Lu wrote it, I'll probably read it, so I've been waiting on this book for months, especially since it is a virtual reality gaming book. And look at this beautifully designed cover! I am blown away. It looks like a maze or block or symbolic for interlocking code.

Before I go further into the review of this book, I'll also say I recently completed Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, which you've probably heard about because the movie's coming out in 2018. (For years, I've also heard everyone rave about this book). For the sake of comparision, it is about young man who plays another virtual reality game called OASIS and goes on a scavenger hunt within it for the recently dead creator's "keys" to his vast fortune.

Right off the bat, it's hard to not draw similarities from Warcross to Ready Player One.  Warcross might be about virtual reality, but it draws less off of games we have played before (unlike RPO, which mainly talks about games from the '80s) and creates its own world and game. The game part that is actually Warcross is complicated to explain. Warcross the game is rather like a version of ultimate capture the flag but "you" are a real player, and there is vast world-building and special abilities you can obtain in-game and trade. (Side note: when explaining this, I get an image of versions of old Halo games for capture the flag.)

Another difference is that Warcross virtual reality can be a lens through which you can interact and exist in the real world. Things are revealed in your surroundings as you go about your daily life, and Warcross points are awarded for doing things in life. (RPO has this too, but on a much smaller scale.) This is about where the similarities begin and end between the two books. If you're a big fan of RPO, sure, you might like this. If you hated RPO but are still interested in gaming books, it's different enough that you really might like it.

I really enjoyed the creativity of this book! The hardest thing to grasp for me though was the visual representation of the hacking. I'm a gamer too; I understand that there are limitations for describing video games in print. I think this is one thing that will divide readers. It's harder to relate to and see in your mind because the game and the representation of hacking within it are brand new.

Emika is an creative, determined, yet uniquely vulnerable heroine. She has no family because her father has died and her mother left them some time before. She is crawling with debt, mainly left from her father, and due to an infraction at school, is banned from computers for two years, unable to work at something she's actually gifted at: hacking. Instead, she is a bounty hunter within Warcross and her captures keep getting taken out from under her. Her luck, though, has finally run out and she's facing homelessness and extreme poverty until she performs a hack within the Warcross Championship game. This accidentally glitches her into the game where everyone can see her instead of her [null] hacked character. Emika is whisked off to Tokyo where she's facing multiple new experiences and challenges she's never encountered before. She's part of a team, which functions like a family of sorts, she's got a steady job with money though it's a secret, and she's romantically interested in Hideo Tanaka, the wealthy enigmatic creator of Warcross. Because of her loss and her self-reliance, she is a strong female character, but then, for such a strong female, you might be wondering why she falls so hard and so fast for Hideo, an insta-love situation. As a reader, I thought this was off-putting, but when you consider it, it still can be believable. Emika's rather a loner, having had few friends growing up and still fewer in her poor state, plus with the loss of her family. It doesn't change her strong character, but it does allow that she has areas with little experience and obvious vulnerability. No spoilers, but Emika does gain some perspective by the end of the book and grows emotionally.

Speaking of the ending, the twist at the end I guessed, but still very much enjoyed reading and understanding some character development. In the next book in the series, I would like to see Emika have more interaction with her teammates and have them grow to be more well-rounded characters. Not that they were flat, but they didn't have as much depth because Emika wasn't opening up to them. I thought they were intriguing side characters and want more! I'll be looking forward to reading the next installment and seeing what new exploits in virtual reality Marie Lu is able to dream up.

Favorite quotes:

"No one chose you," I snap.
"And have people been so great at choosing their leaders?" he snaps back.
"But you can't do that! You're taking away something that makes us fundamentally human!"
Hideo steps closer, "And what is it that makes us human, exactly? The choice to kill and rape? To war and bomb and destroy? To kidnap children? To gun down the innocent? Is that the part of humanity that shouldn't be taken away? Has democracy been able to stop any of this?"

Favorite Easter egg moment:

"Serene would be nice, Mr . . . Car."
"Fred," the car says.
"Fred," I reply, trying not to feel weird about talking to a bottle of champagne in an ice block. "Hi."
. . .
"I'm George," the bodyguard says as the car starts to drive us forward.

Read an excerpt.

Watch the book trailer.

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Marie Lu, Science Fiction, Warcross, young adult  4 People left their mark

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam Sons Book for Young Readers
Release date: October 11, 2016

Series:  The Young Elites, #3

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all she's gained.

When a new danger appears, Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds, putting not only herself at risk, but every Elite. In order to preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger. 

The final dark tale of Adelina and the Young Elites ends with sacrifice, beautiful storytelling, and revelations for the deepest questions of the heart.

I can't say enough how I really like this series and how different it is from other things that are out there in YA. Adelina's growth from a scared girl who discovers she has power and influence to the queen/empress responsible for death, destruction, betrayal, and abuse of power should make the reader unsympathetic, possibly even to the point of intense dislike for her. After all, how do you like a villain?

But, this series is one of the few where I am surprised I DO like the villain. Yes, she's flawed and consumed by her depth of ambition and hunger for any brand of "justice", even one that crosses lines of morality. However, she also shows an inner conflict, a mental instability caused by her abuse and her powers (which could be symbolic for a real mental illness), and a deep thirst for love, affection, and acceptance, which due to her upbringing, she never received except from her sister (who later betrays her thus causing more violent consequences). I really love the conflict of Adelina's insanity and her bloodlust rivaled with her desire for power, love, and the fear she weaves into the hearts of others. It makes the ending that much more powerful. 

One of the other fantastic things about this series are the characters. You really remember Enzo, Raffaele, Teren, and the rest long after you've read the series, and each of the Young Elites has their gifts but also has their own loyalties and reads just like real people. When many of the Young Elites have to band together to even begin to stop the horrors occurring in the land, it is strangely a scene of forgiveness, of common alliance at their similar fates, and still they mistrust each other. It is symbolic of how something that benefits everyone could be achieved if all parties set aside their hatred, their selfishness, and their past trespasses to really work as a team. Usually in stories, it is the heroes versus the villains, but in this case, it's the heroes and the villains having to come to a middle ground to reach a common goal. Very thought provoking and unlike other books out there!

One of the things I loved most about this novel was that while it had an entirely different flavor than the previous two which were increasingly dark and felt reminiscent of Assassin's Creed, it also is the most poetic of the three and really brought out the gift of storytelling that Marie Lu has. I cannot say much more without telling elements that are essential to the final bits of the book. I never could have predicted that outcome; so wow! the twist was shocking, beautiful, and I cried. But no spoilers here! The cover is lovely and at the end of the novel, the reader must contemplate the cover and the title with the novel's resolution. Let me know what you think of the ending!

 

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Posted by Tynga at 14:23

 Fantasy, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Marie Lu, Review, The Midnight Star, The Young Elites, young adult  2 People left their mark

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

A Second Look...  for Stephanie's take on The Young Elites, click here!  She read it in December; I'm a little behind times and only just now read it.

Stephanie mentioned the premise of The Young Elites in her review:  a blood fever swept through the country, killing thousands and leaving hundreds of children scarred/marked.  The marked children are known as malfettos, and are discriminated against.  Some of these malfettos have been discovered to have extra powers, such as the ability to create illusions or controlling the elements.  Some of these special malfettos have banded together into a group known as the Young Elites.  The story follows Adelina, a malfetto and new recruit to the Young Elites, as she hides from the Inquisitors (the police force in this fantasy world) (she has to hide from them- she's been accused of murdering her own father) and trains with the other Young Elites.

One thing I found really cool about this book was the world itself.  It felt very much like old, old, old world Italy.  In fact, there's mention of gondolas, and many characters have Italian-esque names, like Raffaele.  (Different spelling, but in my head I pronounced it the same as you would the painter's.)  Everyone gets around by foot, gondola, or carriage- there are no motorized vehicles or electronics in this world.  Much of the story takes place below ground, in catacombs, and I could just picture it in my head- all twisty passages lit sporadically by candlelight!  I don't know about you, but I love reading books that involve old underground passages in Europe.  I know that this is a fantasy book in a fantasy world, but it reminded me so strongly of other fiction I've read where the characters spend time exploring this whole world under Paris or London.  Then there's the intrigue of a royal court of sorts.  The Young Elites find their patrons/supporters through their service in a sort of religious-sexual court.  There are rituals and costumes and masks.  I also love love love masked balls in stories!  As you can tell, the setting of the story was a major plus in my mind!

Like Stephanie, I also have a hard time reading books where a character is abused.  I don't know that anyone would want to read about a teen being abused!  But I was able to endure it in this particular book because I didn't quite "click" with Adelina.  I wouldn't say that she's a bad person, but she's definitely darker than some other YA characters.  Of course, a decent therapist would probably trace her inner anger back to her father's abuse, but there were a couple of scenes with Adelina that honestly made me cringe.  If we met in reality, I think I'd be pretty scared of her.  She doesn't stand out too much, though: due to the fact that society shuns these young malfettos, most of them are pretty jaded, and also act more maturely than their physical age.  (Yet there's no language or sexual situations- you could hand this book to younger teen.)

Overall, this book was a winner in my mind, and I intend to read the sequel, The Rose Society, soon.  Even if the characters are darker than I'm used to, I'm over the moon about the setting and definitely intrigued by the society, and I want more!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Fantasy, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Library, Marie Lu, Review, The Young Elites, YA, young adult  Leave your mark

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn is loosely based on the tale of 1001 Nights, but it's also so much more!  True, it opens with the focus on Shahrzad, who is the latest bride of the Caliph of Khorasan.  He has been taking brides and killing them the morning after the wedding for months now.  One of those past brides was Shahrzad's best friend, and her plan is to survive long enough to avenge her.

I felt that The Wrath and the Dawn got off to a bit of a slow start.  There were quite a few characters to introduce, and the story took a predictable route with Shahrzad telling Khalid (the caliph) tales at night to keep him interested, and to keep herself alive.  However, there was also the intrigue, with Shahrzad being quite the revenge-seeking fireball, and with a secondary plot following Shahrzad's male relatives as they plot ways to help her from afar.

Also the setting!  It's not every day that I read a book set in the Middle East.  I loved loved loved reading the descriptions of the clothes and the palace and the social mores!  Even Shahrzad's handmaid is beautifully described in glittering silks and flowing mantles.  I never thought I'd be a fan of a desert setting until I read Renee Ahdieh's descriptions of it.  Maybe it's partly due to the fact that I'm writing this review right after a rare ice/snow storm in my neck of the woods (southeast US), but I so longed to be in the sun and the sand!

After the first somewhat predictable third of the book, the story takes a bit of a turn from the original 1001 Nights.  The action picks up, with multiple attempts on Shahrzad's life... surprisingly, not by Khalid!  Then there is also the development of a love triangle.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of these, but they do tend to up the intrigue a little.  And the reader gets to pick a "team!"  (I changed "teams" a few times through the course of the book; it's not as clear cut as other books have been.)  On top of all that, there is the secondary plot line with Shahrzad's father, uncle, and second cousin, who are trying to help her avenge her friend's death.

Now, you may be asking yourself why I'm reviewing this book on this site.  Tynga's Reviews is all about fantasy and the paranormal, right?  Guess what?  There's MAGIC in The Wrath and the Dawn!  You must be patient; it doesn't make an appearance right away.  And I won't give any spoilers, but the magic becomes more and more prominent to the storyline, up to a can't-put-down climax!  So that's why The Wrath and the Dawn (and, I imagine, it's sequel) fit on Tynga's Reviews.

I'll wrap up by mentioning the climactic end... it's a doozy!  I read well past my bedtime because it was too exciting for me to put down, or to fall asleep while reading.  Then the book stops.  Bam.  With so much more that I need to know!  I'm so so so glad I read this book after the sequel has been released so that I don't have to wait to find out what happens next.  So just a warning:  you may want to go ahead and get both books from the library at once; you'll be glad you did!

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 1001 Nights, Action amp; Adventure, Fantasy amp; Magic, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Magic, Middle East, Purchased, Renee Ahdieh, Review, The Wrath amp; the Dawn, young adult  1 Person left their mark