Warcross

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

Warcross

by Marie Lu

Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.

This was not at all what I was expecting. I was kind of expecting something along the lines of Ready Player One, but this was more of a futuristic take on video games than anything. It was pretty good, but I think the storyline was eclipsed by the descriptions of the gameplay.
I’m a video player myself, so I understood all the references, but I can see why this book could be described as dull for someone who doesn’t really have any interest in gaming. There’s some wonderful descriptions of a very hi-tech Tokyo that paint an absolutely stunning visual in your mind.

As far as the characters go, there wasn’t really any fleshing out of the minor characters, at all. In fact, the only important players in this story are Emika, Hideo and Zero.
Emika is a decent enough heroine. She has a tragic backstory, the less than angelic criminal record, the vibrancy and determination of youth, and a surprisingly believable naivety that’s quite endearing. I like the fact that she’s a hacker, it gives her a little something different that’s fun to read about.

Think badass thoughts, I tell myself.

Hideo is my favourite character in the book, but I honestly think there are some flaws in the writing concerning him. The story keeps going on about how emotionless and withdrawn Hideo is, but pretty much every time we see him he’s smiling at children, or laughing along with somebody’s jokes. He’s a very emotional character and I just don’t understand the idea that he’s withdrawn, when he clearly isn’t. I also think Hideo and Emika’s growing relationship moves along far too fast. It’s like he’s in love with her before he actually meets her for the first time. I thought it came across a little creepily, to be honest. Also, I completely, 100% believe in his project. I’m on Hideo’s side all the way!

They believe that objects have souls. The more love you put into one, the more beautiful it becomes.

Zero is supposed to be the villain of the book, but because he’s such a good hacker we never really learn much about him. I can’t help but think the entire story could have been much simpler if Zero had just told Emika what was going on from the outset. I don’t understand what he could possibly have had to gain from keeping this a secret? Surely, the only person the information could have harmed is Hideo?

There is real evil in the world, and I am not it.

All in all, I think the book spent too much time on it’s descriptions, and the storyline and character development suffered for it. I wasn’t a bad book, and I quite enjoyed most of it, but it reads like an ARC rather than a finished copy.

Villain Rating

Now, if you’ve ignored the huge SPOILER sign at the top of this page, you’re in for a shock now, because I’m going to reveal the whole plot by naming my villain as Hideo Tanaka. This guy is a great villain because it’s so very easy to sympathize with him. He’s had a difficult life. His brother vanished when they were playing together when they were small and he’s always felt as though he’s making up for losing him.

Hideo has created an algorithm that will integrate with a person’s brain and prevent them from committing a crime. In effect, he’s erasing crime by eliminating free will. That’s not a terrible idea! Emika seems to think that preventing anyone from doing what they want is unforgivable, but is it really so bad? He’s leaving people with enough free will to do whatever they want, just erasing the urge to commit crimes. I think it’s a great idea! He must be a great villain if I’m totally on board with his ideas. 9/10

 

Happy Reading,

Claire