4.5 Stars. I would say. Man. MAN. That is not okay. SO NOT OKAY. But let's start at the beginning.<br/><br/>I didn't have very high expectations of this. I don't even know why. But then it blew me away. <br/><br/>The whole idea of the virtual reality as an over layer of the real world is super exciting. At first I didn't really understand how it worked. The same for the Warcross rules. But as soon as the first real game started, I understood and all I thought was: "Damn, would this look great as a movie." Especially the last game. (I'm getting a lot of Pacific Rim vibes from this)-<br/>I didn't expect to like Emika either, but she, too, was great. Resourceful, brave, but also vulnerable. <br/><br/>There is nothing much I can say that is not spoilerish from here on, but what I can say is that: <br/>There were two plot twists. One I saw coming from about 100 pages before it went up. It was very obvious. <br/>The second I did not see coming at all. And I am not sure I like it that much. <br/>Many of the question, that I asked myself upon that reveal were asked in the book by Emika too and I just can't see how this is going to go in book 2.<br/><br/>I didn't really have any idea what this book could be about in the first place, save for the obvious story, but it got really grim and serious in the end. And asking all the right questions with no real answers and leaving myself with the same question as Emika. <br/>Is it right? Is it wrong? I honestly don't know. <br/>And I wonder how Miss Lu is going to elaborate on this in the second book and if there will be a satisfying answer.<br/><br/>Okay enough of the cryptic review. I enjoyed this book way more than I had thought I would!

I LOVED this book so much! It was so nerdy! The writing is - as always - so cinematic and fast paced. All the tech talk and looking at code IN VR? As a cs student, I was in heaven! I could picture all the games and worlds jn Warcross. Actually wouldn‘t mind playing it myself. I‘d give it way more stars than 5, if it was possible. I love all books written by Marie Lu, but I think this one will have a special place in my heart.

<blockquote><b><i>“Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.”</i></b></blockquote> I'm still reeling from this book. I mean, WHAT WAS THAT ENDING, MARIE LU? Why would you shatter my heart like this? I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW! For me, this is Lu's best book so far. She takes this virtual reality concept and expands it in a very imaginative and realistic way, creating a fascinating and immersive world. I would love to live in a world where Warcross and the Neurolink is real! I also like the nods she gives to her first trilogy and how she based the Warcross world into something we saw in Champion (remember Antartida? Yeah, Lu said that this book is set in the same world as the trilogy, except 80 years earlier and that the events that happened here are the predecessors of Antartida and their way of life, as well as the 'war' that transformed the US. Also, there's a character who is named Daniel Wing - does that sound familiar?). I especially love the themes that she works into the book - how technology can shape our lives, the importance of free will and how technology and knowledge in the wrong hands can do a lot of damage. Her narrative is fluid and intense and this is by far her most action packed book - from the first page, we dive into this quick-paced story full of heart-racing moments. I especially enjoyed the Warcross battles scenes! They were so detailed and immersive that I could see in my mind the events unfolding! Also, it reminded me a lot like a mix between Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. with a Catch the Flag twist. While I was read I wanted to be a part of it, to be playing too! Emika is such an amazing character! I loved her from the get go! She's funny, quick witted and smart, but even though she can be ruthless sometimes, she is loyal and brave. She's strong willed and an overall badass! And Hideo...I love him, but I'm afraid for him. He's a very complex and layered character, and while I understand his pain, his motivations and his will to do good, I can't help but be afraid for him. I don't think this is going to end well, especially after the reveals in the final three chapters. I ship him with Emi so much, I LOVED theirs scenes together and how they seemed to understand each other so well and how he exposed himself to her. MY HEART IS IN PIECES, I'M SO CONFLICTED. I also loved the secondary characters and their place in the story! I can't wait to see more from the Phoenix Riders, Tremaine and Zero, especially after that ending! I liked how the team embraced Emika and trusted her in the end. I'm curious about DJ Ren's role in all this and what his motivations are - he's a very mysterious character so far and we don't get to know much about him in this first installment, so I'm hoping that in the final book he'll have a larger role (not that he didn't have it in this one, but one that allows us to get into his character and have him interact more with Emi). This is the kind of book that, once you've started, you can't put it down till you finished, especially the final chapters. So many amazing plot twists! I wasn't expecting most of them AT ALL! I was so shocked it took me a while after I finished the book to process everything and I can't help but create a million theories in my mind about what happens next. I'm so happy to have finished it and it's already one of my favorite reads of the year. A well-deserved 5 star book and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes some cyberpunk, sci-fi YA adventure and who enjoys fast paced stories full of unexpected twists as well as amazing characters and an immersive world.