In a world where technology dominates everything, people still have to choose to be good or evil. There are three main threads in this story. First: they live in a world with unconventional, forward-thinking tech. Giving them enhanced senses, it’s almost like a telepathic amplifier. Second: they live to play the game Warcross which is sort of a mashup of Speedracer and Mario Kart. Third: the painful and potentially doomed romance that runs between Hideo and Emika. Both characters were introduced in book one: Warcross. When put together, it makes for unending suspense. The book is narrated by Emika, who craves friendship and lives to play Warcross. There are a few other characters who interact with Emika and help keep her grounded in reality. They are true friends who are willing to fight at her side.
Filled with plot twists, red herrings, and even pirates, the author keeps the reader wanting more. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s good and who’s bad because of the author’s inspired ability to keep the reader guessing, but in the end, the characters are revealed for who they really are. The author, Marie Lu, does a fantastic job creating a picture in the reader’s mind of both the virtual and the real world. She is a master of words and the pacing was seamless. This is book two in the series and it easily stands alone. Having not read book one, there was enough in book two to explain what was happening and still be enjoyable. This book makes me want to read the author’s other works.
Review of an Advanced Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Putnam
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 1 religious exclamation; 22 mild obscenities; 1 derogatory name; 4 scatological words; 2 anatomical terms.
Violence/Gore: Several mentions & a few discussions about people who have committed suicide; mention of a previous bombing, no physical harm; a woman is running from people trying to kill her, another woman shoots a person in the head, mention of blood splatter & a blood pool; a woman is shot with a stun gun; 2 women fight; several mentions of a child who was abducted for several years, details, mental trauma, no physical harm; a child dies of an incurable childhood illness; 2 men try to commit suicide by stabbing themselves; mention of 2 men found dead, 1 hung, the other pushed in front of a train, some details, blood; a woman remembers finding her father murdered, details & blood; a man is shot in the head, mention of blood & hospital details; several people have guns pointed at each other; a man kills a woman; a man is stabbed, some detail.
Sex/Nudity: A man kisses another man in a romantic way, no details; a woman has a dream about being in bed with a man, some touching & kissing, not graphic; the red light district with male & female prostitutes, no detail; mention of a man having boyfriends; a man & woman stand very close together, sexual tension; 2 men admit to having run a sex shop; a man prefers to be referred to as “they”; a steamy scene between a man & a woman, touching, kissing, implied sex; a kissing scene between a man & a woman.
Mature Subject Matter:
Child abducted, childhood terminal illness, scientific ethics, tech ethics, suicide, prostitution, homosexuality, transgender, robbery, murder, suicide, illegal drugs, illegal sex shops.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A man admits he had a drug problem for over a year; a woman remembers her father was a drug runner.
