Blog post: http://sonichreads.tumblr.com/post/16... 
 Review: Well that was thrilling and just fucking amazing. 
 If you don't know this about me, I normally go into books without reading the premise and knowing nothing at all about books I'm picking up. Just because I don't usually remember the premise anyway and when picking books up, I look at Goodreads ratings and authors. 
 So basically, I didn't realize that Warcross is a book about gaming and only knew that it's in a sci-fi genre. I'm not a sci-fi kind of gal and I was picturing this book to be out of space, no idea why. 
 "I always offered help--but I refused to accept any. My mother scolded me about that. Do you know what she told me? When you refuse to ask for help, it tells others that they also shouldn't ask for help from you. That you look down on them for needing your help. That you like feeling superior to them. It's an insult, Emi, to your friends and peers. So don't be like that. Let us in." 
 Warcross is a virtual reality game that is created by a young billionaire, Hideo Tanaka. Emika Chen is a college dropout and she has a criminal record that disable her to touch computer for two years for her hacking crime. She is running out of money and food; she has debt to pay and since bounty hunting isn't doing her any good, she decides to hack into Warcross's opening ceremony for a quick cash. Then she was caught. She was flown to Tokyo and got offered a job from Hideo as well as being a wild card in the live championship. 
 I couldn't believe in this book as I had low expectations before going in. I was proved WRONG WRONG WRONG. 
 I seriously was put out of reading slump because of this book. The writing got me hooked, I was crazing going all over the place with it. It was enjoyable and fun to read, the descriptions on the virtual reality was stunning and beautiful. The narration was very helpful and I understood just fine in this world where I was anticipating not to comprehend anything at all. 
 What I also loved about this book is the plot. I was racing through without caring about homework. I didn't want to put it down because it was exciting and entertaining. I doubt anyone would get bored reading this action-packed, twisting book. Warcross has an incredible, applaudable, mind-blowing plot twist that I didn't see coming. 
 Another thing that is brilliant about Warcross is the worldbuilding. It's a video game, it's virtual reality, it's in TOKYO Y'ALL. I LOVE JAPAN SO MUCH. I could make a whole book about why I love Japan so much during my short visit. I cannot tell you how exciting I was to be reading about Tokyo, man. By reading this book, I was so immersed in the VR and the game I thought I was in it. Crazy as it sounds, it's a future developed technology, after all. So of course it sounds crazy. But what I imagined was this world being similar to the world in Ghost in the Shell, but less dark: 
 This is a book where Marie Lu took her chance to insert diversity since there's a live championship, players from all over the world compete against each other to steal the opposing teams' artifacts, and it was great. Emika Chen is a Chinese-American, living in New York City and is a very skilled hacker. She has this rainbow hair that I love. I liked her, but I don't LOVE her. I've always thought Marie Lu creates her plot better than her characters anyway. And then Emi's captain Asher is in a wheelchair and Roshan and Tremaine are gay. Then there's Hideo Tanaka, a brilliant, genius Japanese who created this whole thing. I shouldn't love him, but I do and I cannot find a reason why. 
 Holy shit. I am not a person of romance, I don't enjoy reading most of the romance in YA and it has been AWHILE a ship melt me like this one. I SHIPPED MY SHIP SO HARD GUYS. I cannot. I was literally squealing and swooning on the floor because of these two. 
 Overall: I cannot wait for the sequel. I cannot. I wanna reread this book. I will keep my patience, but I cannot WAIT!!!!! Highly recommended.