Initial Impressions 9/10/17: Either this book was shorter than I thought or time just flew by as I was listening! That felt so quick!! Which I guess it a good thing. 
 I really enjoyed WARCROSS! It was a fun, futuristic read that reminded me of READY PLAYER ONE meets THE HUNGER GAMES but still in its own original way. I loved the game aspect behind it and I think games within a story really pull me into the action! I also liked the different friendships and relationships that Emika made and how they all shaped the book. 
 One thing I really enjoyed was a nice set of twists that Marie Lu incorporated into the plot. I was all, "Oh yeah, I guessed that one and saw that one coming" and then BAM something else I did not see coming, so that was really fun! 
 It ended on a cliffhanger which in this case WHYYYY I need to know! Because it went by so quickly that I didn't even realize it was ending... But I'm definitely picking up the next book! I'm excited to see what's next! 
 Review as posted on The Book Addict's Guide 9/18/17: WARCROSS is only my second Marie Lu book (I've only read LEGEND. I know, how horrible am I? I loved it too...) and I'm so glad I had the chance to get back into her writing! Every since READY PLAYER ONE, I've been dying for more video game/virtual reality-type adventures and I know there are others out there but WARCROSS was one that really caught my eye, both because of author and concept. 
 Either this book was shorter than I thought or time just flew by as I was listening! I listened to the audiobook (thanks, Listening Library!) while I worked and it seemed like this story just flew by, which I guess means that I was really enjoying it! I really enjoyed WARCROSS! It was a fun, futuristic read that reminded me of READY PLAYER ONE meets THE HUNGER GAMES but still in its own original way. I loved the game aspect behind it and I think games within a story really pull me into the action! There were plenty of action-packed moments, especially during the games themselves, which were not at all like Quidditch but reminded me of the action breaks that Harry Potter took to play out a Quidditch game. It brought some fast-paced scenes to the book and added more the the character relationships, meanwhile adding a dash of plot all at the same time. The game sequences also really added to the world-building, showing exactly how Warcross worked and why everyone was so excited for these competitions. It's essentially like everyone playing sports and then the tournaments featured here are like the Olympics. 
 I really enjoyed all of the different relationships throughout the book! Emika is kind of a loner to start and as the book progresses, she learns how to work on a team and finally starts to let people back in. She also lets go of her heart a little bit and ends up with an unexpected relationship (or at least more than friends) with a prominent figure in the book and the romance was sweet and exciting all at the same time! I really liked the team aspect and how that really brought Emika in, as much as she didn't want or expect that, and I always love gangs of characters who might not have otherwise been friends coming together like that. 
 I've only read one Marie Lu book but I feel like she's good at keeping readers on their toes! One thing I really enjoyed was a nice set of twists that she incorporated into the plot. I totally saw one twist coming and was like, "Oh yeah, predictable..." and then BAM! A totally different twist caught me by surprise. I'm not sure if I was supposed to see the one coming but I definitely appreciate that it threw me off for the other one, thinking I had already caught the "twist". 
 The book ended before I knew it and I was so engrossed in the audiobook that I didn't even realize it was coming to a close! Marie Lu left us on a hell of a cliffhanger which I loved but also whyyyyy! I'm so anxious to read the next book and as much as it sucks to be left on a cliffhanger sometimes, I'm definitely left wanting more as soon as possible!