“Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: rainbow hair, hackers, private planes, hot springs, code lines, championships, limousines, power ups, memories, fancy dinners, glitches and security shells.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

This story took me by surprise! I liked this way more than I thought I would, to be honest. I usually don’t love books with strong technologic themes, but this story stole my heart. I think it’s really cool that Marie Lu worked as an Art Director at a video game company, because her knowledge is apparent. Maybe it’s because I work as a programmer, but when I read the book I noticed she writes about code and technology in a deeper way – in a way most authors wouldn’t, even if they did some research on the topics. Her love for those topics was crystal clear, and it gave me so much joy to read about it!

The characters were great. Emika was a very likeable character for me, because she was very strong, brave and intelligent. Hideo was probably the character I found the most interesting of all – there was so much mystery around him and the company he built while being so young. The relationships in this book were all pretty good, but I have to highlight the team spirit between the members of the Phoenix Riders. Their sense of companionship and friendship was so sweet!

The romance was the cherry on top for me! I’m a sucker for a good romance – no surprise there – and the relationship between Emika and Hideo was everything I could hope for. I really liked their chemistry and how their relationship developed during the book. Just don’t go into this book thinking it’s mainly a romance novel, because it’s so much more than that… but it’s a nice extra to the story.

I have to admit I saw that plot twist coming so I wasn’t that surprised when the big bomb dropped. With that said, I still liked how things turned out and the way the second book’s direction was set.There are so many great things about this book! The characters, the romance, the mystery that will keep you guessing all the time, the championship… so many great elements. I honestly loved the book and I would recommend it especially to technology lovers – just keep in mind this is still fantasy! I never read Ready Player One, but I feel like this series may have a similar feeling to it… I could be completely wrong, though!

xoxo,