Stop whatever you are doing. I know you may think you have commitments to keep but you don’t. You need to take a shower (because there will be no showers once you open this book), surround yourself with assorted snacks for stamina (my fave are Blue Diamond Coconut Almonds—they’re like a guiltless Almond Joy), and find a safe environment for epic binge reading because the sequel to Marie Lu’s Warcross is out now. Buckle up, Wildcard is a ripping YA rollercoaster. Seriously, put your hands all the way up!
Now, I’m a huge fan of Marie Lu. Legend series: love. The Young Elites series: fantastic. Warcross made my top five fave YA novels from 2017 along with A Torch Against the Night, Flame in the Mist, One Dark Throne and Nyxia. There’s a lot of pressure on a second book, especially when the first book throws the blue shell on all the competition. But she did it. Wildcard will definitely make my top five for 2018.
Wildcard takes off right where Warcross ended. It’s like Ready Player One with a dash of Inception and a hint of The Professional. There are assassins, The Dark World, gangsters, corrupt corporations and, of course, the most misunderstood antagonists. Marie Lu should teach a master’s class on writing the accidental villain. Just like The Young Elites, Marie Lu crafts heart-wrenching feels for all her antagonists.
More about Wildcard
Return to the immersive, action-packed world of Warcross in this thrilling sequel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu.
Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.
Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.
Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?
Watch Marie Lu talk more about Emika Chen at the start of Wildcard:
Why I’m still geeking out over Wildcard
Hideo and Zero. They both come with baggage and motivation. I love Hideo as much as Emika but what he’s doing is soo soo wrong. And then Zero. Ahhh. My heart breaks for Zero. I can’t give anything away because I would hate to spoil it. Just know, when you get to that part in The Dark World and it’s just WOW! I feel you and would love to discuss. Watch Marie Lu talk about Hideo in Wildcard:
Jax. She’s a new character. She’s broken and badass and you don’t know where her loyalties lie until the very end. Love her.
Wildcard is a well-crafted story paced at break-neck speed. If you thought Warcross was a bit of a mystery, hang on because Wilcard turns it up to eleven. You don’t know what’s real or who to trust until you shut the book. It’s deliciously good. Even now I feel the itch to reread it.
I would recommend this book series to anyone with a pulse. Guys would enjoy this book too. If you have hesitations about the gaming/virtual reality part of it, don’t worry it doesn’t go deep technical so that you lose interest. It’s SciFi Fantasy but on a similar level as The Matrix. It came out yesterday, which means you can buy it now on Amazon.
