ARC Review: Wildcard by Marie Lu (Jessica's Review)

Title: Wildcard (Warcross #2)
Author: Marie Lu

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 352 Pages
Publication Date: September 18th, 2018

Summary: 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?

Amber and I received an advanced copy of Wildcard at BookExpo this year, and we were practically screaming with joy when we did, because we both loved Warcross so much, and we couldn't wait to see how the duology wrapped up -- especially after how it left off in the first book! (If you're interested in reading my review of Warcross, you can click HERE.) So, needless to say, I was super eager to pick this book up and I read it as soon as Amber finished and passed it on to me. So without further ado, let's get into this review!

I like how this book seems to jump right into the action that it left you off with during Warcross. I'm not really going to go into detail about that because then I risk spoiling some of the biggest plot twists from the first book, but basically, Hideo and his NeuroLink have taken an...interesting turn. And a lot of moral complications are involved. So Emika has to decide if she wants to fight for the man she loves or against him, in order to save everyone else, while also working with Zero, the hacker that had been making her life hell before this. So there are a lot of complicated emotions swirling around at the start of the book, but it's interesting to see how Emika develops her voice and decides what to do, and all of the thrilling chases, fights, and schemes that come along with that. (Also, the book opens up with a *swoon-worthy* scene involving Hideo, who is my favorite character in the entire story, so I really appreciated that!) 

Something else I really appreciated was the fact that even though I haven't read Warcross since October of last year, things were rehashed in a way that refreshed me on the storyline without recapping everything in a boring, lecturing sort of way. I was able to quickly jump back into the world of Warcross and I soon found myself unable to turn away from the incredible story that was unfolding before me.

Even though I know things are a bit complicated in this book, I really loved the (albeit struggling) relationship of Emika and Hideo. Throughout all of the complications in their lives, and the different feelings they've each experienced, it's clear that there's a bond there, a type of love, and that it's something permanent and absolutely more than a fling. And it made me swoon a whole lot, and I texted Amber about it a lot as well, because I just shipped them so much and I have been rooting for them since the very beginning. So those really intimate scenes we get made me swoon, and I also really enjoyed reading them!

This book had me hooked and had so many amazing plot twists that I wasn't expecting! I texted Amber several times throughout reading this book because I just needed to vent about those shocking turns that I hadn't seen coming. Normally I'm pretty good at piecing together the way a story will end, but the information I found out in this book completely set my mind reeling. I had absolutely no idea how anything would turn out, and I can safely say that the end result of this book was not anything I could've ever expected. (Want to know what it is? Then read the book to find out!!!!)

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Wildcard. While I'm not usually a big sci-fi fan, Marie Lu has a way of creating a story that sucks me in and refuses to let me go, and that's why this is one of the best sci-fi series I've ever read, up there with the Zodiac series by Romina Russell! If you're looking for a gripping duology with awesome tech, romance, plot twists, and even tons of thrills, then this series is for you. And if you only read Warcross and were unsure of if you should continue onto Wildcard, I encourage you to, because trust me, you have no idea what you're missing!