"Wildcard" by Marie Lu | Book Review

*spoilers for Warcross below*

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 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.

I'll keep the spoilers minimal so it should be safe if you haven't read the book yet and want an honest opinion.

Full disclosure: I read this book wen I wasn't necessarily in the mood for it. This was because it was about to be due back at the library and I couldn't renew it because it filled a hold request. This may be why I didn't love this one like I did Warcross. 

While I devoured the first book, I struggled to get into Wildcard in the same way probably because of the above reason. That was really my main issue with this book; that I found it hard to get into the story throughout. Even though the story was interesting and fast-paced so it should have been captivating.

The other main difference from Warcross was the shift in overall vibe of the book. Where Warcross was a light and fun adventurous, Wildcard takes on a much darker vibe and shows the dangerous side of the NeuroLink. This allows for the characters to develop a great deal since they're all being tested much more. As well as introduces us to some new characters.

My favorite of these new characters was Jax. Not to be too spoiler-y, but I have a soft spot for reluctant but kickass girls especially the assassins so Jax was my kind of character.

I continued to like Emika even if I thought she was a little useless at times and Hideo continued to be frustrating to me. Personally, I just don't love him as a character and while he improved in this book I can't quite forgive him for the whole "mind controlling algorithm" thing even if it was for altruistic reasons. The ends do not justify the means here.

But just like with Warcross, one of my favorite things in this story - other than the fact that Marie Lu does plot like no other - was the casual inclusivity. Not all the characters are white or straight and it was not a big deal. I love that this is becoming more and more common because this is how it should be.

So, overall, I loved the quick pace of the story and how the plot was full of twists and turns. The way Marie Lu does plot is one of my favorite things. The characters aren't always likable, but they're good and interesting. I just struggled to get into the book because of timing.

Rating: 4.5