[Review] Wildcard by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Series: Warcross #2

Rating: 4 stars

Format: ARC

Release Date: September 18, 2018 

Goodreads Synopsis:

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?

I didn't exactly review Warcross on here but from my vague memory of reading it last year - I felt conflicted about it (like I usually do with Marie Lu's books for some reason); the game-aspects of Warcross were a little too muddled for me + Emika's rags-to-riches story didn't exactly catch my eye.

Now Wildcard on the other hand was really enjoyable. Probably because there was less of a focus on the game itself and more on the characters and their backstories. Plus you can't exactly trust all of the characters at face value. I definitely felt the stakes and tension in this one.

Wildcard takes place right after Emika has learned Zero's identity and after Hideo released his algorithm on most of the world, preventing them from committing any evil acts. Emika has to find some way to stop the algorithm, tell Hideo about Zero, and find out exactly what Zero's plans are.

We're introduced to several characters - Dr. Dana Taylor and Jax. I wish Dr. Taylor was expanded and developed to be more than a typical villain who feared death and wanted to live forever. But I really enjoyed Jax because of how morally grey she is; it takes awhile to realize whose side she is on. And her connection to Zero is both sad and tragic.

Speaking of Zero - his backstory and all his reveals stole the show. He's constantly wavering between two selves - which is GREAT because this really added to the intensity.

I was on the edge of my seat for many parts of Wildcard because so much is happening! And it's all pivotal important action (which makes it even better!). My favorite part had to be the scenes inside Zero's mind, because we get all this insight to each of Emika's teammates - Roshan, Asher, and Hammie.

This book definitely had a futuristic video game feel that I could get behind. A great way to end a duology.