Title: Wildcard
Author: Marie Lu
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
Published: September 18, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

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?

– My Review –

Having read only one Marie Lu book before this one (Warcross, the first book in this series), I had no idea what to expect from Wildcard! So, when I started reading the first page, I went in blind, hoping that this would be as epic a conclusion as Warcross was a start to the series. Well, it turns out that I had nothing to worry about, because this book surpassed my expectations, and I am still thinking about it, and experiencing quite the acute book hangover now, days after I finished reading Wildcard. It was incredible to the point where I had to take a few days to mull over my thoughts and feelings about this book, and to decide how to compose this review without giving anything away!

I became very attached to Emika and Hidea in the first book, and was quite happy to be spending more time with them in the sequel. I was also excited to learn more about Zero, and the role that he will play in the overall story. But all of my guesses about what could possibly happen, were entirely wrong. And that’s a good thing! I don’t like when books are predictable and cliche, and I don’t think Wildcard is either of those things! The way that the plot developed, as well as all of the twists, turns, and reveals totally blew my mind. The beginning of the book was a little slow for me, but I completely understand that this was done in order to ease readers back into the world that had been laid out in Warcross. And the rest of the book was so action-packed that it definitely made up for it. Wildcard had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and it also made me cry quite a bit! I highly recommend this book if you read Warcross, and highly recommend the duology if you haven’t!

– About the Author –

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!