Warcross

Starred review from June 19, 2017
Emika Chen, an 18-year-old hacker turned bounty hunter, ekes out a life in New York City by tracking down criminals who are turning illegal profits in the virtual world of Warcross, an immersive game accessed by a “brain–computer interface.” Facing eviction, Emi recklessly hacks into the game to steal a valuable power-up. When a glitch exposes her identity to millions of viewers—and Hideo Tanaka, the game’s 21-year-old billionaire inventor—Emi is summoned to the Henka Games headquarters in Tokyo. There, Hideo recruits her to find an elusive hacker called Zero, and she enters the high-profile games as a wild-card player. With a keen eye for detail, Lu (the Young Elites series) vividly imagines a future society where gaming is woven into daily life, and easily allows readers to sink into Emi’s reality. Readers will enthusiastically follow clever, independent, and empathetic Emi, who is driven both by the memory of her father and a strong sense of morality. Think The Hunger Games meets World of Warcraft, with exactly the sort of massive appeal that crossover suggests. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.

Nancy Wu's acerbic narration drops listeners into a high-tech future in which virtual reality has become ubiquitous, and Warcross is the world's most popular video game. When a skilled hacker threatens the Warcross Championships, creator Hideo Tanaka will need a bounty hunter, a hacker, and a gamer to investigate. Luckily, Emika Chen is all three. Unhurried in her narration, Wu finds a natural tone for the streetwise teenager as she goes undercover at the international competition, which provides a mixed bag of accents for Wu to manage. She keeps up with some, but a few don't quite hit the mark. However, she shines in delivering the intensity of the virtual reality action and the uncertainty of young love as Emika and Hideo become closer and secrets are revealed. J.E.C. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine