Wildcard by Marie Lu Review

Title: Wildcard

Author: Marie Lu

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Warcross, book two

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I received this book from Goodreads in an advanced readers giveaway. Thanks Goodreads and to the publisher!

Warcross was one of my favorite books of last year, so when I was scrolling the Goodreads giveaway pages and I saw its sequel, Wildcard, I entered, and then promptly forgot about it as my life went on. But imagine my excitement and surprise when I got an email, telling me that I won! Since then, it’s been sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. I wanted to read it closely to the release date, so I could put my review up on my preferred outlets. Since it came out last Tuesday, I started it Friday night, after I finished Dreadful Young Ladies. Sequels usually make me nervous, especially if I really happened to enjoy the first book, but it turns out that I didn’t have anything to worry about. With Wildcard, Marie Lu crafts a satisfying, emotional and action-packed conclusion that I will never forget. It made me gasp, laugh, and cry, more than once, and I’m so happy that I got to read this without even using the library. Thanks for the book, Goodreads!

Wildcard picks up where Warcross left off, and I won’t say too much about the plot for my readers that haven’t read it yet, with Emika Chen dealing with the horrifying and emotional aftermath of the events of the last book. Wildcard takes place three days after Warcross ends, with Emika doing everything she can to fix her own mistakes and Hideo’s, despite the sacrifices and heartbreak she is dealing with. Thrust right back to the beginning of it all, Emika finds herself surrounded by new and old enemies, as well as mysterious new allies who all have secrets of their own to hide. With everything slipping through her fingers, even her beloved Warcross and Phoenix Riders teammates, she has no idea who to trust or how to fix the problem. Caught in a dangerous web of intrigue, lies, and fear, Emika must dig deeper than she ever has before, or risk losing everything, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance…

This book was amazing! I was nervous, as I always am with sequels, but it turns out that my worries were unfounded. As it had been a while since reading Warcross, it took some time for my mind to catch up on what was happening, but it only took a few chapters for me to remember everything. The pacing of Wildcard was breakneck; I felt like it grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go, even during the times that the tension was so high that I had to walk away from the book for a while. I enjoyed Emika and her strong, unshakable will; I was rooting for her throughout the book, even during the difficult parts with Hideo. (Ugh, all the slow burn romance! It killed me!) Zero and Dr. Taylor were also amazing characters, both villains with checkered pasts and unclear motives. I really enjoyed the way that the loose ends from the last book were tied up, though the last half of the book was so tense and terrifying and emotional that I nearly didn’t finish it. I laughed, cried, cheered, gasped, and screamed, often more than once. And that ending! Oh, my goodness, that was the last thing I was expecting, but I was surprised in the best kind of way! I’m so happy with the end of this exciting and gripping duology, and I’m so happy that I got the book for free! Thanks again to the publisher and Goodreads! The bottom line: An exciting, gripping and tense series closer to the hit Warcross, Wildcard exceeded all of my expectations! It was amazing, basically perfect! Next on deck: Markswoman by Rati Mehrota!