WARCROSS by Marie Lu. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2017.  368p. ISBN: 978-0399547966 hc. $18.99    Gr. 9-12    YA FIC

In a futuristic New York City, 18 year-old Emika Chen lives on Ramen noodles and her passion for Warcross, a video game that builds virtual worlds by accessing player memories, along with it's 21 year-old creator, Hideo Tanaka.  Emika is a bounty hunter who doesn't earn enough money to keep a paid-up gaming account, but she possesses extraordinary gaming skills enabling her to hack into the Warcross worldwide tournament.  As she hacks into the game, a computer glitch reveals Emika's identity to the world.  Luckily, Hideo Tanaka offers her a job instead of charging her with a crime.   He gives her an undercover position on one of the Warcross tournament teams to find a dangerous hacker called Zero.  Emika is immersed in the action-packed virtual world of Warcross, while getting to know the other players on her team and forming a romantic connection to Hideo.  Marie Lu keeps YA readers engaged with action, romance, and moral dilemmas up to the very last page.  And...good news...there's plenty of room in this complex story for a sequel.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI