Yup that was a wild ride. I must say that I thoroughly respect Lu’s talent for allowing me to fully immerse myself in the world she created, and for also being able to write across labels. While reading I often forgot it was for young adults— and that it’s describing an imagined world. She is SUCH an excellent writer.

Without revealing too much: this installment picks up days after the last Warcross match and Emi is still feeling threatened as she weighs whether or not she will take Zero up on his offer. She’s still mad at Hideo and unsure of who to trust. In the first few pages she’s surprised by would-be assassins but saved by new character Jax who has a whole other idea of how Emi’s moral dilemma (will she help Zero or Hideo?) will play out.

There are various diabolical characters at work here and the backstory for Jax and Zero left me zipping through the chapters, desperate to know what it will mean for Emi’s fate and that of the Neurolink in its entirety. It brings up important questions we will need to deal with ourselves as technology continues to outpace what we ever thought possible and the use of such digital enhancements will Be cause for an ethics awakening (or not) depending on who, in our world and Emi’s, will ultimately control the technology.