Author's Works Face Off : Marie Lu"s Rebel Vs Warcross Duology
November 28, 2020
“That's the difference between the real and the virtual. Reality is where you can lose the ones you love. Reality is the place where you can feel the cracks in your heart.”
Hello everyone! I decided that i will do the Author Works Face Off instead of only reviewing the second book of Warcross duology : Wildcard. One of the reason is because i binge reading it after reading Rebel the sequel of Legend series that i think got some similarity with this Warcross duology, mostly because of the theme and genre similarity.
Both of them, in my opinion, although Legend series suppose to be a dytopian series, but in Rebel it's more sci-fi than dystopian with the Augmented Reality that being added in this book as the main topic of the story, which also happen in the Warcross duology.
For you who doesn't really familiar with Augmented Reality, this some googling for the actual meaning of it for ya
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory."
- Wikipedia -
or in simple term :
"Augmented reality is the technology that expands our physical world, adding layers of digital information onto it, deploying virtual images over real-world objects."
- medium.com -
For more simple example, in our real life, Pokemon game is one of the game with Augmented Reality. I hope that's enough explanation for this (i wonder why i explain this AR a lot more than it suppose to be)
Which should i read first?
If you read by the publication date, it would be Warcross, Wildcard then Rebel. But by series publication, it probably better to read Rebel first then Warcross and Wildcard.
I read rebel first then warcross tho and i think it's more proper in timeline, because it's like more futuristic than Rebel in my opinion. But by reading the Author's note, actually she wrote Rebel first but put it down, working on Warcross instead. So, your choice then. But well.. since it's two different story, either way you won't be spoiled.
What's it all about and Comparison
I've done both Rebel and Warcross for the review so i won't do it again, just go click this two pictures below in case you haven't read it.
But i will give you a sneak peak about what's going on in the Wildcard. So, turns out that Hideo is using the algorithm to control people's mind to not doing any criminal acts, that made less criminal acts in the world because most of world population using that retina lenses that was recently released. The only other that can't be controlled by the algorithm are the one that didn't use the lenses at all (which mostly old people) and the tournament champions that still using the previous version of the lenses.
The Algorithm made lots of people confess to police, going to jail for things they've done, in some part looks okay, but in other it made people loose their own will, controlled by Hideo's Algorithm. Some cases even show that some people killed themselves out of guilty of their past crime.
Emika, in other hand, in order to stop Hideo, working for Zero and the Blackcoats, the society that Zero has been working on for years, the one that tried to kill Hideo, and turns out that Zero is Hideo's little brother. And more than that, Emika reveals the dark story behind the Lost of Hideo's brother in the past. Emika not only trying to stop Hideo but also the Blackcoats society.
In Comparison
In Warcross duology, the technology not only become just game, but lifestyle. A lot of people having their job by this augmented reality, either as the player of Warcross game, or people selling products or items that can be use in the game. I can imagine the beauty of the augmented reality a lot more clearly in the Warcross duology if i have to compare it with Rebel's world building.
Both the story we can see it's the main focus, the way people live, not only an app or things that people can live without. Both main problem is the system, how to change it because of the lack of fairness in Rebel story, and a sabotage by Hideo to control all people in Warcross.
Villain
In Rebel it's easy to pinpoint who's the villain here. Dominic Hann is one of Villain kind that i really like. The badass one, but in some point i can really support why he decide to do it, but also the other side i disagree. This kind of villain (the one that tore me in half whether to support or not) that has a slight good side in him, is just one of my fave kind of villain.
In Warcross we got 2 kind of villain, the good man gone bad, Hideo Tanaka. The one that want people to stop doing bad things, by the trauma of losing his brother because of the abductions. And we got Zero, who is working with the Blackcoats society, which is a mind-blowing society for me, one i know about the secret behind it, it just like.. "Poof!! whaaat?" kind of thing. Zero also an unique villain for me, he is for me, got 90% of bad side, and 10% of good side. The way he speaks and do things just made a goosebumps to me most of the times.
“Zero isn’t real. He is an illusion.
Sasuke Tanaka died a long time ago.”
Plots
It's hard to be objective for the plot whether it's enough or not because of the number of the books in this. Rebel, i count it as a one book apart from Legend series, because it's different kind of adventure here, and the genre too is different between Rebel and the other previous three. Warcross is a duology, so by the number of the book, Warcross is longer than Rebel.
But to be honest Warcross honestly gave a lot of plot twist here and there rather than Rebel. Of course i kind of guessed the plot in Warcross for Zero is Hideo's long lost brother, but still got a plot twist here and there. Rebel in other hand feels a bit slow pace, and besides, because it's double POV with Eden an Day in Rebel, the story feels like it's split into two, with Eden's adventure and Day's adventure. While in the Warcross we got the sole POV by Emika which i always find a strong headed girl is charming for some reason.
Loveline
In Warcross i was expecting a love triangle but it didn't happen and i think it's a good sign. And personally i think this book is more adult than other previous Marie Lu's works. It's not that explicit to be counted as adult genre but i think we can include it as new adult genre? because it's included with not just a kiss in the book, but again like i said not explicit to be included as adult fantasy genre.
Overall
I got all i need from Rebel in terms of finding the answer for the open ending of Legend trilogy, about Daniel and June's future, what happen to Republican next. I enjoy a lot reading Wildcard, it feels like been awhile since i read a thrilling, adrenaline rush kind of read. But i got to say i struggle a bit at Wildcard, i find in some game, i can't really understand what the author trying to explain by the game's world building, so i kind of feels like i skimming reading it although i'm not, because i just don't get it, the pace seems super fast that feels blurry for me.
My Verdict
Warcross duology wins!
I still think the lack of the spotlight of Eden because Daniel overshadow him a lot in the story can't outshine the Warcross duology, not just because of that POV, but also the plot twist and the charm of the Villain (which one of my big point i think while i rate a book), the complex of the characters, Warcross duology outshine Rebel a little bit. Although i don't really enjoy few chapter of Wildcard, i still think Warcross duology successfully outshine the Rebel.
Previous Episode of the Series :
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