Warcross — Chapter 1

About This Passage

This sentence is worth slow study because of how Marie Lu uses a single understated line to do enormous work. Notice the rhythm: a list of three normal teenage worries (exams, papers, waking up on time), followed by a flat, almost shrugging admission ('I haven't exactly had a normal adolescence'). The list lulls the reader into the rhythm of ordinary teenage life, and then the final clause pulls the rug. The phrase 'haven't exactly' is the key — it is the verbal posture of someone who is being asked to explain her own life and would rather not. Lu is teaching the reader to read for what Emika is NOT saying as much as for what she is.

Narration Prompt

Retell the chapter, then identify the single sentence that does the most work in establishing Emika's voice for the rest of the book. Defend your choice with reference to specific craft details.

Discussion Questions

1. Marie Lu opens the book with a chase scene that is also a deeply specific portrait of economic precarity. Most chase scenes are pure plot — Lu's is plot AND character AND world-building all at once. Identify three specific details that are doing more than one job. What is the chapter teaching us about Emika at the same time it is moving the plot forward?
2. Emika is described as having rainbow-dyed hair, riding an old electric skateboard, hacking phones for fun and profit, and idolizing the inventor of a video game. She is precise, observant, technically skilled, and essentially alone. What kind of hero is Lu introducing — and how is this hero different from the YA female protagonists of the previous decade (Katniss, Tris, Bella, Hermione)?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide