Ones and Zeroes (Mirador Book 2) - Dan Wells

Publisher Summary:

"Overworld. It’s more than just the world’s most popular e-sport—for thousands of VR teams around the globe, Overworld is life. It means fame and fortune, or maybe it’s a ticket out of obscurity or poverty. If you have a connection to the internet and four friends you trust with your life, anything is possible. Marisa Carneseca is on the hunt for a mysterious hacker named Grendel when she receives word that her amateur Overworld team has been invited to Forward Motion, one of the most exclusive tournaments of the year. For Marisa, this could mean anything—a chance to finally go pro and to help her family, stuck in an LA neighborhood on the wrong side of the growing divide between the rich and the poor. But Forward Motion turns out to be more than it seems—rife with corruption, infighting, and danger—and Marisa runs headlong into Alain Bensoussan, a beautiful, dangerous underground freedom fighter who reveals to her the darker side of the forces behind the tournament. It soon becomes clear that, in this game, winning might be the only way to get out alive."

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My Review:

Rating: 7/10

In Ones and Zeroes, Marisa's journey is piled up with more conflicts for her to face. She is now on a journey to solve a mystery in the real world, and faces parts of her society that may be new to her.

The book consisted of two main plotlines that were loosely intertwined, but Wells could have done a better job of making both equally exciting. I was much more invested in one over the other, but this could be rectified by the end of the series. The game terminology used in the book was not too complex and well embedded, so it wasn't as overwhelming. The book had a solid ending and cliffhanger, so I was satisfied with the conclusion of the smaller storylines in the book.

Two new (catalyst?) characters were introduced and they both seem to have more personality than the main character, who is now starting to get on my nerves. It's understandable that she's having problems, but I feel this could have been expressed a little better. She has already proven to be apt at lying, but she doesn't use this as much as I think she could have. Later on though, she becomes more bearable and the story becomes overall more enjoyable. The plot thickens even further, and I did find myself investing more time trying to figure out what was going on. However, I feel that the plot twists in the story are becoming a little bit over the top, and could have used a little bit more foreshadowing.

Overall, I think it was a pretty good continuation of the series, maybe not as memorable as the first book in the series, but a very good sequel to Bluescreen. I'm excited to read the next one!