Holly Jennings

For video game fans and readers who loved Ready Player One (Arrow, 2012), Arena is a gripping near-future science fiction debut about the world of competitive gaming. The RAGE tournaments - the Virtual Gaming League's elite competition pitting the best gamers against each other in a fight to the death. Every bloody kill is broadcast to millions. Every athlete is a modern gladiator - living a life of fame, battling for the entertainment of the masses. And though the weapons and armour are digital, the pain is real. For fans of The Hunger Games (Scholastic).

Arena

Melissa Palmer

Book # 6 Read in 2015
Arena by Holly Jennings

This was touted as a read for Hunger Games fan and I can see that. This book is set in the virtual reality realm, where teams of gamers fight to the death in tournaments to become champions. Champions get lots of moneys, lots of sponsors and lots of fame. They also can pay the price of a world of addiction, alcohol and drugs. Kali becomes team captain and tries to bring fun back into the team's lives. Will she succeed? Will she be able to fix the dark side of this way of life. This was a good read and had elements of action, humor and romance. I enjoyed it. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

Kelsey Lynn

I received a copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
First of all I'm super confused by the harsh reviews and amount of people who gave up on this. I went into counting the pages till it would turn awful and it just never happened. 
 Sure this book followed a few tropes, but over all it brought a nice concept to the table, was decently written, had interesting characters, and actually focused on a heavy idea. Loss and addiction. It suffered from some YA relationship tropes, and a lack of depth in the plot. Overall however it was a solid debut and I look forward to reading more. 
 Now, onward to my review.
 In a not so distance 2054, the exponential advancement of videogames has created an all new Superbowl, one complete with excitement, entertainment, sponsors, money, drugs and gamers turned athletes. In the RAGE tournament players face off against each other in a brutal game of king of the hill that requires teams of people to die every night for entertainment. Virtually that is. Kali is the leader of team Defiance, a perfectly dynamic, fan favorite team. They have the looks, the sponsors, and the skills to reach the top. As the first female team leader in the history of the tournament, there's a lot of pressure on her to be the best. Throw in her team being slaughtered by team InvictUS in the final game of the preseason, a team mate overdosing and a replacement member before the first game of the tournament you have recipe for a mental breakdown. 
 The modern world has become plastic, fake, consumerist society. So much so that when the players plug into a virtual world everyday it starts to become more real and they start to become addicted. A new drug has also emerged call HP, that simulates the euphoric feeling the players have in the games, so even when they aren't plugged in many are so high they still aren't present. More than one game has cracked, overdosed, or killed themselves over the mental instability that comes with blurring the lines of reality and virtual reality. 
 The book follows the tournament, the team pulling together, and most importantly Kali. Her struggle with her team mates death, the media and sponsors trying to cover it up, as well as her own struggle with drugs and the virtual world. She has a hard time admitting and dealing with these problems until the new recruit Rooke helps bring her back to her roots, and reminds her what's real and whats fake and how everything needs balance.

 I was impressed with the heavy core concept of this, the author really tries to show Kali's struggle with addiction and loss. I found her believable and I felt for her. Her development was real but unfortunately a little rushed. Her team mates were amusing, individual and a healthy amount in the background. I never found them unnecessary, or what they were saying unhelpful to the plot and I never forgot bout them while reading. I wanted to read about them all, I rooted for them and I felt for Kali's struggle.
 Balance was a large concept in the book and I found the authors comparison of the VR and 'The Art of War' and Taoism to be well thought out and executed decently. I think she could have spread this out better, entwining it into the plot a bit more and drawing it out. But it's a debut after all.
 Rooke's introduction was the worst part for me. It was eye roll worthy to the extreme. I also disliked the unnecessary hardass turned softie routine. (It worked for Darcy but I've yet to see it used well since.) Couldn't he have just been quite, couldn't they at least be friendly, like normal people when they first meet? Or at least commit to it. Rooke turned softie in like 3pages. Plus the 'you hate each other but must act like you're dating' was just silly. Luckily a decent friendship bloomed quickly enough to over look this. For the most part. Unfortunately poorly written YA romance randomly would pop up after large bouts of believable friendship and chemistry. But other than the YA parts Rooke was a decent character that I enjoyed reading.
 For me the major flaw of this book was depth. Just not a lot happened, enough did to be good and worth the read and interesting. But I couldn't help but think more could have. For how long the book was the read felt very short. I wish the author had done more battle scenes and given Kali more examples of The Art of War and her matches. I wish Clarence the team captain had more believable development and was just a men guy put in place to advance the plot. The virtual world was always the same map, had each match been a different mp and challenge, that alone would've given the book more depth.

 The heavy concept worked well in this setting and overall it's a great debut, I hope there's a second book. While I definitely had some issues and think the concept could be fleshed out more and expanded, Kali was great, her struggle was well written and I really liked her. I liked all the team honestly. Just not the silly YA bits. Hands down worth the read. So come April 5 check it out! With all these mixed reviews find out for yourself!

@abibliophagist

A fast-paced and gripping near-future science fiction debut about the gritty world of competitive gaming... Every week, Kali Ling fights to the death on national TV. She’s died hundreds of times. And it never gets easier... The RAGE tournaments—the Virtual Gaming League’s elite competition where the best gamers in the world compete in a no-holds-barred fight to the digital death. Every bloody kill is broadcast to millions. Every player is a modern gladiator—leading a life of ultimate fame, responsible only for entertaining the masses. And though their weapons and armor are digital, the pain is real. Chosen to be the first female captain in RAGE tournament history, Kali Ling is at the top of the world—until one of her teammates overdoses. Now, she must confront the truth about the tournament. Because it is much more than a game—and even in the real world, not everything is as it seems. The VGL hides dark secrets. And the only way to change the rules is to fight from the inside...

Sarah Escorsa

Actual rating: 1.5 stars. Because it's Christmas and I'm feeling uncharacteristically lenient today. Don't worry, it won't last.

Disclaimer: this book was NOT marketed as YA when it was released! Cross my black, withered heart, hope to die and all that crap! I did not go into this willingly! I was despicably misled!

Presenting…the Adjectives Only Crappy Non Review (AOCNR™)! Because qualifiers are as dear to me as my murderous babies, and I won't let them be shamelessly vilified as they have been in recent weeks! The Anti-Adjective League sucks! The Anti-Adjective League should be outlawed and stuff! Revolt! Resist! Unleash the qualifiers!



Ha! Take that you adjective-loathing bigots!

☢ Friendly warning: I'll be throwing in a few adverbs just to aggravate the prose zealots. You are quite welcome.

➽ This wonderful story is:
● Silly (very)
● Clichéd (absurdly)
● Predictable (awfully)
● Eyeroll-worthy (remarkably)
● YA-ish (nauseatingly)
● Flat (dreadfully)
● Forced (wretchedly)
● Repetitive (extraordinarily)
● Decaf (profoundly)
● Pretentious (strikingly)
● Clunky (scrupulously)
● Simplistic (wonderfully)
● Boring (eminently)



Don't mind me, just trying to make an inconspicuous point here.

➽ The delightful heroine is:
● Immature (utterly)
● Arrogant (spectacularly)
● Unlikable (thoroughly)
● Exasperating (remarkably)
● Self-righteous (uncommonly)
● Whiny (marvelously)
● Ungrateful (highly)
● Infuriating (unabashedly)
● Vapid (notably)
● Patronizing (horribly)
● Temperamental (magnificently)
● Selfish (tragically)
● Shallow (stunningly)
● Stupid (admirably)

I love the girl. I really do. She puts me in the best of moods and stuff.



Yes, this is indeed me without my make-up.

Also, this book will teach you that some things are bad, harmful, unhealthy, detrimental, dangerous and atrociously wrong: drugs, alcohol, partying too much and evil corporate machinations = terrible, horrendous, shockingly ghastly stuff. Stay the fish away.

Also also, this book will teach you that some things are good, wonderful, excellent, positive, pleasing, exceptional, fine and beautifully sensational: extreme grinning, spectacularly caricatural, one-dimensional characters, memory foam mattresses (very comfortable), self-centered bitches, juvenile views on Taoism, redemption, tropes galore and chiselled abs = wondrous, glorious, stupendously splendid stuff. Please do jump in with both pincers.



Yes, this is indeed me in a slightly slaughterish mood.

» And the moral of this I Won't Reveal Who Recommended this Book Because I Might Be Nefarious but I'm not Completely Heartless and Also Because Reasons and Stuff Crappy Non Review (IWRWRtBBIMBNbInCHaABRaSCNR™) is: blatantly moralizing YA/NA/whatever is truly a thing of beauty. Especially when it is as sub-par and insipid and formulaic and trivial and stereotyped as this little story here. Now can I please get a bloody shrimping medal for making it through this? Or, preferably, a bottle of whisky? It would be the charitable thing to do, you know. It is Christmas, after all. Even in my subaquatic kingdom.

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[Pre-review nonsense]

If it feels like crappy YA, smells like crappy YA and tastes like crappy YA, then there's a slight bloody shrimping chance it bloody shrimping IS crappy YA.



➽ Full There Aren't Enough Words in this Universe or the Next to Properly Convey How Much the Heroine of this Story Needs to Die a Deadly and Preferably Excruciating Death Crappy Non Review (TAEWitUotNtPCHMtHotSNtDaDaPEDCNR™) to come.

Kimmy Hobden

Carol Bailey

I think maybe I need to give up on the Sci-Fi stuff for awhile. This started out with a bang for me but I quickly lost interest. I'm kind of bummed about that because it's actually an interesting concept where "Gladiators" fight in Virtual Reality but even at the 1/2 way point I couldn't tell you what the point was and honestly I think that was more to do with my interest level than the book itself. I have no doubt that there will be people who love this story and I may give it another shot down the line

Nickie Mohler

Kali and her teammates are competing in the RAGE tournaments. The best of the best in virtual gaming will be there. They will hit lots of bumps along the way. Addiction, death, loss, and losing touch with reality. Add in bosses, sponsors, media,and who wouldn't lose it? This book was just ok for me. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. They just weren't that exciting or likable.

Arena

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