Arena

I was immediately intrigued by the plot. I had read a number of books in the virtual reality subgenre of science fiction (of which there are a surprising number, but not any recently that I can recall) and loved the idea of a world where VR gaming has become the new football viewing past-time. This book doesn't really pull punches; it's unequivocally adult, and shows the dark underbelly of the celebrity lifestyle of a VR pro-gamer. There is drugs, booze, and a push to always be in the limelight in order to maintain the commercial image the sponsors want. It is, in a word, sleazy.

Jennings, also touches on the misogyny and racism in gaming culture, using a bi-racial female POV protagonist. But then she herself started falling into that show more trap, making Kali, who is half-Chinese, remember her Taoist roots in order to recover from the drugs and VR addiction. That whole plot point did not sit right with me after the subtle criticism of racist fetishization and stereotypes that Kali had to deal with as part of her image, that Jennings would then play into another Asian stereotype. But, it did prove to be pretty plot relevant eventually, so I could forgive some of it, though I still wasn't happy about it it.

That said, I enjoyed the book. Because it was fast-paced. It focused on the action and plot, while commenting on both commercial sports culture and gaming culture. I grew to really like the characters and rooted for them in the end.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Virtual reality has advanced into full immersion gaming. Kali Ling battles to the death in the Arena for the enjoyment of her fans and to fill the pockets of her sponsors. The thrill of the battle sings in her veins as she defeats her foes. And in the professional gaming leagues, death isn't painless. Each time she dies, Kali experiences a virtual death as real as one in real life. But when you can wake up from death, over and over again, what does it matter if you die? Until the lines begin to blur between the virtual world and the real one.

Like most gamers in Arena, Kali indulges in alcohol and drugs, chasing the high she feels when in the game. Her life is a whirlwind of training, publicity, and fame, but she can leave all of it show more behind when she is immersed in the virtual world. The game itself becomes an addiction for her. When she loses a teammate to an overdose, her need to escape reality increases. She begins to spiral out of control. Watching Kali struggle to balance her life and reclaim her place in the real world made the pages fly by. Amidst the clamor of battle and gaming, Holly Jennings makes it clear that being a celebrity comes with a price.

The character development was spot on in this novel. I didn't notice Kali's slow decline into addiction at first. I realize now that this is how it starts. Small things that no one really notices until something major happens, then all the pieces begin to line up. The description of this book might talk about how Kali is the first woman to lead a team in the RAGE tournaments, but the true story is how she learns how to deal with the pressure and responsibility of that role.

Watching Kali struggle in both the real and virtual worlds kept my attention the entire time. There is never a dull moment and I couldn't wait to have a free moment to dive back into this book. I can't wait to start the next one! show less

A fun SciFi novel encased in an intriguing new type of world with engaging characters, cool fight scenes and an interesting plot device in the use of virtual reality.

Arena has a different feel than most other stories which have used the idea of getting sucked into a game; in some ways it’s almost a bit like a video game version of the Hunger Games. The fight scenes alone will make you hold your breath and feel your heart speed up in anticipation.

This book has some interesting scene work but the real award goes to the character development which shines in them as individuals and also how they relate to one another. Arena finds a way to showcase current societal issues through the characters and use of this futuristic like SciFi plot show more whether it’s how sports players fare, the impact of their choices, the stress and pressure they face in competition to be the best, or the downfalls that often accompany such a high profile field. Video games are so different now than they were even just ten years ago with high profile competitions and players glued to their xBox or PS4 for days at a time; which is physically health by the way – take a break so you don’t end up being a Twitter meme. I felt Arena did an accurate portrayal of how the focus and importance of the virtual world has begun to shape our reality.

My favorite part? As a woman it was easily the main character being a kickass, strong, female gamer! Shocker that women like video games just as much as men, lol. show less

I would like to thank Ace & NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC to review. Though I received this ebook for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review.

Goodreads Teaser: "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 show more 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 them from the inside..."

A captivating story about personal issues played out in the media, the stresses of living a life dictated by team owners and sponsors, and the massive cover ups that allow the image to remain king. Kali Ling is an incredible character who takes us on a journey of deep introspection and self discovery, all framed in a futuristic, but realistic, world of professional gaming. Virtual gaming is the new hot kid on the scene, and 20 year old Kali is right in the thick of it, living her dream and not really paying to much attention to all that's wrong in the industry. The way all players drug tests are falsified, and how all the drugs they could ever want are supplied by the team owners, players brainwashed into parroting, if not believing, that "image is everything."

This story is a fascinating mix of personal and public, showing the fault lines that run through pro sports and the damage it does to each successive generation of players. Everyone toes the line in fear of losing sponsors, or getting dropped from teams; Kali follows this path until her teammate Nathan overdoses. That event begins the unraveling of Kali's belief in the industry; though it had begun some time prior, it took Nathan's death to bring it to the fore for her.

This story is both exhilarating and saddening, as though it is fiction it is so easy to see how close to reality it likely is for most industries that rely on public fans and private sponsors. But Kali's journey, and that of her friends and teammates is refreshing, and feels oh so authentic. The characters are well crafted, with Kali and Rooke the two central players, surrounded by two empathetic and enjoyably strong young women as well as a young man with more depth than one would expect. Between their budding friendship and growing dependence upon each other to struggle through the challenges they face they move the story ever forward. Their lives and challenges both propel the plot and are the plot. This is a refreshing journey of a very realistic character, one who faces tough challenges, especially at the very young age of 20, and yet learns to rediscover herself. In doing so she also learns how to lead, far better than she'd ever imagined possible.

Not only is this a great book for anyone who would be in the entertainment industry, be it as professional athletes, models, actors, etc. but also for those who support those various industries by following them. It's also simply a wonderful story of reaffirmation, self discovery, and personal growth. And on top of all that it's just a flat out good story, one that will challenge you to put the book down to sleep when all you want to know is what happens next. In Arena Ms. Jennings has done a wonderful job of tackling serious issues, sharing solid life lessons, and still keeping the reader more than engaged. show less

I feel like there are good ideas here, but it's a slog to get through. I'm not sure if it's that I just don't care enough about cult of celebrity, or glamorous lifestyles or rigorous, real time training, or designed drug addictions, or if it's the shallow characters -- they have potential, but just repeating the main character's insecurities over and over again does not give her depth. I'm surprised that people describe this book as fast-paced, because it's mostly an internal monologue without a lot of plot movement.

Also, as someone who enjoys martial arts, neither Kali, nor her team's abilities make for interesting fight scenes. There is little sophistication or originality in the game scenarios, and I just don't believe that she's as show more much of a badass as she'd like to think, based on her tendency to die often after taking on opponents she can't handle. Strategy, people. Skill. Those things are important. Excuse the rant. This is by no means the worst example of this problem I've seen lately.

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. show less

In this dystopian scifi thriller, video games have become a national pastime sport, with tournaments broadcast on television networks and the players in these virtual worlds are just as famous as athletes are in our world, larger-than-life superstars with high end sponsors and all the fame and notoriety that goes along with those roles. Kali Ling, a member of Team Defiance, the number one team in the virtual gaming world until an unexpected and overwhelming defeat in the semifinal rounds of the RAGE tournaments, becomes the first female captain of a RAGE team in its history. She is also of Asian descent, so she also has to deal with that aspect of her life in the gaming world as well.

This is all set up fairly early on, after the Team show more Defiance upset by an unknown team. The team is sent out to the clubs by their sponsors to make sure that everything still seems normal. After a night of partying, Kali's teammate and friend-with-benefits, Nathan, ODs on the drug HP and dies. She's clearly torn up about this until Nathan's replacement is introduced the next day. (Nathan who?) Burdened with everything the virtual world throws at her, she too turns to drugs and sex and wild living, until she realizes that she's slowly throwing her life away. (Hello, after school special).

Overall, there was a lot of potential here, but I felt it got bogged down in trying to redeem Kali. The gaming world seemed really intense, given that anything that happened in VR, the players felt IRL. However, the games themselves didn't seem all that exciting; I guess I was just expecting more from the VR gaming world here, other than what felt like glorified capture the flag, but with swords and virtual death. I also felt that Jennings was having a hard time deciding what type of book this was supposed to be: was she going for edgy YA? Moral lessons wrapped in adult ambiguity when it comes to sex, drugs, and clubbing? Spiritual coming of age? I also felt that Jennings was trying far too hard to make everybody happy, and checking off all the necessary ticks on a list: Female lead? Check. Character of Asian descent? Check. Lesbian couple? Check. Black character? Check. Making sure female lead is a total kick ass character? Check.

To be honest, by the end of the book, I found myself skimming huge swaths of text, as I really just wanted to get to the end of the story, and I didn't really care all that much about what happened to anybody. Clearly, this book just wasn't for me. show less

Kali is a gamer. One who fights, and dies, on national television for the entertainment of the masses. Ruled by sponsors, Kali and her team struggle with fame, notoriety, and drugs. Her team is one of the favorites to win the RAGE tournament, but during the pre-rounds, they are defeated by an unknown team and put into the losers bracket. Kali’s lover, and teammate, overdoses, throwing the entire team into limbo. Their team manager names Kali as the captain, making her the first female captain in RAGE tournament history. Success or failure depends on her decisions, and her ability to pull her team back together.

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book, but the author grabbed me immediately. I couldn’t put this book down, and found show more myself reading all night long to find out what happens. My only criticism is that the book desperately needs an epilogue, or at least the promise of a second book. I look forward to reading more from this author, highly recommended. show less