Saturday, June 3, 2017

Review @HollyN_Jennings - Arena by Holly Jennings (Arena #1)




Arena
Arena #1
by Holly Jennings

Goodreads blurb:  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 fight to the digital death. Every kill is broadcast to millions. Every player leads 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 s stuck trying to work with a hostile new teammate who s far more distracting than he should be.

Between internal tensions and external pressures, Kali is on the brink of breaking. To change her life, she ll need to change the game. And the only way to revolutionize an industry as shadowy as the VGL is to fight from the inside


About the Author:  Holly Jennings is a self-proclaimed nerd and lover of all things geeky and weird. As the firstborn to a sports enthusiast, it was soon discovered that the only games she'd ever learn to master involved consoles and controllers. Her childhood was spent crushing virtual foes, racing on simulated tracks, and rescuing digital princesses. As a young adult, she fell in love with English class, speculative novels, and comic books, which inspired her to create stories of her own. Eventually, her passions converged and she started writing about the future of video games.

She lives in Canada.

Connect with Holly:

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!

***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!!  Yes, I got a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book!

The cover is what attracted me to this book, but the description is what compelled me to want to read it!  There are two covers, but this one is my first and favorite one!

I requested this book because it intrigued me, but then I was distracted by life, school, and other books.  I’m sorry I was distracted for so long because this book is not my usual read.  There were no shifters, vampires, or elements of paranormal that are my usual reads.  I think part of what intrigued me is my son and students who are gripped in all that is gaming.  I’m also a teacher who recently adding teaching computer and programming into my wheelhouse.  I like trying to read things I think would interest the students.  They would love this book for the strife from drug addiction and fighting the world.

This is the first book in the series, and I’d say it is more new adult because the characters are 20ish years old.  I’ve seen several places that classify it as YA, and I can see my students this.  You should be aware though that there is graphic descriptions of violence and gore.  There is also drugs, alcohol, and the misuse of them with partying.  And I truly believe that gamers can lose themselves in the games and forget the real world around them.  I think as long as you go into the book knowing there is death from drug overdose and all of the above that high school students read this stuff all the time by their own choice.  It shocked me that students want the dirty gritty story of pain and strife.  Some know these things personally, and they say it helps them to read about it. 

This book demonstrates morals which you can overcome addictions, you can change the world, and you have to start with yourself.  Kali is an amazing lead character, and I loved her story.  She perseveres, overcomes, and comes out the other side much stronger and wiser.  She has help along the way with her teammates especially Rooke because they had the same battles to fight.  I can’t even put into words how engaging and awesome this story was.

Holly Jennings is a new author for me, and her writing is amazing.  I can lose myself in her book, and I can’t wait to do it again!

I highly recommend this book to any nerd especially if you had personal battles and challenges to overcome, or you are a hard-core gamer who needs a reminder to live your life in the real world and play and have fun in the virtual one!

Interested in reading???

~ Amazon ~ AmazonUK ~ B&N

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