I expected way more from the book based on the description.

My first thought upon spying dialogue was Hey! It's just like French! which means that instead of quotation marks, there are em dashes at the start of each spoken line. Kind of like Blood Red Road, but easier to tell apart thought and speech. The premise here sounds a bit like The Hunger Games, but the world most definitely isn't; it's basically our world right now, with gladiator fighting. (In fact, I'm not sure you can call it futuristic.) There's also a distinct lack of fighting, especially when compared to THG; instead, Lise Haines concentrates on relationships and the planning and plotting to take up residence in between the two monumental fights. The integration of Roman and Greek history is a pleasant and well-done surprise. Contrast the cultural background with the life of the rich and famous that Lyn and her family go through, and you get a rich reading experience. Haines may lose some readers with description after description of the paparazzi as the plot meanders somewhat, even with sparse, informative flashbacks. Lyn is the kind of protagonist I wish existed outside of books with life-threatening situations. Hardy, level-headed and plain smart, she earns our respect by rolling with the punches and overcoming troubles and tragedies without ever appearing cold-hearted. The mentally ill brother and best friend good with computers are both cliché, but they serve to highlight Lyn's character. If you can hang on to the end (and I sincerely suggest you do), the author delivers an emotionally resonant finish that stays in tone with the rest of the novel, something not to be underrated. Girl in the Arena is an entrance into a world that could've been ours, and is all the more powerful because of that possibility.

Good but paced badly, fast then slow then fast... etc. Good plot, okay characters, not a ton of detail. I still liked it but I wouldn't call it a definite favorite.

Good book, but i thought that it would have more feeling and be a harder read.

this book could've been so good .but it wasent . i found the lack of punctuation irritating . and the entire book confusing.

Hope the story continues.

I tried really hard but just couldn't get into this book. The style of prose was hard to follow. Disappointing becuase the story-line looked so promising.

Good book. I bit boring in parts. It was modern yet had history in it.

Bit confusing 'cause Lise Haines didn't use any quotation marks, only hyphens when people were talking. All in all, an awesome book--love the plot.

A bit futuristic and brutal, but not bad.