Girl in the Arena by Lisa Haines

Genre: Gladiator

Paperback: 336 Pages 

Published: October 13, 2009

Series: None

Rating: ★★★★

GoodReads:

It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena.

            Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through.  Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him...

            For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.

My Review:

            In this day and age we enjoy watching sports like World Wresting Entertainment, Hockey, and Ultimate Fighting Championship. So what do these sports have in common? Fighting! Just plain hard core "knock em till they drop" fighting. Well imagine a world where fighting is all anyone ever talks about. Every TV show that exists has something to do with fighting. Well more specifically Gladiator Fighting. Girl in the Arena is basically about two gladiators who fight to the death. This is considered entertainment in the world Lise Haines created. When I first started reading this book I thought, "wow this sounds interesting." I mean a book about a young girl who watches all of her seven step-fathers die and being able to do nothing about it! How crazy is that?

            But when the young fighter who kills Lyn's father picks up her dowry bracelet, all hell breaks loose for her. She must choose to either marry him or fight him. At this point of the book I was super excited to see what Lyn would choose. If I was in her shoes I would definitely try to fight the guy (I mean who would want to marry a guy they barley know, let alone who killed her father). I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a fresh story line and a great connection with American History. Plus the cover was gorgeous! Girl in the Arena doesn't seem like a book everyone can relate to, however it contains many societal expectations that we all face in society today.