Book Review: Arena

It's still technically summer, right? I promise I did some summer reading! But did I also power read through this awesome book and then procrastinate making a blog post? Yes, yes I did. But allow me to explain before we dive into this recommended read from me!

I came across Arena by Karen Hancock on a Goodreads list categorized under YA Christian Science Fiction. Y'all know how much I adore YA Science Fiction, and I've recently noticed that the Christian subgenre has gained significant popularity in recent years. I've found numerous new YA Christian Sci-Fi books, and I'm thrilled! I'm currently reading more and can't wait to review them too!

Now, back to Arena. I can begin by telling you, I loved this book. It is my new favorite book. I wish it were a series because I wanted more. But when I finished reading it, I realized that it was actually Adult Christian Fiction. So I debated reviewing it for a while, as normally I only review YA and below. However, after much consideration, I knew I had to write a review and recommend it! I loved it so much, it has a powerful message, and I do believe it is young adult appropriate. It could even fall into a new category coming out now called New Adult, which is ages 19-23. But a mature 18 or 17 year old could absolutely read this book and enjoy it. It does deal with some mature themes, but it does so in a Christian, conservative manner. Any parents who like to read my reviews, you should read this for yourself! And then if you feel comfortable letting your teen read it, pass it along to them. If not, I hope you enjoy the read!

image courtesy of goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142023.Arena?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=oo3EORgL1b&rank=1

One review described this book as Pilgrim's Progress meets The Hunger Games, and I agree. That's pretty spot on. If you were a Hunger Games fan and would like something along that line, but Christian, you need to get this book now!

This book is an allegory, which is why it feels like Pilgrim's Progress. The story follows Callie, a young woman who is convinced by her best friend to participate in a psychology experiment that pays money to the volunteers. Since she could use some extra bucks, Callie agrees. She is warned by someone in the waiting room that this experiment is really run by aliens, and she better leave now. Callie assumes the man is crazy and continues with the interview process. But soon, she changes her mind, asking to back out, and her guide refuses to let her leave. Panicked from being held in the experiment, Callie refuses to listen to any warnings or instructions and is dropped into the Arena, totally blind. She's told she can escape if she follows the Benefactor's plans. But can Callie do it? Can she trust Him? Or will she try things on her own?

You can tell this is an allegory because clearly, as you read the story, you see that the "aliens" are not aliens at all. They represent angels, and the Benefactor represents God and Who He is in our lives. There are also adversaries along the way, trying to prevent Callie from completing her journey and being sent back home to Earth. The only way out of the Arena is to follow the Benefactor's guide, a book given to Callie at the start (this represents the Bible.) Callie guards it at first, reads it, and tries to follow, but quickly ends up on a false path. The more time she spends on the path, and meets others trapped in the Arena, the less she reads the guide book, and eventually stops caring about it at all.

It made me pause and think about how we treat our Bibles (myself, included.) Do we do the same thing? Begin our journey excited about what the Bible says, but as the days go by, we pick it up less and less? The author brought that out so well and it made me stop to think. It was such a simple illustration but very powerful!

As I just mentioned, Callie meets others in the Arena. They have been trapped there for years, much to everyone's dismay. But the reason they are trapped is because they won't follow the guide book provided, they keep trying to find their own way out.

Callie meets a man named Pierce, whom she seems to have an instant connection to. It makes sense though, since he saved her life her first day in the Arena! The more Callie gets to know him, and the Arena, the more frightening her new reality is. She finds out that some people never make it out of the Arena for a few different reasons. But one frightening reason, is because they give in to an energy that is is set up by the adversaries. When they do, it gives them temporary power, but it also mutates them, until they no longer appear human, but more like a monster. The more they give in to this false energy, the worse they become. These monsters captured Pierce one time, and now he remains terrified of them, but he can always sense when they are near. It keeps Callie and others safe, but is tearing Pierce apart. You can see how this represents what sin does in our lives, and how it changes us for the worse, taking us further and further away from God and His plans for us. I could clearly see how it showed that sin may seem to give a temporary pleasure and satisfaction, but in the end, it destroys you. Great job from the author!

As you read the story, you can see how the Arena reflects our lives before salvation, and our journey here on Earth before God calls us home. It isn't always a perfect allegory, but it pulled me in right away. I devoured this book in just 2 and half days! If Callie can escape the Arena, she will go back to Earth, knowing the Benefactor and allowing Him to continue to work in her life. But the question is, can she make it, or will be distracted and remain trapped forever?

I recommend this book to ages 18 and up, but some mature teens ages 17 and possibly 16 could handle this as well! Again, there are some mature themes throughout the story, but it is written in a conservative way. I think older teens would appreciate it, though, because it deals with real-life issues that they face, but puts it in a way that they can relate to without it feeling too cliché. If you're a teen and you're unsure, I'd say it is a good idea to talk about it with your parents first and make that decision together.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I am excited to review some more YA Christian Sci Fi soon! I hope you all had a fabulous summer and squeezed in some reading as well. And, as always, happy reading!