Gauntlet
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Gauntlet Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Holly Jennings (Author), Erin Spencer (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
See all formats and editions

Plug back into the dangerous world of virtual gaming, in the next thrilling novel from the author of Arena.

Kali Ling has faced down death hundreds of times for the entertainment of millions. She knows fear - and she knows what's truly terrifying....

There's a new game in town. A brutal, winner-takes-all international video game tournament showcasing the world's most elite players, promising fame, prestige, and unbelievable fortune. But there's a catch. The game uses new VR pods guaranteed to push digital warriors to their physical and psychological brink - adapting every time a gamer makes a move.

As the first female captain and youngest team owner in VGL history, Kali is used to defying the odds. But as the all-star tournament heats up, her determination begins to waver, and the pressures of media, sponsors, and the game itself begin to put cracks in her hard-set convictions - and strain on her relationship with the one person who matters most.

If Kali and her teammates are to survive, they'll have to find a way to be stronger than ever before. But battling the system may prove too difficult for even the most hardened of fighters....

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    13 hours and 28 minutes
  2. Author
    Holly Jennings
  3. Narrator
    Erin Spencer
  4. Audible release date
    April 4, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B06XDDVZQW
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 13 hours and 28 minutes
Author Holly Jennings
Narrator Erin Spencer
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 04, 2017
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B06XDDVZQW
Best Sellers Rank #242,831 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,365 in Dystopian Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,511 in Science Fiction Romance (Audible Books & Originals)
#4,545 in Adventure Science Fiction

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
67 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

GaryJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Great gamer book(s)
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
My daughter gave me the first Arena book. I enjoyed it enough to buy this follow-on so I could keep following the Kali storyline. I didn't find the storyline of Gauntlet to be radically different from Arena. I'm a gamer (but not VR) and the idea was interesting to me. Both were fun and easy reads.
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Martin Solciansky
5.0 out of 5 stars Great sequel
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
The books are good and I enjoyed them immensely. First person narrative, female MC, written by a female author. Sort of greyish happy ending. Thanks.
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Amy
4.0 out of 5 stars Gauntlet
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017
It’s been a few months since Kali Ling made history as the first female captain to win the RAGE tournament along with her team, Defiance. Now, Kali has another mantle she can add to her growing collection, she just became the youngest ever team owner when she bought Defiance out from under its previous management.

While Kali has been dealing with the ins and outs of sponsorships and managing finances, gamers from around the world have been intrigued by a mysterious new place that just popped up, dubbed The Wall. Various people have been seen clandestinely entering the complex, but their identities are kept secret (as secret as they can be with paparazzi hovering 24/7). No one knows what is going on behind those walls, but many believe it has to do with a new kind of drug. When Defiance is finally invited to enter, they discover that The Wall is not about some new drug, but a new kind of technology that, if implemented, could revolutionize the virtual gaming industry. To prove this, there is set to be an All-Star tournament consisting of teams from all over the world. Defiance is ready to show everyone else what they’re made of, but as they enter the tournament they discover the road to the top might not be so easily taken.

Kali went through so much growth by the end of Arena that I was happy she was continuing on that path in Gauntlet. Not to say it was an easy path, but I was happy that the ideals she learned stuck with her throughout. It was also interesting to see a different perspective from Kali’s eyes: that of Team owner. We see her have to deal with the same things she rebelled against in the first book, and it’s kind of an eye opener for her. It’s a testament that you don’t really know what someone else’s life is like until you walk in their shoes.

But behind everything that Kali has to deal with, is her team. I felt like we really got to know more about the others on the team this time around; Derek, Lily, Hannah, and Rooke. When it appears that someone has specifically started targeting Team Defiance outside of the virtual world, the Team can either fall apart or band together. It went a long way toward making me care not just about the outcome of the games, but the actual relationships between the characters.

Now, to the games. I’ll say that some of the outcomes of certain situations were pretty predictable. But it kinda had to be in order to set up the flow of the story. I loved that the gaming world was expanded so much in seeing so many different Teams competing against one another. You begin to realize that Defiance is still rather “young” in terms of what they’ve accomplished in their careers. Plus, Holly Jennings really amped up the intensity of the challenges and the action of the story. I was on the edge of my seat for the final showdowns because in the end when it came down to the wire of who would win it was anyone’s guess.

I really enjoyed this second book. Where the first book I felt had a more solid ending, this one definitely throws down the Gauntlet.
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diminish7
5.0 out of 5 stars fun concept, great characters
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
Really enjoying this series, fun concept, great characters. If you're in the mood for some NA cyberpunk, check it out.
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Erica L Chilson
5.0 out of 5 stars 5- I couldn't put the book down -stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2017
I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

5 I-couldn’t-put-the-book-down Stars

Young Adult age-range: 12+, depending on the maturity of the reader. Virtual-reality game violence. Mild cussing. Kissing. Fade-to-black sexual situations. Addiction.

After reading Arena about a year ago, I feared being lost at the start of Gauntlet, but the two books flowed together seamlessly, with no confusion to be had.

Without giving away spoilers… what a thrill ride! I was gripped the entire time, feverishly clicking the pages to know what happened next. At the end, I wanted more immediately.

Kali is a strong role model throughout. After making mistakes in Arena, compassionate and fierce Kali is trying to protect her team at all costs. An unknown location surrounded by publicity, catering to professional virtual-gamers, The Wall is in her hometown- at the start of the novel, she tries to figure out how this will affect her and her people, which spirals into the major plot… one I won’t spoil.

As a new team owner, Kali has to deal with political maneuverings, sponsors, image, misbehaving teammates, and the publicity surrounding it all. The very reason she bought a team is slipping through her fingers as she tries to play their game by their rules, losing herself in the process.
As for romance, the gossip-mongers are using false reports to tear Kali and her team apart, but some of the strife comes from within. These situations and emotions were very real, hitting human nature. There was a large thread dealing with the drug HP. One of the closest teammates is addicted, struggling, and Kali has to be the tough-love, refusing to be the enabler after they all lost Nathan in the last installment.

Now, let’s get to the gaming…

WOW. I am beyond impressed at the level of imagination the author uses within Gauntlet. As the reader, I could envision the game arena with lifelike accuracy. Fantasy readers shouldn’t have any issue connecting to this portion. But, for those of us who are gamers, we’ll ‘get’ it and be totally immersed into the heart-pounding action.

With this new ‘development’, I was unsure whether or not what happened in the arena wouldn’t affect them outside of it. With the political maneuverings targeting Defiance, I wasn’t so sure they’d respawn, wake up in their pods, or just be poof. This lent to a thrill ride of epic proportions.

Recommended: Young adults and the young at heart gamers will appreciate this book. Gamers of all ages who do not read could most likely be swayed into giving it a try, which would most likely turn them into avid readers. When a person doesn’t like to read, it’s usually because they haven’t found the right book to flip that switch in their brains. Parents, if you have gamers kids, I’d give this series a try to see if they will catch the reading bug. Adults who love to read but your partner doesn’t, maybe they’re always playing video games (lol) buy them this book and read it together. While the series is narrated by a female, Kali, she is fierce, flawed, and rational enough to appeal to all genders.

I cannot wait for the next in the series. The next book’s setup in Gauntlet gives me the feeling it’s going to be the most epic of them all.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Erdbeerchen
2.0 out of 5 stars Nach spannenden Band 1 (Arena) Enttäuschung über Band 2 (Gauntlet)
Reviewed in Germany on December 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
Teil 1 (Arena) fand ich so spannend dass ich mir Teil 2 (Gauntlet) im Anschluss gekauft hatte. Aber ich bin völlig enttäuscht wurden, flache Handlung, eindimensonale Charaktere ... Fazit: Muss man nicht lesen und nach dem spannenden ersten Teil eine Enttäuschung. Das ist meine persönliche Meinung, vielleicht lagen meine Erwartungen zu hoch
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