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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I bought this book as a drunk Book Outlet purchase and when I got it, I put it on my shelf and kind of forgot about it. I mean I got it for five dollars on Book Outlet so I wasn’t too worried about it. However, this month I decided to try to make a dent in my pile of books that were drunk purchases and this book was the first book chosen. I mean look at that COVER!
This book was such a surprising delight and I couldn’t put it down until the very end. It was captivating, mysterious, fascinating, and just downright awesome. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and I can’t wait to read the next installment. It was so much better than I expected and I was just so intrigued that everything that this read has to offer.
First of all, let me just say that these rich people ARE INSANE! I mean what the double hockey sticks were these entitled brats thinking? Do they have souls or does old money mean your family sold your soul to Satan a long time ago? I just was SHOOK by the entire mystery and ritual that these sick white folks came up with. I was deeply distrubed and I loved it. I also was digging the setting in which this story took place. They combined a creepy old school with the beauty of a forest and the allure of an elegant mansion. I was pretty much obsessed with all the scenery and it got me in the mood for a thrilling mystery.
The messages of the book were also extremely powerful and kept me powering through this novel until the very end. First, the debate between new money and old money was very obvious with one of the side characters. I’ve never understood this debate. I mean money is money and people should be able to spend it how they want and when they want. I feel like the “elite” use this argument as an excuse to create a gap between those that grew up in that society and keep the same people there. It’s like a clubhouse that no one can have access to. IT’S SOOO ANNOYING TO ME AND I WANTED TO PUNCH THESE BRATS IN THE FACE.
Another message that the author touched on was the fact that technology is changing the way of life of the elite and they do NOT appreciate it. I feel like they got away with SO MUCH before we all had cell phones so I found that addition to the plot extremely intriguing. OH THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!
I also just loved the hunting element so much and thought it was so cool! I mean English hunting practices are very specific and very traditional. I’ve seen how it is done on television, but it has never been explained to me in this magnitude or this thoroughly. It was so fascinating to me and when the author added the creep factor of it into the mix, I was just addicted.
Although the book world, the plot, and the ending were top notch (in my opinion) I found the characters to be sort of lacking. Their development wasn’t as detailed or as well done as the other aspects of the novel, but since this is a series, I have a feeling that the characters will become more complete as the story progresses. I found the members of the Medieval super addicting and perfect representations of that aspect of society. I also was obsessed with Shafeen and his story, but the main character..... was meh. The author put a lot of effort into the side characters and the main character was just left in their golden dust. Greer was cool, but not THAT cool.
Overall, the ending shook me to the core so I can’t wait to read the sequel!
This book was such a surprising delight and I couldn’t put it down until the very end. It was captivating, mysterious, fascinating, and just downright awesome. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and I can’t wait to read the next installment. It was so much better than I expected and I was just so intrigued that everything that this read has to offer.
First of all, let me just say that these rich people ARE INSANE! I mean what the double hockey sticks were these entitled brats thinking? Do they have souls or does old money mean your family sold your soul to Satan a long time ago? I just was SHOOK by the entire mystery and ritual that these sick white folks came up with. I was deeply distrubed and I loved it. I also was digging the setting in which this story took place. They combined a creepy old school with the beauty of a forest and the allure of an elegant mansion. I was pretty much obsessed with all the scenery and it got me in the mood for a thrilling mystery.
The messages of the book were also extremely powerful and kept me powering through this novel until the very end. First, the debate between new money and old money was very obvious with one of the side characters. I’ve never understood this debate. I mean money is money and people should be able to spend it how they want and when they want. I feel like the “elite” use this argument as an excuse to create a gap between those that grew up in that society and keep the same people there. It’s like a clubhouse that no one can have access to. IT’S SOOO ANNOYING TO ME AND I WANTED TO PUNCH THESE BRATS IN THE FACE.
Another message that the author touched on was the fact that technology is changing the way of life of the elite and they do NOT appreciate it. I feel like they got away with SO MUCH before we all had cell phones so I found that addition to the plot extremely intriguing. OH THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!
I also just loved the hunting element so much and thought it was so cool! I mean English hunting practices are very specific and very traditional. I’ve seen how it is done on television, but it has never been explained to me in this magnitude or this thoroughly. It was so fascinating to me and when the author added the creep factor of it into the mix, I was just addicted.
Although the book world, the plot, and the ending were top notch (in my opinion) I found the characters to be sort of lacking. Their development wasn’t as detailed or as well done as the other aspects of the novel, but since this is a series, I have a feeling that the characters will become more complete as the story progresses. I found the members of the Medieval super addicting and perfect representations of that aspect of society. I also was obsessed with Shafeen and his story, but the main character..... was meh. The author put a lot of effort into the side characters and the main character was just left in their golden dust. Greer was cool, but not THAT cool.
Overall, the ending shook me to the core so I can’t wait to read the sequel!
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I enjoyed it but did find it a bit slow to start with once you get about halfway through it picks up though and i ended up finishing the second half of this book almost in one sitting
for a tween book. not bad. pretty boring and predictable but probably would have loved it 5 yrs ago
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first book that I’ve came across that is set in the Lake District and I loved that (but didn’t appreciate the main characters jibes at us 😂 but can appreciate it as its true for the most part ). For me, it was easy to listen to due to the informal tone of the narrative
My niece told me she “could not stop thinking about” this book, and I can understand why.
Though set in an exclusive British boarding school, as Harry Potter has taught us to expect, S.T.A.G.S is not a normal coming of age story. The main character, Greer, is a brilliant young woman, determined to excel academically and overcome her outsider status as a lower-middle-class scholarship student.
Greer quickly gives up trying to fit in among her pedigreed classmates. The rich young heirs to the old families of Great Britain rule the school and enforce odd codes—like no cell phones—via rampant bullying. Greer tries to keep her head down and go unnoticed, until she’s issued an invitation to join the most “in” of in groups for a holiday weekend away, during the school break.
Three culturally unprepared outsiders, including Greer, find themselves on a remote estate, with no adult supervision. They team up to evade more and more threatening situations in a fantastical twisting plot.
While they attend disastrous events and formal meals on the grounds of an atmospheric ancient estate, the resourceful young people solve the mystery of “The Medievals.”
The book explores themes of class mobility—or rather, immobility––and keeps the reader guessing who is a “good” and who is a “bad” guy, right up to the very last suspenseful twist. It’s this final twist that I think makes the book something extra-special. Instead of ending with a “solved” mystery and a (somewhat) happy ending, the book reveals itself as a much more contemporary YA novel. It ends instead with the potential for a deeper, more existential threat that must be overcome once the back cover is shut.
To enjoy this book, readers will need to be able to stomach fairly brutal bullying and a little bit of graphic bloodshed. The book’s true strength is in the strong characters, exquisite settings, and terrifying possibility of what a “ruling” class might do to its own children to retain control.
The book is a call-to-action for modern young readers. It encourages them to look beyond trusted governments, schools, and organizations to the fallible people in power who control them.
I gave the book only 4 stars instead of 5 due to heavy-handed foreshadowing and sub-plots that remained incomplete at the close of the novel. It could be that the plots will be explored in a later book, but for me, the book felt incomplete without addressing them.
Though set in an exclusive British boarding school, as Harry Potter has taught us to expect, S.T.A.G.S is not a normal coming of age story. The main character, Greer, is a brilliant young woman, determined to excel academically and overcome her outsider status as a lower-middle-class scholarship student.
Greer quickly gives up trying to fit in among her pedigreed classmates. The rich young heirs to the old families of Great Britain rule the school and enforce odd codes—like no cell phones—via rampant bullying. Greer tries to keep her head down and go unnoticed, until she’s issued an invitation to join the most “in” of in groups for a holiday weekend away, during the school break.
Three culturally unprepared outsiders, including Greer, find themselves on a remote estate, with no adult supervision. They team up to evade more and more threatening situations in a fantastical twisting plot.
While they attend disastrous events and formal meals on the grounds of an atmospheric ancient estate, the resourceful young people solve the mystery of “The Medievals.”
The book explores themes of class mobility—or rather, immobility––and keeps the reader guessing who is a “good” and who is a “bad” guy, right up to the very last suspenseful twist. It’s this final twist that I think makes the book something extra-special. Instead of ending with a “solved” mystery and a (somewhat) happy ending, the book reveals itself as a much more contemporary YA novel. It ends instead with the potential for a deeper, more existential threat that must be overcome once the back cover is shut.
To enjoy this book, readers will need to be able to stomach fairly brutal bullying and a little bit of graphic bloodshed. The book’s true strength is in the strong characters, exquisite settings, and terrifying possibility of what a “ruling” class might do to its own children to retain control.
The book is a call-to-action for modern young readers. It encourages them to look beyond trusted governments, schools, and organizations to the fallible people in power who control them.
I gave the book only 4 stars instead of 5 due to heavy-handed foreshadowing and sub-plots that remained incomplete at the close of the novel. It could be that the plots will be explored in a later book, but for me, the book felt incomplete without addressing them.
Set in an English boarding school then a manor, this book has suspense, a good story line, but the ending needed a few more chapters to complete it. I enjoyed the book and wanted to keep reading until I finished it. on a positive note, there is so much out there that we don't want young teens to read, this does include forms of bullying, but the good guys are truly there for one another. I wouldn't mind having teens read this one.