You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
DNF at page 57. I couldn't get past the blocks of text and narration style. Bummer.
“I think I might be a murderer”
I received this book and the sequel DOGS for the DOGS bookstagram tour from Darkroom Tours, M A Bennett and Hot Key Books. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by receiving the books.
In the recent past, I read The Island by M A Bennett, and wasn’t a fan. If I hadn’t already signed up for this tour before reading, I don’t think I would have picked up STAGS. If that were the case, I would have missed out on this thrilling book.
Greer is a scholarship student at the prestigious STAGS (St Aidan the Great School), mostly occupied by teenage students from wealthy and privileged backgrounds. It’s a stepping-stone to the best universities in England: Oxford and Cambridge. Greer is an outsider, struggling to fit in. We have the Medievals, who are the ‘popular’ students other students mimic them, and idolise them in a way. She thinks this might be about to change after receiving an invitation for a weekend of huntin’ shootin’ fishin’. The weekend will change their lives forever.
I love that this book is set in England, I have mentioned before I hate that there are not as many books set in the UK for the YA (young adult) genre. There are phrases and things described in the book that are familiar to me and activities that I have some knowledge about.
I think Greer is a relatable character, in a way very similar to how I was in school. I can empathise and identify with her. The Medievals are bitchy (apologies for the word but that is how I would describe them) and bullies but through the book you doubt their intentions, their motives as their demeanour and how they act changes in different situations through the book. Their leader Henry is charismatic, good looking and charming. He is from a known family who have a legacy through history and at STAGS, so he is a well-respected member of the school community. Shafeen and Chanel are our secondary characters, who are well written and despite coming from wealthy backgrounds, they do not seem to fit in with the order at STAGS.
This book has interesting characters, it’s easy to read, the story flowed. Everything wound together in the end and provided a satisfying conclusion. I really enjoy the style it’s written in. Greer is writing an account of what has happened in the past. She give hints and clues that something BIG happens throughout but never fully reveals who or what it relates to apart from referencing murder. I could guess when reading, something wasn’t quite right the book kept me reading and kept me guessing throughout.
One thing I hate in books, this is in general not specifically for this book, is cliff-hangers. This book of course, with it being a series ends on one – duh duh duhhh! Yes, this is a series so it is inevitable there would be some sort of cliff-hanger, as is the case in many series. I was glad that I had the sequel to hand so I could delve straight back into the mysterious world of STAGS.
I received this book and the sequel DOGS for the DOGS bookstagram tour from Darkroom Tours, M A Bennett and Hot Key Books. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by receiving the books.
In the recent past, I read The Island by M A Bennett, and wasn’t a fan. If I hadn’t already signed up for this tour before reading, I don’t think I would have picked up STAGS. If that were the case, I would have missed out on this thrilling book.
Greer is a scholarship student at the prestigious STAGS (St Aidan the Great School), mostly occupied by teenage students from wealthy and privileged backgrounds. It’s a stepping-stone to the best universities in England: Oxford and Cambridge. Greer is an outsider, struggling to fit in. We have the Medievals, who are the ‘popular’ students other students mimic them, and idolise them in a way. She thinks this might be about to change after receiving an invitation for a weekend of huntin’ shootin’ fishin’. The weekend will change their lives forever.
I love that this book is set in England, I have mentioned before I hate that there are not as many books set in the UK for the YA (young adult) genre. There are phrases and things described in the book that are familiar to me and activities that I have some knowledge about.
I think Greer is a relatable character, in a way very similar to how I was in school. I can empathise and identify with her. The Medievals are bitchy (apologies for the word but that is how I would describe them) and bullies but through the book you doubt their intentions, their motives as their demeanour and how they act changes in different situations through the book. Their leader Henry is charismatic, good looking and charming. He is from a known family who have a legacy through history and at STAGS, so he is a well-respected member of the school community. Shafeen and Chanel are our secondary characters, who are well written and despite coming from wealthy backgrounds, they do not seem to fit in with the order at STAGS.
This book has interesting characters, it’s easy to read, the story flowed. Everything wound together in the end and provided a satisfying conclusion. I really enjoy the style it’s written in. Greer is writing an account of what has happened in the past. She give hints and clues that something BIG happens throughout but never fully reveals who or what it relates to apart from referencing murder. I could guess when reading, something wasn’t quite right the book kept me reading and kept me guessing throughout.
One thing I hate in books, this is in general not specifically for this book, is cliff-hangers. This book of course, with it being a series ends on one – duh duh duhhh! Yes, this is a series so it is inevitable there would be some sort of cliff-hanger, as is the case in many series. I was glad that I had the sequel to hand so I could delve straight back into the mysterious world of STAGS.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
S.T.A.G.S. is a young adult mystery thriller by author M.A. Bennett. In case you didn't know, S.T.A.G.S. stands for St. Aidan the Great School, is a book that is touted to be awesome for fans of The Secret History and Pretty Little Liars. I am a big fan of both of those books, so that coupled with the boarding school setting, I was pretty pumped for S.T.A.G.S. And S.T.A.G.S. delivered on what it promised, a twisty thriller. And though S.T.A.G.S. is set at a boarding school, a bulk of the novel took place at a country manor where this "hunting" weekend is set to take place.
I loved the premise of S.T.A.G.S. I think that was my favorite aspect of the story. And the writing and storyline were both excellent. They kept my attention the entire time and I loved the eerie feeling of the story. But the characters didn't always live up to the plot in my opinion. I liked Greer well enough, but I didn't completely love her. And I not entirely sure why. There wasn't anything I could pinpoint that I really disliked. I was just way more invested in the storyline than I was the characters.
But the storyline was pretty great. I loved the way the story is presented. Pretty early on we learn about a murder and we also know the murderer, which is totally unique. (It kind of reminded me of episodes of the tv show Monk, where we watch the murder take place, and then we spend the rest of the episode finding out the how and the why.) We didn't know the why, which had me totally intrigued. And I have to say, I really really enjoyed watching this story unfold. MA Bennett did a really great job making it very interesting. It does seem reminiscent of The Secret History by Donna Tart.
Overall, Plot driven readers will likely enjoy this suspense thriller. The setting was great and the writing was excellent. There were many areas of the plot and mystery game that I absolutely loved, but I don't want to get into specifics because they are every much a part of the plot that gets revealed as Greer and her friend pulls back some layers and dive into the mystery. It is worth discovering for yourself. I liked the characters well enough, but I wasn't completely won over by them all. Fans of this book will be excited to find out that it is going to be made into a movie. I am really excited for this news because I think it will translate really well to the big screen.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
S.T.A.G.S. is a young adult mystery thriller by author M.A. Bennett. In case you didn't know, S.T.A.G.S. stands for St. Aidan the Great School, is a book that is touted to be awesome for fans of The Secret History and Pretty Little Liars. I am a big fan of both of those books, so that coupled with the boarding school setting, I was pretty pumped for S.T.A.G.S. And S.T.A.G.S. delivered on what it promised, a twisty thriller. And though S.T.A.G.S. is set at a boarding school, a bulk of the novel took place at a country manor where this "hunting" weekend is set to take place.
I loved the premise of S.T.A.G.S. I think that was my favorite aspect of the story. And the writing and storyline were both excellent. They kept my attention the entire time and I loved the eerie feeling of the story. But the characters didn't always live up to the plot in my opinion. I liked Greer well enough, but I didn't completely love her. And I not entirely sure why. There wasn't anything I could pinpoint that I really disliked. I was just way more invested in the storyline than I was the characters.
But the storyline was pretty great. I loved the way the story is presented. Pretty early on we learn about a murder and we also know the murderer, which is totally unique. (It kind of reminded me of episodes of the tv show Monk, where we watch the murder take place, and then we spend the rest of the episode finding out the how and the why.) We didn't know the why, which had me totally intrigued. And I have to say, I really really enjoyed watching this story unfold. MA Bennett did a really great job making it very interesting. It does seem reminiscent of The Secret History by Donna Tart.
Overall, Plot driven readers will likely enjoy this suspense thriller. The setting was great and the writing was excellent. There were many areas of the plot and mystery game that I absolutely loved, but I don't want to get into specifics because they are every much a part of the plot that gets revealed as Greer and her friend pulls back some layers and dive into the mystery. It is worth discovering for yourself. I liked the characters well enough, but I wasn't completely won over by them all. Fans of this book will be excited to find out that it is going to be made into a movie. I am really excited for this news because I think it will translate really well to the big screen.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Greer MacDonald is living with her father in Manchester when he receives the call that he will be working away for 2 years filming a wildlife documentary for the BBC. Luckily, Greer MacDonald is a very smart young woman, with a great memory, and is able to apply for a scholarship to St Aidan the Great School (boarding school). She aces the entry exam and is granted a scholarship! Upon arrival at STAGS, Greer realises that newcomers don’t get an easy ride - with no one talking to her, feeling isolated, and witnessing bullying from the schools prefects, also known as the Medievals, Greer decides that a quiet life is the way to get through the year. One night, Greer receives “The Invitation” which appears to be a tradition at the school whereby the Medievals host a ‘hunting, shooting and fishing’ weekend at their leaders house, Longcross Hall. Greer already knows who the leader is, Henry de Warlencourt, who is simply ‘the hottest boy at school’. Wanting to create a school life which includes friends Greer accepts and prepares for a weekend that she will never forget…
I got through this book fairly quickly - it was really easy to read and track despite the number of names you are presented with in the first quarter of the book. Greer MacDonald is a character I can safely imagine as she reminds me a bit like myself - blunt and loves animals! So when it came to the hunting, shooting and fishing, it’s safe to say I was cringing… I can’t think of any book or movie that reminds me of this book so for me it felt like an original kind of story and if it were made into a movie, it’s fair to say I’d watch it! (Has there already been a movie and I’ve missed it?) For some reason, I was imagining my old high school as STAGS and for Longcross Hall, I kept imagining a building like the school featured in the Netflix series of Sabrina the Teenage Witch - I’m really not sure why…
Overall, I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 - I did enjoy it, it was easy to follow and felt original. The only reason I’m dropping half a star is because I didn’t find it overly thrilling, even though I got through the book quickly, it didn’t feel like a book that gripped me. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books from M.A. Bennett!
I got through this book fairly quickly - it was really easy to read and track despite the number of names you are presented with in the first quarter of the book. Greer MacDonald is a character I can safely imagine as she reminds me a bit like myself - blunt and loves animals! So when it came to the hunting, shooting and fishing, it’s safe to say I was cringing… I can’t think of any book or movie that reminds me of this book so for me it felt like an original kind of story and if it were made into a movie, it’s fair to say I’d watch it! (Has there already been a movie and I’ve missed it?) For some reason, I was imagining my old high school as STAGS and for Longcross Hall, I kept imagining a building like the school featured in the Netflix series of Sabrina the Teenage Witch - I’m really not sure why…
Overall, I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 - I did enjoy it, it was easy to follow and felt original. The only reason I’m dropping half a star is because I didn’t find it overly thrilling, even though I got through the book quickly, it didn’t feel like a book that gripped me. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books from M.A. Bennett!
* 3.5/5 stars
Full review will be posted on my blog at the end of this month: https://goo.gl/Cd9QPu
Full review will be posted on my blog at the end of this month: https://goo.gl/Cd9QPu
é uma historia interessante, mas poderia ter sido melhor explorada, acho que de forma geral a historia desenrolou muito rapido, nao que isso seja ruim, mas creio que acabou deixando tudo obvio. É uma boa historia, mas nada uaaaaau, é bom.. ponto.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was thrilling but quite predictable. All in all it was a good read. I recommend it
I really enjoyed the writing style and the plot was very god and did still keep you guessing throughout.
This book has one of the BEST opening lines I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. It sucked me right into the story and I couldn’t put the book down for want of needing to know what happened. I loved the dynamics of power in this book: how the beautiful, rich, popular students literally held all the power in their hands and how the less fortunate, less beautiful and lower class students were quite literally at their mercy. This book is way darker than I expected it to be but I loved it – it really was a thrill! The idea of the hunting felt oh so British and I loved that dynamic too. I also loved the way that technology and social media were looked down upon by the Medievals and how that then influenced the other students to also not buy into new technologies etc. Such an interesting power dynamic throughout this book. There are twists right up until the end and I left the end of this book feeling quite worried and horrified by what may happen next!