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booksareneat_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I have never been more underwhelmed in my life and the fact two more books follow it is mad.
Henrys dead! No he's not. But he's dead! But he's not.
The man was not made appealing enough in the first book to have this stupid charade. Pretty blonde boy who tried hurting your friends is dead?? Boo fucking hoo.
None of the characters were likeable either. Ty was neat and nel was alright sometimes but the rest of them were insufferable.
The end of the story being another secret society was crap as well - remember remember was the most unsubtle hint I've ever seen and I knew LongCross would blow after her Oxford interview.
Obviously the book has blatant themes and subtlety isn't gonna follow suit but a less predictable repetitive boring book would've been appreciated.
Guy Fawkes didn't die for this.
The man was not made appealing enough in the first book to have this stupid charade. Pretty blonde boy who tried hurting your friends is dead?? Boo fucking hoo.
None of the characters were likeable either. Ty was neat and nel was alright sometimes but the rest of them were insufferable.
The end of the story being another secret society was crap as well - remember remember was the most unsubtle hint I've ever seen and I knew LongCross would blow after her Oxford interview.
Obviously the book has blatant themes and subtlety isn't gonna follow suit but a less predictable repetitive boring book would've been appreciated.
Guy Fawkes didn't die for this.
estelle127's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nicoledm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
FOXES is the third book in the increasingly lengthy STAGS series. So far, every book I've read I thought was the last one. Not because I'm not enjoying it; just because I don't know how much longer MA can make basically the same story intriguing and interesting. The answer is, at least this long.
There are a lot of pop culture references in this one. I don't remember there being this many in the two earlier books, but to be fair it's been a year since I read the last one and another year before that since the first one.
MA has, as always, done a lot of research and dredged up a lot of English history to weave into the story. It hovers on the verge of being too much, but because we're discovering it at the same time as Greer - and for the one piece she knew already, Shafeen luckily needs to be told - it's kept under control and we're not overwhelmed.
At the end of this novel, we haven't learned too much about the overarching story; this novel's mystery is solved, but the larger story of the Stags isn't explained yet. There's obviously at least one more novel to come, and I very much hope that MA will end the series before it starts feeling fatigued. It's far too good to let it trail off into nothingness.
There are a lot of pop culture references in this one. I don't remember there being this many in the two earlier books, but to be fair it's been a year since I read the last one and another year before that since the first one.
MA has, as always, done a lot of research and dredged up a lot of English history to weave into the story. It hovers on the verge of being too much, but because we're discovering it at the same time as Greer - and for the one piece she knew already, Shafeen luckily needs to be told - it's kept under control and we're not overwhelmed.
At the end of this novel, we haven't learned too much about the overarching story; this novel's mystery is solved, but the larger story of the Stags isn't explained yet. There's obviously at least one more novel to come, and I very much hope that MA will end the series before it starts feeling fatigued. It's far too good to let it trail off into nothingness.
shadysunny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
powisamy's review against another edition
I have loved the STAGS series since the first book so when I got an email to be part of the blog tour I was very excited. FOXES is a perfect addition to the series, building on the law that we see before and offering new and surprising twists that I can't wait to explore.
One of the major things that I loved about this book is that the characters get to shine. We obviously get more from Greer and her quite in-depth knowledge of films which I aspire to have but we get so much more from the other side characters. This is most evident with Shafeen and I think that it was quite interesting to see him develop as a character and how he is entering a world that he does not belong. In a way, it seems quite relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement and race is an issue in the book and I think the inclusion of this with Ty as well was interesting to read about along with the classist element which again seems really relevant in the coming days. It also didn't seem forced and was a seamless part of the story. I am not an OwnVoices reviewer so please refer to these reviews for more incite.
I think one of the things that link to the characters is that it is obvious that M. A. Bennett has so much to explore with this series and world. I loved seeing the world develop and expand and I loved the easter eggs that I saw in the book and I can't wait to see where this goes in the future. Seeing the development of Ben Jonson and the plays and the whole Guy Fawkes thing was so interesting to see something that was a true story and history. The way that it is included in the story is also seamless and I really liked it.
With the world-building increasing, you can definitely see that M. A. Bennett is comfortable in this world and is a really great writer. In this one especially I can definitely see that there are hints and easter eggs throughout the story. Although I found that the characters were a little slow in picking up the clues, I think the reveals came at the right time and it was satisfying to see them come out.
Even though I love M. A. Bennett's writing, I am a big lover of audiobooks so I got the audiobook for both FOXES and DOGS and I have to shout out Lucy Dixon. She does a great job with the audiobooks and I think that she does has a tone of voice in portraying the characters and yeah I recommend it.
I think that it is safe to say that I am super excited about the new addition to the series. FOXES left me desperate for more and the next book can not come out soon enough. Although I'm pretty sure I have a year to wait which makes me a little sad.
The Verdict:
F. O. X. E. S. is another great addition to the series, offering a more in-depth discussion to the world and I can't wait to read whatever comes next.
One of the major things that I loved about this book is that the characters get to shine. We obviously get more from Greer and her quite in-depth knowledge of films which I aspire to have but we get so much more from the other side characters. This is most evident with Shafeen and I think that it was quite interesting to see him develop as a character and how he is entering a world that he does not belong. In a way, it seems quite relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement and race is an issue in the book and I think the inclusion of this with Ty as well was interesting to read about along with the classist element which again seems really relevant in the coming days. It also didn't seem forced and was a seamless part of the story. I am not an OwnVoices reviewer so please refer to these reviews for more incite.
I think one of the things that link to the characters is that it is obvious that M. A. Bennett has so much to explore with this series and world. I loved seeing the world develop and expand and I loved the easter eggs that I saw in the book and I can't wait to see where this goes in the future. Seeing the development of Ben Jonson and the plays and the whole Guy Fawkes thing was so interesting to see something that was a true story and history. The way that it is included in the story is also seamless and I really liked it.
With the world-building increasing, you can definitely see that M. A. Bennett is comfortable in this world and is a really great writer. In this one especially I can definitely see that there are hints and easter eggs throughout the story. Although I found that the characters were a little slow in picking up the clues, I think the reveals came at the right time and it was satisfying to see them come out.
Even though I love M. A. Bennett's writing, I am a big lover of audiobooks so I got the audiobook for both FOXES and DOGS and I have to shout out Lucy Dixon. She does a great job with the audiobooks and I think that she does has a tone of voice in portraying the characters and yeah I recommend it.
I think that it is safe to say that I am super excited about the new addition to the series. FOXES left me desperate for more and the next book can not come out soon enough. Although I'm pretty sure I have a year to wait which makes me a little sad.
The Verdict:
F. O. X. E. S. is another great addition to the series, offering a more in-depth discussion to the world and I can't wait to read whatever comes next.
nicole953's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
marnold126's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
btpbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
This is book three in the stags series and I must say this series has to be read in order to understand the storyline properly. I absolutely love this series. For many readers who have read the complete series so far this is the book that will shock us all the most. Well it certainly shocked me. There is a major, huge twist for this whole series so far...
This makes me excited, I am hoping and praying there is more to come for this series and after reading this THERE HAS TO BE. please. I loved returning to the familiar characters and their antics. Another gripping, mysterious read. Kept me hooked. It's a fast paced, easy and page turner of a reader for me. I just wanted all the answers. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me. A must read series for me for all YA readers.
This makes me excited, I am hoping and praying there is more to come for this series and after reading this THERE HAS TO BE. please. I loved returning to the familiar characters and their antics. Another gripping, mysterious read. Kept me hooked. It's a fast paced, easy and page turner of a reader for me. I just wanted all the answers. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me. A must read series for me for all YA readers.
bethanmay_24's review against another edition
4.0
Out of the three books in the S.T.A.G.S collection, this one took a little bit extra to get into for me. I found it a bit confusing at times to follow the plotlines, but soon after got back into the swing of things. I wish there was a little more focus on the Nel/Nathanial storyline as it would be interesting to see his side of things, and hopefully it isn't romanticized as a teacher/student relationship. I find myself really liking Henry more and more as things go on, and I was very happy when it was revealed that he wasn't just in Greer's dreams. I'm also glad that Ty has become an important character, she is a complex character and it's always nice to have new characters that add to the group! The twins I went back and forth on how I felt about them. There were moments of real likeability but also they share a bed and a peck at one point so it's a very strange relationship that I hope in the next books gets explored more.