Reviews

S.T.A.G.S by M.A. Bennett

booksareneat_'s review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

librarylilac's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alida_m's review

2.0

Cool premise, kids killing kids. But it was mostly boring and very predictable

readintowonderland's review against another edition

5.0

This book is not too scary. Any acts of violence or moments of stark fear are not described in too much detail. 

If you are a fan of many different films, you will unexpectedly enjoy this book. There are a ton of film references all throughout that cover all different genres of film.

At times the narrator becomes a bit too self-aware and breaks the fourth wall frequently, to the point of addressing the readers directly. For some readers, I know this can be a non-starter. While that is not my preference for books, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. 

I found the entire story incredibly thrilling and hard to put down. This feeling is great evidence of how naturally engaging this book is. 

I think I might keep this book as an open-ended standalone in my reading experience because I am not necessarily interested in following another narrator tackling the same issues. 

This book is full of entirely morally grey characters. Even the allegedly good and bad guys are a mix of both. I like how even with a reliable narrator, Greer was never entirely in the right or entirely innocent. 

The book plays with modern vs ancient ideals very well. The main trio at the center of this book are more connected to the modern world than the rest of the student body. They show how modern technology in moderation can alter the course of their lives for better and for worse. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and highly enjoyed the unique perspective of a group of students who dress and act like priests. That said, I would not classify this book as having religious theming. I highly recommend this book to those who like a medium-paced thriller that isn't too dark. 

For a more in-depth review please see my blog:  https://readintowonderland.blogspot.com/2024/03/S.T.A.G.S.html 

jane_kelsey's review

4.0

I gave this book 4 stars, I really enjoyed it, but at times I felt like I was ahead of the main character. I felt a little bit cheated by the beginning and i was expecting something else from the ending - I think that would've made it for a more interesting story..

ireadbookssopleasehelpmebabes's review

5.0

I thought this was going to be the type of book I would easily forget.
It wasn't.
It was great, fast paced interesting and I really enjoyed it.

marga1995's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

lauel's review

mysterious tense fast-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? No

2.0

patchworkbunny's review

2.0

I was expecting S.T.A.G.S to be a dark boarding school tale with a hint of horror and was thoroughly looking forward to reading it. Greer has received a scholarship to attend the prestigious school whilst her single father is working abroad. She's from Manchester and not from old money, so she doesn't fit it. So she's quite surprised when she received The Invitation from the Medievals to the annual huntin' shootin' fishin' weekend at Longcross.

Now at the very start Greer admits to being a murderer and the blurb gives away the fact that people end up being hunted. So the main impetus to carry on reading was to find out who they killed. It was overall a bit tame, no one ever seems to be in mortal danger. Yes, the hunting aspect is cruel but it felt more like pranks played by bullies rather than any murderous intent. I thought there'd be more running (or hiding) for their lives.

Honestly, I found the Medievals were caricatures of posh people and therefore were a bit unbelievable. They reject technology and all things they consider "savage", wishing that the world had never moved on from feudal days. Although they have more moral arguments against technology. And Greer was so ridiculously mooney-eyed over Henry, even when it was obvious to everyone that he was a bit of a nob.

When you're not caught up in the story or characters, it's a lot easier to be irritated by small details and unfortunately this happened a lot in this case. One thing that's worth saying is there is a spoiler for The Fault in Our Stars. Why do that? I know it's been read/watched by a lot of people but there will always be new readers coming along, especially when you're writing for young adults. There are ways you can reference things that will be understood by fans yet vague enough not to directly spoil.

I probably should have DNFed it but I was reading on my daily commute and I'd got so far that I wanted to know who they actually killed. It's all a bit convoluted and I felt it was trying to be too many things at once.

Review copy provided by publisher.

itsjustkiwi's review

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was going to take half a star from my rating just for the mention of Zoella (got the ick) but then my favourite R.E.M song was mentioned so the .5 stays.