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A review by deepower7
S.T.A.G.S by M.A. Bennett
2.0
This book is a conundrum. It seemed to have everything that I wanted - thriller, a keen criticism of the high high high class. But it was poorly executed. The first 160 pages were nothing but dull and could easily have been cut in half. I know the writing style is meant to be retrospective and conversational, but there was just so much telling and simple reporting rather than actually letting the reader experience it, it just ended up feeling lazy and clumsy and a poor artistic choice.
Then it picked up for about 80 gripping, well written pages. Then I found it just plateaued. Everything felt oversold and overstated - it didn't trust you enough to let you infer a single thing. Everything was hammered home again and again until it lost all meaning.
And then it just got completely ridiculous. The plot was tight and the overarching plot made sense and was gripping, and then I just felt that Bennett threw all that completely out the window by throwing in some ludicrous curve ball plot elements that felt forced and out of place, which appeared to only be there for the sake of it being unexpected and a twist. Last 50 pages? A bit silly and a bit ludicrous, and demanded that I suspended my disbelief further than I was prepared to.
Overall, I don't have strong feelings on my reading experience. There were parts where I was genuinely interested, and I loved the premise. It had good elements, but they were spoiled with poor plot choices and conclusions. The writing certainly had a strong style, but I don't think it worked here - it made the reader feel detached and seemed half-assed.
The whole thing just seemed a bit half-baked, and it's not something I'd recommend to anyone else.
Then it picked up for about 80 gripping, well written pages. Then I found it just plateaued. Everything felt oversold and overstated - it didn't trust you enough to let you infer a single thing. Everything was hammered home again and again until it lost all meaning.
And then it just got completely ridiculous. The plot was tight and the overarching plot made sense and was gripping, and then I just felt that Bennett threw all that completely out the window by throwing in some ludicrous curve ball plot elements that felt forced and out of place, which appeared to only be there for the sake of it being unexpected and a twist. Last 50 pages? A bit silly and a bit ludicrous, and demanded that I suspended my disbelief further than I was prepared to.
Overall, I don't have strong feelings on my reading experience. There were parts where I was genuinely interested, and I loved the premise. It had good elements, but they were spoiled with poor plot choices and conclusions. The writing certainly had a strong style, but I don't think it worked here - it made the reader feel detached and seemed half-assed.
The whole thing just seemed a bit half-baked, and it's not something I'd recommend to anyone else.