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A review by zealous_bibliophile
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett
3.0
If you like Hunger Games this is probably a book for you. Set at a prestigious boarding school in modern-day England three outcasts find themselves suddenly included in the elite inner circle. There isn't ghe same dystopian aspect or the tinge of paranormal your find in the hunger games. This is contemporary Britian with the children of the elite of the world and someone scholarship students thrown in for good measure. I believe this is a stand alone, although the epilog sets up the possibility of a related book. Bennett also seems to have written similar books. There are some elements that don't make sense and seem to have been forced to create the situation Bennett wanted, hence the 3 star rating (I touch on those points below but they are spoilers).
Mild spoiler: If you did not enjoy the Hunger Games after the second half of the third book you aren't going to enjoy this one either.
Spoilers:
The book relies heavily on the kids readily giving up all contact with the outside world. That doesn't make a lot of sense for the main character. Her two cohorts you can rationalize it once all the facts are in. He's been in school with these kids since he was eight, he doesn't have anyone else. She didn't have anyone else at home. The main character however did have friends back home, friends she missed, and being so isolated at her new school you would expect her to further delve into spcoal.medoa and what not after the first few weeks of being ignored.
Moving past that, it makes zero sense that once they are out of the corrupt little village the kids didn't call the police. Frankly it doesn't make any sense that they wouldn't be live streaming what they found as additional backup and protection. They didn't know what Henry would do or that the others wouldn't be there to act. And where were the others? They conviently just disappears. Also when they are talking to their head master Greer says they don't have anything to pin on the other kids, except for the fact they chased her through the water with boats, tried to snag her with fishing hooks, trapped her with fheir boats and refused to help her out of the water, and then chased her again, you you know attempted murder. And it makes no.sense what so ever why the one kid's dad would send him to the same school he was victimized at no matter how good the school. And then the ending is very bleak. Well, people are evil and in charge of things, what are you gonna do? You can't stop bad guys. That's a horrible and in accurate message to be included in a young adult book.
Mild spoiler: If you did not enjoy the Hunger Games after the second half of the third book you aren't going to enjoy this one either.
Spoilers:
The book relies heavily on the kids readily giving up all contact with the outside world. That doesn't make a lot of sense for the main character. Her two cohorts you can rationalize it once all the facts are in. He's been in school with these kids since he was eight, he doesn't have anyone else. She didn't have anyone else at home. The main character however did have friends back home, friends she missed, and being so isolated at her new school you would expect her to further delve into spcoal.medoa and what not after the first few weeks of being ignored.
Moving past that, it makes zero sense that once they are out of the corrupt little village the kids didn't call the police. Frankly it doesn't make any sense that they wouldn't be live streaming what they found as additional backup and protection. They didn't know what Henry would do or that the others wouldn't be there to act. And where were the others? They conviently just disappears. Also when they are talking to their head master Greer says they don't have anything to pin on the other kids, except for the fact they chased her through the water with boats, tried to snag her with fishing hooks, trapped her with fheir boats and refused to help her out of the water, and then chased her again, you you know attempted murder. And it makes no.sense what so ever why the one kid's dad would send him to the same school he was victimized at no matter how good the school. And then the ending is very bleak. Well, people are evil and in charge of things, what are you gonna do? You can't stop bad guys. That's a horrible and in accurate message to be included in a young adult book.