S.T.A.G.S.

S.T.A.G.S #1

by M.A. Bennett

Donna Tartt's The Secret History meets Pretty Little Liars in this propulsive, edge-of-your-seat novel that explores just how far the elite at an English boarding school will go to maintain the social order.

There's no point hunting if there's no kill.

At St. Aidan the Great School, or S.T.A.G.S., new things--and new people--are to be avoided. Unfortunately, Greer MacDonald, token scholarship student, is very much a new person. She has just transferred to S.T.A.G.S., and finds herself ignored at best and mocked at worst by the school's most admired circle of friends, the Medievals.

So imagine Greer's surprise when this very group invites her to an exclusive weekend retreat at the private estate of the parents of their unofficial leader, Henry de Warlencourt. It's billed as a weekend of "huntin' shootin' fishin'," and rumor has it that the invitee who most impresses the group will be given the privilege of becoming a Medieval themselves.

As the weekend begins to take shape, however, it becomes apparent that beyond the luxurious trappings--the fancy clothes the maid lays out on Greer's bed, the elaborate multicourse dinners held in the Great Hall--there are predators lurking, and they're out for blood. . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Dark Academia, Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

296 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2017

About the author

M. A. Bennett is half Venetian and was born in Manchester, England, and raised in the Yorkshire Dales. She is a history graduate of Oxford University and the University of Venice, where she specialized in the study of Shakespeare’s plays as a historical source. After university she studied art and has since worked as an illustrator, an actress, and a film reviewer. She also designed tour visuals for rock bands, including U2 and the Rolling Stones. She was married on the Grand Canal in Venice and lives in north London with her husband, son, and daughter.

Reviews

[Charlotte May · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I must admit I was expecting more from this YA thriller.
Greer has just received a scholarship to the prestigious S.T.A.G.S boarding school. As expected though, she doesn't fit in. These kids are the ultimate in privilege; years and years of entitlement and 'Old money' have led to a 'mean girls' like group known as medievals.

When Greer receives an invitation from the most popular boy in school to go to his family estate for the weekend, she is beyond excited. Maybe finally she can make some friends and be included.

However, she soon realises that what the medievals have in mind is far more sinister than she could have ever imagined.

I had a couple of minor gripes. The first is quite petty, but I stand by it. Authors who don't do their research - or just simply use the wrong information. So, the invitation for Greer was to go to Henry's estate Longcross over half term weekend. 1. Half term is a whole week not a weekend.
2. The author then refers to the 'bank holiday Monday'. There are no bank holidays over the Autumn term in the UK. Our last bank holiday before Christmas is August, so this just doesn't fit. #sorrynotsorry

My other issue was with the main character herself. Greer is a film buff (fair enough) but she uses every waking moment to compare something that is happening to a scene from a film. I love a film reference as much as the next person, but definitely not that many. There is no way the average reader will have watched the number of films she name drops throughout this book - there are absolutely loads.
Second issue with Greer, she calls herself a feminist (which is awesome) but then she says things like "I'm letting down feminism because I worried about what to wear" or "feminism stood a step backward because the first thing I thought when I saw him was that he was hot.". This is just NOT what feminism is. Feminism DOES NOT CARE if you think someone is hot or if you care about what you wear. There is nothing wrong with that!! Feminism is about equality for all, and when people mistake caring about how they look with not being a feminist then we have a problem.

Overall, this was an entertaining read. A few parts I didn't really feel added up, and a few times I had to suspend my disbelief. But the twist at the end pushed my rating up by half a star and I might check out the sequel when it comes out.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Intriguing premise, with a plot that is fine at first, but eventually becomes unbelievable, then ludicrous. A slight but entertaining book ruined by heroine's distraction by a blue-eyed charmer AFTER she knows he's a maniac, a superfluous continuation post-climax, why-haven't-you-caught-up-to-the-clues-yet frustration, hard-to-swallow mindsets, and occasional poseur shock style dude. you didn't MURDER him, and repeating it incessantly means any sympathy for your guilt over your involvement is negated.

It's to the credit of the perfect narration by Katharine McEwan that the experience was as compelling as it was. I barely noticed how slight the characters were or how hole-ridden the plot was until halfway through the book.

An audio review copy was provided by the publisher.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"S.T.A.G.S." written by M.A.Bennett is a superb story that was such a different read to my normal books, yet still in keeping with the thriller genre.
I knew as soon as I started reading this that I was going to enjoy it and I wasn't proved wrong. With twists and turns right to the very end, readers will love this book - so easy to follow with brilliant characters (I could certainly see the attraction with Henry) and a seriously captivating plot.
Greer MacDonald has won a scholarship at the very elite and prestigious St. Aidan the Great School in Northumberland. She doesn't make many friends at the school due to not being the wealthy and socially acceptable student all the others are. When Greer receives the much coveted annual invitation to join a group of 'Medievals' (unofficial prefects of the school) at Longcross Hall, she accepts the "huntin' shootin' fishin'" invitation in the hope she will make new friends and be socially accepted. However, things aren't as they seem in the invitation and things start to go disastrously wrong once the deadly weekend gets underway. We know from the start that a death has occurred - quite possibly a murder - and we are taken on a twisty turny journey that Greer relates in great detail, keeping the reader engrossed in a tale of medieval history, traditional blood sports and the power of long established well to do families.
Living myself beside the hauntingly beautiful counties of Northumberland and Cumberland, I could really relate to the areas the school and Hall were located, the descriptions were truly spot on! I also particularly enjoyed the little references Greer made relating to movies incorporating film scenes where that situation was occurring, and the fact it was written in the first person means we get to hear Greer's doubts and feelings first hand.
"S.T.A.G.S." could easily be made into a movie, there's a huge audience of all ages that would enjoy this story and I highly recommend the book - I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would happily read it again.
5 stars.

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Words: Privilege, power, huntin', shootin', fishin'.

Holy wow. I misjudged this book a lot.

I knew from those first gripping pages that there had been a death, that someone thought they had murdered someone else, but I loved how unreliable it felt.

I'm not entirely sure what it was about the cover or the blurb (yes, I read it for once!) that made me think that this was set in the US, but it's not. And that came as a very pleasant and welcome surprise.

I found myself quickly sucked deep into the world of the Medievals and Savages and the intrigue of school politics, and that was enough to keep me feverishly turning pages even before the main story kicked in. And once that main story kicked in I was hooked by the ominous cloud hanging over everything, the portent of what I thought I knew was to come (I was wrong).

I loved Greer. I loved how she had this film connection with her father and how it was such a large part of her life that slipped into Greer's narrative.

I feel like this would translate amazingly into film or TV - and the setting would be all the more breathtaking. Think Skins set in Downton Abbey with a dash of Mean Girls.

The ending of STAGS was left open, ready for a sequel. But I actually hope it is left on its own, as that would make the story (and the ending) even more powerful. Also, I can carry on the fanfic in my head.

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a unique, creative, and thrilling novel that is not typical within the Young Adult genre. It almost felt as if it was a combination of "Pretty Little Liars" by Sara Shepard and the movies "Scream" and "Mean Girls". It was a different story and not only in the idea but the execution of the crimes.

Admittedly (and unfortunately), as much as I was a fan of the idea surrounding the plot, this novel was just not for me. It was a case of "it's not you, it's me". The writing was well done but my full attention was not getting grabbed. Throughout the novel, I found myself becoming easily distracted and not as invested in the story as much as I hoped to be. Also, I didn't find that any of the characters (even in the main friendship group) were likeable. That's my personal opinion but that can detract from the novel when I find I'm not as invested in figuring out the character's outcome.

Lastly, typically I'm a fan of social culture/media references but this novel took movie references to the extreme. It originally was enjoyable but the novel eventually was fully saturated with unnecessary references.

As a debut, I would say this was well done for the author as it was a unique and creative idea. Also, the ending was the perfect mixture of conclusion along with suspense. I'm interested to read more from this author in the future.

***Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review***

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

S.T.A.G.S is a cracking debut psychological thriller aimed at the YA market but in all honesty with M.A. Bennett’s neat plotting, the scathing humour of her central character and a storyline filled with situations which are accessible to an adult audience, this novel has the ability to entertain well beyond its target bracket. With its dark undertone and a heroine wise beyond her years yet achingly aware of the social conventions which dictates whether an adolescent fits in, S.T.A.G.S offers a perceptive take on everything from the entitlement culture which still seems well entrenched in certain circles to the advance of technology. One such environment is the imposing medieval manor house of elite seventeenth century founded bastion of education, St. Aidan the Great, an elite boarding school located in Northumberland. Replete with antiquated traditions, language lessons in Latin and Greek, games consisting of fives and real tennis and a uniform reminiscent of an monastic order, parents are paying for their offspring to be different.

When working class northern sixth-former, Greer MacDonald, is awarded a scholarship from Bewley Park comprehensive to St. Aidan’s she recognises herself for what she is: the girl who doesn’t fit in. As autumn (Michaelmas) terms opens, Greer discovers her lowly rank in the food chain along with a collective of fellow outsiders. Street-smart and just as well educated in the laws of the jungle after spending her formative years watching myriad films, it is no understatement to say that Greer can see the warning bells and smell the danger that comes from being in the vicinity of the ‘Medievals’, a wealthy, arrogant inner sanctum who effectively run the school. With their backgrounds embedded in the wealth of old money and their ancestors all former pupils they pride themselves on eschewing technology and social media, all termed ‘Savage’ and synonymous with the behaviour of coarse heathens. Top dog of this ruling order of prefects is blue-eyed invincible golden boy, Henry de Warlencourt. With his film star good looks and his country estate along with his posse of hangers-on he rules the roost. Although it is difficult to set one of the group of six apart as the instigator of ridicule and bullying, in a group they are merciless.

After a half-term of heartbreaking isolation and loneliness, Greer might not like how the ‘Medievals’ behave but it doesn’t stop her wanting to attract the capricious attentions of Henry de Warlencourt and his crowd or hoping to fit it. Greer’s narration is full of her obvious vulnerability and even as a gifted pupils who would probably be intelligent enough to advise others not too go near them, it is human nature to want to be liked. When a mysterious card is slipped under Greer’s door she is flabbergasted to be given a prestigious invitation to spend Justitium (half-term) weekend at Longcross Hall, the estate of the de Warlencourt family, for a weekend of huntin’ shootin’ fishin’. Could this prove an opportunity to audition to become a ‘Medieval’ and finally be accepted?! Needless to say, Greer is even more surprised to find herself and fellow outsiders Shafeen Jadeja (“Punjabi playboy”) and Chanel Ashford (“Carphone Chanel”) at the gathering. Devoid of adults and staffed by a motley crew of lackeys from the yokel village who take orders from Henry, the setting is suitably creepy. Amongst the dark corridors lined with stags heads and initially caught up in the bonhomie of a few adoring looks from Henry, it takes time to dawn on Greer that the three outsiders are the prey to be hunted... Along with Greer, Bennett takes time to carve out well-realised characters in the cases of Shafeen and Chanel she succeeds in getting the reader invested in their fate. Apart from Henry de Warlencourt, the ‘Medievals’ proved rather interchangeable, however this merely adds to their overall sense of menace.

Whilst this novel is not without its flaws and I certainly found a few plot holes, the greatest problem is that Greer’s narration is told in retrospect, so the reader knows from the get-go something of what to expect and that Greer shares some burden of responsibility for a fatality, which does nothing for the anticipation factor:

“I’m a murderer in the way that fox hunters are murderers - they are each responsible for the fox’s death, even though they hunt in a pack.”

Bennett does a wonderful job with Greer’s sarcastic and youthful commentary, which in contrast to so many of the recent YA novels that I have read actually manages to convince as the words of sixteen-year-old. Greer overlays the story with a darkly comical tone and her narration is littered with movie analogies, the vast majority of which prove amusing and even with my scant film knowledge, I understand the general gist of most of her intimations. I was disappointed by the final third of S.T.AG.S. which seemed rather drawn out and anticlimactic. As it is the epilogue is frustratingly saccharine sweet with a little too much emphasis on opening up the closed order with more public sector teachers, pupils of colour and scholarship students, making for an overly preachy tone into the finish. The final pages of this novel leave potential for a follow-up and whilst I have no appetite to read a rehash of this story, I will be looking out for the future YA novels of M.A. Bennett.

In short, this is an excellent YA psychological thriller which makes some interesting insights on a world increasingly becoming dependent on technology and pitting it alongside an aristocratic boarding school illuminates the pros and cons brilliantly. Narrated with atmosphere and with an excellent lead character, the spirit of Greer and her cohorts make this an exhilarating read for a YA audience and will entertain adults alike. S.T.A.G.S. also proves an education in itself on the area of blood sports (not that I shall be putting any of them into practice)!

Many thanks to Miriam Smith for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

[Annamaria · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Huntin', Shootin', Fishin'."

I genuinely thought I was going to thoroughly enjoy S.T.A.G.S. because I requested in during the same period I was watching this brilliant BBC mini-series called, wait for it, “Stag”. The concept was similar and being me the idiot I am I thought it was a sign from the gods to read it. In “Stag” a group of men go on a hunting trip on a friend's stag night. Then, one after the other, they get killed off. My kind of thing if you know me! In “S.T.A.G.S.” a group of kids who attend a very posh boarding school is invited on a hunting trip by the very elite of this place. Soon they realize somebody is trying to hurt them. What was brilliant in “Stag”, the suspense, the mystery, the splattery murders, the character development and the backstories, was what lacked in “S.T.A.G.S.”. This last one tries too hard to be a thriller and a YA novel and it shows. It feels like it dumbs down the mystery as not to bore the reader but what it achieves is quite the contrary. Every now and then the chapters will end with a foreshadowing that always assures the reader that a murder is about to happen. In its place though we get long descriptions of places and a useless romance, then when we’re ready to deal with the juicy bits they’re rushed and left underdeveloped.

The villains are one-dimensional and unappealing, they’re mean because they’re too posh and so are their families, hence they kill people and no one asks questions .The main character is an annoying young girl who loves movies and never shuts up about it. I thought that this element would have served a purpose plot-wise but was just a quirk of hers. The ending could have been brilliant had it been built upon solid foundations. Having been the overall story quite simple and pretty uneventful it just felt like a last attempt to throw in there a witty plot-twist/cliffhanger which will perhaps open the doors to a possible second instalment?

Maybe I didn’t like this book the way other readers did because I had raised the bar way too high (when it comes to gory murders the BBC is always a cut above us all!) so if the genre appeals to anyone who’s reading this review I’d recommend not to be completely put off by it, give it a chance and see for yourself!

I was kindly sent the ARC of this book by Netgalley.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this is just a train wreck from start to finish.



I was really looking forward to this book. I'd waited until I had nothing pressing to do and could just curl up and enjoy it without any distractions. I was so hopeful. Rich kids being hunted, what could be better than that, huh?

Let's start at the beginning...

Greer is not a rich kid. She's won a scholarship to STAGS, this super prestigious school set in the beautiful Lake District. Greer is an outcast because she's not rich. I can get behind that. Then she receives an invitation to spend the half term at one of the rich kids houses. Not just any rich kid though, this is Henry de Walencourt. He's the leader of the 'Medievals' - the super snotty rich kids that hate everybody else. She's ecstatic, she thinks it means she's going to become one of them. She's also totally dizzy. I hate her.

When she arrives at the manor house, she discovers that the other two guests are also misfits at her school. There's Chanel, who is rich, but oh-no! It's new money. Totally the wrong kind. And there's Shafeen, who's from India, and yes we're going to play the race card here. There are also all six of the snobby kids here.

Hunting: On the first day they go Stag hunting. At this point I will happily admit that all the hunting elements in this book are meticulously researched. Good job!
While the team are hunting the Stag, our heroine waxing on about how beautiful it is and how she wishes it didn't have to die. Then she's quite happy to be the one to pull the trigger at the end. That's right, people, she shoots the damn deer because the pretty rich boy asked her to.
About now we discover that Chanel is missing. Along with all the hunting dogs. About 50 dogs vanished and nobody notices anything until they lose Chanel. Of course not.
We find Chanel crouched in a cave opening to escape the frenzied pack. Because, you know, dogs are bigger than 17 year old girls and can't fit.
Long story short, it turns out Henry had slipped some Anise seeds into her pocket to attract the dogs to chase her. Because dogs would turn away from a dead stag to chase a girl for some seeds. Then they all go home and have dinner. Fun!

Shooting: Shooting pheasants is the order of the day, and because we're all looking at the sky, nobody sees who is was when poor Shafeen gets shot. He says he'd be dead if he hadn't turned at the last moment and got shot in the arm instead. We all head home, and our misfits sneak into Shafeen's room and decide they are being hunted. Hooray!
They decide to snoop around the house in the dark, and find a series of hunting books in the library that documents that the de Walencourt's have been hunting people since the middle ages. They take a bunch of photos for evidence and decide to formulate a plan for tomorrows fishing trip.

Fishing: Greer knows it's her turn so she puts on a wet suit - handy it was just lying around right? - and sets out fishing with Henry. He pushes her off the boat and then the snobs all start throwing fishing hooks at her. She manages to swim over to a waterfall, climb to the top while being chased by Henry, have a three page soliloquy about Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes - seriously, I'm not making this up - before revealing that Chanel has been filming Henry's confession all along on her phone. He then does the obvious thing and throws himself off the waterfall to his death. Obviously.



Then we all go home and lie to the police about what happened, because who wants to tell them the truth, right?

The kids all go back to school when they realize - hang on! - it's a cult! And everyone in the school is in on it! With all the evidence they have, they should do something about it, right? Shall we tell parents? Nope. Police? Nope. Media? Nope. Let's tell the headmaster because he has, and I quote - a Santa Claus twinkle in his eye.
The headmaster is sympathetic. He fires the teachers in on it. Makes the school a better place! Yay, happy ending. Nobody got justice or anything, but Henry's dead, so happy ending?

Prologue: Until that is the Stepford Twins come to school. They're Henry's cousins and they're taking a lovely young black girl home with them this half term to carry on the tradition. Nooooooo! Oh, and the headmaster was in on it too! All along! Nooooooooo!



The end?

Seriously? I've not even touched on some the things I really hate about this book yet. Oh no, I've not even started.

Let's start with the fact that it ruins films all the way through. Whenever the main character sees something she has to relate it to a movie. Okay, this is sort of character building, I guess. But not only does she talk about the movie, she spoils the ending. Literally every time, with loads of films! It's not fair!

Then there's this lovely snippet: - The last thing we needed would be for some hillbilly Lake District community to start doing weird witchcraft and setting fire to us in some straw effigy[sic]...
Now, I actually live in the Lake District and I have found this to be the most insulting piece of writing I've ever read! Does the author really think we're all yokels here? Wow. I'm actually furious, and deeply, deeply hurt by this insult insinuation.

Our main character is wholly unlikable. She's supposed to be nice, but she refers to one of the house keepers at the manor as a 'miserable hag'. The poor woman hasn't even done anything wrong! The only reason Greer doesn't like her is because on the first night at the manor Greer called her husband, and now assumes the woman hates her for it.

Then there's the problem with Robert Downey Jr.
For some reason our heroine, and I can only assume the author, really hate him.
Not only does she go on and on about what a terrible movie Sherlock Holmes is, she pointedly says she wouldn't have cast Downey, and repeats three times what an awful movie it was. Sad Robert. Don't worry Robert, I still love you!



When Greer returns to the manor in a wet suit and lies to the police about how Henry died, nobody questions her.
Um, Miss? Why are you wearing a wetsuit? Why are you soaking wet and bleeding?

Then they all decide not to tell the police because they don't want to ruin the lives of the evil snotty kids who were trying to kill them. What?

No point heaping disgrace on the family just to make ourselves feel better. His dad's obviously a shit, but his mum might be OK.

The actions of these five, they were undoubtedly cruel, but were they murderous?

I thought of the bother - questions, hassle, parents knowing, press knowing...

The Friars, it seems, are guilty too, but I do not know enough of the law to tell you with any certainty if they can still be prosecuted for crimes that took place almost fifty years ago.

Instead of ruining five young lives - and condemning their characters as wholly evil when they may now improve without the malign influence of their ringleader.

There are all direct quotes from the book! And these kids are supposed to be smart! Ugh!



And then the creme de la creme. The one thing that moved this book from strong dislike, to hate. This one line: Reader, I'd started going out with him.
At no point in the book had the main character broken the fourth wall before. She'd never addressed the readers. This is a blatant imitation of the famous line that closes Jane Eyre - Reader, I married him. How dare such a line be lifted from a work of literary genius and forced, kicking and screaming, into this train wreck of a novel? It's a travesty!

I'm sorry people, but I cannot hate this book hard enough. It's awful. Skip it, burn it and bin it. Read something worth your time. Read Jane Eyre.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you know from the very beginning of a book that you are going to thoroughly enjoy it and this was definitely that book.

Greer MacDonald wins a scholarship to the prestigious STAGS (St Aidan the great school). She finds it hard to make new friends as old money trumps new and it’s an old establishment where one’s ancestry is very important.

When Greer receives an invitation with the words “huntin, shootin and fishin” from the very popular Henry Cookson, it looks like her luck has changed. Unfortunately with no parents around to supervise, this weekend away goes from bad to worse and the animals are not the only thing being hunted!!

Although I do not agree with hunting, It was a fascinating story full of old fashioned traditions.

A book for any ages, that manages to keep building the tension up. You know from the first line something bad has happened and it’s the not knowing what it is that makes this a very hard book to put down!!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

↠ 4.5/5 stars

I think there's a pretty clear reason why I liked this and rated it so highly. If Tartt's The Secret History and Stiefvater's The Raven Boys had a lovechild, it might look something like this book. It undoubtedly takes more after The Secret History in terms of narrative, but it has key themes that both TSH and TRB share: wealthy youths; private schools; youths doing ill-advised things and taking advantage of their affluence; a newcomer to a group of glittering, enigmatic people.

An enjoyable YA thriller that focuses on British heritage, class and the ever-revolving debate of 'old vs. new' with a chatty female lead and enjoyable secondary characters. 

For a lengthier review, come visit my blog (It's worth the trip, I promise!)

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So for me, Stags was just an OK read: one that I was initially very much looking forward to reading: Unfortunately, it didn't deliver the expected results and I found I enjoyed the idea behind this story more than it's actual execution.
This was in itself an interesting premise: Primarily a YA book Stags is an Elite boarding school steeped in tradition and elitism.
Our main girl Greer is a recent scholarship student at this prestigious establishment and she just wants to fit in with her new peers.
The main Clique at Greers new school are called the medievals: this unique group of privileged individuals stick to all things old world in there dress and reject the modern conveniences of the twenty-first century.



So there was such a heavy ominous undertone throughout this and the emphasis here is heavily on the class divide and the over-privilege of the upper classes compared to there working class peers. There is an almost bigoted elitist bias towards what they see as lesser individuals as if the accident of there birth makes them somehow superior in some way.
The venom towards anyone they perceive as reaching above there current station in life is absolutely shocking.
Poor Chanel a classmate of Greer's seems to get it heavily from these snobs mainly because her father is new money which is apparently worse than just being working class or a scholarship student.
She's stuck in an almost no man's land where she belongs to neither faction she just doesn't quite fit either mould.
Even the servants seem to share the popular attitude and bias.
So this is told exclusively from Greer's POV and Greer, Chanel and another student Shafeen: Indian royalty but who doesn't fit in either are invited to the estate of classmate Henry de Warlencourt along with his fellow medievals Cookson, Piers, Charlotte, Esme and Lara for a weekend of huntin, shootin, fishin.
So as I said intriguing; although that still wasn't enough to elevate this for me into a higher rating bracket.
The writing itself was fine if slightly over-descriptive and I did find myself bored and as a consequence skimming slightly.
I also found all the random movie references a bit bizarre and long winded.
I felt a lack of personal connection with the characters themselves and found they lacked depth and were a bit one-dimensional.
Greer herself seemed easily swayed by a pretty face in spite of the mountain of evidence revealed to her here.
I did find Shafeen an interesting character despite sharing similar backgrounds with the medievals he couldn't be more different in temperament and ideals.
The twist at the end of this did redeem things for me slightly it was a tad predictable but still a great finale.
This wasn't quite my thing but that's just me you might appreciate it more than I did.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of S.T.A.G.S.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[rin · Rating 2 out of 5]

yeah i get it you love movies please stop name-dropping them every five pages


not only did i dislike this book, russian translation is also horrible
pondering the rating, might lower it down later

[teach_book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elitarna szkoła dla zamożnych uczniów, krwawe sporty, jeden weekend i średniowieczny klimat robią kawał dobrej roboty! A zakończenie... cóż, trzeba sięgać koniecznie po kontynuację 🙈

[halfirishgrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, this book made me angrier than I thought was possible. And it wasn't because I didn't enjoy the book (which happens!) but because this book LIED to me. It's like that episode of Bob's Burgers:



If you're wondering what the "lie" is, it's literally the first sentence of the book. The sentence that's supposed to hook you and keep you reading. And it did - at first. But it was a hook built on deception and that my friends it what pissed me off the most about this book.

But there were other things.
For one, I honestly couldn't stand the writing. And I don't think it was a 'stylistic' thing as these things often are. The writing was just really... off-putting and jarring. Instead of writing actual descriptions of things, the writer added 'kind of' or 'sort of' and pretended like that helped. E.g.:

"It was completely square, a kind of thick ivory envelope folded over on four sides."
"There are tiny black beads, sewn in a kind of swirl on the front, the kind of swirl you see flocks of starlings doing at dusk."
"He had on a checkered shirt and a sort of quilted green waistcoat."
The "sort ofs" and "kind ofs" go on and on and on... These are examples I picked from quickly skimming the first 30pgs. By page 100 I was like ughhhhhhhhhhh.

There was also no tension in the writing. For a thriller, you need tension. But I felt like Bennett was just not good at writing it. The "most intense" scene of the book was boring and I didn't care. It wasn't written in a way that makes your heart thump or puts you at the edge of your seat.

I also saw the "twist" at the end coming a mile away because it was the most un-subtle thing ever written.

Also also, the book is written in a cringey way where the main character constantly breaks the fourth wall but for literally no reason. She's like "Have you seen this movie? Well..."
And I'm like PLEASE STOP. WHO IS YOU? WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO AND WHY!?!

There are brackets in the middle of sentences breaking the fourth wall for NO reason at all:
"Sherlock and Moriarty are in Switzerland, and Robert Downey Jr - he's Sherlock Homes (bear with me, I was doubtful too - but he's actually good)."

Yeah, this is when Greer has literally been lured to her death and IS ABOUT TO DIE. But she just goes off into a monologue about Sherlock Holes and then tells US the readers that we should bear with Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Homes. Because that's tense and thrilling, right???

Also, some of the colloquial jargon she uses in the middle of writing honestly made me cringe:
"In films, you see, if someone's still alive, whatever state they're in, they leave the face uncovered - obvs - so the person can breath."
GREER A MAN HAS LITERALLY DIED AND YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CONSUMED WITH GUILT but oh yes, go ahead and tell us what - obvs - happens in films when there's a death.

There are also so many obvious inconsistencies that the book read like a first draft that the writer had forgotten to go back and edit. Like in the first few chapters, Greer says she wonders why Shafeen decided to accept the invitation to go on the hunting trip.... but then he tells us literally a few chapters later. And then AGAIN a few chapter after that. Is Greer just daft? I mean... yes, as Greer would say - obvs. BUT SERIOUSLY.

Speaking of Greer, I really, really, really, really disliked her. She was just incredibly daft. I seriously question how she managed to get a scholarship to this academy. The first thing that made dislike her was when she declares that the medievals (the mean kids at school) aren't really racist after they're literally racist in the most obvious way you can ever imagine:

Quote from the end of page 20:
"Little shit," he hissed, under his breath.
"Not little," murmured Piers. "He's a long, brown shit."
"Like the ones you do after a vindaloo," agreed Cookson. "Long and brown and smelling of curry."
(all in reference to a brown, Indian character)
The first sentence of page 21:
"The medievals were not straightforward racists."
Uhmmm....

She just gets worse and worse and worse. She constantly talks about how she's a bad feminist because basically every time Henry even glances at her, she loses brain function. And uh, yeah. You're right to worry. But this isn't bad feminist in the Roxane Gay essay kind of way. It's just... bad.
It gets so bad that she almost dies because that's how bad she has it for Henry!
Later on in the book, she loses brain function every time Shafeen looks at her because OMG HE LIKES HER

The other characters were pretty one-dimensional, boring, and inconsistent.

So much of the book made absolutely no sense. Like you know, I get it's an elite school full of kids who are really loaded but...
in what world, would an entire school of pupils be on board to help a bunch of "medievals" hunt and murder kids who don't fit in? If it was just the couple of kids and teacher, I could understand that. BUT THE ENTIRE FUCKING SCHOOL?
And nobody is suspicious that kids go on these hunting trips and then just die? Constantly? SINCE THE FUCKING CRUSADES???? NOBODY PICKED UP ON THIS AND SAID HEY MAYBE I WON'T SEND MY KID THERE!?!
I just don't understand why Nel, Shafeen, and Greer would watch Henry die and be like "well, I KNOW he was an awful guy who murdered loads of people in cold blood and tried to murder literally all of us but he's dead now, let's give him a break and not tell the world he's a murderer." Like it's taking not speaking ill of the dead to a whole new level.

But oh of course it must be there all-consuming guilt which makes no sense because HE KILLED HIMSELF AND THERE WAS NO FUCKING MURDER AKAJGFAJKDGAJKFGKAFJGFJK.

Okay, I'll stop ranting and let you get on with your day. But... just fyi I highly recommend you do NOT get this book. Don't be swayed by the pretty cover and exciting tagline. I was fooled by them, and look where it left me.

[Elle❤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

2.5 starts

I was looking forward to reading this book - the premise sounded great and I had not read anything like what the plot suggested I would be getting. And I did enjoy it... to a degree.

I had zero connection with any of the characters in this book. Yes, their appearences were described, but I never got a sense of who they were as a person, and so honestly, I didn't care what their fate would turn out to be, whether they lived or died... meh.

I continued to read because I was waiting for the intense, bloody action to begin, as suggested by the blurb, "One deadly weekend...The students are at the mercy of their capricious host, and, over the next three days, as the three bloodsports - hunting, shooting and fishing - become increasingly dark and twisted..." I don't know if it was just me, but I never got the sense of anything being "dark," "twisted" or "deadly." I mean yeah it's obvious that it's not only the animals that are being hunted but I never got the sense that they were in danger.

One thing that seriously bothered me was how the MC, Greer, continuously, and what felt like in every second sentence, made a movie reference. From the Godfather Part II to Lawrence of Arabia, The Princess Diaries to The Jungle Book...every movie under the sun is referenced by Greer. We get it. Your dad is a cameraman and you have a mutual love for films. CALM DOWN.

Everything I've said so far is pretty negative BUT as a whole, this book is definitely one of the better ones I've read this year; it's good for what it is, I just expected more :)

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elitarna szkoła średnia, uprzywilejowane dzieciaki i weekend, który na długo zostanie w pamięci w doskonałym thrillerze młodzieżowym „STAGS” M.A. Bennett.

M.A. Bennett zadbała o to, by fabuła jej powieści przywodziła na myśl klasyczne filmy rodem z lat 90., których akcja rozgrywała się właśnie w elitarnych szkołach, a w których dzieją się co najmniej dziwne i niepokojące rzeczy. Tym samym nawiązuje tutaj do tradycji klasycznych brytyjskich szkół prywatnych, w których tworzą się specyficzne grupy, a nawet tajne stowarzyszenia o kontrowersyjnych kodeksach postępowania. Takim miejscem jest tytułowy STAGS, w której prym wiodą dzieciaki oderwane od rzeczywistości, skrajnie uprzywilejowane, które wiedzą, że mają wpływ na otaczającą ich rzeczywistość i jedyne na czym im zależy, to utrzymać status quo. Utrzymanie go staje się głównym priorytetem, najwyższą wartością, która zaciemnia wszystko inne, zrzuca na drugi plan.

„STAGS” to diabelnie wciągający thriller młodzieżowy, który spodoba się nie tylko młodszym czytelnikom. Całość opiera się na znanych motywach, jednak M.A. Bennett potrafi wciąż zaskoczyć. Wszystko to dzięki intrygującej narratorce, która wprowadza czytelnika w swój świat, robiąc to na własnych zasadach, ale w taki sposób, by od razu wejść w jej skórę, stanąć za murami szkoły i poczuć jej przytłaczającą tysiącletnimi tradycjami i regułami atmosferę. Tutaj nie ma wzruszeń, nie ma przebaczenia – są Ludzie Średniowiecza i Dzikusy, a to, do której grupy przynależysz wiadomo od wielu pokoleń i nie da się przeniknąć magicznej bariery, która je oddziela, nie da się wkroczyć do innego świata. Nawet za najwyższą cenę.

Czyta się jednym tchem!

[Wing (notesbywing) · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a dark, thrilling read set in a lush and posh estate with shady secrets.
being rich must be nice sometimes

finished this in 2 sittings and i'm so proud of myself.

[Karima chermiti · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the definition of boredom. I can't believe I finished it even though i liked nothing about, not a thing.

I could've reread 13 Minutes or Little Monsters or We Were Liars and i would had a very good time but instead i chose this book and it ended up being one brutal exhausting and totally disappointing reading experience that bored the feelings out of me.

Full review now posted

Hate is a strong word. I don’t use very often in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever used at all when talking about books, except maybe once and I don’t like to use it at all. But S.T.A.G.S brought out that emotion in spades and I hated every single moment of this miserable nightmarish experience. If I could take away the memories of reading this book out of me, I would. I hated it that much.

So is this going to be a decent review? No chance in hell. this is going to be filled with me ranting and saying things that’s not going to make any sense because I’m so angry that I wasted my time with this thing that I can’t think straight. Another thing, I’m not going to be using the characters names in this review because I remember them not and I’m not interested in going back to the book and rediscover their names so I will be using the good guys and the bad guys so I won’t spoil anything for you.

So let’s start my ranting by saying that if you’re looking for your next young adult thriller then get out of here as fast of you can because nothing about this book is thrilling and if you think you’re getting into a survival story with guts and stakes then well there’s survival arc alright but it’s so underwhelming and badly executed that if leaves nothing to be desired. I assure you you’ll have a greater time with books like We Were Liars, 13 Minutes and Little Monsters. These three boos are mysterious, atmospheric and disturbing in a way this book wasn’t.

So let’s now move on to the things that I’m salty about with this book. S.T.A.G.S was in the front of my mind since it was released and I decided that I’ll be reading it for sure. Famous yet ambiguous boarding school, people with hidden agendas and a survival story with a spooky nature, that’s what I thought the story has to offer. But now that I’ve read this book, I’d like to go back in time to my former self and shake her into submission so she won’t read the book and I won’t be writing this review right now. But ALAS, regret is no help for me. I’m telling you guys that writing these types of reviews is no fun at all. It’s draining all the positive energy and making me exhausted but we all gotta do what we gotta do.

The story has a promise and a potential, I’ll give it that but it was soon slaughtered with those long descriptive passages that did nothing but annoy and bore me to death. I mean the story is less than 300 pages and for most of the times I’m stuck inside that heroine head while she’s describing everything her eyes lay upon. I know that the bad guys live in luxury like royals but do we really need to hear about that every single chapter. I hate long descriptive passages especially when they offer nothing to the plot and with this book, not only they were repetitive and boring but it also took space that could’ve been given to more character and plot development.

Speaking of plot, it was so underdeveloped and so predictable that I felt like I was drowning in all the nonsense going on. I understand that the story strived to be creepy and disturbing and twisted but for me it was all ridiculous and unbelievable.

The lack of suspense and stakes also killed my intrigue and my interest faster than quicksilver. Right from the start, we know who the bad guys are and who the good ones are. We know a murder took place, we know who was the victim and the identity of the killers. We knew everything so it’s all about how we get there and I was actually looking forward to it but the it all become clear for me and to be honest, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where the story is headed every single chapter and how it’s going to turn out. It felt like the story lacked all the crazy elements that my favorite thrillers tend to exploit very well in crafting an engaging story that leaves no room for boredom or predictability.

And even the survival aspect of the story was written in a poor way. The good guys didn’t survive because they were bloody tough and know how to handle themselves in the midst of dangerous situation; the truth is that they were manipulated into thinking that they survived due to that. For me, it was a stroke of lack that one of the good ones happens to have a very valuable item in her possession that they used to their advantage. Without that item, they would’ve been toast.

And speaking of the characters, I didn’t like any single one of them. Let’s start with the villains. They are not written in a way that makes them fascinating or interesting. They do all of these things that are evil but for what reasons, where’s the motivation that can convince me that these should be really considered great villains. For me, it was so ridiculous and weird and didn’t feel that well thought out.

The good ones weren’t that better. Their characters were flat and one dimensional and didn’t peak my interest for a second. But let’s just say that the main female character is the worst of them all. She was dull, stupid and easily manipulated. Like what the hell was she thinking most of times, behaving that way even though it was abundantly clear that something is wrong with the students that invited them. No, she actually doesn’t care about that, not when the main villain is so handsome and his eyes are so deep and beautiful and he makes her feel so pretty. I mean what she is doing for heaven’s sake. She knew how bad he was and she has a very solid proof on all the horrible things he’s done but he’s actually look pretty good and concerned so to hell with all the dirt she has on him. He can’t be possible that bad and that handsome, can he now. I swear that girl has the intelligence of an empty chair. And to see her disregard her friends worries for him and putting their lives in danger because she’s just that infatuated with him. I can’t even with her. I just can’t

But you know, if I have to mention a one thing that didn’t suck that much, it’d probably be the ending. If the book had the same vibe and intrigue of that final chapter, you would be looking at my next favorite young adult thriller but instead here we are.

[Franzi Bücherseelen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 Sterne

[Anna ʚɞ {semi-inactive bc uni} · Rating 2 out of 5]

ׂ╰┈➤ 2.25★

A dark academia murder mystery sounds soo freaking exciting, but how I wished the young adult aspect hadn’t been so prominent 😫!

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

The idea of the story was intriguing and thoroughly unique; Born and raised in Manchester, Greer is elated when she wins a scholarship to the prestigious & elite boarding school; St Aidan the Great School (S.T.A.G.S). She’s excited to be there and considers herself lucky that she doesn’t have to go and live with her aunt while her father is abroad for work. Well that was before she met the Medievals; a group of 6 immeasurably privileged fellow-students that pretty much rule the school. Everyone wants to know them, be acknowledged by them or do anything to be them. So when Greer gets invited to spend a weekend with them hunting what could possibly go wrong?

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

The book itself:
There’s a constant struggle in the book itself as it tries to be a YA novel AND a murder mystery / thriller at the same time. There was a whole lot of mention of gory details during the hunting of the animals & the story showed itself to be dark, suspenseful and had a lot of tension as a thriller should have. But then it was like the author didn’t want that to be her story at all so everything related to the main characters (just Greer tbh) and their theories became incredibly simplified and just straight out dumb!! Like we would go from a quite detailed description of a poor deer being killed and gutted to Greer explaining to us by breaking the 4th wall that yes there was actually something horrible about to happen and like its gonna take place super duper soon!!!

“Creeping down the library at Longcross in the pitch dark was the scariest thing I’d ever had to do. (At that point in my life, I mean. Of course much scarier things happened to me the next day.)”

Greer:
Greer was so maddeningly infuriating at times OH MY GOODNESS

In an alternate reality this book would be called Greer being dumbfoundedly stupid for 290 pages 😭.

In the early chapters we were told Greer was really smart and she has photographic memory, and she obviously won a freaking scholarship to this school!!!

Still she somehow manages to be dumbfoundedly stupid. Her persistence that the Medievals aren’t actually that bad, they aren’t racist, they aren’t actually horrible and disgusting people; all the while they do those exact things in front of her freaking face! And then that one time she thinks, maybe they are bad? all Henry De Warlencourt has to do is breathe in her direction, and she’s chastising herself for even thinking so badly about them because they could never ever be so horrible! 🙃.

Her constant movie references were so so soooooo overused and like literally what was the point? I don’t think many readers have actually seen even half of the movies she mentioned, and for me personally all of them were lost on me even for those movies Ive seen because I just did not care! Not to mention she spoils the ending of at least one movie in this book. The constant breaking of the 4th wall diminished the desired effect for every scene cus suddenly Greer was not fighting for her own goddamn life but instead talking ab some movie scene 😭

“Are you going to make my death look like an accident…?"
“Naturally…”
He took a step towards me…
“Have you seen Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows?" I asked...
[...]
"Sherlock and Moriarty are in Switzerland and Robert Downey Jr - he's Sherlock Holmes" (bear with me, I was doubtful too - but he's actually good)...
💀

like yessss no problem Geer I'll bear with you and read about this movie while you're about to be killed!!!!
And do not even get me started on the whole Greer / Shafeen thing. I denounce it forever and ever.

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

The book was at times all right, which is why it gets 2.25 stars. I just wish it would have been better executed. It's still a fairly simple read, as the book is quite short and easy to read.

[Mary-ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Nine students. Three blood sports. One deadly weekend.’

This book is an okay read, but didn’t really live up to its potential.

It is different from standard YA releases and the concept is great. The problem is in the execution. Greer is a fish out of water as a scholarship student at this exclusive school for the extremely wealthy. Largely ignored by her peers, she finally feels like she is being accepted by the elite group at school when she receives an invitation. Greer is thrust into their world of privilege, but comes to realise things are not what they seem.

After getting off to a slow start, this book suffered from too much time spent on things happening to other characters, not the protagonist. It felt like the action was a little too distant to really create much tension for the first half of the book. Then when the tension should have been acute, it’s completely undercut by the oscillating thoughts of the main character, which made her seem stupid. The other tension killer is that there’s never any doubt of the outcome as the story is told in past tense. It’s too predictable. The set up for the ‘twist’ at the end isn’t credible unless, once again, the main character is stupid.

The movie references became annoying. The first one isn’t explained immediately. It’s just a random ‘It’, which totally pulled me out of the story.

I did enjoy this book in parts, but I wanted a lot more fear.

[Vivianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.25

Spoiler free mini review.
 
Overall this book was quick, entertaining (on a certain level), it held my attention and at times it was even somewhat tense. However if I delve deeper into it, this book is quite unbelievable, the characters were annoying and the book did not live up to its potential.

I could have overlooked all my other complaints if this book would have been incredibly tense. If it would have got me on the edge of my seat, but it didn’t. The plot just greatly disappointed me. It was just… boring. Super slow and not much was going on while reading. I had just expected more. Something like The Hunger Games or Ramsay Bolting (GoT) style. The climax just never came. The Huntin’ , Shootin’ and Fishin’ thing was in my opinion super weird and boring. I liked the idea of choosing someone every day but it just wasn’t executed well enough. Half the book you don’t realize what’s going on and then the fishin’ is over in a heartbeat and the last 100 pages are once again boring. The pacing was just very off.

And I think the author created these expectations herself. I mean starting a book with the sentence: “I think I am a murderer” and continuing dropping bombs like “Shafeen was a murderer”, “Chanel is a murderer” or other things like “but what would happen the next day would be so much worse”. These things create a certain expectation and get my mind rattling with all these crazy possibilities. And in the end I was just very disappointed with what happened and how things ended.

The writing wasn’t really for me. It was quite juvenile, sentences like: “ Tonight i was seated between Esme (meh) and Cookson (yuck).” As a writer, you don’t need to hold my hand while I am reading, it’s already very clear Greer doesn’t like these people. And then the thing that made want to throw this book across the room: THE MOVIE REFERENCES. There is literally one on every single page! And I have seen 2 of the 300? movies in this book. So I didn’t get them. E.g. “I watched him. Feeling a bit like Genevere in First Knight watching Lancelot go.” Uhmm what?!

Besides that I didn’t get 95% of the references, use your own imagination to sketch scenes don’t use other people’s work. There are also huge spoilers in this book for a few of the movies referenced like e.g. The Fault in Our Stars. Every time a sentence would be in italic and I knew there would be one on a page I just wanted to skip the whole paragraph. I get she likes movies, I get her dad is a camera man and they have this thing, but NOPE!

And then let’s get to how unrealistic and unbelievable this book is. I mean books don’t have to be believable, hell I read a lot of fantasy that isn’t believable, but if you write a contemporary book in a modern day setting I need it to be realistic so I can immerse myself in the story. And this just wasn’t the case and it kept dragging me out of the book. A few examples that I found hard to believe; “Greer even going on this weekend when there where a million red flags, Shafeen’s father never telling him what happened to him (and therefore deeming his son to the same fate, Hell I don’t even understand sending him to the same freaking school), them staying at the mansion after what happened, them staying at this school after what happened, the whole freaking plot with the cult getting away with murders etc. for centuries! Them believing the abbot and that he wasn’t a part of the cult when he was the head of the school when even the first years were involved! That no one in these centuries of the school ever went to the police. That the whole school stopped using cellphones because 6 “popular” people said they were ‘savage’. I mean I could probably sum up a page more but I will stop here.

Everything was underdeveloped. And then I mean everything. The plot, the world building, the school, the main character, the side character, the romance. EVERYTHING! I can’t tell you a single thing about anything, besides what was directly related to the plot.

The main character was not my type of main character. Besides that she didn’t have a spine and drowned in Henry’s eyes every time she got a fraction of attention, she was jealous (at things she isn’t entitled to), annoying and extremely naïve. Not to forget the strange scenes she talked to a cut of head of a STAG, she even gave it a name.

Well let’s conclude this review with some positivity. I did like the twist with the seeds Chanel found in Henry’s pocket, I liked the cult vibe, and even though it wasn’t worked out into detail very well, the idea was interesting. I liked the fact that we found out later that that even the roommates where in on it. I liked how it addressed the social media problem of our today society. I liked the element of the food and how that was involved in this book and the hunt. I also liked the setting. I overall liked the ending with how open it is. And it’s a very quick read.

Won’t continue with the sequel!

[Moon_child31 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐

[Ania · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 Wydaje mi się, że S.T.A.G.S jest książką ze zmarnowanym potencjałem. Na pierwszy rzut oka historia wydaje się naprawdę przyzwoita i ciekawa. Niestety w moim przypadku styl pisania autorki i kilka innych czynników spowodowało, że moja ocena jest tak niska ;(

[Meli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me vendieron gato por liebre y compré como una campeona.

La sinopsis nos promete que este libro va a ser una mezcla de Los juegos del hambre y ese episodio de Los Simpsons que el señor Burns los invita a todos a su mansión para cazarlos (ni idea qué parodia, sorry). Y en cierta manera lo es, pero desarrollado de la manera más sosa y aburrida posible. Y con una resolución irrisoria y tirada de los pelos, solo para continuar la historia.

Me siento ofendida por el trato que le dio al final, subestima por completo la inteligencia de todos. Del lector y de los personajes (y eso que me irritó la protagonista con sus tres referencias al cine por párrafo, con su asco a la menstruación y SU DISCULPAS CONSTANTES AL FEMINISMO POR SENTIRSE ATRAÍDA A LOS CHICOS, pero ni ella era tan estúpida como ese final).

Estoy furiosa, este libro lo prometía todo, pero la autora subestimó a su público.

[Emmy van Ruijven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel tof, maar ik zag alles aankomen. Binnenkort mijn recensie.

[Clau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este libro me lo regaló mi mejor amiga, pero la verdad es que había llamado mi atención antes de eso. Me gustan los misterios en que un grupo de adolescentes intenta descubrir un crimen atroz que los afecta especialmente. Series como Scream, Riverdale o la española Elite, libros como The Dead List, One of Us Is Lying y Two Can Keep a Secret (Comentario al margen: Karen McManus se ha vuelto una escritora muy interesante por lo mismo, aunque debo decir que One of Us is Lying es mucho mejor que el otro, y Jennifer Armentrout escribe muy buenas historias de misterio, pero lamentablemente hace tiempo que no escribe novelas de este tipo).
Así que, en resumen, estaba muy entusiasmada de leer La Caza, una historia sonaba como Scream versión internado elitista.
La Caza no trata de eso. Obviamente, eso tiene que ver con mis expectativas y no con la historia en sí, así que no es la razón por la que le di este puntaje. Y es que debo decir que la trama fue lo suficientemente interesante, salvo por unas cuantas cosas: 1) Varias cosas se me hicieron terriblemente predecibles; 2) La forma de narrar la historia no me gustó, porque va adelantando los acontecimientos de forma tal que realmente nada te sorprende; 3) Dudo haber leído un libro que haya tenido personajes más ESTÚPIDOS. Este tercer punto es mi gran problema, porque puedo pasar por alto lo demás, pero simplemente no puedo con la idiotez de Greer, Chanel e incluso de Shafeen. Al final del libro, me sentía como si estuviera leyendo una parodia de Scream, y estos tres fueran el personaje tonto que va a morir por su propia estupidez. Y todo lo que "logran descubrir" es fundamentalmente por suerte, y no porque sus cerebros funcionen.

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full Review on The Candid Cover

S.T.A.G.S honestly surprised me. It is a very eerie story with a twisty plot and an intelligent main character. The story definitely strays from the classic private school book I was expecting. Although this book is a thriller, I feel like there isn’t enough action, and I would have enjoyed more suspense.

It’s so hard to describe this book without spoilers, but basically, it tells the story of a girl who is invited to the annual weekend trip with the most popular kids in school. She is skeptical, since she is considered an outcast, but goes on the trip anyways. As expected, the trip takes a dark turn, and she finds herself trapped in a house with no adults. It was originally the private school aspects that drew me to this book, but we don’t get to see a lot of the actual school. Also, I found that the book lacks action for the kind of story that is is, and everything happens at the end. The idea is very creative, but I just feel like it falls a bit flat.

I really enjoyed Greer’s character in S.T.A.G.S. As a scholarship student in a school for the rich, she doesn’t fit in with the others. However, on the trip, Greer is resourceful and clever, and she is good at manipulating those who are trying to manipulate her. She is also quick to defend her newfound friends, which I loved. The one thing I will say is that the constant movie references do get annoying, but other than that, she is likeable.

S.T.A.G.S. is a darker take on a private school weekend trip. The main character is likeable, and the concept is intriguing. However, I would have liked more action in this thriller, and a faster paced plot.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

Entertaining though pretty unsuspenseful suspense book about rich kids behaving badly.

Do you have thirty seconds? Find out why I think this is Mean Girls retold on a British country weekend.


Read my full (cranky) thoughts here: Jen Ryland Reviews STAG

Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!


I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher for possible review.

[Brittany (whatbritreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you so much to HotKeyBooks for sending me a copy in exchange for review!*

I’m new to the YA Thriller genre, having read a lot of adult thrillers I didn’t think this would have the same level of intrigue and while the concept sounded amazing I didn’t know if I was going to enjoy it. I enjoyed it. A lot.

This is essentially a cult thriller, with a touch of dark academia vibes. Sort of like the secret history, but with a bunch of rich, white and privileged seventeen-year-olds. It was so fun to read. It was well written, sometimes when I got into school-based YA I get worried that it will be a touch too childish for my taste, but this was perfect. I also appreciated the pop culture references - it was done subtly and not too often to become try-hard. It was very entertaining.

There was a great depiction of hierarchies of power, racism and ‘otherness’ in this book. Though it is set in an elite private school with predominantly white characters, there is a protagonist of colour in this book, with hints of there being more diverse characters in the next one so I look forward to that.

It was predictable when I got to the middle, but then the ending shocked me. The elements of mystery were hit and miss, but it still remained a page-turner and I cannot wait to read the other books to see where the author takes these characters.