Bookseller Reviews
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Entertaining
I was itching to read this book after I read the synopsis, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Fast-paced and addictive, with an amazing premise th... READ MORE
Refreshingly different
When a group of outsiders at posh St Aidan the Great School are invited to a hunting weekend by the school's best and brightest it looks as if their days o... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortisted for the YA Book Prize 2018
Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.
It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S.
Just when she despairs of making friends Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. When Greer learns that the invitation is to spend the half term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S., she is as surprised as she is flattered.
But when Greer joins the other chosen few at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realises that Henry's parents are not at home; the only adults present are a cohort of eerily compliant servants.
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, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school...
Publisher information
- Publisher: Hot Key Books
- ISBN: 9781471406768
- Number of pages: 320
- Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 19 mm
- Weight: 238g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allDecent but not great
I'm only 3/4 of the way through the book but it's really starting to irritate me.
So far the story has been decent, with varying events and clues that lea... READ MORE
Very Intriguing!
I really liked the book, however, I was far more interested by all of the details and the mystery bits than the action packed thriller I was expecting. I f... READ MORE
Messed Up Morals
I finished reading this book a few days ago, and I’M STILL UNSURE ABOUT WHETHER I EVEN LIKED IT OR NOT. It started off fairly slowly, and the got better an... READ MORE
Fun YA Thriller
This was a surprisingly fun YA thriller about the effects of power and privilege. I've seen it on my Twitter feed quite regularly over the last few months ... READ MORE
Twisting and thrilling
This book kept me interested from page one. M A Bennett has taken a unique concept and made it dark, twisted and terribly terribly thrilling. The main char... READ MORE
A terrific story line with a cracking pace.
S.T.A.G.S (St Aiden the Great) is an elite educational establishment with a deep-rooted code of conduct. It’s where ‘old school’ rules and the practice of ... READ MORE
Rich Kids are the Worst
This book was marketed as a blend of Looking for Alaska/Gossip Girl and the Hunger Games which creates a problem of having to live up to the legacy of two ... READ MORE
Misfits vs Medievals
#STAGS is the name of the fancy private school Greer has got a scholarship to attend. Her first month is lonely and she feels increasingly isolated, then s... READ MORE
Sinister and cunning
Stags is a brilliantly suspenseful delve into the twisted, cunning minds of the self-entitled, Middle class students at the historic St. Aiden th... READ MORE
Brilliant read!!
"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 kn... READ MORE
ShannsReviews!
I honestly brought this simply because it was on sale; i'd seen it around a lot and couldn't decide whether I actually wanted to read it or not - I'm prett... READ MORE
Twists, Turns and Tension
I've given this book three stars but it's definitely more of a three and a half star rating. I read this whole book in one day. It's not my usual kind of b... READ MORE
I loved it
This book is very similar to other thriller like books I've read before, but it also seems different at the same time. I love how as we saw Greer become pa... READ MORE
I loved this!
I really, really enjoyed this book. I read most of it in one sitting!
Set from Greer's point of view it's an ideal teen thriller, mixed with both history ... READ MORE
Privilege, power, huntin', shootin', fishin'.
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 ... READ MORE
Average and bland but shows potential
Faced with spending a year living with her Aunt and her toddler twins Greer MacDonald applies for (and wins) a scolorship to Saint Aiden the Great School i... READ MORE
Medieval Privilege
I was provided with a copy of STAGS by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
What can I say about STAGS? This story of privilege is absolutely ... READ MORE
Gripping YA mystery - I need more!
Wow. This book . . . wow. Ever since I first heard about S.T.A.G.S, I was excited to read it as it sounded right up my street: a YA mystery set in an Engli... READ MORE
Intellectual and thrilling read
Love the book, however I didn’t quite understand all of the frequent movie references but the storyline was unique and well thought out and it was full of ... READ MORE
It was predictable
This book was very predictable. It was filled with plotholes and problems with the characters for example their hatred of all technology but their obsessi... READ MORE
STAGS
"S.T.A.G.S."
"S.T.A.G.S."
Written by M.A. Bennett
Review written by Diana Iozzia
S.T.A.G.S.
"S.T.A.G.S." follows our main character, Greer, as she is ... READ MORE
YA thriller
I am a fan of fantasy books so thrillers are not my first choice. But this book was pretty good. It kept me in trance till the end. Don't get me wrong, the... READ MORE
Amazing
I love this novel! Right from the start I was pulled into the mystery and was dying, get the pun, to know who Greer had murdered. I love that this novel fe... READ MORE
Highly Enjoyable!
When the first line is something as attention-grabbing as 'I think I might be a murderer', it is hard not to be interested! S.T.A.G.S. (an acronym for 'St ... READ MORE
I enjoyed it!
I am a fan of fantasy books so thrillers are not my first choice. But this book was pretty good. It kept me in trance till the end. Don't get me wrong, the... READ MORE
Couldn't put it down!
This book was one that caught my eye when I first came to Readers First. I read the first few chapters and fell in love with the book. I was fort... READ MORE
An Entertaining Read
This was such a fun and enjoyable read. I read it over the course of two days, and the mystery kept me wanting more the whole way through. S.T.A.G.S is qui... READ MORE
Fun YA Thriller
This was a surprisingly fun YA thriller about the effects of power and privilege. I've seen it on my Twitter feed quite regularly over the last few months ... READ MORE
On Edge Thrilling
Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.
The synopsis doesn't give too much away. You know something bad it going to happen just from the way the cover is set out, ... READ MORE
Good Read
If you like books such as 'One of us is lying', then this is your type of novel.
This book is filled with twists and turns, some you see coming while othe... READ MORE
i liked it
Stags is a YA psychological thriller novel. A debut novel by the author. Here a short brief of what its about
Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly ... READ MORE
Pretty good
I am a fan of fantasy books so thrillers are not my first choice. But this book was pretty good. It kept me in trance till the end. Don't get me wrong, the... READ MORE
A little predictable but overall a good YA book
enjoyed reading this book as the storyline was generally fun to read, as the author built an intriguing, entertaining setting in which the characters live ... READ MORE
Terrific read!
This is one that I read through with scarcely a break- I really wanted to know how it all turned out! Although this is a YA book,probably because of the ag... READ MORE
Such an engaging YA book!
I really enjoyed the book, both in written and audio forms.
Not only are the scenery and characters beautifully created and described but they truly comp... READ MORE
I love this!
This has definitely become one of my favourite books! I fell in love with the way that the story was written with all the twists and turns that kept me on ... READ MORE
Thrilling!
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book, and it really didn’t disappoint.
It starts off with us finding out that the narrator, Greer, is just star... READ MORE
Thrilling and suspensful
This was recommended after reading 'One of Us Is Lying' and I must say it is incredible. There are so many unexpected twists and turns that will keep you o... READ MORE
Interesting read!
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 he... READ MORE
Loved This!
I absolutely love teen thrillers and this is no exception, firstly the plot although its another one of those boarding school mysteries this definitely has... READ MORE
this book is in my top fives!
this book demonstrates excellently the divide in class and race in British private schools. the writing style is very interesting and you learn a lot about... READ MORE
A really dark and creepy mystery thriller.
I liked the boarding school setting, it felt very gothic and really set the mood. Then the switch to the country house. Country houses are so perfect for h... READ MORE