This was a pretty decent book overall. I enjoyed the story but something still felt a bit flat. I didn't resonate with the characters and that had an impact on my enjoyment of the story. Even though the plot itself was well executed.

Think the concept of this sounded interesting but just didn't completely work for me, maybe I just wasn't a fan of the more gruesome elements.

Brilliant book - absolutely perfect for the ya market and younger teens. The rest of the series is also awesome

I gave this book a quick try, and ultimately decided to DNF -- my tastes have changed since I requested this. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book!

I knew from the beginning I was going to thoroughly enjoy it and I did. I flew through this book and couldn't put it down I can't wait to read more from this author.

Read this on holiday and couldn't put it down. The story had me saying to everyone just 1 more chapter before we could do something other than sit by the pool sun bathing, but 1 more chapter was every chapter till the book was finished. The characters I loved throughout the story but that ending, I need more. Will be on the lookout for a sequel and hopefully thats just as good if not better than this one.

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused

I really enjoyed this YA thriller, which is set in a very privileged private school. Loved the twist at the end of the book.

When I started this book I wasn't sure what to make of it, but i got hooked utterly. Just after I finished it I found out that it is now going to be a series and I cannot wait to read more of what happens and how the school changes if at all.

I must admit I was expecting more from this book, however it had plenty of twists and turns, some I had already figured out and some I didn’t.

It was such a brilliant plot and had all the right ideas to become something more, I expected explosions, fireworks but in the end it all fell a little flat to me.

The plot of this story was completely far-fetched and it took a number of leaps of logic to follow what was going on and keep believing it, but the social commentary was spot on. The MC, a scholarship girl at an incredibly exclusive English public school, gets invited to one of her classmate's massive country estates for the weekend only to find that er classmate wasn't exactly extending the hand of friendship. This book deals with racism, classism, snobbery, old-boy networks and conspiracy theories. I think this book would work for anyone, but it will be particularly resonant if you're British.

Publisher: Hot Key Books
Rating: ★★★
Format: Netgalley EARC

I requested this because I knew D.O.G.S was right up my alley but I didn’t want to just jump in. It’s a fun (if you can call it that!), entertaining read with a fast and action-packed plot. I love a boarding school setting and it is captured really well here. I had an issue with some of the language used but it didn’t stop me picking up and enjoying the second book!

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 horror stories and this vast, empty place was just oozing with a strong sense of unease from the beginning.

That uneasiness is something the book did really well. The plot unfolded nicely, though no huge surprises as what was really going on seemed quite obvious for a while. There was definitely enough to keep my on edge though, and I was enthralled.

The attention to detail was excellent. It definitely felt like MA Bennett knew the world she was talking about, with it's rigid social structure and outdated bloody hunting rituals.

A dark and compelling read.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

This was an enjoyable quirky fun read that is structured as a coming of age mystery drama read set within a prestigious school and follows the story of the scholarship student - this school is certainly quirky in a disjointed medieval creepy way!
The school is a huge power-play environment and results in blood fest competitions for survival there, so expect an unrealistic thriller narrative. I wasn't a huge fan of our principal character, so I struggled with my engagement at times. I did enjoy the retrospective narrator perspective and trying to puzzle out events through her eyes.
Overall, it's an interesting premise but lacks some delivery focus and consistency - and less film references and more action and drive. It's a fairly predictable read and I wanted the writer to be braver with some outcomes to fulfil the original set up.

Very dark, very funny and packed full of mystery and action. This was a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. I loved the characters different personalities and the world-building was immense. Captured me from the very first sentence.

I have literally just finished S.T.A.G.S and am in shock. What an ending?! I didn't know anything about the story before going into the book but I ending up absolutely hooked (pun not intended- you will get this if you have read it). It is such a unique idea! I am so excited to read the second one which I think is publishing tomorrow!. It left on such a cliff hanger!

This is everything I love in a book. I am always so here for a good boarding school story anyway and this ticked so many other boxes for me too. I'd be hearing about it all over the place and I am so glad it didn't disappoint. Its got me, this one. I am so here for it. I'll be reading it again FOR SURE.

Greer is a scholarship student at St Aidan the Great boarding school, a really expensive private school that’s known colloquially as S.T.A.G.S.. She, and a couple of other people who don’t fit in to the norm of being white and coming from a historically rich family, are at the bottom of the pecking order. When the ringleaders of the school invite her and two others to a weekend of bloodsports, they decide to go along and try to enjoy themselves, only to find that they’re the ones being hunted.

I really like Bennett’s writing style, it’s clear and engaging and sucked me right in. I had fun while reading this, and if you’re looking for something fun to fill a few hours, then go right ahead and read this.

But honestly I was expecting more out of it. The premise made it sound like the ‘misfits’ were going to be in a lot more danger than they ended up being in. It was described as being 'one deadly weekend’, and to fit that criteria then at least one person needed to actually die as a result of the bloodsports. There is a single death in this book, and it wasn’t because of the bloodsports and wasn’t one of the misfits, so it doesn’t count for this. Don’t promise me death if you aren’t going to deliver !!

Greer herself is obsessed with old films because she watches them with her Dad. That’s fine on its own, but it got to the point where every few pages she was describing something by saying 'It’s like in that old film X where Y happened.’ Funnily enough, not everyone has seen all of these films, and novels are supposed to have actual written description in them. If this had happened only once or twice it wouldn’t be an issue, but it felt like it was constant.

Also, everything about the ending felt completely unnecessary to me. I think this would’ve been a lot more powerful if it had just been a bunch of rich white kids deciding to kill those they deemed beneath them, rather than it being part of a centuries old conspiracy, but hey that’s just me.

I don’t think that I’m going to be reading any more of Bennett’s books. Both of her books that I’ve read so far have just been okay, and their endings have annoyed me, so I’m going to invest my time elsewhere.

This book had an intriguing premise. However, I just could not get on with the voice of the first character, they were not very interesting and mainly annoying. I just didn't feel engaged in the story. Hopefully others will enjoy this book, unfortunately I just did not like the writing style.