STAGS: Nine students. Three blood sports. One deadly weekend.

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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. 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... Greer’s boyfriend and some of her friends are POC, and express to her how they feel targeted by behaviours, but Greer TOTALLY dismisses them - the author even makes out like Shafeen is completely paranoid and ridiculous for having these feelings.

If there is one place in the UK we could visit to get a feel of life at Longcross, where should we go? 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. Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2018 | August 2017 Debut of the MonthIt 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...

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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. This was kind of fun, if far fetched, but I have to mark it down because I was so uncomfortable with certain elements: The Medievals run the school. They hang around in the quad at break times, and bully other students during lessons. At the centre of the group is Henry de Wallencourt. Greer thinks he’s different from the other Medievals. It’s never Henry who bullies, and he’s so good looking. Greer receives an invite to the de Wallencourt country estate for the autumn break. It’s tradition – every year a group of students are invited to take part in blood sports and social events. I don’t even know what to say. I love the characters, I love the writing, I love the history sprinkled throughout the narrative. Also, the female characters cutting their hair and wearing suits? Ugh, a dream. I’m in love. This book was just so fun, and I have no idea where the storyline is going. 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.

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • From one of today's best poets—a stunningly poignant sequence of poems that tells the story of a divorce, embracing strands of love, sex, sorrow, memory, and new freedom. I'm a total film nerd so I thought it would be kind of cool if Greer saw life in terms of movies. Some readers have tried to make a definitive list of all the movies referenced in STAGS, and there are more than even I realised! You also show how alluring the lives of the very rich and landed gentry can be. Where did you go to research it and what would be the main attraction for you in a life at Longcross? As much as Greer hates these little shits, she is delighted when she receives an invitation from their leader, Henry, for a weekend of "huntin' shootin' fishin'." Maybe they weren't so bad after all, she thinks, foolishly, if they're willing to accept her into their ranks. But when she arrives at Henry's sprawling manor, deep in the heart of the woods, she learns that the other kids invited aren't exactly prime material. They've also invited a distastefully nouveau riche girl named Chanel and an Indian boy named Shafeen who they've been viciously bullying all year. Then the accidents start happening and the story takes a sinister turn as Greer discovers just how much the Medievals relish power. 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!

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. Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. Yes, that's the problem. The lifestyle is very attractive and so are many of the upper classes themselves. Charm is their great weapon. The sequel introduces us to Cassandra and Louis de Warlencourt, Henry’s cousins. (They have BIG Camilla and Charles vibes from The Secret History.) Cassandra is also incredibly cool and I’m actually besotted. They’ve got secrets to be sure, but they are “good” characters for most of the novel.

STAGS is a series set in and around ST Aidan the Great School, an ancient and exclusive boarding school. A good-looking and wealthy clique called The Medievals rule the school, and despise anything modern or technological, dubbing it 'Savage'. But it soon transpires that their favourite weekend blood sports - Huntin' Shootin' and Fishin' - have a macabre twist. 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.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? 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. 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..." 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. Following the events of STAGS, Greer, Nel and Shafeen are all in their final year at the school and preparing for exams. To help her get into Oxford, Greer chooses to directs a play which a mystery person slips under her door - which happens to be The Isle Of Dogs, a (real) play of which no copies exist.