STAGS 2: DOGS

Description

After the dramatic events of the last few weeks, Greer Macdonald is trying to concentrate on her A levels. Stuck for a play to direct for her drama exam, she gets help from an unexpected quarter . . . A priceless lost play, buried by time, is pushed under her door. It is Ben Jonson's The Isle of Dogs, a play considered so dangerous in Elizabethan times that every copy was burned . . . except one. As the students begin to rehearse, events become increasingly dark and strange, and they lead Greer back to where she never thought she would return - Longcross Hall. There she discovers that not only is the Order of the Stag alive and well, but that a ghost from the past might be too . . .

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 specialised 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. Her first YA novel, S.T.A.G.S. was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the YA BOOK PRIZE 2018 and won the Great Reads 'Most Read' 2018 Senior Award. THE ISLAND is her second YA novel. Follow her at @MABennettAuthor on Twitter and at m.a.bennettauthor on Instagram.

A very readable story in the hands of an experienced writer. Recommended * Thornton Rigg * the book delivered much more than I even anticipated * Book Mad Blog * The pacing and plot development is brilliantly executed and will have you on the edge of your seat, desperate to find out what happens next until the very last page, I couldn't put it down once I'd started. There's a brilliant twist at the end, I won't spoil it but trust me, It's a good one! I can't recommend this book enough, it's definitely in my top ten 2017 reads and I'll definitely be buying a finished copy when it's out. * Fantastic Book Dragon * STAGS is a pacey and well-plotted young adult story that champions outsiders and questions out-dated viewpoints in a constantly evolving world. It makes for an entertaining standalone novel but a sequel wouldn't be unwelcome. * Culture Fly * MA Bennett is brilliant at keeping the reader in suspense. * Book Murmuration * Students will love this as it also has a hint of romance without being intrusive for boy readers. Hailed as the new Hunger Games, it reminded me more of The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. A good read. * Reading Zone * I read and finished this book in just a day only putting it down for food. It was absolutely gripping and interesting, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I didn't want to put it down whatsoever and I wasn't let down by my anticipation for it which was good! * Niffler Reads * Part traditional, part modern, thriller and boarding school drama, with echoes of everything from Agatha Christie to The Hunger Games, this really is a wonderful mosaic of a novel. * Nudge-Book * MA Bennett reinvigorates the boarding-school thriller... This is a darkly compelling examination of the allure of privilege, and the unscrupulous means by which it preserves itself. * The Guardian * S.T.A.G.S is a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable YA novel with dark undertones. A fun mystery thriller that sheds light on issues surrounding class and society. Highly recommend. * The Book Bag * a gorgeous and compelling romp * Irish Times * Good and twisty and definitely unique... if you're looking for something creepy and autumnal to read, I'd recommend S.T.A.G.S. * The Cosy Reader * The book is laid out in five acts and the chapters are the scenes. These are very short which makes this fast paced novel an easy read. Scene 1 goes straight into the action and by the end the reader is left wanting more. -- Gary Kenworthy * Armadillo Magazine * The endings of both S.T.A.G.S. and D.O.G.S. left me open-mouthed and desperately needing more, so I know that I've fallen hook, line and sinker for these books. Bennett has crafted a brilliant, thought-provoking series that I know I will continue to read. -- Emily Mitchell * Suffolk Libraries * The best sequels offer up something of the original and something completely new . . . Wonderful fun * Irish Times *