S.T.A.G.S. - Becca In A Book

Summary

St. Aidan the Great School (S.T.A.G.S) is one of the best boarding schools in England. Only children from the best families enter and they all walk away with acceptances to the most elite universities. Greer MacDonald was one of the lucky students to receive a scholarship, but will her position put her in a bad place with the students?

My Thoughts

I bought this book as a drunk Book Outlet purchase and when I got it, I put it on my shelf and kind of forgot about it. I mean I got it for five dollars on Book Outlet so I wasn’t too worried about it. However, this month I decided to try to make a dent in my pile of books that were drunk purchases and this book was the first book chosen. I mean look at that COVER!

This book was such a surprising delight and I couldn’t put it down until the very end. It was captivating, mysterious, fascinating, and just downright awesome. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would and I can’t wait to read the next installment. It was so much better than I expected and I was just so intrigued that everything that this read has to offer.

First of all, let me just say that these rich people ARE INSANE! I mean what the double hockey sticks were these entitled brats thinking? Do they have souls or does old money mean your family sold your soul to Satan a long time ago? I just was SHOOK by the entire mystery and ritual that these sick white folks came up with. I was deeply distrubed and I loved it. I also was digging the setting in which this story took place. They combined a creepy old school with the beauty of a forest and the allure of an elegant mansion. I was pretty much obsessed with all the scenery and it got me in the mood for a thrilling mystery.

The messages of the book were also extremely powerful and kept me powering through this novel until the very end. First, the debate between new money and old money was very obvious with one of the side characters. I’ve never understood this debate. I mean money is money and people should be able to spend it how they want and when they want. I feel like the “elite” use this argument as an excuse to create a gap between those that grew up in that society and keep the same people there. It’s like a clubhouse that no one can have access to. IT’S SOOO ANNOYING TO ME AND I WANTED TO PUNCH THESE BRATS IN THE FACE.

Another message that the author touched on was the fact that technology is changing the way of life of the elite and they do NOT appreciate it. I feel like they got away with SO MUCH before we all had cell phones so I found that addition to the plot extremely intriguing. OH THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!

I also just loved the hunting element so much and thought it was so cool! I mean English hunting practices are very specific and very traditional. I’ve seen how it is done on television, but it has never been explained to me in this magnitude or this thoroughly. It was so fascinating to me and when the author added the creep factor of it into the mix, I was just addicted.

Although the book world, the plot, and the ending were top notch (in my opinion) I found the characters to be sort of lacking. Their development wasn’t as detailed or as well done as the other aspects of the novel, but since this is a series, I have a feeling that the characters will become more complete as the story progresses. I found the members of the Medieval super addicting and perfect representations of that aspect of society. I also was obsessed with Shafeen and his story, but the main character….. was meh. The author put a lot of effort into the side characters and the main character was just left in their golden dust. Greer was cool, but not THAT cool.

Overall, the ending shook me to the core so I can’t wait to read the sequel!