Following on from the exact moment when S.T.A.G.S ends, D.O.G.S is a perfect sequel. An extraordinarily clever book that highlights Bennett as an incredibly skilled and talented author, this book has everything.
Having survived the weekend of Justium that she wasn't meant to survive, Greer is trying to get through her last year of STAGS without any 'huntin' shootin' fishin'' that nearly got her and her friends killed last year. And she's managing. Until a secret, thought-to-be-destroyed play is shoved under her door just as she's struggling to find something to direct for her drama class, and Greer finds herself sucked back into the world of Longcross and the de Warlencourts. And as she slowly gets more and more of the play delivered to her, the contents of the play become more and more sinister, and a hell of a lot closer to home.
I honestly just want to thrust this book into everyone's faces and make them read it. It's an amazingly well thought out book with so much reference to history and Shakespeare and it's clear it's been thoroughly researched. After reading Bennett's bio in the back of the book of how she studied Shakespeare's texts, this made so much sense because of how well crafted the storyline was, and how linked to Elizabethan times everything was.
But, alongside the history, there was the thriller/mystery element of it, which as a reader, you were there for every step of the way. The character's were not jumping to conclusion ahead of you, as you sat there wondering how they cracked this code. You were given the source material along with them, and eased into the clues as if you were sat next to Greer and Nel and Shafeen, decoding it for yourself.
There were elements of this book that read like a Famous Five book, and I ADORED that, because you so rarely see that element of adventure and discovery in novels nowaday, especially YA. (I'm not saying there's nothing like it, I'm saying I haven't read something and felt like I was exploring Kirrin Castle specifically).
I also want to praise the skill it takes to both end and not end a story. There is closure, there is a definite ending, this series could end right now and it makes sense, it's fulfilled, you are satisfied you have all the answers. But you also know (and yes, this is fuelled by the knowledge that M.A. Bennett is writing a STAGS #3) that there are questions still open that will make for a killer third novel. And that balance is tricky to do - to make sure readers don't feel like they still deserve answers. And Bennett has proved she can do this so well, with both S.T.A.G.S and D.O.G.S.
Can we also take a moment to talk about Greer? I love her Stranger Things references, and how everything is linked to some movie she's seen, which makes you feel more in her world but also makes her feel more in yours. She's clever and logical, but not cocky, and not careless like some people would be in her situation, rushing back to Longcross or dismissing reason for speculation. She's also incredibly loyal and is the first to acknowledge her flaws, the first to big up her friends and try to do the right thing.
She's an extremely likable character and a great medium to tell the story through.
The hauntedness of this story, the creepiness of an establishment like STAGS, the power and positions they hold, with amazing characters and atmospheric locations... it all adds up to make for my new favourite book!
Three novels in and M.A. Bennett has quickly become an author whose works I'll be anticipating with bated breath.
Having survived the weekend of Justium that she wasn't meant to survive, Greer is trying to get through her last year of STAGS without any 'huntin' shootin' fishin'' that nearly got her and her friends killed last year. And she's managing. Until a secret, thought-to-be-destroyed play is shoved under her door just as she's struggling to find something to direct for her drama class, and Greer finds herself sucked back into the world of Longcross and the de Warlencourts. And as she slowly gets more and more of the play delivered to her, the contents of the play become more and more sinister, and a hell of a lot closer to home.
I honestly just want to thrust this book into everyone's faces and make them read it. It's an amazingly well thought out book with so much reference to history and Shakespeare and it's clear it's been thoroughly researched. After reading Bennett's bio in the back of the book of how she studied Shakespeare's texts, this made so much sense because of how well crafted the storyline was, and how linked to Elizabethan times everything was.
But, alongside the history, there was the thriller/mystery element of it, which as a reader, you were there for every step of the way. The character's were not jumping to conclusion ahead of you, as you sat there wondering how they cracked this code. You were given the source material along with them, and eased into the clues as if you were sat next to Greer and Nel and Shafeen, decoding it for yourself.
There were elements of this book that read like a Famous Five book, and I ADORED that, because you so rarely see that element of adventure and discovery in novels nowaday, especially YA. (I'm not saying there's nothing like it, I'm saying I haven't read something and felt like I was exploring Kirrin Castle specifically).
I also want to praise the skill it takes to both end and not end a story. There is closure, there is a definite ending, this series could end right now and it makes sense, it's fulfilled, you are satisfied you have all the answers. But you also know (and yes, this is fuelled by the knowledge that M.A. Bennett is writing a STAGS #3) that there are questions still open that will make for a killer third novel. And that balance is tricky to do - to make sure readers don't feel like they still deserve answers. And Bennett has proved she can do this so well, with both S.T.A.G.S and D.O.G.S.
Can we also take a moment to talk about Greer? I love her Stranger Things references, and how everything is linked to some movie she's seen, which makes you feel more in her world but also makes her feel more in yours. She's clever and logical, but not cocky, and not careless like some people would be in her situation, rushing back to Longcross or dismissing reason for speculation. She's also incredibly loyal and is the first to acknowledge her flaws, the first to big up her friends and try to do the right thing.
She's an extremely likable character and a great medium to tell the story through.
The hauntedness of this story, the creepiness of an establishment like STAGS, the power and positions they hold, with amazing characters and atmospheric locations... it all adds up to make for my new favourite book!
Three novels in and M.A. Bennett has quickly become an author whose works I'll be anticipating with bated breath.