Reviews

La Caza by M.A. Bennett

pages_oflau's review against another edition

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4.0

S.T.A.G.S is a completely gripping, YA thriller that has twist after twist and so many turns that I was completely shocked by the ending, even though on just chapter 1 we learn that there will be a murder.

S.T.A.G.S follows a young lady called Greer who earned a scholarship at the prestigious school S.T.A.G.S. During her time here, Greer doesn't really find any friends and so when she receives a mysterious invitation to attend a weekend of huntin' shootin' fishin' at one of the popular students (called Medievals) houses, she feels compelled to go despite initially feeling like its a bad idea.

However, as she arrives she see's she wasn't the only outcast student to be invited and the 3 outcasts sound find out that this wasn't supposed to be a fun sporting weekend in the sense that they had originally believed.

I found this book completely sunk its teeth in and wouldn't let me go until I had finished it. As I'm unable to sleep as it is with my mental health I found myself awake this morning at 3:30am just completely devouring this book page after page, chapter after chapter.

If I didn't already know there was going to be a sequel then I would have thought there might be. The book ended on a bombshell and I was completely gobsmacked, that I immediately picked up the sequel D.O.G.S which I'm currently devouring at the time of writing this review.

TW - Animal death, animal hunting, toture, injury with intent, attempted murder, suicide, cult, manipulation.

jtgoldie00's review against another edition

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3.0

Like less campy version of scream queens...not happy with the ending but when am I ever?

chihiro16's review against another edition

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1.0

very anticlimactic wtf
it's like she doesn't know how to build up suspense so she has to actually tell the reader that something is going to happen and then it does happen and it's very shit
didn’t really like any of the characters and it was all over the place and the dialogue wasn't compelling the pacing was weird and the whole thing was so void of tension or intrigue and honestly racist but it might not have been idk

bashfulbumblebee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

oliviagraces725's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I read the whole thing in a British accent.

mollylooby's review against another edition

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3.0

Some of this really worked for me, other parts didn’t so much. Really enjoyed the premise though

happinez's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

This was a good story, but I could have done without the 50 movie references. It really bothered me because in most cases they didn't add anything of value to the story. In a way, it was even distracting and became annoying. However, all in all this was not badly written. As far as YA books go, I think this is one of the more cruel and scary books I've read. The setting and the plot make for an interesting story about privileged white kids and just how far they will go to feel powerful and entertained.

jbunni_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

kristianawithak's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a fun, easy, compelling read. I picked it up because of the comparison to The Secret History, which only makes it hard for it to stand on its own. It manages to be modern, chock full of cultural and literary references, and simultaneously condemn our connection to technology and media.
While it's a little heavy handed on the foreshadowing, Bennett provides a conclusion that is satisfying.
The idea is chilling and her characters are well developed. Greer's desire to be accepted and willingness to look past the truth she is seeing is well developed.

jean_4's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.75