The Ship of Doom by M A Bennett - Review

I didn't know that M A Bennett, who I love and have reviewed extensively here, had written any middle grade books until I was talking to my librarian friend Lucinda about M A Bennett's older books and she mentioned the middle grade ones. I put them on my wishlist and then when my sister-in-law asked what I would like for Christmas my partner sent her my list and she chose The Ship of Doom and The Mummy's Curse for me. I was really eager to get to both, so started this in March. I hadn't looked too closely at the front of the book, meaning that I didn't at first see the Titanic, hah. What an idiot! 

So, the year is 1894 and Luna is living with her aunt, Grace. Her dear Papa has disappeared and Luna assumes he is dead, but Grace tells her that he is 'on another plane'. Grace's house is full of butterflies, pinned and mounted on the walls, which freaks Luna out somewhat. Then one day, Luna is invited to the Greenwich Observatory by Grace, to attend a meeting of her club, The Butterfly Club. There, Luna meets a young Prussian boy called Konstantin. He has been sick for his whole life, but now has a clockwork heart ticking inside his chest. As everyone in the room is chatting and waiting, Aidan and his dad turn up in a time machine. It can connect on like a phone call to someone who is living in 1969, and it can take them to the future. The Butterfly Club want the three kids (they're twelve) to go to 1912 and get Guglielmo Marconi's radio to bring back to the past so the Club can win a prize for innovative inventions. 

The three set off for Southampton docks, but instead they find themselves on board Titanic as it sets sails on its ill fated voyage. The three must try to find Marconi's radio, and have to disguise themselves in order to do it. Aidan is a navvy by trade so he pretends to be a stoker. Konstantin steals the uniform of an officer and Luna wangles her way into first class. They have escapades along the way, and learn some hard truths about time travel and the Butterfly Effect. 

It's a very cute and fun book. I liked how it deal with time travel. I liked how a younger reader who doesn't know what actually happened to Titanic would have seen it unfurl. I do know a lot about Titanic, but I learnt some new things too, which I liked. I loved Luna and Konstantin and Aidan, and some of the things they had each been through and went through in the book. It's really clever and is a really good middle grade novel. It won't be long before I read the second one in the series! I'm giving this four out of five. 

H.A.W.K.S by M A Bennett - Review

You can find all my previous reviews of M A Bennett's books here. I have read all of this series and reviewed them! I am sad this series has come to an end, but I have really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to what M A Bennett writes next! 

I bought this very soon after I read T.I.G.E.R.S. and picked up very soon after because I wanted to see how the series ended. The book takes place when Greer has finished her exams. She's about to leave STAGS for the last time when she gets another invitation slipped under her door. This time it's an invite to attend the Lammas hunt on the 1st of August on the Isle of Skye. She will be visiting the castle of the MacLeods. Fiona MacLeod is the mother of Louis and Cass, Henry's cousins. Now that Henry is supposedly dead, Louis is the heir to the earldom and is making repairs to Longcross, the family seat of the de Warlencourts. There remains the mystery about who killed Rollo de Warlencourt, and of course Henry is biding his time until he can show himself and reassert his place as the rightful heir. 

But now Greer has this invitation, and as she's been working to bring down the Dark Order of the Great Stag, she feels her life is at risk. She thinks she will be hunted, as Henry did to her at the first weekend at Longcross. She assembles her crew around her - Henry, of course, for whom she still has feelings after he confessed his love for her, Shafeen, who she is still going out with, Nel, Ty, and the new Abbot, Nathaniel Ridley. Ty has contacts who know things about the school and the Dark Order, so on their way to Skye the group stops to meet Ratio. He has a HAWK, a powerful drone, that will follow Greer wherever she is on Skye and make sure she's safe. 

So far, so STAGS. On Skye, Greer is once again thrust into the workings of the upper echelons - fancy dinners, Mediaevals, posh people who don't mean what they say. Things happen between Greer and Henry, and when he reveals to the crowd that he is still alive, Louis is less than happy. 

I felt like this was a good ending to the series. There was plenty of intrigue and plenty of that stuff that made the first book so compelling. I did guess some of the twists but as always, I'm not sure if a younger reader would or not. I loved the setting of Skye and the eerie, Wicker Man esque feel to the whole thing. Five out of five from me. I have loved Greer and her friends and this look into the utter privilege of the upper classes. I'll miss it!

T.I.G.E.R.S. by M A Bennett - Review

 

Where did I get it? I bought it a few months ago when I realised there was a 4th in the series. I am not always the most up to date! I do know there's a fifth and final book, and I've ordered it already! 

What's it about? We pick up just after the action of F.O.X.E.S where Shafeen got a phone call about his father. Aadhish has had a heart attack in India so Shafeen and Greer head off immediately to see him and the princess, Shafeen's mother. Greer does firstly have a conversation about the secret order of F.O.X.E.S. who are working to bring down S.T.A.G.S. with Abbott Ridley, the new abbot of the school. He, like her, has the M brand on his thumb meaning he is a Manslayer. Greer is still unsure about who to trust which turns out to be a good thing because like in previous books you're never sure who to trust and who is working for whom. 

Then we're in India, where Greer has been previously so it's not a total shock to her, but it wasn't shown in a previous book. She and Shafeen are staying at the family's home in Jaipur, where there's a driver at their beck and call and an Untouchable for a servant. Aadhish is unresponsive in his hospital room, and Greer wonders if he will actually survive. It turns out he was at the Tiger Club when he had his heart attack, so Shafeen and Greer head over to it to see what they can uncover. It's a hang over from the British Raj in India, complete with stuffy Colonel and so on. 

Greer and Shafeen later discover Aadhish's diary, telling about how, in 1969, he was invited to Longcourt by Rollo de Warlencourt, like Shafeen and Greer and Nel were way back in S.T.A.G.S., and how he became the hunted one, hunted by the Medievals for their entertainment. There's also another part to his story, which I won't spoil, but which explains the heart attack and brings the whole thing together.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the Indian setting and I liked how Greer learnt more about the British's role there and the different class systems within Indian society. It felt like a good way of introducing those concepts to readers who may not know much about it. I loved Aadhish's diary and what was contained within. This is a great book, I think it's my favourite since S.T.A.G.S. 

(Please see here for my review of S.T.A.G.S. and here for my review of D.O.G.S.) 

What age range is it for? 14+ 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Spoilers! 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, Shafeen is Indian obviously, and as I say I liked how Indian society and the different castes and privileges within it were portrayed. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? No 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, some of it is a little graphic 

Are there swear words? No 

 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none - it's so good as the fourth book because it feels like it's culminating towards an ending but still being a completed and satisfying book in its own right 

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely if you've read the rest in the series 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? Because I needed to know what happened next! 

 

What do I think of the cover? Hah I was actually reading this while outside at a gig that my partner was playing and a couple of people commented on the tiger on the cover. There's a lot of tigers in the book, including a subplot about a real tiger hunt that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip went on. 

How many stars? Five out of five 

 

Where is the book going now? I'll keep it - I do keep hoping I'll meet M A Bennett one day! 

F.O.X.E.S by M A Bennett - Review

Warning: review contains spoilers for previous books in the series

Where did I get it? I got it as a present from my mum and stepdad for Christmas - I asked for it as I've read the other two in the series.

You can read my review for STAGS here and my review for DOGS here. 

What's it about? We're back with Greer and Shafeen and Nel. The book starts just after the end of DOGS, when Greer has been found guilty of murdering Henry at the end of book 1, and has been branded on her thumb with an M, saying she is a manslayer. However, in hospital, she is convinced she had a visit from Henry and that he is alive. She can't convince Nel and Shafeen though. So all three of them decide to go to Henry's family's London house to ask his parents.

Cumberland Place backs on to Regent's Park and is absolutely huge. Henry's parents. Rollo and Caro, are there, along with their faithful butler, Bates. Caro keeps talking about Henry in the present tense, as if he is still alive, and at night she comes into his bedroom - where Greer is staying - while sleepwalking. 

Then Ty, who was introduced in DOGS, tells Greer and co to look into 'foxes'. They can't get hold of her after that, but it seems like everywhere they turn, there's a fox. There are foxes on the walls in Greer and Shafeen's bedrooms, and Rollo is a member of the House of Lords and is trying to overturn the ban on fox hunting with dogs. It's just before Christmas and he is convinced he will be able to hold a fox hunt at Longcross on Boxing Day, as is tradition. He takes Shafeen under his wing and takes all three of them to the STAGS club in parliament.

However, all three are uneasy, mostly for the reasons that they don't fit in amongst the privileged students at STAGS in the first place. They begin to believe that actually the hunt will be a Ty hunt - so they must go to Longcross to save her. 

I thought that this book would be the final in the series, but I was almost three quarters of the way through and not much had happened, and at the end there's a definitey cliffhanger - there HAS to be at least one more book in the series, right?! I can't believe there won't be more to Greer's story. I'm excited to see what happens!

I really enjoyed the book BECAUSE not a lot happens. There's a proper middle book feel to it, and lots of chatting, and lots of Greer, Shafeen and Nel doing ridiculous posh things. I couldn't believe how things unfolded and how deep the Order went. I love this series. 

What age range is it for? 15+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, Shafeen is Indian and this difference is shown a few times, I like this subplot 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? I think Greer has some PTSD going on, and Caro definitely does. 

Is there any sex stuff? No 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No I don't think so. 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, but it's not graphic 

Are there swear words? No 

 

What criticisms do I have? Almost none! I was quite surprised at how little happened, but then I'm happy because there must be another book to read!

Would I recommend the book? Yes. Start at the beginning if you haven't read them all. It's a good series. 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I just really wanted to read it soon! 

 

What do I think of the cover? It's great, it is a bit darker than the other two but still fits in with the theme.  

What other books is it like? The other two! 

How many stars? Five out of five 

 

Where is the book going now? I'll keep it - I really hope to meet M A Bennett one day and get her to sign my copies of her books! 

D.O.G.S by M A Bennett - Review

Warning: may contain spoilers to the first book in this series!

Where did I get it? Amazon a few weeks go. I added it to my "read soon" pile by the side of the bed. 

What's it about? It's the sequel to S.T.A.G.S, which as I said at the time, was ripe for a sequel. We're back at St Aidan the Great's school with Greer, who is traumatised from the events of S.T.A.G.S. At the end of that book, she and Nel and Shafeen have worked out exactly who is behind the Order of the Great Stag, and gone to confront that person. 

However! At the beginning of this book, it is a year later and Greer is in hospital. We don't find out why, though. We go way back to just after Henry dying the previous year, and we see how Greer and her friends can't confront the Great Stag because... he is dead. 

There's a new Abbot in place, Abbot Ridley, who is also Greer's drama teacher. The action then moves to the new year, when Greer is in the upper sixth form. She and Nel and Shafeen are now Mediaevals, eg prefects. Things are different in the school without Henry and his lackeys. Greer is starting to knuckle down for her Probitiones (like A levels) and as a drama student and aspiring director, she needs to choose a play written before 1560 for everyone to perform just before Christmas.

She gets intrigued by a play called The Isle of Dogs, by Ben Jonson, a play that was considered so blasphemous that Jonson was arrested for it and all copies destroyed. Except, legend has it, one that he gave to someone who lived nearby to STAGS, at Alnwick Castle. Then, one Sunday night, an unseen hand puts some pages under Greer's door. It is the first act of The Isle of Dogs, which is about a queen who falls in love with a lesser noble and refuses to marry the King of El Dorado which is what her courtiers are advising her to do. 

Abbot Ridley advises Greer to put on the play, so preparations begin for that. Henry's cousins, Louis and Cassandra, both audition for parts, and even though Greer doesn't want much to do with them, she has no choice but to cast them. Ty, the first de Warlencourt scholarship winner, is cast as the queen. Greer doesn't know her very well, but gets to know her throughout the book. 

She is still feeling really guilty over Henry's death, and is still kind of in love with him and his charm. She finds herself falling for the de Warlencourt charm even more, putting a rift between her and Shafeen (her boyfriend). She is pulled back into their world, with all its allures, but also all its mysteries and idiosyncrasies.

I thought this was such a good book, better than the first. It feels meatier in one way, there's more mystery to get into and I liked unravelling it. I didn't know if any of the story was true and I didn't want to google in case I spoilered myself, so I took it all at face value and thoroughly enjoyed it for that. It is a bonkers book! Sometimes when I read a book I think, "oh, I could have written something similar", but for these books, the imagination is just off the scale and really cleverly done. I love the school setting and the main characters, including Ty and the de Warlencourt twins. 

This feels to me like a perfect middle-of-the-trilogy book. It's got that Empire Strikes Back feel to it (which is the best Star Wars film, don't argue with me) - it is a perfect bridge between what happened in the first book and what will (hopefully) come soon to bring forward the resolution. I don't KNOW that there'll be another, but I bet there will. The ending of the book is a perfect Luke-I-am-your-father moment, so don't leave me hanging. 

What age range is it for? 15+

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No - I would really like to see this actually. I thought there was a subplot that could have hinted it, but no 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, Ty is black. She even says a couple of times that she's not just a token character, which I thought was quite tongue in cheek. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? Yes, but it's fleeting and not graphic

Are drugs mentioned or used? No, but some alcohol use

Is there any talk of death? Yes, but it's not graphic

Are there swear words? No I don't think so. 

What criticisms do I have? Again, I kind of felt like Greer - and to a lesser extent the other characters - don't have a lot of background to fill in stuff about themselves. Greer is northern, from Manchester, which I liked, but we mostly know about who she is at school. Maybe this is a deliberate choice, though, because it serves to make us understand more why the allure of the privilege of the de Warlencourts exists. 

They do make much more use of smartphones in this book, which I liked!

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely yes 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I had seen really good reviews and knew I wanted to get to it soon. 

What do I think of the cover? It's good! It's in theme with the previous one. 

What other books is it like? S.T.A.G.S, obviously but it also reminded me of Dan Brown's books (which I think are terribly written, but compelling stories - M A Bennett is a better writer) with the religious themes and unravelling the mysteries. I also had another book in mind, which I've forgotten - I'll edit this post if it comes back to me. 

How many stars? Five out of five. 

Where is the book going now? I'll keep it! Hopefully waiting for the next one!

The Island by M A Bennett - Review

Where did I get it? Netgalley, courtesy of Bonnier Zaffre publishers, so thank you very much to them! 

What's it about? Lincoln Selkirk wakes up on a desert island and through flashback we find out what has happened. He was raised partly in America and then in Oxford by scientist parents. He's been homeschooled but aged thirteen he joins Osney school, which is extremely sporty and where Lincoln fails to fit in. On his very first day he is humiliated in a race and designated as a "Twelve" - the lowest of the low. He spends the next three years being bullied and vows to leave school as soon as he turns sixteen. His parents agree, on the condition that he attends a two week summer camp with some of his fellow students. On the way there, the plane crashes and seven of them are left on this desert island.

The school stuff takes up twenty percent of the book, which I felt was quite far into it for us not to see that much of the island. On the island, Lincoln manages to make fire, hunt animals, and become indispensable to the others. The power starts to go to his head and we see all kinds of things unravel there.

I felt like parts of the story were a little bit stereotypical and I could see them coming. But then, I'm 34 and have read a lot of books and seen a lot of media. A teenager may not have seen this kind of story played out before so may not see things before they're revealed on page. I also forgave a lot of the trite parts because they were written so well and told in new ways, which was good. There are obviously a lot of comparisons with Lord of the Flies, but there's so much other popular culture put in too, so I really liked it. I think M A Bennett has a real flair for creating believable characters. I have to say that I mostly didn't LIKE Lincoln as a person, but he was a great character and a reader could often understand why he did what he did. There was enough about him to keep me reading, anyway.

I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and I would've liked more denouement and explanation there. But in all, this was as intriguing as S.T.A.G.S and I really enjoyed it. 

What age range is it for? I'd say from 15

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? Yes, but it's not a major storyline

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, although it's not a major strand

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? Not really 

Are drugs mentioned or used? Yes, there is a leaf on the island which is similar to cocaine and which Lincoln takes 

Is there any talk of death? Yes, it's not overly explicit

Are there swear words? I don't think so? 

What criticisms do I have? Like I say, I think there could have been less school at the beginning and more explanation at the end. 

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely 

Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I was desperate to read it as soon as I got approved for it! 

What other books is it like? Well, Lord of the Flies, obviously, which i read a hundred years ago in secondary school. It's also a lot like S.T.A.G.S. 

How many stars? Four out of five, it's thoroughly enjoyable. 

The Island will by published by Bonnier Zaffre on the 9th of August 2018

S.T.A.G.S. by M A Bennett - Review

Where did I get it? I read the first chapter a few weeks ago in the Maximum Pop samplers and immediately ordered the book for myself. I was so intrigued so I knew I had to pick it up soon. 

What's it about? Greer is in her first year of the sixth form, known as Six One, at an exclusive school called St Aidan the Great School (hence the title of the book). She has won a scholarship to get there and feels like she doesn't fit in. For her first half term, no one speaks to her and she's quite lonely.

Then she's invited to spend the first weekend of October half term with Henry de Warlencourt and his friends. Henry and his five friends, Cookson, Piers, Charlotte, Esme, and Lara, are prefects known as 'Medievals' who rule the school. Everyone wants to be one of them and in with their crowd, so everyone at the school follows their whims and trends to try to get in with them. 

Greer is invited to spend the weekend 'huntin', shootin', and fishin''. She isn't certain about it, but her rooommate encourages her to go. Greer is driven across from Northumberland to Henry's house, Longcross. With her and the Medievals are two others who don't fit in - Chanel, who's dad invented a smartphone and who is therefore considered 'new money', and Shafeen, who is as rich as the Medievals but who will never fit in because he is Indian. The weekend begins with dinner, as the 9 teenagers get themselves organised for the weekend. 

I thought it was pretty obvious where this book was going to go, and I thought the ending was quite obvious too, but I appreciate that I'm an adult reading a book meant for teenagers. This isn't to say that I thought the book was bad - far from it! I thought there were plenty of twists and turns that kept me intrigued. There's also a few genuinely terrifying parts. The whole book has a really sticky and claustrophobic feel to it that really ups the ante. I liked the closed setting of the creepy old house in the middle of the countryside and felt it was perfect for a book like this.

I liked Chanel and Shafeen and was happy to know more about thier families and situations. In contrast, I felt like Greer was a bit on an unknown quantity. There is some stuff about her own family but not enough for my liking; it felt a bit like she existed in a vacuum. The Medievals are given just enough background to make them sinister. 

I think there is going to be a sequel - the ending certainly lends itself to one. I really enjoyed the book and would definitely buy the next one if it happens!

What age range is it for? 14+, probably. 

Are any main characters LGBTQ+? No 

Are any main characters people of colour? Yes, Shafeen. It's an integral part of why he doesn't fit in to the school. 

Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No 

Is there any sex stuff? No 

Are drugs mentioned or used? No, there's a lot of alcohol though 

Is there any talk of death? Yes and it is quite gruesome in parts so be careful 

Are there swear words? No 

What criticisms do I have? As above, I'd like more insight into Greer's life before she was at STAGS. I felt like things were wrapped up a bit too quickly at the end, it felt a bit rushed. It does feel very much like there'll be a sequel and that did mean some things for left open. I did also feel like some of the anti-technology sentiments in the book were a bit overdone. Oh, also, from a writing point of view I kept getting confused between Chanel and Charlotte, their names were too similar for me. I'd have called Charlotte something else! Overall though I've very few criticisms as I really liked it. 

Would I recommend the book? Yes absolutely. 

What other books is it like? I really can't think of anything similar!

How many stars? Five out of five - not perfect but really excellent 

Where is the book going now? I think my friend Janet might appreciate a borrow of it!