Star Rating:3.75/5
“Life is a puzzle, and sometimes the pieces don’t fit the way we expect.”
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is an addictive novel that envelopes a journey of thrilling plot twists and suspense unmatched by any young adult novel I’ve ever read. Romance, board game-like depictions, and suspense only the greatest mysteries can provide are all wrapped up in one, pressuring the reader to keep flipping the page, feigning to know what’s going to happen next.
Following the main character, Avery Grambs, The Inheritance Games begins by examining how Grambs’s stressful life is categorized as the past when the public discovers her name is in Tobias T. Hawthorne’s will. Hawthorne is a wealthy man, and despite the excitement over a billionaire leaving her a lot of money and property, it comes with a price. Avery will have to reside in the Hawthrone house with what’s left of the family, and throughout the book, she will come face-to-face with a variety of obstacles only those with the last name Hawthrone could inflict.
This book was a fun read! It had me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t stop flipping the page. As far as the characters are concerned, Avery’s personality as the main character is easy to like. She has an intelligent mindset, and she knows what she wants. Throughout the book, the fear of trust pops up a lot, which adds to the diverse perspective of her mind.
The Hawthorne grandsons are the key elements that make the book so enticing. They all have very different personalities, which makes it hard to pick a favorite. Arguably, mine would have to be Nash because he has the older brother energy that every book needs and seems like one of the only characters Avery can trust.
As for romance, I’m not a fan of the love triangle trope, and I didn’t get involved too much in who she would pursue. Jameson and Grayson Hawthorne are hard to trust as Jameson is rebellious and has self-destructive tendencies. Grayson is less self-destructive but is questionable as his main goal is to help his family, and he could go against Avery in the snap of a finger.
However, each character’s role has added a precision of depth to the story, and without each of their intense personalities, this book wouldn’t have the plotline it deserves. Without Xander Hawthorne, there wouldn’t be a ray of sunshine that everyone who has read the novel knows there needs to be.
Not to mention the strange addition of Emily Laughlin to the story, who oddly is similar to Avery in some personal ways, her character’s life revolves around the Hawthorne brothers, just like Avery seems to be doing.
Behind the words on the pages is an author who had to have spent countless hours planning this book with an end in mind before she wrote the first chapter.
The details that go into the intricate puzzles left for Avery are ones that only someone who has thought every angle thoroughly would piece together. The riddles in the house and around the property create an escape room setting that binds readers closer to Avery.
As Avery unravels more clues, you can’t help but cheer her on as she approaches the last puzzle.
I gave this book a 3.75/5 purely because sometimes it was hard to keep up with the clues and understand how the characters quickly figured out some of these riddles. I also had difficulty getting into the headspace of caring about the love triangle.
However, this book is for everyone and keeps readers interested as they unravel the mysteries within the Hawthorne world of secrets!
Do you like mystery novels? Read the Inheritance Games!
Oh, you like romance novels? Read the Inheritance Games!
Mmm, suspense is your thing? Read the Inheritance Games!
I guess I’m trying to say, READ THE INHERITANCE GAMES!
