My Review: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My Review:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
About The Book
The Inheritance Games
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Synopsis
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
My Review
Star Rating: 5 Stars
I picked up The Inheritance Games after seeing it become somewhat of a TikTok phenomenon. It was likened to The Da Vinci Code which had me intrigued because I love those films in all their mysterious and mind-bending glory. I can’t say I was disappointed, as a YA Da Vinci Code was exactly what I got! I loved all the Hawthorne Brothers, from the quirky youngest brother Xander who has no small obsession with Scones, to Nash the Eldest- a laid back and protective cowboy alpha type. My favourite brother was Greyson to be honest, I loved his intensity, his sharp suits and sharper tongue. My least favourite was probably Jameson, as I found his constant drunk self-pitying attitude a little annoying, but I can also see why Avery our main character kind of had the hots for Jameson as his broodiness and lack of a shirt much of the time was definitely something eighteen-year-old me would have found attractive. I thought the mystery of all this, relating to Tobias Hawthorne was Genius, and I really enjoyed watching Avery transition from being on the breadline to being a billionaire… I mean, who wouldn’t?
This was certainly wealth-porn in a lot of ways, and I think that gave the mystery more pull than if there hadn’t been a financial component. I also had a special soft spot for Orten, Avery’s security detail, as I found him to be like a father-figure to Avery who was desperately needed for her character. Her sister Libby annoyed me no end, but I did find her redeemed at the end after we uncover her loyalty to Avery. All in all, Avery’s journey through the mysteries of the Hawthorne family past, and her own, is nothing short of utterly compelling and unputdownable. If you love fast paced stories, this is definitely that, as the shorter chapters give it a runaway train feel even in the calmest moments of the story.
If you love mysteries, you love rags to riches stories, and you love a good love triangle with interesting family dynamics and some super cool scenes which could only come from the result of a protagonist having billions of dollars (I mean she has a bowling alley in her house?) and enjoy being left on the edge of your seat by bombshell endings, this book is definitely a must try!
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