Review – The Inheritance Games (The Inhertiance Games, Book 1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Mystery
Length: 438 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: December 3, 2022
ASIN: B0BNZFTWCC
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley for review from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Inheritance Games trilogy. I borrowed this on ebook from my library. It does look like there is a fourth book that is a companion to this series, “The Brothers Hawthorne”, that is expected to release in August of 2023.
Thoughts: Jennifer Lynn Barnes has been a bit hit or miss for me. I absolutely adored her “The Naturals” series but didn’t love her “Raised by Wolves” or “The Fixer” series. I was a bit reluctant to pick up The Inheritance Games despite its glowing reviews. However, I ended up absolutely loving this book, it was so well done and so much fun to read.
Avery is doing her best to make a better life for herself, even if it involves sleeping in her car between school hours to dodge her sister’s violent boyfriend. Then she gets called to the office at school and finds out that a billionaire named Tobias Hawthorne has left her everything. The only catch is that Avery must live in Hawthorne House for the next year, which includes living with the very eccentric and talented (not to mention super attractive) four Hawthorne brothers. As Avery’s life is turned upside down, she finds out that she is a piece in a complicated puzzle; the last puzzle that Tobias wanted his grandsons to solve.
This book was so much fun. You start with the crazy dream of a girl who has nothing getting everything, including all the trouble and complications that go with that… Then you add in a complex and mysterious puzzle that must be solved for Avery to figure out the why behind her being chosen for this inheritance.
Avery is a wonderful character and the Hawthrone brothers are all fascinating in their own right. The banter between them was very well done and highly entertaining to read. I like that Avery plays things smart and stands up for herself. The Hawthorn Brothers gave me a bit of a Raven Boys vibe from Maggie Stiefvater’s “Raven Cycle” series.
Barnes’ writing was spot on throughout the book. This is an effortless book to read. The characters are engaging, the mystery and puzzles are incredibly well done and intriguing, and the description is amazing. I loved reading about the crazy exotic and lush Hawthorne house and imagining the settings there. This was just a very well-rounded read. There is a bit of romance in here as well, but it definitely isn’t what drives the story.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this and immediately put the second book in the series on hold at the library. This is such a fun rags-to-riches type of story but doesn’t shy away from all the complications that come with that. The characters are smart and fun to read about. I loved the mysterious puzzles they had to solve and just thought this was so much fun. I can wait to pick up the second book.
