Title: The Inheritance Games
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: "The Inheritance Games" #1
Genre: YA Mystery
Page Length: 384 pages
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
*I was sent a free copy of this book by Wunderkind PR in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own. This review is spoiler-free*
Synopsis
A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.
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 con-woman, 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.
I first want to give a big shoutout to Wunderkind PR for sending me a copy of this book! I had it on my wishlist and it was one that had intrigued me from the moment I read the synopsis so being sent a copy truly made my month!
I loved this book! I was intrigued from the moment I read the synopsis but I'd also seen some people say that it was good but not amazing. I'm glad that I tried not to let other people's opinions influence my expectations because I came out of this book wholly satisfied.
Right off the bat I was sucked into this book. The pacing was quick, but not so fast that I was confused. I thought this worked really well because it didn't spend time focusing on places we weren't going to be revisiting or characters who wouldn't matter later on. The pacing is what kept me, to be honest. The story was fun and wonderful and full of mystery, but if it had been slower I might have struggled a little. However, the fact that this book took off right from the start and didn't slow down meant that I finished the majority of it in just one sitting. I was engrossed. I was obsessed. I still am obsessed, if we're being honest.
The story itself was interesting and well-balanced. There was mystery and there was humor. There were serious, heart pounding moments and then there were times I was laughing my head off. It was great. The mystery gripped me and I was actually nervous at times for our main character. As someone who doesn't like mystery thriller books that often (which is strange since I love crime and mystery TV shows), I've found that YA mysteries are more my speed than adult. This was one of those books that I adored the mystery in because I felt like it vibed well with my personal preferences.
Our main storyline seemingly wrapped up while a few secondary threads set up the second book but, as the characters consistently pointed out in the book, I'm wondering if that's just a trick or a misdirect. I feel like Tobias Hawthorne, the person who engineered the whole mystery, would have a few more tricks up his sleeve. I just have so many questions about how the next book will go and I am eagerly anticipating it.
In terms of characters, we have a pretty good sized cast. We only have one point of view which is our narrator, Avery, but there are a bunch of characters who play large roles throughout the book such as the Hawthorne brothers. I am definitely intrigued by all of the brothers and I'm interested to learn more about them in the next book and unravel some of their secrets.
The romance, I think, was the least interesting part of this book. That's not to say it was bad, but I wasn't really invested in the romance plot as much. I felt like we didn't get enough character interactions on page between those characters to see them as more than friends at that point. It's also worth pointing out that this book was not marketed as romance, so this issue I had with the romance isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, I am still interested to see where it goes in the next book.
Overall, I loved this book and it will most likely end up on my list of 2020 favorites. It's such a solid YA mystery with an interesting cast of characters and a main character you can't help but love. I am so incredibly excited to read the next book and highly recommend it to anyone who liked Knives Out or enjoys a good YA mystery!
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren
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