Welcome to my blog tour stop for The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It is an exciting endeavor to be part of such a big tour and to read a captivating book! In this post, I will touch on my thoughts on the book, highlighting five reasons I truly enjoyed it. First, take a look at the book blurb:
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.
Content Notes: Domestic Violence and attempted shooting. (Thank you Chloe for this!)
Thoughts on The Inheritance Games
The Inheritance Games is a fast paced Young Adult mystery. It is to the point and does not linger more than necessary on the events.
The plot highlights the philanthropic aspects of Avery’s nature. The four boys of the Hawthorne family are her competitors and helpers at the same time. As Avery tries to integrate into the family and understand her place, she is confronted with questions about her own past and how she is connected to Tobias Hawthorne who left her an heiress. Tossed into the elite society, Avery must learn the ways of the rich while as the same time holding on her identity. Knives Out is an appropriate movie comparison and like that film, the plot has many twists and turns, with desperate step-sister, a needy boyfriend, a mystery girl who died before Avery arrived and puzzles that the Hawthorne love challenging each other with.
Below are 5 reasons I enjoyed this book. I hope these will help you pick it up too!
# 1 The variety of characters
The Inheritance Games has a number of characters – Avery, our protagonist, depicting the rags to riches trope, her step-sister and her boyfriend. From the Hawthorne family side, we have the four brothers, their mother, aunt and her husband. The security detail for Avery also plays an integral role in the story.
One of the pitfalls of having so many characters is not being able to develop them well. Here, the author did a fantastic job of making each of them distinct and ensuring that they were needed to move the plot forward. I also really liked that the boys have their unique personalities and relationships with Avery.
# 2 The presentation of the elite society
Avery enters a whole new world with this inheritance. Whether it is the mansion itself with its numerous libraries and studies and exquisite furniture, she also has at her disposal make up artists, people to take care of her wardrobe and coach her on integrating into the elite society. For someone who was perviously living in her car, having a whole wing of a mansion to herself is a huge step up, and frankly, not surprisingly, quite baffling.
Thankfully, school was not neglected in all this and the academy that she started to attend with two of the boys added its own complications. I will not forget her conversation with her headmaster about what she wanted to be and how having an inheritance opened up new doors for her. Money is no problem now.
# 3 The questions
When Avery, a nobody, is named as the heiress in a rich man’s will, a number of questions are asked. Who is she? Why has no one heard of her before? What is her connection with the family? Why did no one else from the family get much?
The Inheritance Games has an investigative touch, with Avery trying to understand her situation as well as the reasons why Tobias Hawthorne’s will was the way it was. That brings me to the next point:
# 4 The presumptions
It is natural to be hurt by the actions of our loved ones, but when they are no longer around, the lack of answers can become hatred directed at someone else. This is what happens with Grayson, one of the Hawthrone intended heirs, and Avery. He is always second guessing her actions and does not want to believe that she has no ulterior motive, the fact that she is as much a pawn in this game as he is.
Will Grayson remove the blindfold and see her clearly? That is another one of the questions the plot addresses.
# 5 The fast pace
This is a quick read that had be glued to my seat most of the day. I felt that the plot progressed at a good pace and never felt like too much or too less attention was given to an event. The writing was engaging and clear, which helped a lot, considering the number of characters and mysteries in this story.
Here’s a summary of my reading experience:
** The Inheritance Games is now out in stores so get a copy and let me know what you think! **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Overall, this was a fun read. I don’t always have a good luck with Young Adults novels and this one did really well! I am thrilled to have read it as part of WriteReads on Tour. Be sure to check out the other blogs on the tour by following @The_WriteReads for related tweets. Check out my other reviews, organized by genre on the Book Review Index page.
Will you pick up this book? Tell me in the comments. 🙂
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, as part of the WriteReads blog tour.
Cover image: Photo by Jongsun Lee on Unsplash
Great reasons 🙂 gosh, I loved this book! And I didn’t expect to love it this much 😀 I just can’t wait for book 2!
Glad you enjoyed the book so much 🙂