Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

26 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I purchased The Inheritance Games set from FairyLoot and have been making my way through the series.
"The Final Gambit" is the riveting conclusion to The Inheritance Games saga. Avery is about to become the richest teenager in the world, officially. Unexpectedly, there is a visitor that arrives at the Hawthorne house that throws everything for a loop. Now, Avery and the Hawthorne brothers have one final mystery to solve before Avery inherits everything.
I really enjoyed this final plot twist and bringing a new character into the already chaotic mix. I think this fourth act introduction was the perfect way to add a new mystery to solve, but not making it feel like the plot is being dragged out.
I really, really enjoyed this series, and I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for a light YA mystery with a tiny hint of romance. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder

mrsalexisrjones's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Read this book. This series is so good! It will leave you hungry for more puzzles, riddles, clues, and Hawthornes.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Classism

taryn_g's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

lectricefeministe's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Classism

meredith_williams_'s review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is a good finish to a really fun YA series! The mystery aspect was just as compelling as the first two books and the ending is really satisfying. Barnes’s writing style isn’t my personal favorite (I don’t love the angst of the main character’s inner dialogue or the cheesiness of the jokes between side characters), but I also recognize that I’m not the target age range for her books. I would definitely recommend this for any YA readers who love a good mystery with lots of fun plot twists! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Kidnapping

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy

purplepenning's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Well… Xander continues to be awesome. I continue to hate love triangles. There's a puppy, but he doesn't get nearly enough page time. And I'm not at all satisfied with the situation

Harry was left in

. Really, the only non-Xander, non-puppy part I liked was at the end where

the immoral hoards of wealth were redistributed

. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal cruelty and Sexual harassment

zeynepbinbasioglu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic relationship

elspethmigliore's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

It was a little hard to follow at times because the family tree is so confusing, but other than that, it was really good! I wish we could've seen more Grayson, or I wish his character had better development, but I'm happy with the ending.

I was team Jameson the whole time, even though I do love Grayson. I feel bad for him and I hope he has a better ending after the story ends. Also, I wish avery didn't just give the money away immediately.

Also, I loved the references to chess and the Queen's Gambit and I like that it connects to the title. I loved how we got to see more Xander and how the mystery seemed to build to a final point over the course of three books. I really like that Avery started solving things by herself and embracing her Hawthorne. Overall, it was very very good. 

definitely reread material ✅ 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A satisfying ending to the Inheritance Games trilogy. Or is it? The end resolved the first three books but left the door open for other books to follow possibly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

eri_off_the_shelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book including the rest of the series was absolutely amazing! A perfect series for the mystery genre. It was definitely complicated but it wasn't so out there that you couldn't play along. I could make predictions and it was actually possible to be right. The romances were perfectly complicated, and sometimes silent smile or squeal worthy. This book was an experience. Through Avery you could understand other and her own expressions and tones implication's. Amazingly written, a roller coaster, a thrill, an adventure. A gambit. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury