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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: death of a parent, domestic abuse, child abuse mention, gun violence, grief
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is book one in the Inheritance Games trilogy. This was a YA mystery full of riddles, puzzles, secret passage ways, and secret tunnels. This is what happens when rich people get bored.
We follow Avery Kylie Grambs, a 17 year old girl living with her half-sister after her mother's death, and just trying to get through high school so she can get into college, and get a steady paying job. Then one day a mysterious boy in an expensive suit delivers the news that she has just inherited a multi-billion dollar estate from recently deceased Tobias Hawthorne, his grandfather.
When Avery shows up to the reading of the will, she is struck to find that Tobias Hawthorne has two daughters and four grandsons who he has disinherited, and given everything to her. Obviously, this does not go over well with the family. Avery finds herself among a bunch of people who probably want her dead, and a riddle with many clues to solve, not to mention her attraction to two out of the four Hawthorne boys. What secrets was Tobias Hawthorne keeping, and why did he choose Avery, a random girl, he had seemingly never met?
This was full of twists and turns! I've never been good at riddles and puzzles, but I enjoy reading about them. All of the Hawthorne boys are a study in privilege, but have very distinct personalities. Nash, the oldest, doesn't seem to care about inheriting the estate and has a bit of a savior complex; Grayson, the heir apparent, who fully expected to inherit everything is magnetic, powerful, and commanding; Jameson, is the sensation seeker and risk taker, and loved the riddles and games his grandfather set up for them growing up (he's also deeply troubled); and Xander, the golden retriever of a youngest brother who just wants to build robots, eat scones, and be possibly more complicated than he lets on.
I really never knew what was coming next, and even when our characters had thought they figured it out, there was more. There isn't a ton of diversity in this book, but Xander is half Black and the bodyguard is Black, and there are two side characters that are sapphic, one of which is explicitly bisexual.
Looking forward to book two after that ending!
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is book one in the Inheritance Games trilogy. This was a YA mystery full of riddles, puzzles, secret passage ways, and secret tunnels. This is what happens when rich people get bored.
We follow Avery Kylie Grambs, a 17 year old girl living with her half-sister after her mother's death, and just trying to get through high school so she can get into college, and get a steady paying job. Then one day a mysterious boy in an expensive suit delivers the news that she has just inherited a multi-billion dollar estate from recently deceased Tobias Hawthorne, his grandfather.
When Avery shows up to the reading of the will, she is struck to find that Tobias Hawthorne has two daughters and four grandsons who he has disinherited, and given everything to her. Obviously, this does not go over well with the family. Avery finds herself among a bunch of people who probably want her dead, and a riddle with many clues to solve, not to mention her attraction to two out of the four Hawthorne boys. What secrets was Tobias Hawthorne keeping, and why did he choose Avery, a random girl, he had seemingly never met?
This was full of twists and turns! I've never been good at riddles and puzzles, but I enjoy reading about them. All of the Hawthorne boys are a study in privilege, but have very distinct personalities. Nash, the oldest, doesn't seem to care about inheriting the estate and has a bit of a savior complex; Grayson, the heir apparent, who fully expected to inherit everything is magnetic, powerful, and commanding; Jameson, is the sensation seeker and risk taker, and loved the riddles and games his grandfather set up for them growing up (he's also deeply troubled); and Xander, the golden retriever of a youngest brother who just wants to build robots, eat scones, and be possibly more complicated than he lets on.
I really never knew what was coming next, and even when our characters had thought they figured it out, there was more. There isn't a ton of diversity in this book, but Xander is half Black and the bodyguard is Black, and there are two side characters that are sapphic, one of which is explicitly bisexual.
Looking forward to book two after that ending!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
fangirlclaire's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse
trappedinfandomland's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
bookish_bookerz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
I bought this book based on the raving recommendation of booktok and booktube. After reading the summary and hearing all these reviews, I thought this was my kind of book. It was my kind of book, until I read it. That is when everything started to go down. I did not feel particularly bored nor engaged with this book. While reading, I felt the characters were average and flat. There was no reason for me to particularly like or dislike the main characters. Other characters I felt was not needed to be mentioned at all. In my eyes, they did nothing to make the plot go forward. For the plot, I liked where the author was going but there was just some things that maybe could have been left out. I did get the Knives Out vibes from it, but that is all I felt. The mystery was there, but I could not feel it. Some of the clues where kind of predictable as I was able to figure out an important connection near the beginning of the book (maybe seven chapters in). As for the writing, I think it was decent. However, I did get annoyed with the repetitive mention of certain thoughts/feelings and characters that truly did no justice to the plot (shoutout to you know who). In connection with my previous statement, I was so annoyed with the mention of a dead character that at some point the book should have been about them. I did not see the purpose of their name being mentioned more than several times. Out of all of the things I did not like, I did like it was fast-paced making it a quick read. Thanks to that I was able to finish it despite not enjoying it until the last twenty-three chapters. Overall, I can see why people are raving over it but for me, I am not a fan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
itsmeaemma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CW: JKR and HP reference, depictions of domestic abuse, depictions of child abuse, shooting, gun violence, medical content, homophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, and Medical content
JKR reference, depictions of domestic abuse, depictions of child abuse, shooting, gun violence, medical content, homophobiathebriellle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Inheritance Games is the first (and my personal favorite) book in The Inheritance Games series. It is about the main character, Avery Grambs, who finds herself going from living in her car to inheriting almost all of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune. Only problem is, she has no idea who Tobias Hawthorne is or why he’d leave his inheritance to a stranger. Throughout the novel, we follow Avery as she meets the eccentric Hawthorne grandsons: Jameson, Xandar, Grayson, and Nash. Together, they have to solve the riddles Tobias Hawthorne left behind in hopes to figure out the truth behind Avery’s appearance.
There are 3 things that made me instantly obsessed with this novel. One, I’m a sucker for short chapters. Don’t ask me why, but I just mentally feel like I’m reading more. Don’t judge me! Two, romantic subplots with a dash of banter makes me go feral (in a good way) for the characters. And three, I love me a good mystery. And this one will have you creating an evidence board to figure out the answers. Well, not literally, of course. Unless you're into that.
“Why do I have to tell a story?” I asked.
“Because if you don’t tell the story, someone else will tell it for you.”
What I really loved about this novel was how Avery wasn’t a main character that had all the answers all the time. She was flawed and messy and relatable. You know, how actual people are. She had to learn to love, not just other people, but herself. And that’s some character development we need more of.
If you’re wondering if you should get this book (and my impeccable review for some reason hasn't sold you yet), then let me just say this. If you’re in need of a quick, high-stakes, and enjoyable read, then this is the book for you. And a warning to make sure you have the next two books already ordered, because that cliffhanger will leave you scrambling for more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
rocio_b's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Classism
morganperks's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Incest, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
ttumbletree's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. I thought it’d be predictable and not really my style. But despite my expectations, the book had me hooked within a couple of pages. I loved guessing along with the characters about what would happen and how they would solve each mystery.
What I do have to say though, is that the book sometimes feels like a teen drama show. This is not a bad thing (one look at my old tumblr reveals how much I obsessed over teen drama shows, so yeah, definitely not a bad thing) but I still wanted to point it out.
The only reason I didn’t give the book five stars is the fact that I don’t really vibe with love triangles. So far it wasn’t even all that bad, but love triangles just always leave a bad taste in my mouth. But oh well, I’ll see what happens in the next book.
See, that’s another positive thing about the book, I didn’t wait a single second after finishing the book, before I ordered the sequel.
What I do have to say though, is that the book sometimes feels like a teen drama show. This is not a bad thing (one look at my old tumblr reveals how much I obsessed over teen drama shows, so yeah, definitely not a bad thing) but I still wanted to point it out.
The only reason I didn’t give the book five stars is the fact that I don’t really vibe with love triangles. So far it wasn’t even all that bad, but love triangles just always leave a bad taste in my mouth. But oh well, I’ll see what happens in the next book.
See, that’s another positive thing about the book, I didn’t wait a single second after finishing the book, before I ordered the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Fire/Fire injury