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A review by michellemaas
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
The Hawthorne Legacy is considerably better than The Inheritance Games (and that's saying something since I really enjoyed The Inheritance Games).
I didn't realize how lost I was with the first book until I read the second book and things finally started clicking into place. The Hawthrone Legacy did a good job of answering nearly all the questions sparked from its predecessor and it's always a good feeling to get answers to questions that have been burning since your first read.
Furthermore, I want to commend Jennifer Lynn Barnes for creating a love triangle that wasn't annoying. Typically being a fantasy reader, there is little that irks me as much as a love triangle but she wrote in a way where it didn't feel like an unnecessary trope to set the drama in motion but more so a natural repetition of history (and most likely a manifestation of Jameson and Grayson's unresolved guilt over Emily's death).
Like with the first book, the plot twists were also really an insane man. I kept expecting Jennifer Lynn Barnes to go in the typical plot twist territory but she specifically wrote in a way that lead your mind there to yank the rug from under your feet. Examples of this were when she set up Avery's father being Toby (which is quite the executed, almost cliche thing to do), only to reveal that he wasn't her father!? I was quaking. Even the part of Toby being adopted was unexpected and last (but not least) the love triangle? It was the first time I genuinely couldn't tell who the MC was going to pick. It was obvious that Avery had a more serious relationship with Jameson, but I kept expecting Jennifer Lynn Barens to do the "obvious and unexpected" thing by making her end up with Grayson. Only that didn't happen? The best way to keep things unexpected when using popular storylines is to do the expected since the reader expects the author to do the unexpected thing (which is no longer unexpected since it gets done so much).
I don't know if you got any of that but the book was good and I was entertained, so what more can I ask?
I didn't realize how lost I was with the first book until I read the second book and things finally started clicking into place. The Hawthrone Legacy did a good job of answering nearly all the questions sparked from its predecessor and it's always a good feeling to get answers to questions that have been burning since your first read.
Furthermore, I want to commend Jennifer Lynn Barnes for creating a love triangle that wasn't annoying. Typically being a fantasy reader, there is little that irks me as much as a love triangle but she wrote in a way where it didn't feel like an unnecessary trope to set the drama in motion but more so a natural repetition of history (and most likely a manifestation of Jameson and Grayson's unresolved guilt over Emily's death).
Like with the first book, the plot twists were also really an insane man. I kept expecting Jennifer Lynn Barnes to go in the typical plot twist territory but she specifically wrote in a way that lead your mind there to yank the rug from under your feet.
I don't know if you got any of that but the book was good and I was entertained, so what more can I ask?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail