The Inheritance Games – Ultimate Blog Tour #Gifted

It is time for my stop on The Inheritance Games Ultimate Blog Tour! The Inheritance Games is an addictive YA mystery novel that I couldn’t put down. It has been ages since I have read anything in the mystery genre and this book has definitely rekindled my interest. There is a big problem with being part of the tour which is that I now have to wait even longer for book two…. Seriously though, thank you to @WriteReadsTours and @PenguinPlatform for gifting me an advanced copy of The Inheritance Games for review.

Title: The Inheritance Games

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 3rd September 2020

Genre: YA mystery

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Synopsis

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.

The Inheritance Games – Review

The Inheritance Games is an addictive YA mystery, which is described as “A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists”. This story is less of a ‘who dunnit’ and more of a ‘who’s gonna do it’. Why does Tobias Hawthorne leave Avery Grambs his fortune and what will the family do to get it back?

Avery Grambs is a normal teenage girl who is having a tough time. Since losing her mother she lives with her sister Libby as well as Libby’s abusive boyfriend. She understandably wants to get out. Her plan is to get through high school and win a scholarship so that her future prospects are brighter. The fortune that suddenly lands in her lap is world changing! From her car and sister’s flat to a sprawling mansion, with secret rooms and hidden passageways. Her gift is both a dream come true and a nightmare.

Avery is a very realistic, down to earth and consistent character. I really like how her personality doesn’t change despite her new found fame and fortune. She has so much to deal with as she is thrown into a world she doesn’t understand and has no idea who she can trust (which makes watching her relationships develop so interesting!)

The Hawthorne brothers are key characters and whether you can trust them or not is a big part of the story. Grayson is very secretive, Jameson is surprisingly friendly, Nash is more mature and easy going. Xander is my favourite as he is enthusiastic, a bit of a geek and loves creating new inventions.

There are love triangles featuring the Hawthorne brothers but they don’t dominate the storyline and feel like they might be part of the game. There are multiple plot lines, puzzles and mysteries that all cleverly interweave throughout. I really enjoyed trying to solve the puzzles and individual mysteries. Although I found one ‘twist’ extremely obvious the rest kept me guessing until the end. I crafted many theories about who was or wasn’t trustworthy, which is a big part of the fun. The pace is great and once you start The Inheritance Games you will not want to put it down!

My only issue with this book is the representation, particularly disability but also LGBT+. I would love to have a discussion about this and will write a separate post so I can delve into the detail as I don’t want to write any spoilers here!

My Thoughts

I loved reading The Inheritance Games! There are plenty of interesting characters and I didn’t know who to trust. It was great to have so many different mysteries to try to solve. Even a seasoned mystery reader will have plenty of surprises in store! When I started the story I didn’t realise there would be a second book and I am really looking forward to reading the next instalment.

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