The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a trilogy that at first glance gave me a who-dunnit vibe. I couldn’t be more wrong. These books are teen romance with a dash of mystery to them. Would have preferred it the other way around but oh well. Below I’ve reviewed each book after reading them without diving into spoilers.
Would I recommend this series to others? Unlikely.
Did I enjoy reading this series? Meh. It was ok.
Book 1 – The Inheritance Games
I picked up this book because of its cover and was surprised to get home and see that it’s quite a popular book on the gram. The book follows a girl, Avery, who is working hard to secure a stable future for herself when suddenly she inherits a fortune from a person she has no recollection of ever knowing. This obviously doesn’t go well with the deceased’s family, and the conditions on the will don’t make things any easier for any party. The deceased being one for tricks, riddles, and manipulation has left clues for their surviving members to figure out and hopefully provide them some answers as to why a total stranger has inherited their fortune. While this does sound interesting, I felt the book strayed more towards romance than mystery. The amount of sexual tension between characters in the book even during a sort of interesting puzzle-solving scene sort of detracts from the whole mystery aspect of the book. It’s a decent read, and one you can finish in one sitting, but personally I could have done with a little less romance and more puzzles.
Rating: 3/5
Book 2 – The Hawthorne Legacy
This is the second book in the Inheritance Games trilogy. It continues onward from the events of the first book as we follow Avery further cementing herself in the Hawthorne household. At the end of the first book I was a little miffed with the lack of mystery and the abundance of sexual tension between Avery and the Hawthorne brothers. This time around I was mentally prepared for the romance so was able to appreciate the book more for what it is. A young adult romance novel set in an escape room; more or less. Fairly decent read with twists and turns that you more or less tend to see coming. Like the first it’s more of a one-time read and a perfect pick-up for those cozy lazy afternoons. While, at this point, I am intrigued enough to pick up the last book to know where the story is finally heading, I also can’t wait to finish the series and move on. Sort of a mixed bag really.
Rating: 3/5
Book 3 – The Final Gambit
The third and final book in the trilogy is, in my opinion, the best of the lot. The initial one year stipulated in the Hawthorne will is almost up for Avery which would leave her one of the richest people in the world. But nothing ever comes easy, and this book throws one obstacle after another at our protagonist. There are a lot more instances of puzzle solving as compared to the previous two books, and while several plots were pretty obvious from the get go, the book was a decent read nonetheless. Still unsure if this would be a series I would recommend.
Rating: 3/5
Links:
- goodreads: The Inheritance Games – Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Liminal Ramblings 