The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 5 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on February 19, 2021.
By Lauren Gantt ’21
A&E Editor
Synopsis
A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.
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.
Review
The first thing that drew me to The Inheritance Games was the gorgeous cover (I am a big fan of the green and gold). Then I read the synopsis and knew that it was a book I had to read. When I finally got a copy, I ended up absolutely loving it!
Right off the bat, I was sucked into this book. The pacing was quick, but not so fast that I was confused. I thought this worked well as it meant we were not focusing on places and characters we wouldn’t be revisiting later on. The story was fun and full of mystery, but if it had been slower I might have struggled a little. However, the fact that this book took off right from the start and did not slow down meant that I finished the majority of it in just one sitting. I was engrossed. I was obsessed. I still am obsessed, if we’re being honest.
The plot itself was interesting and well-balanced. There was mystery, and there was humor. There were serious, heart-pounding moments, and then there were times I was laughing my head off. It was great. The mystery gripped me and I felt physically nervous at times, which—as someone who usually does not like mystery thriller books (which is strange since I love crime and mystery TV shows)—I really enjoyed. This was one of those books that I adored the mystery in because I felt like it meshed well with my personal preferences: not too scary, but just enough mystery to keep me reading.
Our main storyline seemingly wrapped up at the end while a few secondary threads set up the second book. However, as the characters consistently pointed out in the book, I’m wondering if that’s just a trick or a misdirect. I feel like Tobias Hawthorne, the person who engineered the whole mystery, would have a few more tricks up his sleeve. I have so many questions about how the next book will go and I am eagerly anticipating it.
In terms of characters, we have a pretty good-sized cast. We only have one point of view (which is our narrator Avery) but there are a bunch of characters who play large roles throughout the book, including the Hawthorne brothers. I am definitely intrigued by all of the brothers and I’m interested to learn more about them in the next book and unravel some of their secrets.
The romance, I think, was the least interesting part of this book. That’s not to say it was bad, but I wasn’t invested in the romance plot as much. I felt like we didn’t get enough character interactions on-page between those characters to see them as more than tentative friends. It’s also worth pointing out that this book was not marketed as a romance, so the issue I had with the romance is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I am still interested to see where it goes in the next book since there was quite a bit of groundwork laid.
Overall, I loved this book and it will most likely end up on my list of favorites. It is such a solid Young Adult (YA) mystery with an interesting cast of characters and a main character you cannot help but love. I am so incredibly excited to read the next book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Knives Out or likes a good YA mystery!
