The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

US Cover               UK Cover

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.



This is an intriguing take on a murder mystery. Everybody knows who's dead, and what apparently killed him, and no one is suspected of killing him. But that's about the only thing that's certain in this twisty, turny story.

I was onboard for most of the story. Rags to riches is always fun, and Avery's friend and sister were intriguing, and once I sorted out which brother was which, they were interesting in different ways. I think I like Nash the best, but they were all good.

However, because we were locked into Avery's point of view, we could only learn things at the same speed as she did. We didn't have any chance to figure things out. And while almost everything made sense in the end, right down to the reason Avery was chosen, there's one element that strained credulity for me. Unless it was a very, very, very long term plan, it just didn't make sense. I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't mention it here, but if you've got to the end you may be able to pick it out.

Overall I enjoyed the read; it moves along at a good pace, Avery is a great character, and I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.


(But how did Avery do in that make up test?)




The Inheritence Games publishes on 3rd September, 2020.