The Inheritance Games by Annika Deschler

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes was a labyrinth of a book. With obstacles and plot twists around every corner, and death creeping behind, this is a must read. The main character Avery Kylie Grambs partook in a very risky gamble; her life. Tobias Hawthorne, a self made billionaire, with assets reaching upwards of 40 billions, died and left his will to resolve his dying wishes. His daughters Skye and Zara, and their brother who tragically died, expected to receive a great deal of money through his will. Tobias Hawthorne’s four grandson’s also expected to receive money, but in the end, they were left with a resemblance of pocket change, while Avery was left with billions. 

Avery Grew up relatively poor, living with her half sister after her mother died and her father left her. The night before she flew to Texas for the reading of the will, she was sleeping in her car, oblivious of her future. “I could never imagine myself going further than Texas,” Avery thought, not knowing she was thrown into a world of riches and mysteries, and Tobias Hawthorne loved to play a game (Barnes 24). Little did poor Avery know, she was the game, and so was Hawthorne House, one of the many estates she inherited. In the will the grandsons and Avery were left notes, leading them to play the first game, which was thought to be the last. Avery encounters death more than what seems to be comfortable and her lawyer Alyssa places her on lockdown, allowing her to focus on the games. Through the games and the unraveling of the story, it is found that many details that seem to be insignificant, turn out to be large playing roles in the future. Leading players in the story and the games though are two boys, Jameson and Grayson.

Jameson and Grayson are two of the four Hawthorne grandchildren, all of which came from Skye. As soon as Avery arrived at the house though, there was tension between the three. In the past, there was a girl named Emily, who they both were entranced with. Tragic accidents happened and she ended up dead, while her sister remained alive and jealous of the life she got to live. The Hawthorne brothers felt responsible for her death, resisting falling in love with Avery, as fighting over Emily was a cause of her death. Avery ends up falling for one of the brothers but that doesn’t come without a price. She has to fight through both of their problems, pushing through the puzzles and mysteries of Tobias Hawthorne and their own. At school Jameson dared not to be seen with her, “...the last thing you need on your first day is for anyone to see you getting cozy with me,” (Barnes 85). The reputation of the Hawthornes carried over to the grandchildren, and if she was known by relation she may have been out of luck. With Avery's name plastered everywhere, her relationship with Jameson was risky, but she persevered. 

Throughout the whole book, stepping through romance, school, and the underlying mystery of it all, this book is a page turner. No matter what I was doing, I would make time to read. I found copies of the series through friends, the library, online, and even pre-ordered the fourth book which is being released in August of 2023. I would recommend you to read this book if you like a good mystery with a side plot of romance and adventure. I would rate this book beyond the imaginable scale, and would definitely read it again. 

Work Cited

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. The Inheritance Games. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2021.