By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: Mystery/Drama
Summary: 17 year-old Avery Kylie Grambs was just an ordinary girl until a sudden and mysterious summons brings her to Texas for the reading of the will of famous philanthropist, Tobias Hawthorne. When Avery inherits the majority of the estate, the realisation that Tobias Hawthorne had disinherited his entire family dawns sharply upon his relatives and Avery is thrust into not only the spotlight of fame but also the challenges of facing an angry, dysfunctional family. A series of clues launches Avery and the Hawthorne grandsons into a cryptic game to discover why she, an apparent stranger, inherited the billionaire’s fortune. But when it becomes evident that this family will act as ruthlessly as they must to regain their birthright, Avery’s safety and inheritance are thrown into jeopardy. Will she discover the reason behind the billionaire’s legacy before the Hawthorne family manage to erase her from their lives?
Review: This teen mystery is among my personal favourites and certainly a staple piece in the genre for those who enjoy an intricate, intriguing read.
The Inheritance Games is an almost perfectly crafted mix of characters and plot – the characters have a seemingly endless amount of depth and their backstories are so detailed that each could in fact have their own spin-off novel. It is nigh impossible to dislike the charismatic Hawthornes, and the book is packed with witty quotes from each of the grandsons. Although the plot is woven into the character relationships, I have personally found that the plot does get slightly lost on occasion, between character interactions and the tension within the Hawthorne House. However, there are sharp reminders of the game every so often which provide a clear prompt to the trail of clues and do in fact tie the character interactions in rather nicely.
As is typical of first-person narratives, this book does not spend excessive amount of time describing any of the settings, although this is perhaps not a terrible feature of the book. A vivid imagination can easily create an image of Hawthorne House (certainly the parts of which that are mentioned, as the sprawling estate is not entirely explored over the duration of the book) and the background settings are described similarly, with a similar effect upon the reader. It’s clear that the setting is not the central feature of the story, and as a result, more time is dedicated to describing the characters and their lives and personalities.
Certainly the plot’s game is not to be overlooked, as its masterful creation is a work of art in and of itself, regardless of the other selling points of this fabulous read. Each clue is as confusing as it is clever and each leads seamlessly onto the next, allowing for a smooth flowing story which runs steadily amongst all other layers which this book boasts. The tension created when characters individually refuse to play along the way is no less intense than that we experience between the inhabitants of the Hawthorne House, as you wonder how the game is to progress.
Despite the book being truly excellent, there are minor points which are partially annoying. One of these is that the time spent on the Hawthorne brothers is not equally distributed across the four of them. Jameson and Grayson undoubtedly take the spotlight (to the pleasure of many, as they appear to be the most popular amongst readers) however, Xander and Nash take a back seat. Although Xander and Nash do not play such pivotal roles, both are still amusing and play an important role in the background.
Finally, the climax of the book is not monumental by any means and could even pass by a reader’s attention as it does not shout about itself. Of course, this book is the first in a series which sprawls out into a collection of spin-off novels and series, and so the climax may be slightly more dulled in the initial book as it explodes later in the series where everything pulls together.
Warning: mild language and light romance.
By LL (age 14)
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