City News

In author Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s novel The Inheritance Games, seventeen-year-old Avery Kylie Grambs lives a mundane life as a high schooler trying to get a scholarship and leave to college to find a better life. Orphaned at the age of fifteen, Avery has been raised by her older sister Libby, who has acted as her legal guardian since her father abandoned her and her mother abruptly passed away. One day, Avery’s life changes forever when she is mysteriously summoned to the mansion of recently deceased billionaire Tobias Hawthorne; he has disinherited his entire family and given virtually all of his fortunes to her, despite Avery not knowing who Tobias was. The only stipulation: Avery must live in Hawthorne House for a year with all of the newly disinherited Hawthorne family members in order to receive her inheritance. There, she is drawn into a thoroughly novel and wealthy world filled with trickery and deceit at every turn, making unlikely allies along the way while solving puzzles and challenges Tobias Hawthorne has left behind. Avery must learn who to trust and how to solve the game, all while danger is preying on her downfall.

Jennifer Barnes’s novel is truly an easy-flowing, entertaining read with several unexpected elements peppered throughout. Although many plot twists may be predictable to astute readers, the plot is still thorough enough to be enjoyable. Furthermore, Barnes’s style of writing allows the reader to feel as if they can play along and solve the puzzles along with the main characters, adding somewhat of an interactive element to the novel.

Barnes further enriches the story by adding clearly constructed characters, and despite the abundance of people introduced in the novel, Barnes manages to create distinct personalities for each and every single one of the characters, allowing them to become all the more memorable to readers. Avery is a very likable main character, as she is very intelligent and well-spoken, but has her flaws that readers can surely relate to. The Hawthorne brothers, the grandsons of Tobias Hawthorne, are equally as charismatic and appealing to the readers, and it is due to them that many interesting plot lines play out. Additionally, each of the characters has intriguing backstories that have yet to be explained, leading the reader to wonder what each character’s motives and reasoning are. The interpersonal relationships between many of the characters are also left up to question; many characters have unexplained histories and tensions with each other, and this is the source of much confusion and misunderstandings in the novel. Ultimately, these many plot elements all come together to create a well-written novel 

Those who enjoyed reading mystery and suspense books such as The Westing Game will enjoy The Inheritance Games; its themes of danger interlaced with secrets, family tensions, and revenge are sure to keep the reader hooked throughout the entire novel. A perfect novel for readers high-school-aged and above, The Inheritance Games is a spectacular first book in what is sure to become a memorable trilogy.

Check out Inheritance Games at NBPL!