The Inheritance Games
It
has been a while since I read a YA book that held my attention and
imagination so thoroughly. The Inheritance Games was absolutely fun from
start to finish with interesting characters, short chapters (!) and
whip-fast pacing that propelled me forward. I read this book in three
days!
I had high hopes going in as this book, released four
years ago, is never available at the library. I was not disappointed.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has created a mansion that is a character on its
own, a large dysfunctional but loving family, and brothers who, despite
their many faults and fights, are there for one another when it counts.
Do they all need therapy and to learn some constructive communication
skills? Oh, absolutely! And yet, I still adored every single one of
them.
Some of the plot points were absolutely predictable, but
the execution was impressive and entertaining. I can't wait to read the
next book in the series to see what happens next and, for that, I'm very
glad I hadn't read this series earlier because we know how much I loathe
the series cliffhangers.
I also listened to some of the
audiobook for The Inheritance Games, but I read more often than I
listened because Christie Moreau's southern accent was... awful. There
were a few times I turned it off specifically because I couldn't listen
to it anymore.
Enjoy every minute of this book, but maybe skip the audiobook version.
Amy’s Review
I absolutely loved the Hawthorne House’s puzzles and secrets, the four Hawthorne brothers who are quirky and alluring, and her new lawyer and security guard who appear to be the only people in her new world that are in her corner. The Inheritance Games was wondrous, exciting, creative, and gripping. Cheers to Jennifer Lynn Barnes for a throughly entertaining read!
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
The Hawthorne Legacy
I thought the mysteries and puzzles in The Hawthorne Legacy were less effective than in The Inheritance Games, but it's not like I'm looking for great literature. This was a fun escape and I loved the addition of Max to the regular cast of characters - I hope she sticks around for future books. Her interactions with Xander were particularly adorable.
I liked getting to know some the characters a little better and I appreciated how the Hawthorne brothers took care of one another and Avery. I still think the "love triangle" is a little odd, but I also think some of that may have been resolved in this book. I guess we'll see moving forward.
Overall, I think that if you liked the Inheritance Games and have already bought into the premise of the games and the mysteries of Hawthorne House then you will enjoy this entry in the series. I'm certainly looking forward to the next one.
A big surprise, which the author gives us not too far into this novel, was not a surprise to me. So I was glad it was made public early so we could move on from there.
The “game” itself involved many fun and creative mini-puzzles/games which, again, brought me much entertainment. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters better and the fun love triangle. (And perhaps a way to ease that issue was discovered near the end of this novel.) A few mysteries were not surprises but there were still some good unanticipated discoveries. I can’t say much without giving things away but suffice it to say that this second novel in the series kept me entertained, kept the pace moving, and allowed me more time with these wonderful characters. I loved it. Can’t wait for the next one! These books are just the distraction I need from the real world these days.
The audiobook was narrated by Christie Moreau. She had a bit of a vocal repertoire but was really weak on the accents. This is unfortunate since all the brothers (who are prominent in the novel) have Texas accents and the publicist has a British accent, none of which sounded correct to me. Due to this, I’ll give her a B+.
The Final Gambit
I really enjoyed The Final Gambit. I believe that this book was supposed to be the last in the series, but I know that there are others and I understand why Jennifer Lynn Barnes decided to write more. She has created a wonderful world full of well-written and entertaining characters, puzzles, side quests, some light romance, and unending wealth. These books are the perfect escape and I would have POURED over them if I'd read them as a young girl.
If this were actually the last book in the series, it would be enough - most of the questions are answered, many things are resolved, but it's also clear there are more stories to tell. Generally I was happy with the way everything turned out, but there are characters that I still want to know more about; characters that I want to see get their happily-ever-afters, too.
I continue to adore all the Hawthorne brothers and their found family including Avery & Libby. Thea and Rebecca have grown on me and I was actually disappointed that Max wasn't around more which says a lot about her character because I find some of her personality traits really annoying. Oren and Alisa are the support staff we all wish we had in our lives.
This third entry to The Inheritance Games series carries on the joy, mystery and mayhem of the first two books beautifully. If you enjoyed the first two, you will love this one, too. I can't wait to read the next book soon.
The Final Gambit picks up where the last novel left off and is just as fun as the other books in the series. There are more puzzles to solve and it gets even more unbelievable than the other books (which is the reason for the lower rating) but I enjoyed the ride immensely. It would be so fun to be Avery even though she’s a bit too capable in this one, IMO. I thought the ending was appropriate and liked the way several loose ends were tied up.
Otherwise, I don’t have anything more specific to say about this novel but will happily read the next (and final?) novel in the series.
The audiobook was again read by Christie Moreau and I will, again, give her a B+.
The Brothers Hawthorne
The things I loved about the previous games- the interaction between the brothers and Avery was definitely missing in The Brothers Hawthorne, but when those moments DID happen, the book found its spark.
I really thought I would enjoy the Grayson-centric storyline, which takes up half of this book, and I did to a point. Mostly it just made me even more sad for him than I was before. I enjoyed the interaction between Grayson and his sisters, but he really is the only Hawthorne brother who can't seem to find his happiness; his need to take on everyone else's trouble is getting old. I liked the overall arc of his portions of the book, but I don't think I would have missed anything if it hadn't been included. For the most part, his story felt like filler.
The other portion of the book focuses on one of Avery's and Jameson's adventures. Once the two of them get into their game, the book really picks up (for all of the characters, really, but mostly for them). Their half of the story was the more interesting of the book, but in a series that is already chock full of interesting characters, the people they meet on their journey were almost too cartoonish in their excess and behavior.
While Nash and Xander are in this book, they are mostly relegated to the sidelines and they were truly missed in the story. My favorite scenes were when all the brothers reunited at various times. While I don't expect Jennifer Lynn Barnes to write the same story over and over, this book often felt like a miss to me. Up until things picked up around halfway through the book, there was a strong chance I wouldn't finish it.
Will I read the next one? Of course I will - I am sucker for these brothers and their games and I am going to continue to hope that Grayson stops wallowing and making everyone around him tense and miserable. So overall, not my favorite book in the series, but there are enough bright spots to make it worthwhile.
Picking up a year after the last Inheritance Games novel, I really liked this new novel from the boys’ perspectives. There was A LOT going on in The Brothers Hawthorne. Grayson and Jameson each had convoluted situations to deal with and the novel jumped from one’s perspective to the other as well as providing multiple backflashes to give some of their history.
Despite all the moving pieces and the not-so-believable pieces of the story, I was as thoroughly entertained with this novel as with the others. I really haven’t enjoyed a series this much in a long time. And the fact that I hadn’t started reading them until these four novels were all published meant I didn’t have to wait a long time between novels. That meant that, in addition to not forgetting the details, I still remembered enough about the characters to keep caring about them. Often, the year-long (or more) wait between releases cools off my desire to read the next book in any series. But not so for this one!
Of course, this one ended with a guarantee that there would be another sequel. And, lo and behold, I now see there is a new series that picks up where this book left off, The Grandest Game, which I’ve just put on hold at the library. And the sequel to that one comes out in a few months!
Thankfully, there was a new audiobook narrator for The Brothers Hawthorne since this novel is from the brothers’ perspectives and, appropriately, required a male narrator. However, Jay Ben Markson bugged me because he audibly expelled a lot of air at the end of each sentence. However, his voice acting and vocal repertoire were top notch. I wish I could look past the audible expulsions of air but I cannot since it really got under my skin. I’ll give him an A- when he would’ve otherwise gotten an A+ from me. I’m tempted to go down to a B+ but I enjoyed the story so much, I’m feeling generous.
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