Amy's Review
The Grandest Game is told from three perspectives: Rohan, who had been the master of the Devil’s Mercy games that Jameson had won in the last book, Gigi, Grayson’s half-sister, and Lyra, a new character who was only briefly introduced in The Brothers Hawthorne (presumably, specifically, with this new series in mind). All three perspectives were equally engaging. I really loved getting to know Rohan and Lyra better. I also liked all the interpersonal character drama but could have done without quite so much game detail. I mean, it’s really not all that fun “watching” other people play games and there was a lot more of that in this novel than in the previous ones.
Other than that, it was another fun ride with a bounty of fun, creative adventures and lovable characters. Unfortunately, unlike her first series, Barnes chose to end this story prematurely. The game didn’t even finish. It feels like a forced series which bugs me. She could’ve included fewer game details and more of the character-focused story arc to get the whole game into one book. At least the next novel in the series will be released in July so I don’t have a long wait.
There were three narrators: Anjali Kunapaneni voiced Gigi’s sections, Christine Lakin voiced Lyra’s sections, and Zachary Webber voiced Rohan’s sections. This was a great cast. All three were awesome voice actors. I especially have always enjoyed Webber’s narrations. There was an inconsistency which I can’t recall specifically now, where one narrator voiced one of the secondary characters completely differently, with an accent that the narrator who mainly voiced that secondary character did not use. That was disappointing but only happened once. I’ll give the cast an A!
Lynnie's Review
Of course, none of the game's players are ordinary - several of them are from previous books and, while I enjoyed getting to know those characters better, I also spent the first part of the book thinking it was strange that the Hawthornes would include people they know in the game. Then I remembered it was fiction and no one in the fictional world cared, so why would I.
Anyway, told through three difference viewpoints - Rohan (from the Devil's Mercy), Gigi (Grayson's half-sister) and Lyra (who we met in an earlier book, but may not have realized her importance at that time). The alternating perspectives gave a great overview of what was happening throughout the game and on the island. I enjoyed learning more about all of them and meeting the new characters, though I admit that with so much focus on existing characters I often overlooked the newer characters because, while interesting, it didn't feel like Jennifer Lynn Barnes brought these characters back only for them to disappear midway through the book. Like a Hawthorne puzzle, Barnes writes with intention and nothing is a coincidence.
We got glimpses of Avery and the Hawthorne brothers, but this book gave me some of what I've wanted for most of the series - an opportunity for Grayson to be in the spotlight and share his story. I loved every bit of the book that featured Grayson and I'm eager to see how his story, among others plays out.
I was frustrated by the ending, only because I was gobsmacked at the stupid decisions made by one of the players and my rating almost lost a star because of that - I just didn't think it was realistic for that character.
Regardless, I loved the wild, fast-paced adventure and can't wait to read the next one. This entire series has been a delight so far and I can't recommend it highly enough. I read the Kindle version while also listening to the audiobook when I couldn't sit down to read & thought all three narrators: Anjali Kunapaneni voicing Gigi’s sections, Christine Lakin voicing Lyra’s sections, and Zachary Webber voicing Rohan’s sections, were wonderful. Zachary Webber's Rohan voice was downright swoony. A definite improvement from the original series' narrator.
Glorious Rivals
Amy's Review
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has finally gotten the knack of interspersing gameplay with interesting character storylines. I was never bored with gaming details in this one! Brava! Like the last novel, Glorious Rivals changed perspectives from chapter to chapter between multiple players. Of the five competitors, Grayson and Lyra are still acting as a team, Savannah and Rohan are still acting as a team, and Brady is alone. Meanwhile, Slate has abducted Gigi so that she won’t get in the way of Eve’s plans. Games, discoveries, and hijinks ensue.
I will say that while I loved the good balance between gaming and character development in this novel, I did not enjoy the shady, attempting-to-be-mysterious “bad guy” storyline interwoven throughout. It was too veiled and convoluted and seemed to come from nowhere. I mean, I knew what little of a backstory existed from Barnes’ short story book, Games Untold. But, the way this “evil undercurrent” was built into this story seemed highly insufficient and nonsensical to me. Instead of making the novel more appealing by adding some tension outside of the game players’ own dramas, it was pesky like a fly that you try to ignore yet it keeps reappearing to ruin your meal. It was unclear and felt overly manufactured by the author. The actual evildoers were comically ridiculous in their affectations also. This storyline was not the reason I was into the book. The players and the games themselves were the hook for me. And I enjoyed the book despite the crazy who-are-these-people-and-why-do-they-keep-interrupting-the-story stuff.
But, if you are enjoying this series (and I’m sure you are or you wouldn’t be reading this novel) it’s another fun installment!
The narrators were all fantastic for this novel! In addition to the three from The Grandest Game (Anjali Kunapaneni voicing Gigi, Christine Lakin voicing Lyra, and Zachary Webber voicing Rohan) we also had Maxwell Hamilton voicing Grayson, which he had done in Games Untold.They were all perfectly cast and displayed a nice range of other voices and accents sufficient to the task. I give them an A as an ensemble.
Lynnie's Review
Coming to the Inheritance Games late, this is the first book in the series I've really had to wait any length of time for and it was worth it. I'm already mad I'm going to have to wait an entire year for the next Grandest Game book.
Regardless, Glorious Rivals picks up moments after The Grandest Game's ending. If you're reading this book, surely you've read all the previous Inheritance Games/Grandest Game novels, because if not, you would be hopelessly lost so I'm not going to waste time with a plot summary here. Suffice it to say, we are midway through the Grandest Game and the five remaining contestants are continuing to try to solve puzzles and determine who they can and cannot trust while fighting toward the finish line.
I think it was a smart move by Barnes to get rid of some of the players between The Grandest Game and Glorious Rivals. It allowed the game itself to feel more focused and controlled and I appreciated its streamlining. As for those characters, while they may have been moved off the game board, they did not disappear entirely and while sometimes I rolled my eyes at how they were used in this story, there were also times that I felt they were effective in moving the story forward. I found that in this book, I cared less about the puzzles and games, but much more about how those games moved the people around and the issues those puzzles often caused them to confront.
Like the previous book, this one is told through multiple perspectives - Grayson and Lyra, who are still working as a team, Rohan, who is still working with Savannah in the game, and Gigi who was abducted by Slate (who we know is working for Eve) at the end of the Grandest Game. Also still playing in the game is Brody, who is playing by himself.
I might have given the book 4 stars if not for one issue - this novel relies a LOT on knowledge that came from Games Untold - a collection of novellas based on the Inheritance Games series. Generally, I don't read novellas based on YA book series because I often find they don't add much to the story and can be lazily written. I thought the series of novellas were ok - again, some stories were better than others. But some of them are downright critical to understanding what's going on in Glorious Rivals - there are a few characters and events that I don't think you could begin to understand if you didn't read that collection and I find that annoying. If you want to make that part of the series, then include that information in one of the main books please.
Anyway, all this is to say that if you have made it this far into the Inheritance Games series and you love the Hawthornes and Avery and this insane cast of characters and you've bought into the premise of the Grandest Game, you don't need me to tell you that you're going to enjoy this. Find a comfy chair and something to snack on and strap in for an exciting day of reading (but also make sure that you read Games Untold)!
I listened to the audiobook and I think all four narrators did an amazing job. Amy mentioned each of them above, so I won't repeat, but know that each of their voices were fantastic. My only complaint is when Zachary Webber voices the Proprietor, which he does as if he has marbles in his mouth. It's clearly an intentional choice, but I often have a really difficult time understand the words he's saying and miss much of that dialogue, even when I rewind to listen more than once; I simply can't decode it. Fortunately, there isn't much of it, but I find it very frustrating. They are a wonderful cast of voice actors though & they make the audiobook experience a joy!
The Gilded Blade
Amy's Review
While it was nice to spend time with all the
characters I have come to love in Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ novels about the
Hawthorne brothers and their friends, relatives, and enemies, this
story has become quite convoluted over time. What were singular
games/puzzles designed by individuals in the first novel, moved on to
more complex larger/overarching games/puzzles in the following novels,
and then to multiple factions/groups/cults designing complex
games/puzzles for purposes which are, frankly, ridiculous. I felt that
too much about the groups were vague. Some characters reappeared from
previous novels and I couldn’t even remember who they were. I spent a
lot of this book wondering what was happening. Maybe too much time had
passed between the last novel and this one. But, I spent much of this
book wishing it would hurry up and get to the resolutions. Am I the only
one who had trouble telling Gigi’s bad boys apart? Am I the only one
for whom several of the female characters began blurring together? Am I
the only one who wished we’d had more answers and less mystery? Am I the
only one wondering why on Earth Avery left her family without
explanation to play ridiculous games in an effort to attain power when
she already had a ridiculous amount of power and wealth, putting her
entire family in mortal peril?
Parts of the novel were fun and
gripping. But, frankly, I felt let down by this novel overall. It was
often boring, often repetitive, largely too vague about what was
happening, and characters began to run together. It’s a shame because
I’ve really loved all the previous novels. I believe this is the final
novel in the (second) series and I hope I’m right. It’s jumped the
shark.
I listened to the audiobook and all the narrators did a
great job as usual. But I’m too disgruntled to go look up all their
names. Rest assured, if you like audiobooks, this is another good one.
A- as an ensemble.
Lynnie's Review
I have very mixed feelings about The Gilded Blade. I have loved my time reading through all the Inheritance Games
books. Jennifer Lynn Barnes created this universe filled with
fascinating, complex people, entertaining scenarios and endless puzzles.
With the Gilded Blade, the Grandest Game series, and evidently
the Inheritance Games universe in general come to an end. However, there
are enough characters and certainly some remaining loose threads that
should another book get written or an off-shoot series start, I won't be
surprised.
Picking up where Glorious Rivals left off, Avery has
been abducted by the Gilded Blade cult. Interestingly, we hear
essentially nothing about her time with the group or the others who have
been chosen (read: kidnapped) with her, outside of the information gathered by everyone
who is looking for her. If you're an Avery fan, this book is going to
disappoint because she is absent for most of it.
Focusing on the
perspectives of Jameson, Lyra, Rohan and Gigi we follow the characters
from Inheritance Games and Grandest Games as they try to uncover the
truth of the Gilded Blade and save Avery and the others (but mostly Avery).
The mysteries of the undead Alice, Lyra's background and each
character's connection to the Gilded Blade, however tenuous, is explored
across continents as they chase clues, solve puzzles and all the other
shenanigans the Hawthornes and their friends are usually caught up in.
This
book felt more chaotic than others in the series and I often had the
impression that Barnes was out of ideas and turned to Scooby Doo-style wild goose chase
as the answer. I thought the ending was rushed and frankly, unsatisfying
which is why this isn't getting a higher rating from me. Still, I would
read it again because I adore these characters and overall just
had a blast reading about them again and again.
I listened to
the audiobook and the narrators, Zachary Webber as Rohan, Christine
Lakin as Lyra and Anjali Kunapeneni as Gigi did a spectacular job, just
as they have on the previous audiobooks for The Grandest Game series.
Jay Ben Markson joins the group as Jameson, after narrating The Brothers
Hawthorne in The Inheritance Games series. The group narration really
brings the book to life and I enjoyed all of them and their variety of
voices and accents.
It's not often that a series comes along
that can hold my attention through nine books, including companion books
and novellas, but this series absolutely has. While I wasn't thrilled
with the ending, I would still whole-heartedly recommend this series to
anyone. No regrets!
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