Tess’ much older sister, Ivy, left her in the care of their grandfather. But when his dementia starts becoming serious, Ivy, some sort of infamous “fixer” for the politicians, puts the grandfather into a specialized care facility and takes Tess home with her to Washington, DC. While Ivy is very secretive about her career, she sends Tess’ to a school where she befriends the children of some of DC’s powerful politicians. There, Tess is unwittingly pulled into the mystery and subterfuge of her sister’s life.
Lynnie’s Review
I don't often go back to read earlier works by authors, but this book had sky-high ratings and great reviews so I decided to give it a shot and I'm so glad I did. I loved it! Tess Kendrick is forced to move to D.C. to live with her sister Ivy. She has no idea that her sister is the go-to fixer for D.C.'s politically connected, getting them out of trouble and hiding their secrets.
As Tess starts to adjust at her new school, she takes on a roll similar to Ivy's, helping other students get out of their own problems and working with her new friends to solve their own murder mystery. Tess and Ivy's situations intertwine and they both become targets in each other's drama. The question becomes will they be able to save each other or will they lose each other and everyone they have grown to love?
I loved Tess as a character - she was feisty and smart and not afraid to advocate for herself which isn't something you often see in a high school character. You could definitely see the seeds of Avery Grambs in Tess. And I really enjoyed all the secondary characters - from the adults Bodie and Adam, to the high schoolers, Vivvie, Asher and Henry, they all added so much to the story and again, I could see the idea of the Hawthorne brothers in the interactions between all the friends.
I never thought that a high school political thriller was the book I was waiting to read, but here we are. It was great fun to read and I can't wait to read the second book in the series. And it's safe to say that whatever Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes next, I'll be reading it. So far I have loved everything she has written.
Amy’s Review
I often rolled my eyes at the behavior of Tess and her friends—high school students who were overly well tuned in to the world of politics and intrigue. And Tess herself, an outsider, somehow understood more than seemed plausible. These teens took matters into their own hands in a manner I found to be unbelievable. But, if I ignored the times when I started to feel the story was unrealistic and just went with it, I enjoyed The Ruling Class a lot!
This novel had great characters—both students and adults, a gripping mystery that pulled me in to Tess’ story, and a good non-stop pace. I really enjoy Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ writing. I’ve adored her The Inheritance Games series. The Ruling Class was an earlier novel but it had the same ingredients as her later novels. I’ll definitely read the next book in this series.
NOTE: Amy read this novel under the original title of The Long Game.
Amy's Review
If you read The Ruling Class and decided that you wanted to read its sequel, The Long Game, then you already made peace with the fact that Tess is unrealistically savvy, clever, and unfazed by things that would shock, confuse, and be ignored by the average teenager, especially one like her who was raised on a farm in Montana. This novel found Tess able to broker deals, outmaneuver professional criminals, and tame terrorists. So, it was another large gulp to swallow. But I managed to not focus on how unlikely Tess’ actions were and I really enjoyed the ride on this one.
The story was never boring. It was entertaining, tragic, and redeeming. All the same great characters are back and Tess’ story continues to progress.
Those who have read Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Inheritance Games series will definitely see strong resemblances in the characters between that series and this one. Barnes likes writing about high schoolers who have lost parents and become part of a new family, who have become distrustful/cynical, have a knack for problem-solving, and have loyal friends with whom they can share harrowing experiences. Each series has a set of twins who are very different from each other.
The audiobook narrator was Cassandra Morris. The whole time I was listening, I assumed it was the same narrator who had voiced Gigi in The Inheritance Games series. But I just realized they are different people. Oh well. Morris has the high pitched teenager voice down pat. She had a repertoire of other voices and I thought her voice acting was great for this novel. I’ll give her an A-.
Lynnie's Review
Originally released as The Long Game, but rereleased with a colorful new cover & title, Lessons in Power, picks up after the events of The Ruling Class (also known as The Fixer).
Who knew that a young adult political thriller could be so entertaining? Honestly, who knew that a young adult political thriller could even be a thing? Well, Jennifer Lynn Barnes did! And I’m glad she wrote it because despite the fact that this series is eye-rollingly unrealistic, it is highly entertaining and great fun to read. Like the Ruling Class, I was absolutely invested in the characters and the stories and found myself reading late into the night to find out what would happen next.
I was, at various time, amused, furious, on the edge of my seat, nervous, and a host of other emotions. Barnes kept me guessing at many times throughout the story as the drama unfolded. All the characters from the first book that you loved - and hated - were back again and it was great to see more of them and watch the relationships grow in some cases and fracture in others.
I admit, I’m a little sad this is the last book in this series. I would love to see what happens to Tess and Ivy in the future, as well as the secondary characters. Barnes does a great job of writing about young, rich, found families who are too clever for their own good.
You’ll have to suspend some disbelief, but this series is a great read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoyed The Inheritance Games, you’ll definitely enjoy this duology.
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