The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes -> Restarting February 5th, 2024

[Aly]

A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

[Elizabeth]

Started this one today


8% (view spoiler)[ The whole family is a character lol But I quite like the mother. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

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RESTARTING SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2022

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[Aly]

Starting book 1 now!

[Aly]

Ch 1-23 (view spoiler)[ I understand the family being unhappy and suspecting Avery of something, but with their resources you'd think they could find out that she's an innocent girl.

I want a bodyguard that drives me around (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 24-46 (view spoiler)[ Their middle names are places, but what does that mean? Are there clues at these locations? Hawthorne really made an elaborate riddle (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 47-69 (view spoiler)[ Seriously, forget Drake. He better go to prison after all of this.

I will not believe that Libby would conspire against Avery. She loves her sister and wouldn't want her hurt. The chase was a bit dicey but a good plan (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 70-End (view spoiler)[ Was Avery picked because of her name anagram and birthday? Or did Tobias also know that she knew Toby? Maybe he was in the area because he knew his son was living around there somewhere? Still lots of questions! (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 1-20 (view spoiler)[ Is Harry actually Toby? Can they send someone to try to find him? And did he lose his memory or is he choosing to be homeless?

Maybe it was a punishment or he's guilty after what happened with the fire? (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 21-45 (view spoiler)[ A cow heart? That's pretty messed up and I can't say Rebecca's parents are above suspicion. But it could be a lot of people, so who really knows? (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 46-70 (view spoiler)[ How awful that Eli was the one behind everything, just so he could see information to the press? What a horrible person.

Now we know that Avery's mom was Kaylie's sister! I forgot about that part (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 71-End (view spoiler)[ the first time I got confused about Toby's relations. This time it was a bit clearer. He has a daughter and her half siblings are the security guard and maid.

I think Grayson's dad just wanted revenge on Toby, but maybe there was a financial thing too? A lot happened in those last chapters. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 1-22 (view spoiler)[ I don't trust Eve, but I really hope she's not lying. But who wants to destroy the Hawthornes and Avery? Someone that's jealous?
Avery being jealous of Eve and Grayson makes me wonder if she'll actually end up with him instead. I wish she could just be with both guys. I mean, that's what reverse harems are for! (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 23-44 (view spoiler)[ Did Tobias have a brother no one knows about? Or is it someone who worked for him who thinks he should have gotten an inheritance? This is pretty hard, especially since how do you find someone who knew Tobias as a younger guy? (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 45-66 (view spoiler)[ Yep, Eve is totally working for the bad guy (her grandpa I think) And Grayson totally believes her, really? I'm surprised he's fallen for her act like that (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Ch 67-End (view spoiler)[ Well, it's not quite the ending I hoped for. Toby is trapped by his awful grandpa and Eve has a lot of power she can't handle.
Avery gave away most of her money and the Hawthorne boys are mostly living average lives. I hoped they'd continue to be larger than life, but it would get tiring.

Kind of surprised Grayson was left so open-ended, but the game at the end sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe there will be a spinoff? (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Just picked up the first one at the library today. Diving in just in time to keep this thread alive!

[Aly]

Kim wrote: "Just picked up the first one at the library today. Diving in just in time to keep this thread alive!"

Yay!

[Kim]

22% (view spoiler)[ I’m already invested. It didn’t take much but I am so curious about how her Mom passed away, her connection to Tobias and which Hawthorne boy he chooses! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

47% (view spoiler)[ yo this is spiraling quickly! 1 she is very easily swayed by these boys. 2 they found the first clue before the end of her second day there?! 3 what is up with this Emily chick? 4 ugh (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

75% (view spoiler)[ there are so many sub-plots my brain is spinning. Thea. Grayson. Jameson. Thea. Rebecca. Skye. And now maybe Libby?? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

100% Bagh! So good!! (view spoiler)[ I love that this has nothing to do with romance. The puzzles were so interesting and you bet your bottom dollar I’m reading the next one. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Picked up book 2, hoping to start tomorrow.

[Elizabeth]

Starting this series again on Monday!

[Kim]

Yay welcome! I went away (didn’t bring a library book with - the scandal!) and will hopefully start book 2 when I get back.

[Kim]

Just finished book 2! I need to put my updates in here; maybe tomorrow?

I already requested book 3 from the library 😊

[Kim]

39% (view spoiler)[ this Grayson/Jameson triangle is killing me slowly. For the record, I am Team Grayson. (view spoiler)[

67% (view spoiler)[ I love how supportive Max is; she's definitely a solid friend to bring around. I'm also glad she was there for Avery when reading the post cards. I wonder if she was there when Avery read her mom's letter. (view spoiler)[

100% (view spoiler)[ I really enjoyed this book. The ending was a little meh for me. Although the kidnapping was climactic, the maid being related to Toby's daughter was just too twisted for me. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Starting now! I really hope my reading slump is over lol



10% (view spoiler)[ I love this chapter lmao Tobias Hawthrone must have enjoyed a little of the chaos he could tell this would cause. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

This is such a good series to rev it back up!

[Elizabeth]

Kim wrote: "This is such a good series to rev it back up!"

lol I just off the heartbreak of Once Upon a Heart and The Ballad of Never After, so I'm excited to keep the momentum going. I already finished like a third of The Inheritance Games!

[Elizabeth]

Posting my remaining comments for The Inheritance Games sometime this week

[Kim]

Agh I have ballad of never after on my Christmas list so fingers crossed!

Picking up the third Inheritance book from the library today 😊

[Elizabeth]

Kim wrote: "Agh I have ballad of never after on my Christmas list so fingers crossed!

Picking up the third Inheritance book from the library today 😊"

Hope you enjoy them both! I got distracted this week and picking book 2 up this week

[Kim]

I’ve had the third book for a week and haven’t started 😫 there’s never enough time in the day.

[Elizabeth]

32% (view spoiler)[ I have to admit, Zara and Skye did a good job of attacking Avery when she least expected. I can see why they weren't initially deterred since loopholes exist and it's not like they had seen the previous will where they were left pennies. (hide spoiler)]

65% (view spoiler)[ Avery really hasn't been a good friend and I'm glad Max called her out on it. She didn't really stop to think about how her one friend would be easy pickings for people to try to get information about her, especially amid the media spectacle with Avery's family. Her way of cursing is a little juvenile but I get the age appropriateness of it. (hide spoiler)]

80% (view spoiler)[ That was low of Thea. She's clearly using Avery to hurt Grayson and while we don't really know a lot about Emily's death at this point, it's not like Avery should trust anyone. She's a little naive but it makes sense. (hide spoiler)]

100% (view spoiler)[ I am so excited for the rest of the series! What happened to Emily was very tragic. I do wonder how intentional that was according to Tobias's plans or if it was a happenstance (as much as story logic can be.) (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

I should be finishing with the Hawthorne Legacy before the new year and posting those comments soon!

[Elizabeth]

lol I lied. I listened to a bit of it and just finished with my comments up to my current place.



16% (view spoiler)[ This is where the fun (and another brush with death) begin! This book takes a little bit to get set up but I remember loving how much of a rollercoaster it is once reveals start taking place. (hide spoiler)]

40% (view spoiler)[So I vaguely remember a lot of these clues and the mystery here, but not quite sure what they found using Sky's or Zara's clues. (hide spoiler)]

52% (view spoiler)[ I thought this during the first time I read it but it feels more clear this time. While I think Avery does like Jameson, I think a part of her was pushed toward him because Grayson made himself a non-option. He challenged her way of thinking in a way that Jameson can't because they're too similar. Love triangles can be tricky and I don't know what I'd feel if it did play out till book three. Grayson is a gentleman, older brother, and a bit of the brooding-looking type; it makes sense he took himself out of the situation before it evolved even more.

I haven't read the last book so I could possible change my mind on this last thought, but, Jameson x Avery seems like a high school/college relationship. I still think of Grayson x Avery as adult end-game relationship. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Lol I’ve barely gotten through the first few chapters of the last one. I didn’t remember the holidays being this distracting hehe

[Elizabeth]

Kim wrote: "Lol I’ve barely gotten through the first few chapters of the last one. I didn’t remember the holidays being this distracting hehe"

lol it happens. I should be done with the second book today and finish up the year with The Final Gambit

[Elizabeth]

69% (view spoiler)[ Avery is incredibly frustrating in the last part of the scene. It's one thing for the reporter to think/have a good authority about Tobias, but it's all speculation until someone confirms something. Nothing is true or false if you don't accept or deny it.

I think she'd still be in a lot of risk right now. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

100% (view spoiler)[ I'd forgotten how many twists the ending packed. I feel a little mixed since it feel like it may have been done to compensate for the romance and may have been too much. Multiple attempts at Avery's lifes, lots of traveling, chasing down clues, there was just a lot.

I'm still annoyed at the Jameson and Avery relationship, though. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

5% (view spoiler)[ Maybe it's just me but it annoys me how she still very much likes Grayson. I think it makes sense for her character but did we not just go through her choosing Jameson in the last book? Like it's not fair for anyone involved. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

25% (view spoiler)[ This not-love-triangle is getting really annoying. I liked the dance in book 1 and 2, even if I didn't like Avery's choice. I get that she is a teenager, emotions are raging, and it's easier to focus on this than not being able to do anything to find her mother.

But like... can't she love and respect Grayson and herself enough to let go? Torturing herself and trying to protect him won't do them any good. If he wants to make a mistake in confusing Eve for Emily... he's an adult. He can face any consequences. (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Elizabeth wrote: "25% This not-love-triangle is getting really annoying. I liked the dance in book 1 and 2, even if I didn't like Avery's choice. I get that she is a teenager, emotions are raging, and it's easier t..."

yo! (view spoiler)[ i am 100% with you on this. this back and forth on grayson isn't interesting anymore; it more so takes away from what the story is. like whenever they mention toby, i'm like oh yea that's what they're working on, not avery waffling over her (and max's andlibby's and eve's) love life. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Kim]

Finished! I finally made time and tore through the last half of this book! (view spoiler)[ I can’t tell if I liked the ending of this book. It did feel full circle but at the same point, is it set up for a spin off? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Kim wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "25% This not-love-triangle is getting really annoying. I liked the dance in book 1 and 2, even if I didn't like Avery's choice. I get that she is a teenager, emotions are raging, ..."

lol (view spoiler)[ I actually don't even mind Nash and Libby's 'are-they-are-they-not' because it feels very on character from book 1. At least they can prioritize.

Max and Xander's is also kind of ??? but it has less page-time so it annoys me a lot less. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

66% (view spoiler)[ I love Grayson, truly I do, but he has lost his mind. I get that he thinks of Eve as an even more naive damsel in distress compared to Avery, who's had almost a year to adapt to this new world... but for all intents and purposes, Eve is still a stranger. He is definitely projecting Emily onto Eve, even if he mentally knows they're different people.

I feel a lot of sympathy for him and I can't even be mad at him. But part of me can't lament how he has changed from even book 2, when he would have recognized that he was a breach in Avery's security and needed to be blocked-- temporarily at least.

I think this made me realize that part of my issue with this book-- apart from the romantic stuff-- is how several months were kind of skimmed over. Sure, they may not have been important plot-wise. But they clearly involved enough character development that I don't feel some of the character are the same OR have changed enough, all things considered.

I liked that Xander had a little more of a spotlight, however brief, and that it called back to earlier in the Shoots + Ladders game. It's sad but nice to see that his father did want him. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

86% (view spoiler)[ Okay, that's a pretty smart publicly. It's much easier to bury the dead deeper in the sins of their own making than it is to let the living suffer. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Kim wrote: "Finished! I finally made time and tore through the last half of this book! [spoilers removed]"

100% (view spoiler)[lol me too. I did like the full circle moments with the chess game and giving away the money to charity. But after all the back and forth with the romance and how the time jump made some of the character development feel awkward, I didn't like it as much as the first or second.

And yes, there is a spin off! It comes out later this year. I'm a little confused about the jump between this series to the summary on the new book, but I'll read it. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

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RESTARTING MARCH 28th, 2023

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