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adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I have never been so heartbroken upon finishing a series. The twists and turns, lovable characters, and overall found family have been such a special reading experience to me, and it would be a dream to read The Inheritance Games series for the first time all over again.
The Final Gambit follows Avery, just weeks until her billionaire status becomes final. As she hunts for answers following the events of book two, she’ll discover the truths about the inheritance, and herself, along the way.
On of my favorite elements of this book is how smart it is. The clues are shocking without being unreasonable, and the strategies needed to solve every riddle are impressive while still being fun. I was reminded greatly of Mr. Lemonchellos’s library, and twists and turns I loved as a kid.
That being said, love triangles have never been my favorite, especially with two brothers. However, this is no fault of the book, and I think the Inheritance Games handle it better than others.
The Final Gambit follows Avery, just weeks until her billionaire status becomes final. As she hunts for answers following the events of book two, she’ll discover the truths about the inheritance, and herself, along the way.
On of my favorite elements of this book is how smart it is. The clues are shocking without being unreasonable, and the strategies needed to solve every riddle are impressive while still being fun. I was reminded greatly of Mr. Lemonchellos’s library, and twists and turns I loved as a kid.
That being said, love triangles have never been my favorite, especially with two brothers. However, this is no fault of the book, and I think the Inheritance Games handle it better than others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Gun violence
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't think this was as good as the other two, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Murder
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Stalking, Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once again Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers a fast-paced and engaging novel centered around Avery and the mysteries of the Hawthorne family. Even so, I find I'm having a hard time deciding how to approach this review. I will admit I struggled to keep all of the connections straight in my head since it's been a while since I've read the first two books, but even without taking that into consideration I wasn't as excited about this one as I was The Hawthorne Legacy.
But that doesn't make it a bad book at all. As the final installment in the series, it had everything I wanted: the usual intriguing puzzles with high stakes, satisfying character arcs, and answers to the questions still looming overhead. Barnes gave us all of it, raising the stakes as high as ever for Avery, which pushed her into owning the puzzles and her decisions in the best way.
Her relationships with each of the boys (specifically Jameson and Grayson) came into even better focus, so much so that I felt like I finally understood where Avery stood with each of them. While some of the development there felt rushed, I still felt it was enough to keep me satisfied with her choices.
As for the ending, while I enjoyed it, it just felt like a lot. With the introduction of a new villain for the book, there were a lot of loose ends to tie up. I think Barnes did well with it, but again sometimes I got super confused with how everything connected. Some plot lines could've been fleshed out a bit more, but the ending still made sense and felt appropriate for the story.
Overall, this book (and the series) was such a fun and wild ride, full of twists and turns that always kept me on my toes. As my first dip into the mystery genre, I had a lot of fun with the change of pace from my usual reads. It definitely makes me want to read more from the genre in the future!
But that doesn't make it a bad book at all. As the final installment in the series, it had everything I wanted: the usual intriguing puzzles with high stakes, satisfying character arcs, and answers to the questions still looming overhead. Barnes gave us all of it, raising the stakes as high as ever for Avery, which pushed her into owning the puzzles and her decisions in the best way.
Her relationships with each of the boys (specifically Jameson and Grayson) came into even better focus, so much so that I felt like I finally understood where Avery stood with each of them. While some of the development there felt rushed, I still felt it was enough to keep me satisfied with her choices.
As for the ending, while I enjoyed it, it just felt like a lot. With the introduction of a new villain for the book, there were a lot of loose ends to tie up. I think Barnes did well with it, but again sometimes I got super confused with how everything connected. Some plot lines could've been fleshed out a bit more, but the ending still made sense and felt appropriate for the story.
Overall, this book (and the series) was such a fun and wild ride, full of twists and turns that always kept me on my toes. As my first dip into the mystery genre, I had a lot of fun with the change of pace from my usual reads. It definitely makes me want to read more from the genre in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Kidnapping
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and this series as a whole! It’s cheesy and ridiculous in the best of ways.
Short chapters lend to a quick-paced plot, which makes for easy reading. I couldn’t put it down. I love all the puzzles and secrets upon secrets, and this surprisingly had a very satisfying conclusion! I was worried that it would feel like the author didn’t know where she was going when she started, but it didn’t feel like that at all. I thought it was very well done.
These books are plot-focused, but the characters are pretty wonderful. Avery still got some nice development in this one, even with the fast pace. And I love any time I can spend with the Hawthorne brothers. (I would loooove for there to be a book about Grayson in the future please 🙏🏼)
Anyways, can’t recommend this series enough, especially if you need something more light-hearted and fun!
Short chapters lend to a quick-paced plot, which makes for easy reading. I couldn’t put it down. I love all the puzzles and secrets upon secrets, and this surprisingly had a very satisfying conclusion! I was worried that it would feel like the author didn’t know where she was going when she started, but it didn’t feel like that at all. I thought it was very well done.
These books are plot-focused, but the characters are pretty wonderful. Avery still got some nice development in this one, even with the fast pace. And I love any time I can spend with the Hawthorne brothers. (I would loooove for there to be a book about Grayson in the future please 🙏🏼)
Anyways, can’t recommend this series enough, especially if you need something more light-hearted and fun!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail