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theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow wow WOW! When people say this book is good, they're not messing around. This book is good. You've probably heard that it resembles Knives Out, and that description is spot-on! I was only a few chapters in before I exclaimed aloud (to my very kind husband who regularly has to listen to me spout my thoughts on books while we're in bed at night and he'd rather be watching YouTube) that "OMG this is so much like Knives Out!" But... it might be, dare I say... better?
I have always been a sucker for a good mystery. As a kid, I loved finding the most obscure kid's mystery books (no Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys for me) and seeing how quickly I could solve them. Bonus points if it happened before the halfway point. As an adult, this has become nearly a toxic trait because I see things coming from a mile away. Usually, even with mystery books, I'm disappointed when I realize that I've discovered all of the plot twists before they happen. This is even the case when I'm watching TV shows (again, bless my dear husband who has to listen to me tell him my predictions, which often ruins whatever we watch because I'm typically right - oops) and it becomes quite irritating after a while. I just want something to surprise me!
The Inheritance Games surprised me - over and over and over again. There weren't necessarily jaw-dropping moments where I thought, "OMG IT WAS THEM?!" so much as subtle twists and turns that kept me on my toes. It was so satisfying to read, predict, and then be swept away towards another direction, only to be pleasantly surprised when that earlier detail came back up again in a way that was unexpected. I had a tough time putting the book down for this exact reason!
I loved the different characters in this. You really never know who to trust, who's to blame, and what the motives are for any character at any given time and that is such fun. I certainly have my favorites (Xander and Libby) but it'll be interesting to see how everyone develops over the rest of the series.
Do yourself a favor and read this book ASAP because it really is that good (in case my earlier pronouncement of this wasn't enough).
I have always been a sucker for a good mystery. As a kid, I loved finding the most obscure kid's mystery books (no Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys for me) and seeing how quickly I could solve them. Bonus points if it happened before the halfway point. As an adult, this has become nearly a toxic trait because I see things coming from a mile away. Usually, even with mystery books, I'm disappointed when I realize that I've discovered all of the plot twists before they happen. This is even the case when I'm watching TV shows (again, bless my dear husband who has to listen to me tell him my predictions, which often ruins whatever we watch because I'm typically right - oops) and it becomes quite irritating after a while. I just want something to surprise me!
The Inheritance Games surprised me - over and over and over again. There weren't necessarily jaw-dropping moments where I thought, "OMG IT WAS THEM?!" so much as subtle twists and turns that kept me on my toes. It was so satisfying to read, predict, and then be swept away towards another direction, only to be pleasantly surprised when that earlier detail came back up again in a way that was unexpected. I had a tough time putting the book down for this exact reason!
I loved the different characters in this. You really never know who to trust, who's to blame, and what the motives are for any character at any given time and that is such fun. I certainly have my favorites (Xander and Libby) but it'll be interesting to see how everyone develops over the rest of the series.
Do yourself a favor and read this book ASAP because it really is that good (in case my earlier pronouncement of this wasn't enough).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death
Minor: Abandonment, Gun violence, and Murder
jfield351's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Wow! This was a really good book! It is the most fast paced books I have ever read, the author Jennifer Lynn Barnes does not waste words and cuts right to the chase. I also loved the short chapters (around 3 pages long) as they allowed me to read how much i wanted to read. It was gripping. And the idea of the book - amazing. The whole time I was dying to know the twist. I did guess that the boys’ middle names’ were places, but that is the only thing i guessed . It was very family friendly. I really loved and appreciated how the ‘clues’ in this book were not far fetched, it always made sense that the participants would discover and interpret them. The ending was interesting, at first I was like okay that’s cool, whatever. Then the last page before the epilogue had me shook. That is a good twist. I wish it could have ended with an in-depth letter from Mr Hawthorne but there is another book so i’ll just have to read that! I’m still a bit intrigued / confused by the Drake thing so the next book will hopefully clarify a bit more . Very easy to read and very clever. Gave me ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier vibes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing, Blood, Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Abandonment, and Murder
kassidypf13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
hannibanani29's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Child death, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness
Minor: Violence, Dementia, Incest, Pregnancy, Infertility, Racism, Biphobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
kristyndcruz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really loved this book! I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. I did really like the love triangle but I am just a huge fan of that trope anyways. I did love both of the love interests, however I do wish that they spent a lot more time together, even though this is only the first book. I also wish there was more tension, or any physical interaction between them. That would definitely spice the book up. At the start of the book, I really did love Jameson as Grayson was such an ass, and I couldn’t ever see myself liking him with Avery. However, as the book went on, Grayson I love you. I do want him and Avery to end up together, but I do still like Jameson. Love triangles are hard when they are both so perfect. Maybe just have a menage a trois and call it a day. I kept swapping back and forth between them as they both kept pissing me off in turns, but I do think they are both great. I like that Avery had a life outside the family, but Max annoyed me so much. First of all, stop with this PG swearing shit. Either curse or don’t. It was so annoying to read it. And her moods also annoyed me, but luckily she didn’t have many scenes or character storylines in this book. I loved all the characters. The Hawthorne grandsons really are so loveable, I love them all in their own unique individual way. I also love Nash’s storyline with Libby. I am confused how I feel about the plot twist in the book. There were many, but most of them were kinda predictable and anticlimactic. I think the plot twist and the very end of this story was predictable, but I do love it. I love the Toby/Harry storyline and can’t wait to read about it in the second book. But the plot twist with the reason for Avery was chosen was so bleh. I was hoping for something so much more than it was, and was very disappointed. We do find out that it was just a distraction and misdirection, but it was still so not exciting for everything they went through. The Emily storyline was also not the best either. I didn’t like how that ended, and I’m still very incredibly confused. I also did not like the reveal for who tried to have Avery killed. I found those two people the literal two most predictable out of all of them. I saw right through their bullshit. As much as I love Oren, and Alisa and the other characters close to Avery. I really wished it was one of them instead. Somehow who Avery actually trusted and then betrayed her, rather than the villain in the first place. I was disappointed at that but it set the rest of the book up quite nicely. The running mystery in the book with the ‘I have a secret about the day you were born’ was so interesting and I couldn’t wait for it to be revealed. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t revealed in this book, but am excited. That was probably the most exciting mystery to me. I did like the writing, but it wasn’t that exciting. I found the characters to be a bit dull at times with not much character development, but then again, only the first book. I loved the short chapters though.
"He left you the fortune, Avery, and all he left us is you"
"Everything is something in Hawthorne House"
"You can play by the rules - or you can make them"
“Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win”
"He left you the fortune, Avery, and all he left us is you"
"Everything is something in Hawthorne House"
"You can play by the rules - or you can make them"
“Everything’s a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Abandonment
bookishbailey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Super fun and fast read! Some of the characters are interesting and I loved reading about them, others I didn’t like but still wanted to know more, and a couple just felt bland (but only like three). The plot was a great adventure and I loved following along with the puzzles in and around the Hawthorne family! I definitely can’t wait to read the next two books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Murder
milenasbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Abandonment
ourmoony's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Stalking
michellemaas's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked this book. I was a little apprehensive about reading it since I'm more of a fantasy girl than a mystery girl, but after BookTok (don't judge) kept recommending it I had to try it and I was pleasantly surprised.
I'm going to start by saying that there are so many plots twists that you probably won't see them all coming (taking this from a girl who predicts the plot twists between 50%-75% of the time) which is always a good start in a mystery book. Furthermore, it is face-paced and the characters are very endearing. Like a said, this not being my usual genre can either mean that my standards are pretty high or ridiculously low, but those are the main things I look for in these types of book and not only were they there but I was also thoroughly entertained for the whole read.
There's not really much else to say without spoiling it (and a mystery book is one genre you really shouldn't spoil) other than that it's a good book and I think you'd enjoy it immensely if you gave it a try.
I'm going to start by saying that there are so many plots twists that you probably won't see them all coming (taking this from a girl who predicts the plot twists between 50%-75% of the time) which is always a good start in a mystery book. Furthermore, it is face-paced and the characters are very endearing. Like a said, this not being my usual genre can either mean that my standards are pretty high or ridiculously low, but those are the main things I look for in these types of book and not only were they there but I was also thoroughly entertained for the whole read.
There's not really much else to say without spoiling it (and a mystery book is one genre you really shouldn't spoil) other than that it's a good book and I think you'd enjoy it immensely if you gave it a try.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
a_libra_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content