Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Hawthorne Legacy

After the mystery seemed to have been wrapped up in book 1, I was very intrigued to see where the story went next. I thought this story did a good job of organically extending the mystery. I particularly appreciated that it was revealed quite near the start that

Avery beliveved Toby was her father (the fact that he was not biologically her father but saw her as being like a daughter was a really beautiful touch).

I think I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one because I have a clearer understanding of the dynamic with the games and the puzzles. I also felt as though the love triangle was basically gone;

Avery and Grayson clearly still had feelings for one another but the choice had been made and Avery was with Jameson and that was that.

Overall this book was a fun ride.

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tabea1409's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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addi_reads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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? No

5.0

So, listen. When I started reading the book yesterday, I wasn't really in the mood for it. I was not excited to read it, I thought about all the people that were disappointed by it, I was even thinking about DNFing the series. But I pushed through the first few pages with the thought "Well, I read so many 4 and 5 star books lately, if this will end up being a 2 or 3 star, at least I will have some colour variation in my reading journal.."
But very quickly I got into it and I ... loved it? I even think, I liked it more than the first book. Is it a literary masterpiece? No. But I loved the scavenger hunt/riddle solving aspect again. There weren't as many riddles as in the first one, but definitely more than I had expected. And it focused mainly on the mystery, with only short distractions by millionaire problems and the love triangle. I loved the dialogues, the banter, the humour, even the little tense romantic scenes.
Most importantly, I loved the pacing, I literally couldn't put the book down. It felt like 5 minutes, but suddenly I was halfway through the book. And I grinned the whole time. Reading just made me so happy. I was happy when I fell asleep, I woke up happy and happily grabbed the book to continue. I finished it and I'm still happy. I did not expect to have this kind of reading experience with it, tbh.
There were some reveals towards the end that I didn't like that much, though. I would have preferred another outcome, but I also understand the decisions made and everything did make sense and fit together nicely. Which truthfully was a surprise because there were so many questions and loose ends and I expected to not get any answers at all. So getting satisfying ones was kind of shocking. Speaking of preferences, I would also have chosen another boy in the end. But I like both of them equally, so I hope they all end up happy in the end, one way or another.

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bookthief's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Personally I thought this book was better then the Inheritance Games.
It was easier to follow along with the characters as we had already met them in the previous book and had gotten to know them. This made it quicker to get into the book.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ writing has definitely improved from her first book. The writing is more developed and detailed, making the book flow more smoothly.
The plot was brilliantly thought out. It was fast paced and intense, with twists and turns throughout the book.
The family tree is quite complicated. I really had to think about who was related to who and how to keep up with the plot.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would defo recommend to read it!

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purplepenning's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

I want to reallllllly like these, but I'm only finding them mostly okay and entertaining, which is starting to annoy me. Yes, there are whiplash levels of twisty, interesting reveals, but the puzzles and clues feel kind of basic. Combined with the angsty love-triangle-ness of it all, it just feels a bit juvenile compared to other YA mysteries I've enjoyed. It's still a pretty fun ride, though, so I'm definitely go on to book 3. And Max is the best — she's with 3 stars just on her own!

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