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emmalaure 's review for:
The Hawthorne Legacy
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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:
No
I think the primary reason I eat the books in this series up is how easy it is to read. The short chapters and writing style make it really easy to pick up the book and accidentally read 150 pages or more in one sitting.
I'm not sure I enjoyed the main storyline as much as I enjoyed it in the first book. At the end of The Inheritance Games, we find out that Tobias Hawthorne's son, Toby, who was presumed dead twenty years ago, is actually alive. Naturally, our protagonists want to get involved and solve this new mystery. However, as time progresses, Avery is continually more at risk due to people wanting to take advantage of her fortune. There are multiple attempts on her life in this book which, as another reviewer wrote, makes you question if "plot armor" is at play (and also how her insanely strong security fails this many times in just a couple of weeks at preventing problems).
I didn't find the ending to be satisfying, either. It involved players that had only been briefly introduced before, and the search that our protagonists were on doesn't really get a good conclusion. They don't find Toby. Toby finds them and comes out of hiding of his own free will. There's definitely some set up for the third book, and it shows in the poor quality of the climax and resolution.
The big side plot is Avery's little love triangle with Jameson and Grayson. Unfortunately, the romance isn't really doing it for me. It feels forced; Jameson is flirting with Avery like always and Grayson tries to pull away to not have to fight with his brother over a girl again, but neither are giving us any moments of real substance that back up a romance blooming with Avery. To some extent, the girl might just be confused and overwhelmed by how much she is going through in such a short amount of time! Also there were a couple of twists in the main story arc of finding Toby that made the romance element of these relationships... very questionable. All's well in the end, but that doesn't change the fact that the romance feels forced.
I criticized a lot in my review, but I still enjoyed reading the book. As previously stated, the writing style makes this book really easy to read, and I still like the characters despite the slight downgrade from the first book. I will be continuing this series regardless. Hopefully the third book is better!
I'm not sure I enjoyed the main storyline as much as I enjoyed it in the first book. At the end of The Inheritance Games, we find out that Tobias Hawthorne's son, Toby, who was presumed dead twenty years ago, is actually alive. Naturally, our protagonists want to get involved and solve this new mystery. However, as time progresses, Avery is continually more at risk due to people wanting to take advantage of her fortune. There are multiple attempts on her life in this book which, as another reviewer wrote, makes you question if "plot armor" is at play (and also how her insanely strong security fails this many times in just a couple of weeks at preventing problems).
I didn't find the ending to be satisfying, either. It involved players that had only been briefly introduced before, and the search that our protagonists were on doesn't really get a good conclusion. They don't find Toby. Toby finds them and comes out of hiding of his own free will. There's definitely some set up for the third book, and it shows in the poor quality of the climax and resolution.
The big side plot is Avery's little love triangle with Jameson and Grayson. Unfortunately, the romance isn't really doing it for me. It feels forced; Jameson is flirting with Avery like always and Grayson tries to pull away to not have to fight with his brother over a girl again, but neither are giving us any moments of real substance that back up a romance blooming with Avery. To some extent, the girl might just be confused and overwhelmed by how much she is going through in such a short amount of time! Also there were a couple of twists in the main story arc of finding Toby that made the romance element of these relationships... very questionable. All's well in the end, but that doesn't change the fact that the romance feels forced.
I criticized a lot in my review, but I still enjoyed reading the book. As previously stated, the writing style makes this book really easy to read, and I still like the characters despite the slight downgrade from the first book. I will be continuing this series regardless. Hopefully the third book is better!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence