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A review by lilifane
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Miscarriage