A review by rinku
The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

The Last Gambit concludes the main trilogy of The Inheritance Games in a satisfying way which makes me so happy since I’ve read quite a few finales in the last weeks that disappointed me.  

To become the official heir of Tobias Hawthorne, Avery just has to last at the Hawthorne house for a few more weeks. Everything seems fine until Eve, who was briefly mentioned in the previous book, arrives at the Hawthorne house, needing help from Avery and the brothers because Toby was kidnapped. Avery and her friends have to figure out who the kidnapper is and what his intentions are. Like it’s typical for the series, the kidnapper sends them different very mysterious riddles they need to solve to learn more about him. 

Probably the reason why I can’t give this novel five stars is Eve who annoyed the hell out of me. I almost hated every scene with her, and it was so terrible to see how irrational Grayson behaves since she looks like Emily and
it’s even more terrible how much Eve manipulates him because of it. Luckily, he’s able to free himself from her and consequently Emily in the end
. I also felt so sorry for Avery who started to feel like she doesn’t belong to the Hawthorne’s and Eve’s presence in general creates so much drama. 

Just like in the previous books, I was really invested in all the still fun riddles and the family drama, even though I was a bit confused this time because I couldn’t remember all the relationships – maybe a family tree would’ve been nice, I don’t know. The reveal that
Eve is working together with Blake
was not really shocking to me though since it was kinda obvious from the beginning. 

In contrast, I really loved how everything slowly comes together which was just so satisfying. Towards the end, it becomes clear that
Tobias Hawthorne predicted almost everything up to this point. He’s honestly so evil for using Avery so that his boys don’t get hurt, if I understood it correctly. Still, “hearing” his voice for the first time was such an impactful moment
. We of course get more drama with
Blake kidnapping Alisa and Grayson swapping himself for her. It was so amazing how Avery was able to win against Blake, even though Toby had to sacrifice himself for it, and how she wants to give away most of her fortune
. 

I’m probably repeating myself, but I love all the characters so much (besides Eve lmao). Avery’s development throughout the trilogy is amazing and I love how she’s already doing good things with all her money. It was even greater how she takes the initiative and makes her own plans. The Hawthorne brothers are still all so precious, and I can’t even say who’s my favorite since I like them so much. I especially liked Xander here; he’s funny as always and it was so wholesome
how he met his dad who’s the only dad of the brothers who accepts his sons. I also love how we learn in the epilogue that he now works with his father
. 

Other mentionable characters are Thea, Alisa, and Oren who I like so much; especially
Oren saving Avery from Eve was such a great moment. Of course, it’s his job but it was still amazing
.  Another thing I appreciated was that we got more backstory for Tobias Hawthorne and that he gets more criticized. We also need to talk about the elephant in the room: the solution of the love triangle that seems to really divide people. I
was also team Grayson and hence I’m a bit sad that Avery ends up with Jameson. Grayson’s confession was so heart-breaking, and I hope he still will find happiness one day
. 

All things considered, the main trilogy of The Inheritance Games deserves its hype in my opinion. After reading the first book, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the series as much as other people do, but I did in the end. I know that many people don’t like the second book but it was my absolute favorite. We get to know the amazing characters so much better, and the mystery is so engaging throughout the whole series and leaves us with a great conclusion. The premise of the series is just so creative and I’m really curious how the story will continue in The Brothers Hawthorne.  
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