I am going against the trend here to say that The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a hit or miss novel. To me, this novel is a miss. I found it to fall in the category of novels with a protagonist whose main character trait is their relationship to a male.

Based on the blurb, I anticipated puzzles, deceit, and mazes but in reality the story is more oriented towards Avery and her relationship with the Hawthorne brothers. This is why the novel is a miss for me as I wanted games and there were barely any. If you are wanting to read this, know it is more oriented towards relationships than puzzles. I also discuss this in other reviews how frustrating I find clothing descriptions when they aren't relevant to the story and this novel heavily incorporates discussions of clothing adding another aspect to the novel that I did not value.

If you enjoy works by Karen M. McManus like One of Us Is Lying (a book I enjoyed!) and are searching for a YA novel more heavily dominated around prospective love and so much teenage angst, then this is a hit. Adding in a dash of mystery of why Avery is the sole inheritor, The Inheritance Games creates a moderately rounded novel that has a perfect ending for a sequel.

I found this novel to be a miss because it was not what I anticipated from the blurb. If you want a mystery novel with puzzles, this is a miss. If you want a mystery novel with romance and intrigue surrounding Avery, then this is a hit. A hit or miss novel, you decide if it is worth an hour.

The general premise is Avery Grambs has recently inherited the billion dollar Tobias Hawthorne fortune instead of his blood relatives including four dashing brothers. You as a reader join Avery into figuring out why she was listed as the sole inheritor over a Hawthorne and her ever-changing relationship with the Hawthorne brothers.

There is limited game or puzzles in this novel (very limited) and predominately focuses on Avery's relationships with the family and her new life. Is the plot worth your time? Up to you to decide!

The novel is told from Avery's perspective with multiple supporting characters in tow. There is her sister Libby, her security guard, her lawyer, and her old friend but the four most important supporting characters are the four Hawthorne brothers.

Xander, Jameson, Grayson, and Nash. I will admit post-read, they are a bit one-dimensional. Xander is the brains. Nash is the protector. Jameson is reckless. Grayson is well-composed. Honestly, I listened to this on audio and found it difficult differentiating Jameson and Grayson and I genuinely thought Xander was six with the way he was portrayed until they mentioned his age of 17. I think they will have more depth when read and hopefully more will be revealed about them in the sequel.

A lot of their actions in this novel I doubt would occur and suspension of disbelief is required to propel who the characters are and their motives. They are quite enjoyable if you want romance oriented and love-triangle based character moments as I know as a younger reader, I would have eaten that up. As an older reader whose tastes have changed, these characters were a miss for me and once again, are a hit or miss.

A very ambigious ending and that is good. The ending is written for a sequel so know if you do read this and love it, the sequel The Hawthorne Legacy is set to be published late 2021.

For me, I found The Inheritance Games to be a miss. It was written well but was oriented towards love triangles and I am just not interested in that. I thought this was going to be about puzzles! I wanted mystery and the only mystery was who Avery wanted to end up with.

There were moments I found enjoyable like the riddle section and discovery that Avery's name is an anagram but in all, eh. I am only slightly upset I listened to this and will not be reading the sequel.

Can we mention though, the glorious cover? An absolutely gorgeous cover that drew me to this novel and the sequel has a cover that is even more glorious. Whoever designed those covers, 100% is marketing these novels correctly because I saw the cover and went, yes.