If you’ve ever stumbled into the booktok side of Tiktok then you have probably heard of The Inheritance Games. There are 4 books in this series with a 5th one on the way, so clearly it’s quite popular. It follows Avery Kylie Grambs, a highschooler who suddenly inherits billions of dollars when a famous billionaire named Tobias Hawthorne to whom she has no connection, dies. But, of course, there’s a catch.
To actually keep the money she must spend a year living in his former home. She meets the 4 grandsons of this billionaire who, as you can probably imagine, are less than thrilled that the fortune they were the clear heir to is given to her. Because of her charming, controversial Cinderella story, Avery is thrust into the spotlight and must find out why Tobias Hawthorne chose her.
The first book is interesting and fast-paced, so I kept reading. This series definitely kept me guessing because of all the family trauma and unanswered questions. There are tons of riddles and clues and they all fit together like a very complicated jigsaw puzzle. But after around 5 huge plot twists it got a bit tiring. I feel like Barnes thought that the more connected the characters are, the more impressive the story was but it’s a bit too much and I honestly had a hard time keeping track of everything.
When I first picked it up, I didn’t realise how much romance the book had. The concept is so interesting and I don’t mind romance but I felt like there was an imbalance of it - it felt very predictable and unnecessary.
Oh no! 2 cute boys are totally in love with me and I have to pick one. No, you don’t. Just solve the mystery Avery.
All of the characters are attractive, intelligent and have a specific talent - so obviously, pretty unrealistic for all of us. The dialogue between them seemed too performative - why would friends constantly drop cryptic riddles into conversation? However, I can see why this book is popular and it could be worth giving a chance.
Recommended for people who:
Not recommended for people who:
"If yes is no and once is never, then how many sides does a triangle have?"
I really wanted to read this book because I like mysteries and I’d heard so much about it but overall I would say that it’s nothing exceptional, maybe even a bit overhyped. It’s an entertaining page-turner but not one that will stick in your mind.