The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 Good Morning Bookish Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I've mentioned quite a few times on my blog in the last couple of years that I don't read too much secular fiction anymore. Young Adult Fiction used to be my absolute favorite, but over the last while I've grown really disheartened with the amount of unnecessary content being included in so many of the titles.

However, every once in a while I'll find a title that intrigues me, and decide to give it a go. Usually, however, I end up getting these titles from either the library or the online library app, as that was if the book isn't what I'm expecting, I don't end up having to regret spending the money on it.

I'd heard a lot lately about Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Inheritance Games. It sounded unlike anything I'd ever read before, and honestly, I'd heard quite a few other Christian book people give it resounding reviews.

I decided to give it a try, and was hoping for the best.

Keep reading below for my full review.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes:

Source: Libby App

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 1st, 2020

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Fantasy/Thriller

Series: The Inheritance Games

Synopsis:

A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive. 

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

It had been quite awhile since I'd last picked up a young adult fantasy or thriller type novel, and I kept hearing nothing but great things about this one. I decided to give it a go, as it sounded like nothing I'd ever read before, but I was a tad hesitant as I'm not a fan in the slightest of love triangles. However, I thought the rest of it sounded interesting enough that I was willing to look past that part.

Unfortunately, this one didn't end up being anything like what I was expecting, and I was honestly hoping for so much more. The puzzles, riddles and the game itself were what drew me to this one, and yet it ended up playing a much smaller part of the story than I expected. I also didn't think that any of the puzzle they do solve was honestly that shocking, and I'd pieced together quite a bit of it early on.

The characters were written in a way that was honestly so stereotypical and over the top that they didn't seem realistic, and as such, I didn't really connect to any of them. I couldn't really understand the love triangle, as genuine feelings didn't seem to develop anywhere, and yet readers were supposed to be drawn into a romance element that seemed completely out of place.

The cliffhanger didn't leave me surprised, and while I'll still probably read the second book to see if it leads somewhere other than I expected, I'm not too hopeful that it's going to be anything spectacular.

I also could have done without some of the unnecessary content, but that's pretty much my complaint with most popular young adult fiction nowadays.

Overall, I enjoyed the idea behind this one, and the author's writing style, but the rest of it fell short of my expectations, and won't be one I'll be rereading in the future.

Final Rating: 2/5.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.