The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne Legacy on my blog, now!

Guys... I do not know how much longer I can go through this. The fake curse words, the inability to solve puzzles on their own despite being known for doing so, and the fact that Jameson is the love interest is making this series increasingly difficult to push through. I am a Grayson Hawthorne defender until my dying breath, and the fact that he continues to get put through the ringer at any chance causes me to become tired of the constant torment he suffers. Everything that happens to Avery in this book, let alone the series as a whole, is outlandish for a teenager to have to handle. While she does have a support system, it feels as though they are always looking out for the Hawthornes, rather than Avery.

Considering how The Hawthorne Legacy ended, it was no surprise to the twists that occurred in this installment - much like the second book, this was just as predictable and fell short of keeping me on the edge of my seat. Everyone in this book, sans Avery, seem to be incredibly trusting of random new individuals that just pop up out of nowhere and insert themselves into the Hawthorne family. It becomes hard to sympathize with these characters when they continue to make dumb choices and throw their common sense out of the window.

Despite how much I think Avery does not use her brain or is two seconds late to every discovery, she seemed to be the only person in this book that was weary of the right people and found a heap of common sense towards the end of the book when everything was on the line. I was not loving her decision by the end of the book, but it fits with her character and it would not have been true to her development if the book took a different direction at the end. That being said, I understand why she chose to do what she did, but I was not thrilled with her decision.

To the surprise of absolute no one, we learn that a number of characters are actually horrible people. Shocking! This could be seen from a mile away with one eye closed since the very first book with a particular someone who I will not name. I will say that the last few chapters of the book were actually interesting had pulled me into the story for about fifty pages - it was just unfortunate that the majority of the book felt lackluster compared to a few chapters towards the very end.

I truly wanted to enjoy this series, and while it is not my cup of tea, I can say that those looking for a young adult mystery will likely be pleased with these books. There was an improvement compared to The Hawthorne Legacy, and I was happy to see that I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor. If the stakes were more severe or the plot twists less predictable, this series could have won me over - I plan to see it through to the end, and am hoping that these characters have some more development by the last installment.

You can add The Final Gambit on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Inheritance Games on my blog, here.

I completely forgot that this takes place in Texas and that everyone has Texan accents.. got the ick all over again. The first installment was a little slow to start and had me weary about continuing on with the series, but I kept finding myself thinking about what was going to happen next. However, this sequel was not what I had expected, and left me underwhelmed and unsatisfied with a number of plot issues and character development. From his first appearance, I stood by Grayson Hawthorne, and this book seems to abandon him as a possible love interest in trade for Jameson?? Am I supposed to be rooting for Avery and Jameson now?

Avery is on yet another hunt to solve what seems to be a hundred mini riddles in order to figure out exactly why Tobias left her everything, and yet she is the one who seems to be able to figure out the least -- she puts everything together at the last minute and only when every piece of information is set in front of her, practically gift-wrapped for her. There is some interesting stuff going on with her dad, and that was truly the only interesting part of the story for me. I frankly did not care for the other Hawthorne family members fighting the inheritance any longer, it became repetitive and juvenile. 

Are these characters allergic to using real curse words? It makes the story read as if it is taking place in elementary school instead of being young adult, and caused me to be thrown from the story every single time. It honestly was too much of a distraction than it should have been, and I wish it did not derail the tone of the book for me. The side characters are simply not that intriguing this time around, and their characterizations are pretty surface level, with the exception of a few that become more fleshed out in the last few chapters. There are far too many family tree issues and revelations that distract from Avery's story.

All of these private jet trips... oh I know their carbon footprint is off the charts. Avery constantly states how shocked she is that she has all of these things now, but girl, you are literally a billionaire, it should not surprise you for much longer. Her inheritance is still being handles by actual responsible adults, and she should be thankful for it -- she whines too much and does not seem to be able to get a grasp on the situation she is in. I was truly hoping that Avery would have a more well-rounded character arc in this sequel, but she was just a two-dimensional as she was in the first book. 

This dead old man really set up Avery to have the most complicated inheritance in history. He basically has set her up to go into dangerous situations, and seemed to not care at all when he decided to give everything to her. He gives nothing to his kids, and honestly I had to laugh. From the constant struggle with the will and inheritance, to the consistent arsons and bombings, the plot was lost and became erratic towards the end of the book. On top of Avery nearly being killed every other chapter, she is living her Mamma Mia moment with trying to find her biological father, and the Hawthorne family drama truly was dragging on.

You can add The Hawthorne Legacy on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!