The Inheritance Games - Review by Emmie Vargas

Imagine losing your mother and moving in with your half-sister and her abusive boyfriend. You are a very smart individual. Straight A's, excelling in school, and somehow being a very impressive guesser. One day you are calling into the dean's office and met with a strange man delivering a peculiar message. This odd man's grandfather (Tobias Hawthorne) had apparently passed unexpectedly and had left a huge sum of his fortune behind. You had no recollection of a "Tobias Hawthorne" ever.  The man informs you that your name had been in his will. He needed to travel to their estate as soon as possible for the reading of the will. So, you pack up your entire life in a suitcase and grab your sister, and head for Texas with first-class tickets may I add. All this chaos has your head spinning in all different directions. You arrive at the Hawthorne home and lavish is underselling the condition of this estate. Now Tobias wasn't just your average rich guy. He was a philanthropist with a net worth of around 46.2 billion dollars. He was the 9th richest man in the United States and the richest person in the great state of Texas. You soon meet the rest of the family. The four Hawthorne grandsons give you a tour around their estate in their own eccentric ways. Grayson, the man who delivered the message in the beginning, believes you are a con artist. You feel a kind of distrust between the two of you. When it finally comes time for the reading of the will, the whole family is gathered in the living room eager to inherit the billions their grandfather left behind. As will is read, it seems to be going smoothly. Some money to his servants, money to the security team, and money to the bodyguards. Until his lawyer utters the last sentence of the will, All the rest of Mr. Hawthorne's assets, estate, and properties will be given to you, Avery Grambs. 

The Inheritance Games is a fast-paced mystery novel written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Barnes uses suspense and thrill to keep the story's plot rolling. She is a very descriptive writer with wonderful word choice that helps the reader dive further and further into the novel. She writes from Avery's perspective so we as readers are able to understand how Avery is feeling during every moment in this novel. The characters that Barnes creates have layers and layers of personality and during this story, we dive more in-depth into their past and childhood and their connection to each other and to their grandfather. Barnes has woven an intricate plot that leaves you asking questions and creates the desire to keep reading. The development of these characters is something I truly enjoyed while reading. The reader gets to see how the environment the characters are in changes them throughout and the individuals they are surrounded by. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing the relationships that were built during the novel. We get to see these characters create bonds with each other as they are driven together through their circumstances. I would rate The Inheritance Games a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I think it is a simple and interesting novel to read. A good mystery novel is all you need sometimes to jolt your love for reading back.