Book Review: The Inheritance Games Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games series is equal parts rags-to-riches story, Gossip Girl, and Knives Out mystery. Almost literally. If you overlook the fact that Knives Out came out in 2019 and this book was released in 2021, you may think they were written by the same person. Regardless, The Inheritance Games series brings in the totally-bingable YA/Gossip Girl drama to the story and is quite the page turner. There are currently four books in the series, with a spinoff series, The Grandest Game, coming out in summer 2024, as well as a surprise fifth book in the series, Games Untold, a series of novellas set to be released in November 2024. Read on for my thoughts on each of the books in this series:

Books in The Inheritance Games Series

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games #1)

The start of a four-book series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Inheritance Games tells the story of how protagonist Avery Grambs’ life turns upside down when she is named heir to the massive Hawthorn family fortune. She doesn’t know Tobias Hawthorne, the billionaire who died, or his family, but she is suddenly in charge of his vast wealth and the drama that comes with it. But nothing is simple with Tobias Hawthorne (picture Logan Roy from Succession), so Avery has to deal with riddles and Hawthorne family conflict before the money becomes truly hers. 

Regardless, The Inheritance Games brings in the totally-bingable YA/Gossip Girl drama to the story and is quite the page turner.

The Inheritance Games is available from Amazon.

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

Picking up where The Inheritance Games ends, The Hawthorne Legacy delves deeper into the mystery of just why protagonist Avery Grambs inherited the Hawthorne billions. This book seeks to answer all the questions around why Tobias Hawthorne left Avery his fortune, rather than anyone in his rather large family.

I don’t want to give away details, so I’ll just say that I found the second book in the series even more gripping than the first. Now that I knew the characters more, their interactions and motives seemed even more intriguing.

The Hawthorne Legacy is available from Amazon.

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

As protagonist Avery Kylie Grambs gets closer to fully inheriting the Hawthorne fortune, she finds herself at the center of a new game. When a distant cousin appears at the Hawthorne mansion gates in need of assistance, Avery and the Hawthorne brothers have to work out who they can trust. 

Like the first two books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed The Final Gambit. It kept me guessing throughout, and the character development felt really authentic.

The Final Gambit is available from Amazon.

The Brother’s Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games #4)

After the first three books in this series, The Brother’s Hawthorne moves away from heiress Avery Grambs’ perspective and focuses more on the Hawthorne boys (hence the title). This book covers a lot of story, which isn’t surprising considering how detailed books 1-3 were. However, I felt like the two primary stories could have merited their own novels. Jumping back and forth between Grayson Hawthorne’s family drama to Jameson Hawthorne’s high-stakes gambling play was a little disorienting. In all, not my favorite of the series, but still very entertaining.

The Brother’s Hawthorne is available from Amazon here.

Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games #5)
To Be Released November 12, 2024

Publisher Synopsis for Games Untold, Book 5 in The Inheritance Games Series:

Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that take readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series
 
There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.
 
An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret. 
 
Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

Games Untold is available for pre-sale from Amazon here.

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Grandest Game #1)
To Be Released July 30, 2024

Publisher Synopsis for The Inheritance Games Series’ First Spinoff Novel:

Get ready for a new series that brings readers deeper into the lush, romantic, and puzzle-filled world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series (over 3 million copies sold!), set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes.

Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime.

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. With millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.

Some of the players are in it for the money. Some for power. Some for reasons all their own. Every single one of them has secrets. Amidst it all is Grayson Hawthorne, tasked with a vital role in this year’s game. But as tensions rise and the mind-bending challenges push the players to their limits—physically, mentally, and emotionally—it soon becomes clear that not everyone is playing by the rules.

The Grandest Game is available for pre-sale from Amazon here.

Shop The Inheritance Games Series

This post is a part of my What to Read series, where I share themed reading lists and book guides based on genre, time period, theme, or author.
You can peruse more of my What to Read reading guides here!