Review: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Edition: audiobook 
Publisher: Little, Brown (September 1, 2020)
Genre: YA Contemporary, Mystery

Synopsis

My review of The Inheritance Games

The Inheritance Games is a young adult mystery featuring a large inheritance, a house filled with riddles and a family with powerful secrets unwilling to give up what they’re owed. The comparison to Knives Out and my love for mysteries drew me to this book, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Plot and Pacing

Looking back, I was not a particular fan of both plot and pacing, neither matched my hopes and expectations. The first third of the book moved fairly slow, it took quite some time to get into the mystery and riddles of the house and the inheritance. However, as the story continued, I didn’t feel the sense of urgency increase in any way. Overall, The Inheritance Games left me longing for more mysteries to explore.

I had hoped that the mystery aspect was stronger and that the strange house Avery has to live in would play a bigger role. Sadly, it didn’t and I spent most of my time reading hoping for the moment at which the setup of the house finally had its payoff. That point never really came. I think this is mostly a case of my specific expectations, but if you are looking for a story with lots of riddles and mysteries, this isn’t it. Knowing that this is the first in a series, it very much feels like the setup for bigger mysteries to unravel. But I still wished this first book had been more thrilling.

Characters

Honestly, Avery as a main character is what made me stick with this book! She’s clever and complex and feels refreshingly real, without suffering from “not like other girls” syndrome too much. Her relationships were messy and the conflicts felt real, I understood her choices and they felt believable.

However, the other characters, namely the Hawthorne boys, felt very flat to me. I couldn’t tell them apart and if you asked me for their names and personalities, I would have nothing to say. This was especially frustrating, considering they are antagonists, allies and love interests. Their formlessness made those roles hard to believe. Additionally, I just couldn’t take them seriously or find any of them attractive (as I was supposed to, I guess). The audiobook narrator’s southern drawl for each of the boys made me mostly laugh, no threat or sex appeal on that front.

Overall…

… I think the comparison to Knives Out which drew me to this book, was mostly fulfilled in the family dynamics. I hope the sequel puts more focus on the often fraught and complicated familial relationships and allows some of the secondary characters to shine!

This book is for you if…

…you enjoy lighthearted mysteries.
…you liked Knives Out and are looking for books with similarly complicated family dynamics.

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A post you might also enjoy: My Review of The Hawthorne Legacy, Book 2 in this series!