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 conwoman, 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.

Star Rating: 4/5

A secret princess? Nope. Old story. It’s all about mysterious heiresses now.

Avery Grambs is a high school student who just wants to get through life somehow. She lives in her car because her sister’s boyfriend is a scoundrel.

Cut to the future. Avery Grambs is now an heiress because a billionaire died and left her all his money and property. The catch? She has to live in the same mansion where Tobias Hawthorne’s family lived. The same family he disinherited and scorned. No one knows why Hawthorne left his entire fortune to a complete stranger.

Nash, the eldest grandson is a philanthropist. He says he never wanted the money and doesn’t mind Avery inheriting his money. The next in line is Grayson who was supposedly the heir. For him, Avery is a con woman who manipulated her way into wealth. Jameson thinks this is an elaborate game set up by his grandfather, and he is willing to play. Alexander, the youngest, is literally the cute puppy of the family. He is the smartest but he priorities scones over everything else.

These are the first impressions you get about these characters. There is more than what meets the eye. Nash seems like the most genuine guy in the book. Grayson is living in guilt. Jameson… well I really don’t think he goes through any character development. Xander’s character is layered and he’s the sharpest out of the lot.

There are others characters but the ones I mentioned are the main players of this game. Honestly, I was a little bit unsure about this at first. People were comparing this with Knives Out and I didn’t have much faith. I’m not saying this was comparable to Knives Out, but it held its own ground in a different space. The book was a little rushed in the first five chapters but it really found its footing from the will reading scene. The book was a breezy and easy read. For me this book was fun, but nothing extraordinary. Some of the plot points and dialogues were too clichéd.

The love triangle felt a bit forced. There was no chemistry between Grayson and Avery at first. By the end, he supposedly had feelings for her and that didn’t make sense. The chemistry between Avery and Jameson also didn’t feel natural. While Avery had a slight crush on him, Jameson was too concerned about the game to even care about her. So yeah, there was nothing from Jameson’s side. The love triangle between Jameson, Grayson and Emily reminded me so much of Damon, Stefan and Katherine. Emily was a Katherine-like character. For a moment I thought Katherine was Max. It was my wild theory.

I think what kept me from giving this five stars were the puzzles in the book. After reading rave reviews praising the puzzles and riddles, I expected better. The boys said they grew up playing games but this one seemed more like a treasure hunt than riddles. As much as I love secret passages and cabinets, this one didn’t excite me as much as it should have.

The Inheritance Games was a good book overall. If you’re looking for an easy breezy and fun book, then it is the best book to read over the weekend. I would definitely recommend it if you like reading YA fiction with a little mystery. Yesterday, I bought the other two books in the trilogy and I hope to like them as much as I liked this one.

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