Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction
Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 out of 5 stars)
There was an attempt to do a YA version of Knives Out and I think it was a success. In this book, we follow Avery Kylie Grambs, a financially struggling teenager who has an interest in chess and puzzles. Her world turns upside down when she was fetched by a rich teenager, Grayson Hawthorne because she was requested at the latter’s grandfather’s reading of the will. In a shocking move, the late Tobias Hawthorne gave the majority of his 46.2-billion dollar estate to her with the sole requirement that she lives in the Hawthorne manor for a year.
As you can imagine chaos erupts among the relatives and Avery’s quest to figure out her piece in this puzzle ensues. After clearing suspicions, she was joined by the four grandsons: Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander. The clues to answer this mystery are hidden all over the mansion. A feat not so easy considering that the late Tobias Hawthorne loved puzzles and constructed the very house with countless secret corridors and compartments. From there, family secrets are revealed and it turns out, Avery might not be a complete stranger after all.
I’m not gonna lie, this book has a lot of YA cliche: the dead, manipulative, and mysterious old man with a fortune; the rich teenage guys that everyone’s dying for; the heiress who initially hates all of the new-found wealth and attention; and the love triangle. If I read this when I was 16, it would probably have been one of my favorite series. Reading it now as a 25-something adult, it’s just a little too hard to swallow. However, that definitely did not stop me from reading it front to back because the way the mysteries sprinkled throughout the chapters kept me hooked. I needed to know.
The biggest plus of all is that it was written really well. The characters came alive with the way they speak and act. I can actually picture Nash speaking like the modern-day cowboy he is, Xander the rich teenager who likes mechanics, Grayson the ‘perfect’ one, and Jameson the carefree and relentless rebel. I can even picture all the other side characters so well that all of the scenes just played out in my head like a movie. The most amazing thing for me is that even the house has a personality of its own. How an author does that without magic is beyond me. So good.
Favorite Quote(s):
“Don’t be sorry, Ms. Grambs. Be worthy of it.”
― Grayson Hawthorne, The Inheritance Games
The Stray Reader 
Leave a comment