I sometimes find the book designation “YA” or “Young Adult” a bit confusing and limiting. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was a breakout YA novel as was Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and more recently Leigh Bardugos’s Shadow and Bone series as well as Six of Crows.  This year I have reviewed several series that are considered YA novels, which I loved even though I am a sixty something grandmother. So although the designation may be helpful for some, I think we who are older are missing out if we skip these books just because we are no longer young adults, or skip over them because they are aimed for a younger audience.

So with that being said, I have been totally enjoying a YA series called The Inheritance Games  by Barnes. She has created a most interesting cast of characters and a very complicated plot line that keeps you guessing all the way through. I am now on book three but I am reading them like I am eating popcorn- I just can’t stop!

Avery Grambs is a normal high schooler with plans for the future. She will excel in her classes, get a scholarship and get out of her restrictive small life. She feels bad about leaving her mom and sister, but she wants more out of life! But fate has other plans and when mega billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies, she suddenly finds that he has left almost his entire fortune to her rather than to his daughters or his four grandsons! However, Avery has no clue why she was made an heir to the Hawthorne fortune, since she never met Tobias and as far as she knows she is completely unrelated.

In order to claim the inheritance, however, Avery must move into the Hawthorne mansion which is filled with all the other Hawthorne relations who have all been cut out of the will. After an initial period where the family treats her with suspicion, Avery is able to forge alliances with some of the grandsons- Grayson who was the heir apparent, and Jameson who is obsessed with puzzles and games and slowly, together, they begin to unravel the twisted logic of Tobias Hawthorne’s will.

Barnes creates her characters meticulously. They are complicated, and have many different emotions and motivations. Avery especially is very easy to identify with as she is thrown into a completely unknown world and has to find a way to stay true to the person she really is. There is romance, violence, and jealousy making for a rich brew in which to plot and create suspense. This is a great beach read or a great series to read on a long airplane ride. You will not want to stop!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Lauren

Book Study Worthy? Sure!

Read in e-book format.**

**The ideal reading order is: The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit, The Brothers Hawthorne, The Grandest Game, Games Untold, Glorious Rivals, and The Same Backward as Forward.