The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Book one of 'The Inheritance Games' series
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When a Connecticut teenager inherits vast wealth and an eccentric estate from the richest man in Texas, she must also live with his surviving family and solve a series of puzzles to discover how she earned her inheritance.
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As much as I’m not really a fan of puzzle-type mysteries, I truly enjoyed ‘The Inheritance Games’. Barnes made sure that the novel continued to carry the question of ‘Why was a literal no one, the collector of a huge inheritance?’ and gave practically nothing away. The protagonist, Avery, is fairly likeable, and the rest of the characters generally fit a theme: the older brother who doesn’t want to take part in games and just wants to protect people, the younger brother who is above it all and just wants to have fun, one of the brothers who thinks everything is a game, while the last brother wants Avery out as she shouldn’t be an inheritor.
However, one thing that really got to me, is that there are mentions of abuse in this book. Avery’s sister Libby is hit by her boyfriend, and is verbally berated by him; yet she reacts by taking him in over-and-over, and not breaking the abusive cycle. While this isn’t a *major* plot point, I know some people can get triggered by the concept, regardless of how big/small it is.
Outside of the potential trigger, if you’re looking for a good mystery that consists of puzzles instead of murders to solve; I highly recommend ‘The Inheritance Games’.
Rating: 5/5 Stars