This is the third book in the Inheritance Games series. The series follows Avery after she is revealed to have been left a large inheritance from a billionaire named Tobias Hawthorne. Prior to the reading of his will, Avery had no idea who he was. Avery is a teenager whose mother died and her father left, leaving her kind half-sister Libby to take care of her.

She met Tobias Hawthorne only once in a completely random, coincidental way, and has not seen him since that brief encounter when she was much younger. Although Tobias Hawthorne has now died, he leaves behind the majority of his money and possessions to Avery – along with some hidden games. However, he left everything to Avery with one condition: that she stay in Hawthorne House for one full year. Then, once she turns 18, the money and possessions will legally be hers, as long as she fulfills this condition. During this year, Avery will face many threats against both her own life and the lives of those she cares about. Meanwhile, the question remains: why Avery? Tobias Hawthorne had four grandsons: Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander. It was expected that Grayson would receive the fortune, not someone unknown like Avery. Even now, months later, Avery has no idea why she was chosen to receive the inheritance.

This is an exciting book with many puzzles and mysteries to solve. There were a lot of plot twists and I definitely was not anticipating the ending of this book. I really enjoyed reading this entire series. I would recommend this book to those who like adventure, action, and romance books.

-Peri A.

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Avery is an average, but intelligent, girl from Connecticut. Her mother died, and her father couldn’t care less about her, but her half-sister Libby (same father, different mother) cares deeply about Avery. One day, however, Avery receives an invitation to the reading of the will of the late Tobias Hawthorne, who she discovers has a net worth of 46 billion dollars. She is both surprised and confused when she receives the majority of Tobias Hawthorne’s vast fortune, despite never having known him, or even heard of him and his family, until now. However, it is revealed that Tobias Hawthorne left a puzzle behind for them to solve. Meanwhile, there are still some people who are upset about Avery’s newfound inheritance and seek to get rid of her in any way possible. She now has no idea who is really on her side and who seeks to get rid of her. Avery is now not only facing a difficult puzzle with vague clues, but she must also now watch out for any attempts others may take to harm her. 

I liked this book because of the constant suspense and the unexpected events. This was a very unpredictable book, and there were multiple riddles presented by the clues. I enjoyed attempting to solve those puzzles and following along as the characters figured out what everything meant.

The Inheritance Games is part of a series consisting of 2 books, with the third book being released later this year. They all follow the same storyline, of the aftermath of Avery receiving the unexpected and large inheritance.

-Peri A.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.