Review By: Alexa Kulak
Published: 2024
Series: The Grandest Game #1
Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Suspense Fiction
Audience: Grades 7 to 12
Content Warnings: Violence, murder, blood and injuries, PTSD, panic attacks, claustrophobia
Goodreads Link: Goodreads Link
Publisher’s Summary: Get caught up in the puzzles, games, danger, romance, and riches of this lush new chapter in the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games saga—set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes. Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime. Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. With millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.
Some of the players are in it for the money. Some for power. Some for reasons all their own. Every single one of them has secrets. Amidst it all is Grayson Hawthorne, tasked with a vital role in this year’s game. But as tensions rise and the mind-bending challenges push the players to their limits—physically, mentally, and emotionally—it soon becomes clear that not everyone is playing by the rules. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers a new series in the world of The Inheritance Games, where fan-favorite and new characters collide in a game you’ll never forget.
Do you have what it takes to play?
Review: The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the newest installment of the Inheritance Games universe and begins a secondary series based on Avery Grambs competition game. As Avery worked for her own fortune in the original trilogy, she now gives that opportunity to a lucky few. All they must do to win is solve a few puzzles. However, our rotating POVs of Gigi, Rohan, and Lyra quickly find out that there are more secrets than that of the game and time is running out. I personally found this book to be a bit of a let down compared to the rest of the series. I struggled with the setting, as most of the book takes place inside locked rooms of the competition. The puzzles cannot be solved by the reader, so much of the story involves waiting for characters to act. Each character has secrets, but nothing is fully revealed yet. The romantic interactions are written well, but the romances themselves escalate quickly. Despite this, the book is entertaining, and I would recommend the series to reluctant readers due to the fast pace. JLB is a fantastic writer and very popular with my students. Themes include relationships, teamwork, betrayal, loyalty, and the complexities of defining friendship, family, teammates, and lovers. Minor mentions of wealth inequality appear throughout. I found the cover gorgeous, with puzzle elements woven into the art. The cast is not very diverse, with most characters white, one Black character, and all competitors young and attractive. I have also read and enjoyed JLBs Naturals series, which is similar in its focus on gifted teens placed in strange circumstances with romantic subplots.
