DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Christie Moreau portrays Avery Grambs, a precariously housed, puzzle-loving high school student who suddenly finds herself an heiress after a Texas billionaire dies and leaves her (a total stranger) in control of his fortune. As the story unwinds, Moreau convincingly draws from a palette of emotions to portray Avery’s shock, suspicion, and eventual seduction as she finds herself forced to live in the late billionaire’s mansion alongside his recently disinherited—and, apparently, extremely handsome—teenage grandsons. Moreau’s distinct performances of a large cast of supporting characters in this closed-circle mystery are similarly remarkable. While the story’s cliff-hanger eventually plateaus, Moreau does her utmost to enliven this somewhat half-baked rags-to-riches teen mystery. G.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 07/27/2020
When high school junior Avery Grambs learns that the violent, domineering boyfriend of Libby, her half-sister and legal guardian, will be sharing their apartment, she moves into her car. Then Avery is summoned to attend the will reading of billionaire and complete stranger Tobias Hawthorne. Avery and Libby travel from Connecticut to Texas, where they are stunned to learn that Tobias left the bulk of his estate to Avery. To inherit, she must spend a year living in Tobias’s labyrinthine mansion with his two furious daughters, who think she is a con-woman, and his four brilliant, hypercompetitive grandsons—Nash, 25; Grayson, 19; Jameson, 18; and Xander, 16—who believe she is their puzzle-obsessed grandfather’s final riddle. As Avery gets swept up in the boys’ quest for answers, she starts to feel like she belongs—until someone on the grounds tries to kill her. Tony trappings and a boldly drawn, predominantly white cast complement the delightfully soapy plot of this strong, Knives Out–esque series opener from Barnes (Little White Lies). The denouement underwhelms, but an abundance of cryptic clues and tempestuous love triangles provides ample enjoyment. Ages 12–up. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Inheritance Games: A New York Times and Indiebound Bestseller Edgar Award Nominee, Best Young Adult Mystery GoodReads Choice Awards, Best YA Fiction finalist A Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and New York Public LibraryBest YA Book of the Year An Amazon Top 100 Book of 2020 “Barnes is a master of puzzles and plot twists. The Inheritance Games was the most fun I’ve had all year.”—E. Lockhart, bestselling author of We Were Liars and Again Again
"A thrilling blend of family secrets, illicit romance and high-stakes treasure hunt, set in the mysterious world of Texas billionaires. The nonstop twists kept me guessing until the very last page!"—Katharine McGee, New York Times bestselling author of American Royals
"Impossible to put down."—Buzzfeed
* "this strong, Knives Out-esque series opener...provides ample enjoyment."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Barnes's meticulously crafted novel is like the film Knives Out for the YA world, perfect for any reader seeking suspense, romance, and glamour. ...Barnes crafts high-stakes tension, a swoony love triangle, and a large but memorable cast of characters. Fun and fast-paced, fans of Karen M. McManus's One of Us is Lying and Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious will find a new home at Hawthorne House."—SLJ
* "Part The Westing Game, part We Were Liars, completely entertaining."—Kirkus, starred review
"[A] well-characterized mystery that's packed to the brim with twists and tricks. Hand immediately to teen fans of Knives Out or readers who love Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series."—Booklist
"Prickly, witty, and stubborn as a mule, Avery is an eminently likable protagonist, and her savvy ability to manage the obnoxiously privileged people she suddenly finds herself surrounded by is admirable, helped plenty by her quippy one-liners that level even the snobbiest among them."—BCCB
School Library Journal
07/01/2020
Gr 7 Up—Barnes's meticulously crafted novel is like the film Knives Out for the YA world, perfect for any reader seeking suspense, romance, and glamour. This Cinderella story gets its twist when Avery Grambs, a teen living out of her car and dreaming of a financially stable future, inherits billionaire Tobias Hawthorne's fortune. Avery is sure she's never met a Hawthorne in her life, but she's just become the star player in Tobias's final puzzle. Forced to move into the rambling Hawthorne House to retain the inheritance, Avery discovers that hidden passageways aren't the only secrets on this estate. She strives to learn all about the enigmatic Tobias Hawthorne—and discovers this inheritance game was decades in the making. Armed only with the letters Tobias left his four grandsons, Avery becomes determined to solve their riddles if only to answer the question: Why her? The secondary cast of characters offers diversity in both race and sexual orientation, within the Hawthorne family and the private high school where Avery enrolls. Barnes crafts high-stakes tension, a swoony love triangle, and a large but memorable cast of characters. The novel manages to tie up the mystery and set up its sequel with a killer cliffhanger. VERDICT Fun and fast-paced, fans of Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying and Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious will find a new home at Hawthorne House. Even reluctant readers will devour this book.—Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Christie Moreau portrays Avery Grambs, a precariously housed, puzzle-loving high school student who suddenly finds herself an heiress after a Texas billionaire dies and leaves her (a total stranger) in control of his fortune. As the story unwinds, Moreau convincingly draws from a palette of emotions to portray Avery’s shock, suspicion, and eventual seduction as she finds herself forced to live in the late billionaire’s mansion alongside his recently disinherited—and, apparently, extremely handsome—teenage grandsons. Moreau’s distinct performances of a large cast of supporting characters in this closed-circle mystery are similarly remarkable. While the story’s cliff-hanger eventually plateaus, Moreau does her utmost to enliven this somewhat half-baked rags-to-riches teen mystery. G.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2020-07-27
A teen must solve a multilayered puzzle to find out why she’s the recipient of a billionaire’s inheritance.
One day Avery—with her mother dead, her father missing for years, and her guardian half sister on the rebound with her abusive boyfriend—is living out of her car. The very next day she is on a plane to Hawthorne House, a mansion in Texas, where she discovers she’s the beneficiary of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune. She must, however, abide by one condition: living for a full year with the snubbed Hawthorne family—a family that includes the billionaire’s four grandsons, young adult brothers who share a mother but have different fathers. This whirlwind story gains even more intensity when Avery learns that Hawthorne was a master of games and manipulation. To understand her role in the billionaire’s final game and why she’s the recipient of his inheritance, she must piece together clues left in his massive estate filled with hidden chambers. Short, snappy chapters supply nonstop momentum with red herrings, more family secrets, and even attempts on her life. To help her solve the riddles, Avery must turn to the Hawthorne brothers even if there’s some romantic interest at play—and even if they’re the ones who want her dead. The main characters are White; one brown-skinned Hawthorne brother describes himself as multiracial.
Part The Westing Game, part We Were Liars, completely entertaining. (Mystery. 14-18)
