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Like millions of other readers, I had a great time with the Inheritance Games books, so I wasn’t going to say no to another set of books set in that “world.”
Here, Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne brothers have decided to run an annual game for seven competitors, all based on the same kinds of puzzles the boys grew up with and that she had to decipher to inherit from the late billionaire Tobias Hawthorne. It allows anyone to have an opportunity to win millions, much like Avery did a few years before the start of this story.
A few are invited personally, and a few are “wild cards,” that anyone can find by solving clues given to the whole world.
This year’s seven players are taken to a private island for a series of challenges. All have their own motivations for playing, and while some of those are clear, some are not. And all are keeping secrets.
As the Grandest Game progresses, it also seems there could be an element of danger, which is not part of the official contest.
This book has a lot of the elements of previous books, so it’s definitely entertaining. It introduces a new set of characters as the players. Avery and most of the Hawthorne brothers are relegated mostly to the background, but they are there. I’m just not sure I enjoyed it as much as the Inheritance Games series. The “heart” is not missing, perhaps, but its beat is muffled compared with the original, I think.
It’s also a little strange that the contest will be played out over three books, with this first only following the first challenge posed to the contestants. It feels more like one game should happen all within one book. But breaking it into three books does give fans plenty to enjoy, I suppose.
Fun but not as good.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes around 10 instances of moderate profanity and about 45 uses of mild language. Violence is mostly limited to danger and peril hanging over players’ heads; there are also a number of allusions to some characters having dark backgrounds. It’s also understood that these (mostly) young adult characters are sexually active, etc. The content of the book could probably be summed up as mild but has a maturity level more on par with moderate.
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