#grandest game

[xo-zozo]

screw the grandest game honestly i want games untold

[danni-1-graysons-version]

y'all, i need to read those comics

[thetypedwriter]

The Grandest Game Book Review

The Grandest Game Book Review by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I feel like I’m writing about Jennifer Lynn Barnes constantly. 

Thankfully, this is not a case of diminishing returns. 

In fact, this might be Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ best novel yet, which is astounding to me. 

The Grandest Game is now the…fifth book in the Inheritance Games series which is insane, but it’s also the first installment in a spinoff series.

So related but not a direct sequel, although you would be lacking in a significant amount of understanding if you had not read the first four books of the Inheritance Games.

At this point, Jennifer Lynn Barnes is becoming the new Cassandra Clare.

But back to The Grandest Game, one of the key differences is instead of focusing on Avery and the Hawthorne brothers, this novel focuses on other players that have either been invited to play or won themselves a nomination. 

The Grandest Game itself is not that noteworthy, but the plot essentially boils down to this: Avery has set up a competition game where the prize money is $26 million.

Most of the game includes the players getting involuntarily put into teams and trying to solve a series of riddles and puzzles while attempting escape-room antics. 

Avery and the Hawthrone brothers are in the novel, but they’re in the periphery and largely unimportant other than the history they have with the players and the fact that they have masterminded the game. 

However, I can not emphasize enough how much better the book is by not focusing on them. Avery was never much more than a Mary-Sue from the get go and the Hawthorne brothers were all largely one-dimensional cliches.

The side characters who take center stage in this novel are a huge improvement, personality and interest wise. 

Rohan we know from the last book, The Brother Hawthorne, and his POV is fascinating. I’ve always had a soft spot for characters who are selfish and conniving, two characteristics Rohan has in droves. 

However, he also has a good motivation for playing the Grandest Game—getting money to take over the Devil’s Mercy, a secret club that he’s been a part of since he was a child. His penchant for winning always makes his POV fun to read. 

His relationship with Savannah, while predictable, was also really charming. I love relationships that are fierce and fiery, have cat-and-mouse banter, and are between two very stubborn people who don’t want to admit defeat. Every chapter with them working as a team was titillating. 

The POV I enjoyed the most was Gigi’s. Her fun, bubbly personality and bright way of connecting with people and seeing the world was fresh, fun, and authentic.

Her interactions with Knox and Brady were hilarious, but also strangely deep and intriguing, as they were both new characters with a sordid and complicated past with each other. 

Gigi’s intellect shone through while others constantly underestimated her, a plot point that never got old. Gigi trying to piece together what happened with Knox and Brady, while at the same time learning she’s bugged and trying to untangle the larger mystery of who’s on the island, was the most riveting part of the story for me. 

The last POV was for a character named Lyra Kane. Essentially, she’s Avery 2.0. I disliked her POV the most, especially as her motivation to win–saving her childhood home—while nice, was boring.

She also had the hackneyed story arc of being attracted to Grayson Hawthorne while incessantly telling herself to stay away from him (without success). 

The most interesting part of this POV was Grayson’s and Lyra’s interaction with their third teammate, Odette, an older woman who was once involved with Tobias Hawthorne.

I liked Odette’s backstory and the diversity of having an older character, but she was too cryptic throughout the whole novel and then decided to give up her spot at the end, a choice that riddled me with frustration and made her character dip in the favorite department. 

That being said, these three POV’s were still a huge improvement from the banality of Avery’s mind and the vapid love triangle she found herself in of the previous books. 

Instead, we have two interesting perspectives (plus Lyra) to carry this new spinoff series forward, a journey I am wholeheartedly ready to embark on.

Plus, all the riddles are a lot of fun to try and piece together as a reader. It may not be the most complicated of plots, but it’s entertaining and the characters propel it forward with their intersecting relationships and personal motivations. 

Recommendation: The best Jennifer Lynn Barnes novel yet. Read it and try to solve as many of the puzzles as you can (I got two of them!).

Score: 8/10

[berryz-writes]

Hawthorne Headcanons -If they had a younger sister

They are obviously going to be so so so protective, especially Grayson and Nash

Xander would most definitely get up to the most mischief with you because of the smaller age gap

Jameson would come to your room before your about to sleep and ask if you want to go racing or literally just ask about your day and add in his unwanted advice (you do love it though)

If it's just you 5 having dinner you get to sit at the head of the table

Jameson loves pinching your cheeks to annoy you

After asking Grayson for weeks to go shopping with you because he has the best taste he finally agrees (his walk in wardrobe is something else)

the amount of times you've hidden Nash's hats is insane- he says he hates it but in fact he loves finding them in random places in the house

All the brothers used to purposely loose when you were younger so you could win at board games

Xander would interrogate any guy you were talking to and Grayson would run all the background information even if they're just a study partner

Once when you were younger you said you wanted a sister so Xander volunteered himself for you to put makeup on him (he is now a professional and even does your eyeliner sometimes)

Grayson actually watched a tutorial on how to do a fish braid and was extremely proud when he did it on you (it took him like an hour)

Anytime someone asks the brothers who their favourite is they say your name

You wouldn't say you had a favourite but you loved spending time with Grayson because he was a good listener and actually quite funny and sarcastic when he wanted to be

Nash will always treat you like you haven't grown up yet, will ask if you've done your homework and if you need help to revise for your exams

Nash will mention you as his "baby sister" which annoys you to no end

Jameson whenever he does anything will ask if you want to join in. Going on a late night drive in a race car? Climbing a roof for the fun of it? Doing things that are probably illegal for you age? Your always invited just as long as your safe and listen to him

Thea is like an older sister to you and is always bringing you with her to get your nails done together and literally just spend time with each other

Once Avery joins the house you don't like her at first, you and Gray being equally suspicious about her

Eventually you warmed up to her and now you stay up till 4 in the morning whispering about who knows what

LAST ONE: You are always chosen to put the star on top of the tree ("Why don't one of you do it this year?"  Literally all 4 of them start arguing with you that they're going to burn the tree down if you don't do it) You of course don't want the tree burnt down so you place the star on top with Xander, Jamie and Nash holding on to the ladder and Grayson taking a picture. (and a selfie because we don't want him missing out)

[thanks--for--listening]

Savannah Grayson they could never make me hate you

[sapphiccanadian]

Rohan is perfect. No, I will not elaborate on that.

[momhwa117]

My life's goal rn is not to study properly but to buy the rest of the Inheritance Games books with the OFFICIAL GORGEOUS COVERS.....I literally bought the first three books with those HIDEOUS COVERS AND I AM GOING TO REGRET IT FOREVER...😭😭

serves me right for not being patient enough for the prices of the books to go down

[awordlybeing]

THE BROTHERS HAWTHORNE | Ch 29

NAW BC THIS WAS TOO FUNNY I HAD TO PHYSICALLY STOP MYSELF FROM BUSTING A LUNG ☠️

THEY JS KEPT ON GOING ON TOO ?? 😭

[lovethornes]

the hawthorne brothers wouldnt last an hour in the asylum where they raised avery

[herondalesbooklover]

Some of you all expected my boy gray to move slowly like he hasn't done that for years. Dude he has been bitchless for like 5 years straight, how much slowly you want him to move??

[inmyheaddd]

i hate it here so i will go to secret gardens in my mind (reading)

[lyra-kane]

Did you ever have a shut up moment with your favorite fictional men. Like I love them, but at that moment, I was like AHHHH

"It was purely physical" SHUT UP AARON

"If it's about money" SHUT UP GRAYSON

"Why do you keep calling me Scarlet?" " Isn't that your name?" SHUT UP JULIAN

"I wanna to return to the moment I meet dontella" SHUT UP JACKS

Reblog if I forgot anyone!

[reminiscentreader]

when i remember grayson and jameson were practically attached at the hip and best friends before emily

[never-enough-novels]

Men cuffing their shirts or rolling up their sleeves is the sluttiest thing known to mankind

[reyreadersblog]

No cus i'll never forgive JLB not giving us the Hawthorne house map.

[lanterns-and-daydreams]

Reporter, to Libby: So, how does it feel to be marrying someone so out of your league?

Libby: Well-

Nash, cutting her off: Feels amazin', darlin', thanks