The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genres: Mystery, Puzzle, YA
Pages: 384
Cover: Paperback
Age rating: 12+
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
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Presented by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four notorious Hawthorne brothers, whose family money she inherited, the Grandest Game is an annual competition. One of seven golden tickets is needed to enter this year's game, which is intended to give anyone a chance at fame and money. Those seven players will stop at nothing to win when millions are at stake.
A few of the participants are motivated by financial gain. A few for authority. Some for personal reasons. They all have secrets, all of them. Grayson Hawthorne, who has been assigned a crucial position in this year's game, is in the middle of it all. However, it quickly becomes apparent that not everyone is following the rules as tensions increase and the cognitively taxing tasks test the players' physical, mental, and emotional capabilities.
General Opinion:
I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes, but this book was not it... I had such high expectations after the last Inheritance Games book, but this book was honestly such a letdown.
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Characters and Plot
I didn't find myself feel connected to any of the characters, except Gigi. All the other characters came of as bland, boring and annoying, especially Lyra and Savannah. Like, Savannah wanted to avenge Avery because she killed her father? I know that Savannah was lied to by Eve in the last book to believe that Avery was the cause, but to believe a stranger on the phone that this Avery girl killed your father is a far reach. Moreover, Grayson is her half-brother; doesn't she think about asking him? I get that she is angry at Grayson as he lied to her and Gigi in the Brothers Hawthorne, but at least get some clarification before you accuse someone for murder.
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Lyra wasn't much better, she doesn't had any memorable characteristic that make me want to stick with her, and it was annoying how she assume Grayson was an asshole just because his grandfather was one. Maybe I'm being defensive because I love Avery and the Hawthorne brothers, but still.
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Gigi is the only thing keeping me going in this book, she was funny, smart and sweet, what's not too love. I love it when she teases her companion, growing on them during the game.
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The plot was boring, there wasn't much going on, just imagine Squid Game with zero stakes and less deadly game, that is what you got. Moreover, the part that Avery choosing the contestants make no sense, some of the contestants got lucky and receive a wild card, but some are hand pick by Avery herself. Which I found is odd, because her contestant are pretty wealthy people, I just think that she could have pick people that are actually struggling in their daily life.
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​​​​​​​​Conclusion
Overall, I don't think I will be reading the second book to this sequel, maybe I will read a summary of it, but not the book. I usually love Jennifer Lynn Barnes books, but not this one, there just wasn't any stakes happening, or any actual plot to keep me hook.