Book Review #127: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

After the events of 'The Inheritance Games', Avery still doesn't know why Tobias Hawthorne left her his entire fortune. All she knows for sure is that she isn't a Hawthorne. But when she discovers something that suggests she's closer to the Hawthorne family than she ever imagined, Avery, along with the mysterious Hawthorne brothers, try to find the truth once and for all.

I reviewed the first book, 'The Inheritance Games', HERE, and said that because I didn't love it, I wasn't really interested in reading the sequels. I picked this book up on the spur of the moment, because while I didn't love the first, I was kind of curious about what came next.

I'm so glad I decided to pick this up, because I liked it a lot more than the first one!

One of my criticisms the first time around was that I felt Avery was quite juvenile and childish. This time around was entirely different - I really liked being in her head, and she definitely seemed more mature.

The overall concept of these books is interesting, but I feel like this book specifically had a great story. Already having the whole backdrop of what is discovered in the first book is a great place to start off.

I definitely felt more connected to all of the characters this time around. Particularly the Hawthorne brothers, who I had trouble telling apart for a lot of the first book. This time I understood them, I got their different personalities, and it was really fun reading about them.

But this is also true of the background characters. Everyone got a bit more to do in this book, and it was great actually getting to know them without having to be introduced.

In terms of the actual events of the book, for a lot of the time, it felt like nothing was happening. It was still interesting to read, but it took a long time for any actual developments to be made, or for theories to be proven.

And after reading it, in terms of what I know about Avery and the Hawthornes, I don't feel like I've gained that much more information than I had after reading the first book.

In addition, while the book was definitely entertaining, I would have liked it to be more thrilling, more exciting. Because I liked reading it, but I was never desperate to pick it up.

Overall this was a lot better than the first book, and really makes me want to pick up the third, but it still wasn't as engaging as it could have been.

3/5