Book Review: The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Thanks to Hachette for an ARC of this book. The Hawthorne Legacy picks up right where The Inheritance Games left off, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. After wagering a bet with Jameson for who can solve the mystery of Harry/Toby first, Avery dives head-first into solving the clues left behind and discovering more along the way- all while trying to navigate high society and strange threats, of course.

The novel spends most of the time rotating between Avery, Jameson, and Grayson, and much less time focusing on the other cast of extremely well-developed characters that make this universe so special. I personally was disappointed to not see much of Libby and Nash (tbh the only romance I really care about), but the inclusion of Max and seeing more of Oren (and less of Alisa, who frankly I couldn't care less about) makes up for it.

The love triangle between the three is one of the main themes but doesn't distract you too much from the mysteries and endless clues of Hawthorne House. Still, both Jameson and Grayson are great characters on their own, and their unique and very different personalities certainly make it an interesting decision for Avery to make. I was still on the edge of my seat through this book, and the suspense and magic that the first novel captured are certainly replicated well here. We finally get some answers that were posed in the first book, and plenty of room is left at the end for more mysteries to be answered down the road (please, please, please- is it too early to beg for a third book?) Overall another great escape read that will have broad appeal to every mystery-loving reader.