The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games, #3)

What I Loved: It was wonderful to return to the world Jennifer Lynn Barnes paints of Avery Kylie Grambs and the Hawthorne family in the mysterious Hawthorne estate. Avery is just weeks from living a year in Hawthorne House and gaining full access to the astronomical amount of money left to her by Tobias Hawthorne. However, a disturbing number of changes and job offers are afoot in any organization that has a connection to the Hawthornes. This unseen maneuvering undermines the power the Hawthornes have in protecting Avery and the estate.
Then Eve shows up at the estate with news that her father, Toby has been kidnapped. This leads Avery and the brothers down a dark riddle to uncover the man who taught the original Tobias Hawthorne everything he knows about strategy and riddles. This was a much darker addition to the series as they uncover the past and all the wrongful deeds Tobias was involved in to become the rich and powerful person that raised the boys.
They finally learn why Avery was put on the board. There were reasons before that were all good but she is the shield and sacrifice to protect his family from this man lurking in the shadows with more power and reach than even Tobias Hawthorne had. From beyond the grave, Tobias Hawthorne has set up a final riddle for Avery to solve to warn and guide her in her slim chance of winning this final gambit. Avery’s greatest asset is that she is young and female and therefore underestimated by old men who only think of her as a little girl.
Grayson finally reaches his breaking point with his guilt over Emily’s death. Avery is there to help him hold on. Jameson struggles to establish a relationship with Avery where they enjoy being partners in the game but don’t use each other as pawns. Alexander meets his father and learns the part Tobias played in keeping a father away that wanted him.
Final Verdict: This book delivers all the mystery and cleverness established in the previous books. The stakes are higher and the characters have never seemed more human with their struggles. This is a more mature story reflecting how Avery has changed from a wide-eyed girl to the smart strategist that is Tobias’ “very risky gamble” that can save his family once he can’t. Avery makes some very big decisions about what to do with the fate of her wealth. After reading the book I took some time to think about what would I have done in her place if I had the wealth that she does. This book and that question would make an excellent book club discussion.

The Final Gambit is the final book in a three-book series that follows Avery Kylie Grambs as she discovers that she is the one person a wealthy billionaire left everything.
What I liked: Avery Kylie Grambs has learned a lot since we met her in book one, and so have the four grandsons who were left with nothing at the reading of their grandfather will. In addition, we learned that her name could be rearranged to mean A Very Risky Gamble. This series was so enjoyable because you played along with the characters as you tried to piece together all the clues, riddles, and puzzles and hoped you picked up the breadcrumbs from all three books to figure out where the ending would play out.
Final Verdict:
In the end, I am not sure unless I read it more than once that I would have picked up all the clues, but I did enjoy the ride to the end. I am also not sure that this is the end with the way it was ended; maybe we get a spin-off and see just how Mr. Hawthorne Very Risky Gamble plays out, as she is now in total control of all that money and power. Also, I like to see just how her relationship with a certain Hawthrone plays out. Inheritance Games was a fantastic series.

THE FINAL GAMBIT is a thrilling conclusion to the THE INHERITANCE GAMES series. Avery is nearly to the end of the year she needs to spend at the Hawthorne House before she will inherit billions, and she is still reeling from all the things she has learned during this time. Before the time is up, the old man and one of his former adversaries has another twist coming for her, and the clock is ticking for both her inheritance and the lives of those she cares about.

What I loved: In many ways, this book solidifies the things that were happening at the end of the previous. Avery has really decided who she is and who she wants to be, and she is not compromising along the way. Her character growth has been enormous since the first book, and I loved how she was assertive in standing up for herself, believing in her own mind and abilities, and making things happen. Likewise, the romance for her becomes absolutely undeniable and clear in this book, and I loved that for her.

The brothers have also grown and changed throughout the series, in no small part due to their interactions with Avery. Their childhood was challenging in some particularly unique ways with the ways affection was given/withheld and the ways their value was tied up in these competitive games. While some of these elements are impossible to separate, each of them does seem to be reaching a point where more healing is happening and they are really coming into their own. Grayson's arc in particular was really developing as he begins to really confront his past and emotions, though Jameson and Xander also continued to grow.

The riddles and mysteries were just as fun in this book as in the previous, with the time pressure of the lives at stake, and the addition of new characters/scenarios with Eve and the villain. Avery, the brothers, Rebecca/Thea, and Avery's sister/friends were all included in the solving at various times, and it was great to see everyone again - so many characters to really fall in love with. The riddles themselves are just as clever as before, and they were coming from two sides, which really added something special.

The plot also brings in some more thorough answers over why Avery was chosen and some of why Tobias was the way he was. Other themes around monetary power, the treatment of women in power/by men in power, playing the long game, romantic relationships, guilt and its weight, emotional scars, coping strategies, and being true to yourself. Much of the story revolves around the power that comes with wealth and the ways this is distorted by the individual in possession of it. In a way, the Hawthornes and others like them have the ability to misuse/abuse this power so easily and have the world accept them along with their misdeeds. This is reflected in the world around us, but the series really challenges the morality of such power - a theme worth exploring.

Final verdict: A thrilling and compelling conclusion, THE FINAL GAMBIT is a consuming and mysterious journey that ultimately leaves readers equally satisfied and reeling. Highly recommend reading this whole delightful series!