Review Detail

The Same Backward As Forward expands upon the novella first printed in Games Untold. This edition features gorgeous sprayed edges and passionate interior cover art of Toby Hawthorne and Hannah Rooney’s stormy love story. The first part of the book is written from Hannah’s perspective of the events and appears to be unaltered from the original novella. Then you flip the book upside down to read the story of Toby’s never-before-told viewpoint.
Even though we know the details of Hannah and Toby’s life from the Inheritance Games, seeing it all unfold is enthralling. The intensity of Hannah’s hate and grief, and how Toby’s charm and injuries get past her walls to a truly breathtaking star-crossed lovers romance, is a chef’s kiss.
From Toby/Harry’s perspective, we see how his pain and agony unfold, and his determination not to let his panic get the better of him. He has amnesia, and when he is overwhelmed, he can focus on all the minute details that are his savior, Hannah. His brain is always going full speed, but the windowless concrete shack leaves him little to focus on except creating games for Hannah. The expansion into his time on the run and how he knew to be there for Avery’s birth and after her mother’s death added new layers of intrigue that tie into the GAMES UNTOLD ending novella.
I listened to this book as an audiobook. Hannah’s narrator is the same as Avery’s narrator in The Inheritance Games. Having been through the entire series, this narrator knows just how to bring these characters to life and make the most impact with her tone and inflections. Toby’s narrator does a fantastic job capturing the grit and determination of his character to not let the agony of his injuries beat him. The print version is helpful to see the puzzles that Toby creates, in case you want to try to solve them first, or to better visualize them.
Overall, no matter whether you use an audiobook or print, both are well done. This story gives fans of the series all they could ask for about the backstory of Hannah and Toby from their point of view.