The cover of the fourth-and-a-half book in American author Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ “The Inheritance Games” series, “Games Untold” is shown above. The book, a collection of eight novellas and short stories, gives fans of the series a taste of different moods and characters. “Tobias trained his grandsons to treat life like a game with the world as their playground, a motif that is carried consistently throughout ‘Games Untold,’ despite how different each novella is,” Digital Editor Lea D’Angelo wrote. Photo fair use of Goodreads
Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes released “Games Untold,” an anthology of novellas and short stories in “The Inheritance Games” series on Nov. 12. Despite differences in stories, key motifs of the series are consistent throughout.
Four perfect brothers, an heiress, a city-wide game, two broken families’ past, — “Games Untold” is the epitome of what “The Inheritance Games” series embodies. The collection gives original fans new and old stories from the series and fun, game-filled stories that even new readers will be able to understand.
Young adult author Jennifer Lynn Barnes released the fourth-and-a-half book of the series, “Games Untold,” an anthology of novellas and short stories, on Nov. 12.
The original series follows 16-year-old Avery Grambs who inherited almost everything the late philanthropist Tobias Hawthorne had, despite not knowing him. Throughout the series, the four Hawthorne grandsons — Nash, Grayson, Jameson and Xander — start treating Avery as more than a pawn in the mysterious games their grandfather left behind.
The book starts with a combination of flashbacks to the puzzles Jameson and Avery challenged each other to in Prague and a present look at the fear Avery experienced when Jameson suddenly disappeared. This novella, despite its long length, does a good job of balancing between impactful plotlines and fun games in an engaging manner.
There’s plenty for the readers looking for a more fast-paced story. “That Night in Prague,” “$3CR3T $@NT@” and “What Happens in the Treehouse” all capture the risky, boisterous Hawthorne personality that Avery, and readers, can’t help but be drawn to..
“Games Untold” gives a glimpse into many of the anecdotes “The Inheritance Games” series alluded to, but from new perspectives. For example, in “Pain at the Right Gain,” when Barnes circles back to tell “That Night in Prague” from Jameson’s perspective, readers are given the chance to see a missing secret from the series — Jameson getting kidnapped midgame and learning a pivotal family secret — and a cliffhanger that will leave readers wanting more.
But the fun doesn’t end there.
The longest novella, too long to be considered engaging for some, “The Same Backwards as Forwards,” takes readers back to a major point of “The Inheritance Games” novel — in the fire that caused a Hawthorne son to go missing 20 years before the events of the book. The slow-burn romance of these chapters might be attractive to some, but inauthentic for others looking for captivating action.
However, there’s plenty for the readers looking for a more fast-paced story. “That Night in Prague,” “$3CR3T $@NT@” and “What Happens in the Treehouse” all capture the risky, boisterous Hawthorne personality that Avery, and readers, can’t help but be drawn to.
Parallel and fun games are consistently introduced throughout the book. Tobias Hawthorne trained his grandsons to treat life like a game with the world as their playground, a motif that is shown well despite how different each novella and short story is. However, while the novellas do a good job of balancing fun and emotional elements, some might find it confusing to jump around the “The Inheritance Games” series’ complicated timeline.
Games, family secrets, romance — “Games Untold” is a roller coaster that shouldn’t be overlooked.
