Two summers ago, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes launched the long awaited spin-off series based off her outstanding bestseller, The Inheritance Games. The spin-off, with two out of three books published so far, continues the journey of the characters from The Inheritance Games, following them through a new, high-stakes competition run by the protagonist of the original, Avery Grambs, and the characters who ran beside her, the Hawthornes, with new characters competing for a massive prize. But, a question constantly rises up: Is the spin-off really as good as its original? 

Reading The Inheritance Games got readers, including myself, hooked onto every chapter, desperate for the next book in the series to come out to find out what’s next in store for Barnes’ iconic characters. And when the new spin-off came out and new characters rose from the dust, I have to say, Barnes has done it again. 

The Grandest Game’s introduction of new characters was definitely the most memorable about this series. I had my doubts about how Barnes could beat the high bar she set for herself with the characters from the original, but these doubts quickly went away. As we meet the cunning Lyra Kane and continue our journey with fan-favorite British bad-boy and arch enemy of one of the Hawthorne brothers, Rohan, we can see that the characters alone are enough to make readers fall head over heels for this new series. We’ve all heard that opposites attract, but Barnes takes this to the next level with the captivating relationships we see develop between these new characters. In between the banter, unexpected couples, and heart-pulling scenes, there’s no way not to love them. 

Different from the story’s past setting in the Hawthorne House, Barnes sets this series on Hawthorne Island, a private island owned by teenage billionaire Avery Grambs. The small island provides perfect close proximity for all characters to mingle — and most importantly, the tropes and romance to develop. 

Most of the tropes in this new series are rivals-to-lovers. We don’t get to see much of this trope at all in the original series, so Barnes definitely made up for that in this new spin-off. We don’t get to see much variety for tropes of any other type in this book, which was a bit of a disappointment… It would have been great to see some real chemistry build up between characters in ways other than having them compete with each other. But fortunately, readers end up finding out that rivals-to-lovers is one of Barne’s specialties. Expertly executing this trope, Barnes delivers romance that keeps readers wanting more with every chapter and doesn’t fall into the trap of the cliche sounding enemies-to-lovers. She certainly did not disappoint her readers. 

With chapters alternating between points of view from one of the four main characters, readers gain insight into just what each of them are thinking — whether it’s about the game, or the yearning romance that readers wait for with each page. Either way, the couples we find here are truly swoon worthy — and definitely make you put the book down and take a walk around the room. 

Another thing worth noting in The Grandest Game is the strings that all satisfyingly tie together that were introduced since book one of The Inheritance Games. Best known as a YA mystery author, Barnes effortlessly ties together clues and hints that have been dropped in the original to enhance the plot and reading experience in the spin-off. The realization of how all the clues come together over this now seven (soon to be eight) book adventure truly presents those “OMG” moments readers are looking for. 

That being said, The Grandest Game does truly live up to the hype it’s received over the past year. Jennifer Lynn Barnes expertly continues the same string of mysteries and newly explored romance to draw even more readers in. The tropes, though containing the commonly overused enemies-to-lovers, did not feel cliche at all. The plot and overall level of craft this series has flown through the roof. I would overall rate this book a 9/10. If you were a fan of the original series, I definitely recommend diving into the new spin-off. 

If you want to catch this story line from the very beginning, I recommend reading Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ entire series in the following order: 

• The Inheritance Games

• The Hawthorne Legacy

• The Final Gambit

• The Brother’s Hawthorne

• Games Untold

• The Grandest Game

• Glorious Rivals 

• The Gilded Blade (arriving summer of 2026)