Fiendish puzzles, suspense in gripping series offshoot.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
A character's father committed suicide when she was 4 years old. She was there but didn't witness anything directly. Memories of the aftermath include lots of blood and a missing face, but nothing's directly described. A gun is used to threaten. Characters watch a film clip with a pool of blood. A character remembers almost drowning as a child. A character hurts himself by pounding his fist repeatedly into a metal wall. A fight involves pulling hair, kicking, and grabbing. A character is grabbed from behind and loses consciousness after breathing something soaked into a handkerchief that's pressed to their face. A woman gets catcalled.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Since the story isn't over yet, overall messages aren't clear, but the importance of perseverance and working as a team, even with people you know you can't trust, is stressed.
Positive Role Models
some
Most characters, including the three main ones, model perseverance and teamwork. Most characters' motives are part of the intrigue, but Lyra wants to learn the truth about her father; Rohan needs millions to take over a secret, elite gambling club; and Gigi wants to prove she's as good as her sister.
Diverse Representations
a little
Most characters read as White. A main character is British and has brown skin and thick, black, slightly curly hair. Another minor character has ebony skin and dreadlocks. No races or other ethnicities are explicitly named. All but one minor character are in their teens and early 20s. The exception is 81.
A few phrases in Latin are translated. Characters talk about and demonstrate different approaches to solving different types of puzzles.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Grandest Game is a new series set in the same world as The Inheritance Games. Older teens and young adults compete to solve puzzles to win millions of dollars. It can stand on its own, but reading the other series first will deepen the reader's understanding of the returning characters and their motives. Violence is mostly remembered in the past and includes traumatic memories of a parent's suicide and remembering almost drowning. One character hurts himself by banging his fist into a metal wall. Blood is mentioned a few times but isn't described in detail. There are a couple of kisses, lots of flirting, and a couple of mildly sensual interactions. Language is mild and limited to a few uses of "a--hole," "damn," "bitch," and "piss off," and some silly invented insults. Older teens and young adults drink champagne a couple of times.
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
THE GRANDEST GAME is an annual contest run by infamous heiress Avery Grambs and the four Hawthorne brothers who should have inherited the fortune instead. This year they've created a series of devilish escape-the-room puzzles that contestants will have to work together to solve. How can a group of people looking out for themselves, and who can't trust anyone, make it to the end before time is up?
This is a suspenseful and gripping addition to the popular world of The Inheritance Games. Thanks to compelling characters, fiendish puzzles, and dashes of humor, romance, and plenty of suspense, fans of the series and newcomers alike will enjoy The Grandest Game. Short chapters, many ending on a surprising or suspenseful note, keep the pages turning. Familiar old characters return, and a bevy of colorful and mysterious new ones are introduced. Most of the puzzles are pretty tough, but readers can enjoy figuring them out along with the relatable and intriguing characters. It ends on an absolute cliffhanger and a promise for the next installment in the summer of 2025.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Grandest Game. Is it too much? Does it enhance the story or the suspense?
Were you able to solve any puzzles before the characters did? Which puzzles were your favorites?
Have you read any books in The Inheritance Games series? If you have, which was your favorite? If you haven't, would you like to now?
How do the characters work together to achieve their goals? What are some barriers they face to working together? How are the barriers overcome?
Available on:
Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
July 31, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
