Opening Line:  “Tell me again about the first time you two played chess in the park.”

Overall:  This second book starts off exactly where the first book, The Inheritance Games, ends.  The main character, Avery is still in a love triangle of sorts between Grayson and Jameson.  But, Grayson is still keeping her at arms length, not letting her get close to him.  Meanwhile, Jameson is still constantly, playfully, flirting with her, but she does not know if it is just the game and the mystery that is keeping him so attentive to her, or if he has really caught some feelings towards her.  She does not really know what her own feelings towards both brothers are either.  She is drawn to them both, but for different reasons.  The plot of this book continues on into the inheritance mystery with all the pieces we learned in book one.  They are still all trying to figure out exactly why Mr. Hawthorne left Avery all of his money.  They are now trying to locate and find out more about Tobias Hawthorne “Toby”.  Did he die in the explosion?  Or is he somehow alive?  If he is alive, did the  old man know this and keep it a secret?  Is Toby actually Avery’s father?  Did he start the fire that killed his friends?  Or did something else happen there?  If he is alive, where is he now?  Why won’t he make contact with Avery?  Why does he not want to be found?  Those and many, many more questions are still being figured out and solved, and that is what the plot  of this second book is all about.  They all find out so many new things, yet, still have so many more questions than answers.  Setting things up for the third and last book, The Final Gambit.          

Ovations: The Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby covers to this book trilogy are stunningly beautiful!  As for the inside of this beautiful book, I am still a big fan of the main character Avery.  She is a great positive role model for other teenage girls reading this YA book.  She is pretty, but these books do not really focus on that too much.  They focus on the facts that she is very independent, smart, brave, strong-willed, creative, tough, but also caring and kind.  I also still really enjoy the fast paced plot full of clues to figure out.  I like how in this book Avery and the grandsons are all working on trying to find and solve some of the clues on their own, but also getting help from the others too.  I enjoy the dynamic of them trying to keep what they have learned to themselves, while also trying to get more information out of the others.  They are all very independent and smart and want to figure things out on their own, but realize that they can’t all solve everything by themselves.  I like how they are realizing that they need eachother to get further, to add to what they figured out on their own.  There are constant, unexpected twists and turns that you will not see coming in this second book.  So, that was fun and kept me wanting to read more.  I  also still really enjoy the love triangle between Avery and Greyson and Jameson.  Both of the grandsons are hot and smart and they both are drawing Avery to them and she does not know which way to go, or if they are just playing another game to see who can win and be with her.   

Oh Well:  This book does suffer from second-book-syndrome a bit.  It is not quite as exciting and fun as the first book.  It is not as fast paced or lively.  It is laying a lot of ground-work for the third book.  Avery has adjusted a bit more to where she is living and what is happening in her life.  But, I wish she would have gone and done something fun with some of her money now that she is a billionaire.  I mean, technically she isn’t yet, but she can get or have anything she wants at this point.  But, Avery has not done anything fun at all with this new found wealth.  In real life, a person would want to buy something amazing that they have always dreamed of.  I understand that she is trying to keep a low profile and has to follow the rules, but her doing one wild thing with the funds she now has access to would have been a great addition to the book.  I also wish there would have been more romance between Avery and Greyson and Jameson in this book.  That love triangle progresses a little bit in this book , but I wish she would have more interactions with them to further their relationships.  She has to make a decision between them eventually, and this book did not get Avery closer to understanding either grandson really.  She is still unsure as to their motives, and I wish we could have had some more scenes that lead to her understanding each guy on a deeper level.      

Opinion:   So, in the opinion for the first book, I said, “I loved this book!”  Well, for this one I will say I really liked this book.  It was  not as mind-blowingly amazing as the first book was.  However, the plot is still unique and interesting and keeps you wanting to read more.  It is slower paced than the first book, but it is still fun and mysterious and there are plenty of compelling new secrets to keep you guessing through the whole book.  The third and final book, The Final Gambit, will be released in August 2022.  I have already pre-ordered that book!  I am so excited to find out how this all ends!  My rating for this second book is 9 out of 10