I’m gonna be honest, this was A LOT to take in. In my review of The Grandest Game, I think I said something along the lines of you not having to read the first series to understand this one… Well, yeah, that’s completely wrong now. You ONE HUNDRED PERCENT have had to read every book in the series to get all the twists and turns that come with this one. 

So, basically it starts off with everyone freaking out and trying to find Avery before the press finds out. Then, it goes way deeper into this secret society/cult who is behind it all (this really isn’t a spoiler because they start talking about this pretty soon after you start the book, but I can’t remember if they talked about it in Glorious Rivals). Like I said, a lot happened and it was a lot to take it. The web of connections that Jennifer Lynn Barnes spins in this whole series is insane. The only reason I rated it 4 stars is because it did feel like a little too much to reveal in one book…. 

The main people you get to see in this book are Rohan, Gigi, Lyra, and Jameson. Grayson and Savannah definitely get their own spotlights, but not as prominent as the others. Gigi is still my favorite and I feel like she should’ve had a much bigger role in this book, but it made sense the way her character progressed. I loved some of the twists that happened and I’ll mention them in the spoilers. As a whole, though? This was a pretty fun and absolutely mind blowing book for the series. 

Spoilers ahead.

Alright. Basically Alice Hawthorne is part of this centuries old secret society of women who judge men (and by judge, I mean they kill them if they feel it’s necessary). These women, calling themselves the gilded blade, recruit new women to follow in their footsteps. Avery and Eve get recruited (along with another random), which is why Avery essentially got kidnapped. Avery’s mother, Hannah, had been invited twice but turned them down because all she ever wanted was to be Avery’s mother (literally so touching). Lyra’s mother was part of the gilded blade (and actually ended up being the woman who she thought was her aunt but actually her mother).

Alice knew that the gilded blade was basically corrupt and plotted to get rid of them all, so in the end, a big explosion happens in the underground secret society. It kills Alice, Emily (who is actually alive, she was Grayson and Jameson’s first love, and part of why you need to read the entire series), the gilded blade as a whole, Toby, and Eve. But you actually learn that Eve didn’t die after all and is part of the “new” gilded blade that is less corrupt and more “let’s all save the world with peace and kindness” (which is my kind of saving the world anyway).

Gigi ends up with Slate. Savannah ends up with Rohan after he gave the Devil’s Mercy away to save Savannah’s life (even though her life was never in danger because she didn’t get asked to be in the Crucible with Avery and Eve). Grayson ends up with Lyra. And Jameson and Avery start preparing to get married after Jameson proposes. Generally a happy ending over all. 

Overall, this was a pretty great addition. Like I said, though, it felt like a lot to take in for one novel (and almost a little too unbelievable for me to actually accept everything Jennifer Lynn Barnes was trying to dish out). I did really enjoy it, though, so a solid four star read. 

Source: Personal Copy

(P.S. You can read tons of books—including ones written by me—by trying a free trial of Kindle Unlimited!)