Publication order
The core The Inheritance Games storyline must be read in publication order.[11-22] For a complete reading path that includes the companion novella and story collection, follow this sequence:[23]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Inheritance Games | 2020[11] | Introduces Avery, Hawthorne House, and the inheritance mystery. |
| 2 |
|
The Hawthorne Legacy | 2021[12] | Continues the questions raised by the first book. |
| 3 |
|
The Final Gambit | 2022[13-14] | Brings the original Avery inheritance arc to its major turning point. |
| 4 |
|
The Same Backward as Forward | 2024[15-16] | Adds Toby and Hannah’s backstory after its significance is established. |
| 5 |
|
Games Untold | 2024[15-16] | Collects side stories and bridge episodes around the Hawthornes. |
| 6 |
|
The Brothers Hawthorne | 2023[17-18] | Follows later Hawthorne family complications and sets up the next strand. |
| 7 |
|
The Grandest Game | 2024[19] | Begins Avery’s public competition and a new continuing storyline. |
| 8 |
|
Glorious Rivals | 2025[20-22] | Continues the events and conflicts of The Grandest Game. |
Alternative reading order
For most new readers, publication order remains the clearest approach. The series does, however, support one practical variation for readers with narrower goals.[3-10]
Readers may choose to read the main novels without pausing for companion material. This reading order preserves the main forward movement from Avery’s inheritance through the later Hawthorne family and Grandest Game storylines. The trade-off is that readers leave the Toby-Hannah backstory and several connective short stories for later.[3-10]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Inheritance Games | 2020[11] | Establishes the main premise and characters. |
| 2 |
|
The Hawthorne Legacy | 2021[12] | Continues the mystery of inheritance and family history. |
| 3 |
|
The Final Gambit | 2022[13-14] | Completes the original Avery-centered arc. |
| 4 |
|
The Brothers Hawthorne | 2023[17-18] | Moves into the later Hawthorne-brother storyline. |
| 5 |
|
The Grandest Game | 2024[19] | Opens the next major competition sequence. |
| 6 |
|
Glorious Rivals | 2025[20-22] | Continues the competition and its unresolved conflicts. |
Works in sequence
1. The Inheritance Games
The Inheritance Games (2020)[11] establishes Avery Grambs as the unexpected heir to Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune and places her inside Hawthorne House with the disinherited family.[3]
Its main function is to introduce the estate, the Hawthorne brothers, the series’ puzzle-based structure, and the mystery of why Avery was chosen. It is the necessary starting point for the series.[3]
2. The Hawthorne Legacy
The Hawthorne Legacy (2021)[12] continues from the discoveries at the end of The Inheritance Games. Avery and the Hawthorne brothers investigate older family secrets, including questions surrounding Toby Hawthorne, the fire on Hawthorne Island, and Avery’s connection to the Hawthorne past.[4]
It expands the inheritance mystery rather than restarting the series with a separate case.[4]
3. The Final Gambit
The Final Gambit (2022)[13-14] brings Avery close to the point at which she can fully claim the Hawthorne fortune. It introduces a new threat tied to the Hawthorne family’s history, while also continuing the emotional and strategic conflicts established in the first two books.[5]
It is the culmination of the original Avery-centered inheritance arc.[5]
4. The Same Backward as Forward
The Same Backward as Forward was first made available in the collection Games Untold (2024).[15-16] In this initial version, the narrative is presented exclusively from Hannah Rooney’s point of view. Later, on November 4, 2025, the novella was expanded and published as a standalone work,[2][24] adding the point of view of Toby Hawthorne II.[6]
The Same Backward as Forward moves backward in the timeline to focus on Hannah Rooney and Toby Hawthorne after the Hawthorne Island disaster. Its events explain background material that matters to Avery’s story, but it is more effective after the original trilogy has established why these characters and connections matter. For first-time readers, it is context rather than an entry point.[6]
5. Games Untold
Games Untold (2024)[15-16] is a collection of stories set around the Hawthorne family, Avery, Libby, and related characters at different points in the wider continuity. Some stories expand earlier relationships or private moments, while others bridge into later developments involving Jameson, Prague, and the family’s hidden past.[7]
This collection is useful for fuller coverage, but it does not replace the main novels.[7]
6. The Brothers Hawthorne
The Brothers Hawthorne (2023)[17-18] shifts the focus toward Grayson and Jameson after the original trilogy. Jameson is drawn into a high-stakes gambling world connected to his biological father, while Grayson confronts complications involving his biological family.[8]
This book expands the series beyond Avery’s first inheritance mystery and helps prepare the ground for the competition that follows.[8]
7. The Grandest Game
The Grandest Game (2024)[19] begins the next major strand: a competition funded by Avery and built around the Hawthorne tradition of elaborate puzzles. New competitors, including Lyra, Rohan, Gigi, Savannah, Brady, Knox, and Odette, enter a game shaped by older Hawthorne secrets.[9]
This novel depends on the earlier books for context and ends with unresolved dangers.[9]
8. Glorious Rivals
Glorious Rivals (2025)[20-22] continues the competition begun in The Grandest Game. It follows the remaining players through the next phase while expanding the roles of Lyra, Grayson, Rohan, Savannah, Gigi, Eve, and the concealed forces moving against the Hawthornes.[10]
It is not a standalone entry, because its central situation begins in the preceding book.[10]
Essential and supplementary works
The Inheritance Games books may be divided into the main novels that form the central sequence and the companion works that provide context. This distinction gives new readers a clear core path first, while also showing where fuller background and side material fit into the wider reading order.
Essential works
The essential reading experience consists of the novels that drive the series forward: Avery’s inheritance story, the later Hawthorne-brother developments, and the Grandest Game sequence. These books are the most appropriate for readers who want the main story:[3-5][8-10]
- The Inheritance Games;
- The Hawthorne Legacy;
- The Final Gambit;
- The Brothers Hawthorne;
- The Grandest Game;
- Glorious Rivals.
Supplementary works
The supplementary titles expand the background, relationships, and connective tissue of the series. They are valuable for fuller context, especially after the original trilogy, but they should not be treated as the first stop for a new reader:[6-7]
- The Same Backward as Forward;
- Games Untold.
Games Untold is the more continuity-relevant companion work, because several stories connect to later family mysteries and events. Readers who want the fullest version of the sequence should read it before The Brothers Hawthorne.[7]
References
- The Inheritance Games. Hachette Book Group.
- The Same Backward as Forward (Standard Edition) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- The Inheritance Games. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781368052405.
- The Hawthorne Legacy. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780759557635.
- The Final Gambit. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316371025.
- The Same Backward as Forward. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316600262.
- Games Untold. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316573719.
- The Brothers Hawthorne. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316480772.
- The Grandest Game. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316481014.
- Glorious Rivals. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316481311.
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Penguin Books Australia.
- Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Penguin Books Australia.
- The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Penguin Books Australia.
- The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Hachette Book Group.
- Glorious Rivals. Penguin Books UK.
- Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Penguin Books Australia.
- Games Untold. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Timeline. ISBN: 9780316573719.
- The Same Backward as Forward (The Inheritance Games) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Penguin Books Australia.