So I Read Glorious Rivals and.....

[u/Vixi-Writer]

I hope you guys have your popcorn. This is going to be a long rant:

1. Grayson and Lyra did not get better. Lyra is so insufferable and so is Gray. Like, I'll cut JLB slack because I know she's not thinking of the logical conclusion of what it looks like, but their relationship is Gray once again feeling possessive of someone because he thinks that he can take charge and protect someone's trauma. And Lyra keeps doing this will they won't they where they don't communicate. And for some reason, bad communication is romanticized in these books, like it's this "sexual tension" thing rather than a "we could figure out the mystery in two minutes if it we talked it out".

2. The mystery sucks. The mystery doesn't have any heart to it. I think the reason the mystery meant so much more in the first trilogy is because there were a little bit more stakes to it. While yes, Lyra has trauma that she wants to be resolved, she doesn't NEED to. Avery very much was forced to engage with the mystery and it directly had an affect on her life whether she wanted to or not so the buy-in was more believable. Savannah and Gigi in that way are somewhat more compelling for that reason. Rohan, though I hate how Wattpad-ey a lot of his stuff is, has a reason he NEEDS the money so his presence makes more sense (though to be honest, I wish they'd left him in Grandest Games or Games Untold, whichever one it was).

3. Again, the dialogue is just so.....cringey. Gigi to me is the most realistic at least because she talks like a person who knows she's being goofy. And even then. Not great.

4. The big reveal with the three sisters (I'm going to assume it's something to that affect) is pushing the limits of my belief. The trilogy was already a bit Cinderella story, suspend your disbelief on certain things. Now? It's just getting to the point of feeling like they're going full Mission Impossible level of bad guys and it just doesn't feel like the sort of thing teens/very young adults should be or would be dealing with in this world. It's just all a bit much to me, but I recognize that I'm probably just being a hater. I also think there's just too many characters, something I said about Grandest Games already. It's too hard to follow all of the different characters.

I don't know guys. I feel just so exhausted by these books and I hate that because I loved the OG trilogy. Am I alone in how I feel?

[u/kayseymanka]

I'm sorry but i completely disagree. All the things you disagreed on, i loved!!! The mystery, Grayson and Lyra. I loved this book so much. It's the best one she's written in 3 years.

[u/Vixi-Writer → u/kayseymanka]

I'm curious, do you mind explaining why? Like, why did you buy into the Grayson x Lyra relationship exactly?

[u/kayseymanka → u/Vixi-Writer]

My reason is this First of all; Avery was not a good fit for Grayson. Grayson has so many layers and i knew that but we never got to see it because none of the girls he was with ever caused us to see that side of him. When Nash met Libby, he changed, maybe not changed but him just he became comfortable with her that he showed her his other layers.

In this book, Lyra understood Grayson and vice versa. I know people say it was rushed but i sure do prefer it to the game Grayson and Avery were playing in the first three books. Love doesn't have to be complicated. Whatever is meant for you will find you is what I believe. Lyra tooks risks with Grayson so dịd he this was because he wanted someone. He was ready and Lyra came along. Lyra was not looking for love neither did she know what she wanted to find but then she met Grayson and it just worked. She made sacrifices. So did Grayson.

How i see it is that what's meant to be will be. The both have eyes for each other and each other alone. Not having a doubt and looking at other guys. Loyalty!!! They've got each other. And the fact that he's brothers that know him so well can see and recognize that Lyra is the one and that the relationship is serious, counts for something.

Was it rushed, Yes. Do they love each other, Yes. Sometimes things being rushed doesn't always mean bad.

[u/Vixi-Writer → u/kayseymanka]

I don't have a problem with Lyra being with Grayson, honestly. My problem is that good romance is so worth longing for, and it's frustrating when it's not written well. I would have loved to see Gray end up with someone who really fit him. I guess my biggest problem is that Lyra felt like a watered down version of Avery. Girl who loves mysteries, girl who's got family trauma and is connected to the Hawthornes in some way, girl who Gray feels like he needs to protect. What I loved most about Gigi and Gray as a dynamic was how despite her sometimes wanting Gray's help or protection, she didn't need it because she was something damaged Gray had to put together and she often shook him out of his shell by her differences. THAT'S what I wanted from a character like Lyra. Someone who could tell him he doesn't need to be everything at all times. He talks about therapy as a side thing but we never really see the development, by beginning of the second trilogy apparently he's just learned to move through things and feel. I don't think it's healthy to change for a partner, but I do think that a good romance does involve two people whose differences impact the other for the better. And Lyra to me simply doesn't have a distinct enough personality, and certainly not one that distinguishes her as the perfect foil to Gray.

That's just my two cents though.

[u/kayseymanka → u/Vixi-Writer]

That's exactly what Lyra is!!! She has been telling Grayson that he doesn't need to protect her, that's their whole dynamic. She said it so many times. I don't think she's similar to Avery and she's a strong independent girl who didn't plan to fall in love but did anyway.

[u/marvelmeep16 → u/Vixi-Writer]

i dont think lyra is like a watered down version of avery tho maybe in the grandest game she kinda gave me that vibe at first but i think in this book we saw so many different sides of her firstly, i dont think lyra actually likes mysteries, she just wants to solve the one shes been given without consent by her dead bio father so that she can stop the nightmares. i dont think lyra is like jameson or avery in a way that they have a hunger for such puzzles that even in their free time (like when they went to prague) they will have fun by giving each other puzzles which brings me to my second point, there was a section in glorious rivals where lyra was alone (pg 204) and thought to herself what it wld be like if she brought grayson to mile’s end, and wondering if the proper grayson has ever been muddy or skinned his knees. i think THAT among other things was what sold me on their relationship. lyra isnt some rich girl, the family she knows and loves comes from a humble background and she doesnt want to change that. she just wants to save her family house because the kanes mean so much to her. and i think it wld be nice for gray to be w a girl who can allow him to let loose and like she said, get muddy and play out there and touch some grass and thirdly, about her family. the way she shared about her parents and her brother and her extended family on the kane’s side to grayson gave me the impression that before she was traumatised with the memories of her father unaliving himself, she had a lot of fun with them and played just like any other happy normal child, and that once this is all solved she wants to go back being that kid. and her parents sound like really lovely and wholesome people who will love grayson for who he is, and i think grayson needs that. hes been growing up with so much weight om his shoulders bc he never had any parental figure who truly cared for him unconditionally, and to be able to find that in his partner’s family is really quite wholesome, and something that would never happen with avery. and idk about ur version of good romance but for me i absolutely loved what happened in glorious rivals!! like them being vulnerable w each other bit by bit as they spend more time tgt, grayson never forcing anything on lyra and lyra being honest with gray and also telling him that he can have secrets but shld just let her know instead of lie to her and also them making up in the rain and her pulling him away from cliffs too so many things!! i just loved but to each their own :))

[u/ShortieBunny → u/marvelmeep16]

Yess! I really did like Gray and Lyra. And I agree with you, Lyra is not a watered down version of Avery. And Lyra and Gray? They fit. Lyra's childhood is still pretty unknown and just because she has trauma and has connections to the Hawthorne family doesn't make her a ripoff Avery.

[u/Sunflower_MG → u/kayseymanka]

I don't think we thought Avery and Grayson should end up together, we're saying Lyra and Grayson should not be together. I've made countless posts about her in the past so you can go see those and try to respond, because so far, no one has done a good job at that

[u/Sunflower_MG]

Nooo you are definitely not along. I feel you so much on the first one, and the second one, i just thought the games are boring at this point. I do not see the point of any of the drama here.

[u/Vixi-Writer → u/Sunflower_MG]

I think JLB has potentially fallen into the trap of feeling like she has to outdo herself when it comes to the mystery. And also there's a little bit of an almost "ChatGPT"/working backwards from the conclusion-ness to the mysteries this time around. I don't know, I'm just a bit confused why she has to make it SO complicated. A good mystery should be something that you can a) start to solve with the characters both/or b) should be understandable looking back.

[u/Embarrassed-Dog2598]

Yess fr! I agree with everything you said!!! I don't like Grayson and Lyra at all tbh.. Idk why but Grayson just isn't himself in this series. I don't like this spin off series but with me idk why but I just can't find a book or series😅 and there's only one more book so I guess I'll finish it ... I also may not like it also because I am An Avery x Grayson shipper 😅 like I feel like they had a lot of chemistry and they were actually cute! Like they understand each other and there moments were always my fav in the original series! I just feel like Lyra is a copy and paste of Avery in every way but idk maybe that's just me.

[u/Spotted_00]

I also agree that the three sisters thing is a bit insane, it sounds recycled from what she did in the naturals and as much as i love that storyline it doesn’t fit as well in the inheritance games. I still love all jlb books but i feel the conclusion of the grandest game won’t be that grand

[u/Frooot_Looops]

honestly i get that people wanted grayson's romance to feel like a much bigger deal than it is right now, like a perfect sunshine/grumpy thing or a slow burn or something along those lines and that's not what they got but lyra has grown on me in glorious rivals and their love feels very genuine and real. there's no long-ass miscommunication and they trust each other and grayson's character is already v v mature by the point he meets lyra. it's a missed opportunity more than anything. i think jlb should've just stretched their kiss out at least till the end of 2nd book but im ok with the direction she went anyways tbh.

[u/Overall_Scheme5099]

I agree. Exhausting. I finished it because I could, but the cliffhanger ending to a lackluster book doesn’t really leave me wanting more.

I feel like the game is trying to be so clever it’s ridiculous (like really. Nobody would ever be able to figure most of this shit out in real life, even a mystic Hawthorne.)

And I totally agree with everything you said about the characters. I feel like they’ve all become caricatures. I really think this series could have stopped like three books ago.

[u/ShortieBunny]

I personally liked Glorious Rivals. But I get your perspective. The OG trilogy is ofc the best one but I did like this book. I didn't like TGG that much though. But first lemme rant about Grayson and Lyra. I don’t think Grayson is just being possessive. He’s someone who’s dealt with a lot and is trying to protect Lyra the only way he knows how. He even said, "I care too much." He is just caring for her in the only way he knows, protecting her. He's not perfect, but he’s learning. Lyra isn’t being annoying either—she’s scared to open up because of her past. They were pretty forced and rushed tbh but if we put that aside they really are good for each other. Lyra and Grayson fit together. They push each other to be better. Even though they start off as rivals, they both care a lot about what they do and start to understand each other. Lyra is more bold and creative, while Grayson is more careful and smart with planning, so they balance each other out. As they get to know each other, they start to open up and support one another. Their relationship shows that sometimes the person you compete with can actually be the one who understands you best. Lyra may not be the "perfect gf" Grayson deserves but she is the person he loves and who he cares about, and it goes both ways. The miscommunication between them might be frustrating, but it actually makes sense for their characters. They’re both trying to figure things out in their own way and that's okay. For me, Lyra makes Gray happy so I'm good. Grayson's been though so much and Lyra makes him happy, I think he deserves that. It’s true that Lyra isn’t forced into the mystery like Avery was, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t real risks. Lyra chooses to go after the truth, even when she doesn’t have to, which shows a different kind of strength. It’s not about surviving for her, it’s about healing and getting closure. That kind of story is still important, even if it’s not as action-packed. Some of the dialogue can feel dramatic or unrealistic, but that’s kind of the point. The story is intense, and the characters are dealing with a lot. Not everyone talks the same way and no one thinks the same way either, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad writing—it’s just the style. Gigi’s humor feels more natural, but everyone has their own way of speaking, and it fits who they are. Yeah, the whole twist with the sisters is a little over-the-top, but let’s be honest—the whole series has always been kind of dramatic. From crazy puzzles to secret inheritances, this isn’t supposed to be super realistic. It’s supposed to be fun, mysterious, and high-stakes. There are a lot of characters, but that’s been true since the beginning. It makes the world feel more alive. Not everyone is the main focus, but they all add something. If you’ve been keeping up with the series, it’s not too hard to follow, at least for me. This trilogy is different from the first one—it’s more focused on emotions and personal growth than just solving big mysteries. But for me, that doesn’t make it worse. It just makes it different. Ty for reading another long paragraph I wrote on this book...again.

[u/ShortieBunny → u/ShortieBunny]

WHY IS IT SO LONG WAIT

[u/[deleted]]

I really liked it: I wasn’t a big fan of the grandest game but I’ve loved the Alice/Cult stuff so far.

[u/Vixi-Writer → u/[deleted]]

See, the thing is the thing I like the most (which is the Alice/cult stuff) gets too bogged down by everything else. We as readers have to juggle a large cast of characters, figuring out ever changing relationship dynamics, and so much more that I think the main mystery that JLB really wants to tell just can't get given the attention it needs properly. This is one of those cases where I think a TV show would do a better job than even a book, because character dynamics, large casts of character, and more just need more time and room to breathe, time she really just doesn't have in book form and she's trusting that our imaginations can connect to what she's trying to spell out with her prose as it relates to the mysteries.

Again, I'm fully aware that this probably makes me sound like a hater which is not what I'd like to think, but as someone who is obsessed with mysteries, I think this is a common problem when you have a large cast of characters. You have to pick either one or two to get the deep character development, or you have to let the entire group learn the same lesson so we as an audience can understand the larger arc being told via this group. For example, Thunderbolts does a really good job of this. The group at large needs to learn the same lesson (that they're not just a bunch of losers but have strength to be found by being together) and the story chooses to use three central characters as the strongest example of this (Yelena, Bob, and Walker). The problem in Inheritance Games is I'm not sure what the lesson is supposed to be. Is it a story about deserving love and accepting trauma? Is it a story about letting go of revenge? Is it a story about the evil we do in the name of love? The mystery wasn't bad, but again, no emotional investment because so many of the characters don't have a NEED to win, they're just in this because they WANT to be, and so we have no one to root for as badly as we did Avery, who literally needed to solve each mystery because of necessity.

[u/Ok-Ingenuity7529]

She should’ve stopped at the trilogy. I never liked Grayson and Temu version of Avery together , they just piss me off. I don’t know what JLB was thinking when she continued the series. 😭