2025
WISE Score
Amazon
Knives Out meets Escape Room, packed with enough family drama and billionaire puzzles to keep even the most screen-addicted teen glued to the page.
4.4
4.4View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has a formula, and it works. This isn't 'high literature' in the dusty sense, but it is the total opposite of brain rot.
It’s a puzzle box in book form that rewards kids for paying attention to details and thinking three steps ahead. It’s snappy, smart, and a much better use of a Saturday than scrolling TikTok for six hours—even if TikTok is where your kid probably heard about it first.
Perfect for 12 to 17-year-olds, but honestly, plenty of adults are obsessed with this series too. If they can handle a PG-13 mystery movie, they’re ready for this.
While the plot centers on a high-stakes competition for riches, the core themes remain rooted in sibling loyalty and navigating complex family dynamics. It avoids the 'mean-spirited' trap common in competitive YA stories.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the master of the 'puzzle-box' mystery. The riddles, secret passages, and elaborate game mechanics on Hawthorne Island are top-tier for sparking curiosity and lateral thinking.
Standard YA thriller fare. There is tension and mild peril, but it lacks graphic violence, gore, or explicit content that would catch a parent off guard. It's a safe bet for the 12+ crowd.
It demands active engagement. Readers have to track clues and solve puzzles alongside the characters, making it a great mental workout disguised as a page-turner.
Get a personalized guide on any topic
