The Inheritance Games Chapters 27–35 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapters 27–35

Chapter 27

That evening, Avery and Jameson meet in the library at Hawthorne House. She suggests they search for a book with a mismatched cover, and the two of them begin pulling each book off the shelves. As they work, Avery reveals to Jameson that she met Thea at school and that she mentioned a girl who died. He pauses before explaining that the girl’s name was Emily, and from the way he speaks about her, Avery senses she was very important to him. Not wanting to stumble upon any more difficult topics, Avery suggests they stop searching for the night.

Chapter 28

Unable to fall asleep, Avery explores the house, and Oren trails behind her. She finds her way into a room that looks like an opera house, and as she picks up a fancy-looking violin, she hears Grayson’s curt voice behind her. He warns her to be careful with Jameson and emphasizes how her presence at Hawthorne House is tearing his family apart. Despite Avery’s attempts to insist that she is not at fault, Grayson continues believing she purely wants their money. Avery’s mention of Emily causes him to stop in his tracks and predict that she will not last in the house.

Chapter 29

Libby is waiting for Avery when she returns to her bedroom, proudly showing off the new electronics that she purchased for Avery to use. After this initial excitement, Libby uses the new tablet to show her two interviews, one in which Drake hints at a possible relationship between Avery and Tobias and another where Skye and Zara emphasize their determination to set the record about their father straight. The intention of both reports is clearly to villainize Avery, and she reassures Libby that she will call Alisa to discuss them in the morning.

Chapter 30

Alisa finds Avery in the morning and reassures her that the law firm will handle Zara and Skye. She also tells Avery that Tobias Hawthorne changed his name to include Tattersall twenty years previously, around the same time he wrote his prior will that gave everything to charity. Avery asks why so many changes happened at the same time, and Alisa reveals that the Hawthornes’ youngest child and only son, Toby, died in a fire at one of his parents’ vacation homes along with three of his friends twenty years ago. Mr. Hawthorne reaffirmed the old version of the will yearly until a year prior when he rewrote it, giving almost everything to Avery. Avery wonders if Tobias knew her mother. Alisa moves on and emphasizes that Libby needs to lie low, and Avery must update her wardrobe to look the part.

Chapter 31

Avery decides to find the Hawthorne House’s bowling alley, and as she punches her initials into the scoreboard, a welcome message comes up with her full name. She wonders if Tobias Hawthorne himself had programmed it in before his passing, but she manages to dismiss this thought and play five rounds. Avery then decides to search for the gym, and inside, she finds Jameson on the climbing wall with no harness. She cannot help but watch him climb, her heart racing as she tries to convince herself to keep her distance. When Avery turns around, she sees Grayson watching them.

Chapter 32

Avery arrives at the Hawthorne library to meet Jameson, but when he arrives, Grayson enters directly behind him. He demands to know what Avery and Jameson are doing, and she eventually admits to him that they are following what they believe to be a clue left for them by the boys’ grandfather. As the boys argue, Grayson recites proverbs from Jameson’s letter, revealing that he received the same message. They both refuse to give anything away to the other, their competitive spirit heightening the tension in the room. Avery ultimately decides that Grayson can stay and help them parse through the books.

Chapter 33

Avery, Jameson, and Grayson continue to search the library, although they begin to lose hope of finding anything. Grayson continues to try to intimidate Avery, but as he talks to her, Jameson calls out from the upper level. Avery meets him, and he shows her a book whose cover does not match its contents. In addition to finding a thin piece of red film inside the cover, Avery notices certain words circled in pencil throughout. From down below, Grayson explains that his grandfather often used filter paper to leave secret messages in red ink. Avery realizes that the circled words make the phrase “Where there is a…there is a way”; the missing word is “will,” leading the group to suspect that there may be a secret message hidden in a copy of Tobias Hawthorne’s will.

Chapter 34

When Avery asks Alisa about a will written in red ink, she agrees to let her read the Red Will if she does her a favor. That favor turns out to be undergoing a makeover with a team of stylists, a task which Avery resents but endures. Libby, meanwhile, enjoys watching her sister flounder in front of the stylists. Avery eventually accepts the “preppy with an edge” look, but she questions why she has to “tell a story” with her clothes. Xander appears in the doorway with an answer, emphasizing that someone else will try to define her if she refuses to do it herself. As the makeover draws to an end, Zara enters and asks Avery to have a word with her.

Chapter 35

Once alone, Avery begins her conversation with Zara by confronting her about the press conference she gave. Zara dismisses this and continues with pleasantries, offering her assistance through Avery’s transition period. Specifically, she reveals her role as the head of the Hawthorne Foundation, explains its basic budget and functions, and insists that she will not have her life’s work be undone. Avery does not fire her, but she does make clear her desire to be involved in deciding where the money goes. Zara offers to teach her about the logistics of the foundation after school.

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