Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Absorbing series second adds more puzzles, dark secrets.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
GLORIOUS RIVALS picks up almost immediately after the events of The Grandest Game, with five contestants left vying for the vast fortune at stake in heiress Avery Grambs' fiendish game of puzzles and riddles. Four of them pair up into teams with the understanding that, in the end, it will be each player for themselves. As they follow the trail of mind-bending clues, secrets start to reveal themselves, plans for betrayals are laid, and hearts start to break. And what about the contestant playing on his own? Will that turn out to be the biggest advantage of all?
Is It Any Good?
This absorbing continuation of the offshoot to the popular The Inheritance Games retains everything fans have enjoyed about the series: compelling characters, fiendish puzzles, romance, and suspense. Short chapters that end on surprising or suspenseful notes keep the pages turning. Familiar characters return, and Gigi's storyline adds a refreshing dose of humor and optimism to the mix. Most of the puzzles are pretty tough, but readers can enjoy figuring them out along with the relatable yet glamorous older teen and young adult characters. The story is by no means over, and fans will be eager to read the next installment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Glorious Rivals. Does it add to the story or the suspense, or does it seem gratuitous?
Are the two pairs of characters who team up good examples of teamwork, even though they openly plan to cut the other loose when they get to the end of the game? How does working together help people who are mainly out for themselves?
Have you read any of the other books in this series? How does this one compare, and which do you like best? If you haven't read them before, would you like to now?
How easy or difficult were the puzzles? Did you figure any of them out before the contestants did?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
- Publication date : July 29, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
- Number of pages : 432
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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