The Hawthorne Legacy

“[Jameson] started looking at me like I was a mystery again, a puzzle that he, and only he, could solve.”

Avery worries that the Hawthorne brothers view her as a passive object, a clue in one of their grandfather’s games. By the book’s end, Avery will have completed her coming-of-age journey and no longer harbor these fears—and Jameson will acknowledge her personal agency as an adult.

“If I win […] then you have to forget that we ever kissed—and never try to charm me into kissing you again.”

These words help to give valuable backstory, reminding the reader of the fact that Jameson and Avery have a romantic past. They also set the romantic subplot up for a narrative flip: Here, Avery doesn’t want to kiss Jameson ever again, but the book will end with a scene of the two characters kissing.

“I will always protect you. But this… us…It can’t happen, Avery.”

Grayson says words to Avery in The Inheritance Games, and she recalls them here in The Hawthorne Legacy. They hint at the possible love triangle between Grayson, Jameson, and Avery, adding tension to the romantic subplot since Avery still has feelings for Grayson.

“I have a secret about the day you were born.”

Avery remembers these words spoken by her mother in The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne Legacy. They help build narrative tension by emphasizing an unsolved mystery (the “secret”). At one point, Avery will believe (erroneously) that this secret is that Toby/Harry is her real father.

“This was a Cinderella story, and I was the star.”

Avery is constantly reminded by others (like Alisa) and reminding herself that she’s living a “Cinderella story” thanks to her surprise inheritance. In fact, her newfound fortune causes emotional distress and puts her life in danger, turning the conceit of the “fairytale ending” on its head.

“The repercussions could be deadly.”

Oren says these words to Avery, reminding her and the reader of the danger Avery faces. These reminders help to elevate narrative tension and foreshadow critical plot points like the airplane explosion and Avery’s kidnapping.

“Call your friend Max. Let her be your person. Not one of them.”

Alisa says these words to Avery, reminding Avery of the dangers of being too trusting of a Hawthorne brother [“them”]. The constant warnings Avery gets regarding the Hawthornes (e.g., the cautionary tale of Emily’s death following her love triangle with Grayson and Jameson) adds an element of danger to the romantic subplot with Jameson.

“I thought about the news coverage of the fire. The suggestion that there had been a wild party that had spun out of control. The way that the tragedy had been blamed, again and again, on Kaylie Rooney, when the three upstanding young men had been partying straight out of rehab.”

With this thought, Avery flags the dangers of class distinctions—a central theme in the book. Tobias used his power and wealth to ensure Toby wasn’t blamed publicly for the fire, scapegoating underprivileged Kaylie instead.

“I want a DNA test.”

Avery demands a DNA test to confirm her (incorrect) suspicions that Ricky is not her real father. By the book’s end, Avery will realize that DNA doesn’t necessarily “make” a family. For example, Avery rebels against Libby’s worries that they aren’t “really” half-sisters if Ricky isn’t Avery’s dad (see quote 12) and Avery is touched when Toby/Harry calls her his “daughter” (see quote 24).

“I’m not the glass ballerina.”

The glass ballerina is symbolic of Avery’s presentation as a passive clue in the Hawthornes’ games. Here, she asserts her self-agency and independence to Grayson, furthering her coming-of-age narrative.

“If you say we aren’t sisters, I will flying-tackle you right here.”

Avery says this to Libby, refuting the idea that “family” is based on blood links alone. This point of view is supported in other instances, such as when Toby/Harry calls Avery his daughter (see quote 24) and when Avery’s biological grandmother pushes her away (see quote 21).

“I moved again through the water. The rest of the space between us vanished. I brought my lips to Jameson’s, and he kissed me, hard. My body remembered this. I kissed him back.”

This kiss between Avery and Jameson advances their romantic subplot. It also shows Avery proactively seizing control and pursuing Jameson (which she does only with Max’s encouragement), furthering her journey to adulthood.

“It was a professional.”

Eli says these words to Oren, and they send Avery into a tailspin, making her wonder if they mean a professional hitman. This elevates the narrative tension, reminding the reader that Avery is in physical danger at all times.

“I was surrounded by a fortune in jewels, but the one thing I needed wasn’t here.”

Avery’s words here speak to the fact that money/fortune can’t satisfy all needs. This becomes increasingly apparent in The Hawthorne Legacy, as Hawthorne House and its fortune is painted as a “gilded cage.”

“STOP LOOKING.”

This is the written message Toby/Harry leaves for Avery. It further elevates the mysterious nature of his disappearance and spurs Avery on to solve the mystery, accomplishing the opposite of Toby/Harry’s intent.

“It was gentle and slow and terrifying and perfect. For once in my life, I didn’t feel alone.”

Avery’s thoughts on her kiss with Jameson in this instance show how she’s become emotionally closer to him. The idea that she doesn’t feel alone with him speaks to a deeper bond and the fact that Avery is increasingly letting her guard down.

“This is what it meant to be a Hawthorne. This should probably be in a museum, but my brothers and I like to hit things with it instead.”

This is one of Avery's many observations about the Hawthorne’s wealth that critiques the class distinction between her world of origin and theirs. Avery voices this critique when Grayson is teaching her sword fighting.

“Why did I feel like I’d betrayed him [Jameson]?”

This line reflects the deepening bond between Avery and Jameson and comes after Avery’s kiss with Grayson. In The Inheritance Games, it wasn’t quite clear which Hawthorne brother Avery would go for; in The Hawthorne Legacy, it’s increasingly clear that Jameson is Avery’s match.

“I will never stop being sorry about your sister.”

These words are written in a letter from Toby/Harry to Hannah/Sarah, Avery’s mother. They are a pivotal plot twist in two ways: They affirm Toby/Harry’s guilt in the Hawthorne Island fire, and they confirm that Kaylie is Hannah/Sarah’s sister.

“If my worthless daughter had taught you the first damn thing about this family, you wouldn’t dare have dialed my number. […] If that little bitch hadn’t run, I would have put a bullet in her myself. You think I want a dime of your blood money, girl? You think you’re family? You hang up that phone. You forget my name.”

Avery’s grandmother says these words when Avery calls her. They confirm that Hannah/Sarah escaped a potentially dangerous situation. They also drive home the book’s argument that “family” is not made by blood ties.

“It hurt to love him, and she loved him anyway.”

Avery thinks this when reading her mother’s love letters to Toby/Harry. These words bring Avery closer to Hannah/Sarah, as Avery can relate to the pain of loving someone due to her up-and-down feelings for Jameson.

“You aren’t a prize to be won. […] You’re not a puzzle or a riddle or a clue. […]. You aren’t a mystery to me, Avery, because deep down, we’re the same.”

With these words, Jameson finally acknowledges Avery’s self-agency as an adult and as a player in the Hawthorne games, not just a clue. It’s only after Jameson acknowledges this that Avery can fully fall for him. This develops themes around Coming of Age.

“Tobias Hawthorne the Second wasn’t my father. He hadn’t raised me. I didn’t carry a single drop of his blood. But he’d just called me his daughter.”

Avery has this emotionally charged thought after Toby/Harry calls her his daughter. This moment further drives home the point that “family” isn’t defined by blood relations alone (see also quotes 21, 12, and 10).