rereading the og trilogy and reading games untold (im not done yet but still) has confirmed to me that i prefer the og series much more than tgg (tgg isn't bad but it really doesnt compare to the og series). i prefer the tig plot and cast so much more than tgg's. (THIS IS JUST MY OPINION)

everything we know about games untold so far as of september 23th

because i had nothing better to do, i decided to stalk jlb's insta for all the info we have on games untold so far (it was absolute torture but worth it). i'll update this as often as i can as we get more information. all of this information comes from jlb's insta (some from posts and some from comments). if any of you have questions on where i found some of this information, i'll do my best to find it again and respond, but, like i said, some of this info comes from her comment section on her insta posts and i might not be able to find it again.

timeline

the book takes place before the grandest game but is meant to be read after (i don't remember why. i think its because there are things in games untold that could spoil tgg but pls correct me if i'm wrong). the stories (or scenes ig) range from before some of the grandsons were born to right before tgg. most of the stories are set after tbh.

this means that none of the characters introduced in tgg will appear in games untold.

novellas

-> that night in prague

"a challenged heiress. a game like no other. a night ending in flames."

the story is told from avery's pov (first person). its about the three days that averyjameson spent in prague, including that night jameson kept mentioning in tbh. jlb says its the most averyjameson thing she's ever written. the novella shows who avery and jameson are together and how they puzzle and push each other.

the post jlb made about this novella has a key in the bottom left corner (each post has a different item).

-> the same backward as forward

"she has every reason to hate him. he cannot remember why"

this story is from hannah's pov (first person). hannah is a few years older than avery was in the inheritance games. the novella is technically long enough to be considered a novel. jlb mentioned that she cried actual tears (which she rarely does when reading according to her) when rereading this novella.

the post jlb made about this novella has a compass in the bottom left corner.

stories

-> the cowboy and the goth

"an unlikely love story"

this story is told from libby's pov (first person). scenes span the original trilogy and the brother's hawthorne, up to shortly before the grandest game. nash is obviously one of the main characters in the story (and jlb mentioned that writing this made her fall in love with him even more)

although you could technically read the collection of novellas and stories in any order, jlb recommends reading this story after tobannah's novella because it adds some extra meaning.

the post jlb made about this story has a cowboy boot in the bottom left corner.

-> five times xander tackled someone (and one time he didn't)

this story is told form xander's pov (close third person). it contains one of her favorite maxander moments. it starts when xander was two years old and goes all the way up through the final gambit.

jlb mentioned that we'll get a xander/thea/rebecca scene in this colection of novellas and short stories. i can't remember if she specified which story, but i'm assuming it's this one.

the post jlb made about this story has a coin in the bottom left corner.

-> one hawthorne night (previously released as bonus tfg content)

"karaoke. leather pants. grayson hawthorne"

this story is from grayson's pov (close third person). it's set right after tfg (before the epilogue).

jlb says that the energy we get from this story is what we can expect from most of this collection.

the post jlb made about this story has a sword in the bottom left corner.

-> $3CR3T S@NT@

"at hawthorne house, christmas is a contact sport"

this story is from avery's pov (she didn't specify whether it was first person of close third person, but i'm guessing its first person). it has a lot in common with the game 'assassins' and is set a few weeks after tfg (the last chapter, not the epilogue). it's avery's 'first time playing'.

the post jlb made about this story also has a key in the bottom left corner.

-> what happens in the treehouse (previously released as bonus tbh content)

i don't remember what pov this was but i think it was third person xander. the story is about nash's bachelor party and is set shortly after nash announces his engagement to libby.

the post jlb made about this story has a compass in the bottom left corner.

-> pain at the right gun

according to jlb, everything about this story is top secret. the only thing we know is that she recommends reading this story last.

the post jlb made about this story also has a cowboy hat in the bottom left corner.

exclusive editions

-> barnes and noble (usa) / indigo (canada)

the bonus content for this edition includes 3 (i think) unfinished stories with short introductions for each one. one story involves grayson and april fools, another includes max and hilarity, and the other is a secret. the cover for this edition is a pinkish dark orange.

-> target

this is the edition jlb associates with toby and hannah. the bonus content includes pages from jlb's journal focused on the development of tobannah's story. this edition is silver (which jlb says suits toby and hannah well)

-> waterstone

i really don't know much about this edition, but i remember that it has sprayed edges. i dont think it has any bonus content inside though.

quotes

" 'you're hawthornes,' the old man said. 'if you're going to do something - and i do consider wrestling to be something - then do it well. do it right.'"

-> i think this quote comes from secret santa. wrestling is a contact sport, and jlb, when talking about secret santa, says that christmas, at hawthorne house, is a contact sport.

" 'you are fiendish, avery kylie grambs. as far as distractions go, that one wasn't even fair.' I shrugged, 'i play dirty.'"

-> the quote comes from the avery card jlb posted on instagram. the 's' in 'as' is in bold so i'm guessing that once we have all eight cards, we'll get a word/phrase. i'm guessing this comes from the averyjameson novella. she's the queen of spades and she's wearing a necklace with a key pendant.

"'i'll make you a bet, libby grambs.' nash nods to the pocket in which he's getting ready to sink the eight ball, does the deed, and sets the pool cue down.'

-> the quote comes from the libby card jlb posted on instagram. the 'i' in 'in' is in bold. this probably comes from the libbynash story. she's the ace of hearts and she's holding a cupcake.

"nash hawthorne is pale blue skies. he's grass and mud. he's steady."

-> the quote comes from the nash card jlb posted on her instagram. the last 's' in 'skies' is in bold. based on what we know, this probably comes from the libbynash story. he's the king of hearts and he's wearing a cowboy hat.

"maxine liu was absolutely, positively not going to show xander hawthorne her tattoo- the very nerdy, extremely secret tattoo she'd admitted to hours earlier in hawthorne chutes and ladders."

-> the quote comes from the xander card jlb posted on her instagram. the last 't' in 'tattoo' is in bold. i'm guessing this comes from the unfinished max story that will be available in the b&n/indigo edition of games untold. he's the jack of hearts and he's holding a wrench.

"toby hawthorne was the damn ocean. he was a force. he was awful and wonderful and whether he was here or not, whether i ever saw him again or not- he was never going to be nothing to me"

-> the quote comes form the toby card jlb posted on her instagram. the 'c' in 'ocean' is in bold. i'm guessing this comes from the tobannah novella. he's the eight of diamonds and he's holding a lighter.

"i was a hannah with two h's, and i was supposed to be invisible. the two of us definitely wouldn't be seeing each other again. we wouldn't be setting the world on fire. he never should have seen me at all."

-> the quote comes from the hannah card jlb posted on her insta. the 'o' in 'on' is in bold. this probably comes from the tobannah novella. she's the eight of spades and she's holding a postcard.

"'i am not naming the dog.' i tell him. "but if i did, i'd call her trouble.'"

-> this comes from the tiramisu card jlb posted on her insta. the 'n' in 'naming' is in bold. he's wearing a collar with a ring on it and he's the two of hearts.

all the character cards (so far): here

miscellaneous information

mine was gigi

just wanna say that @lyrakanefanatic's fake tweet posts are literally the best things that have ever graced this earth. fucking love them so much

tgg thoughts

part 1 - overall thoughts

i want to start by saying that this is my opinion. you have the right to have your own. i really don't want to see any comments hating on me saying that i'm wrong and shit. some of the things i like and don't like don't really have any reasoning behind it. sometimes i just don't like or like smth and idk why.

i rated the book 4/5 stars. i'm usually quite generous with my ratings (i tend to give 5 stars to every book i read unless it really doesnt deserve it. if i had fun reading a book, i give it five stars even if i have complaints).

i'll start with what i didn't like about the book and finish with what i liked.

tgg spoilers obviously

i've finally finished tgg which means i can now post all of my thoughts. i'll do multiple parts. one part will be for my overall thoughts (like the plot, pacing, etc), 1 part for the 3 romances, and i'll do one part for each of the players (i might even do one part for all the minor characters like avery, nash, jameson, and xander) (so this means 1 post for my general thoughts, 8 parts for the 8 players, 3 parts for the 3 romances, and maybe 1 more for the minor characters)

I FINALLY FINISHED TGG. i've known the ending since before the book was officially released, but reading it still managed to shock me.

i need to finish tgg. i have time i just can't find the energy to pick up the fucking book.

i'm quite sure i've made a post about this before, but, after reading about savannah's vendetta against avery for 'killing her father', i felt like making another.

in tbh, after grayson talks to his brothers about losing his sisters and jameson tells him to talk to avery (about the kidnapping and sheffield's death), avery comes up to him while he's in the pool and tells him that she should've found another way to get out instead of letting him be killed (as if there was another option (spoiler alert: there wasn't).

to set the scene, avery was tricked by thea into being kidnapped by sheffield. when she woke up (after being knocked out by drugs), her arms were tied behind her back (and i think her legs were tied to the legs of the chair too). there was gasoline all over the floor bc sheffield had planned to set the place on fire after shooting avery. mellie, at first, was fully on sheffield's side (bc she didn't know he was gonna kill her. she didn't think he'd go that far. avery didn't know that, though, she was under the impression mellie knew what was going to happen). she was so used to being abandoned and forgotten (and was so sure she wasn't worth it) that she was convinced toby wasn't going to come and save her. she had no access to a phone and they were in the middle of nowhere with no one around. sheffield had the taken the time to make sure that no one except for toby would be able to find them (and no one would come looking for them) (jokes on him, oren would do anything to find avery and always succeeds (cause he's just that girl) (and also cause he sees her as a daughter but thats a topic for another post).

i've thought about this for so long, and i honestly don't know what avery could have possibly done to get out of that situation alive. even if she managed to unbind herself and head for the door (which i'm sure was locked from the inside. sheffield is too smart to just leave the door unlocked), all sheffield would have to do is throw a match and set the place (and her) on fire. he doesn't even have to shoot her. she couldn't call anyone and screaming for help is useless because no one can hear her. avery didn't even know mellie was going to shoot sheffield until after he was dead cause mellie was hidden. toby had no weapon so he wouldn't have been able to hurt sheffield or knock him out (he could've used his hands but sheffield had a weapon. if he saw toby approaching him, he would've just shot him). sheffield is too smart to let himself be distracted. there's probably more i'm missing but i'm sure there's literally no other way she could've gotten out of there. its not like she could've talked him out of it or anything. he wouldn't risk her going to the police after this was all over.

i feel like this entire situation (her telling grayson she should've found another way) goes to show how little she cares about herself and her well being (even after all the character development she went through throughout the trilogy). there was no other way out. every other solution ended with her dead, and her saying that she should've found another way basically means that she should've just let herself die to make grayson's life easier.

avery is constantly putting other's needs above her own. we see this throughout her books. she's so convinced she's not worthy of attention, love, and care that she couldn't even believe jameson had feelings for her. throughout the entirety of thl, we see her question jameson's angle and wonder what he wants from her instead of just realizing that he simply cares for her. i find it so sad that the idea of someone loving her is so unfathomable to her. i could go on and on about this (i have so much to say) but i'm tired so i won't.

tgg spoilers for those who havent read

i'm convinced eve is the one who told savannah that avery killed her father (at the end of tbh, she says she's going to have a little talk with savannah. i'm quite sure this is what they talked about). another reason to hate eve because why can't she just give up. hasn't she put avery and the hawthornes through enough? avery only treated her with kindness and she thanks her with this. ik a lot of people hate savannah for believing these lies, and although i love avery and hate that someone would want to hurt her, i don't think its fair to hate on savannah. no one hated grayson when he was being manipulated by eve so why should we hate sav for it. its the same situation just slightly different. eve managed to turn grayson and savannah (and jamie too although less than grayson and sav) against avery. we should be hating on her, not the people she manipulated. (note: i might be wrong about this eve thing, if i am, just ignore this. the hating on savannah thing still stands though. it doesn't matter who told her these lies, she was still manipulated)

i can't help but think that the hatred for savannah is rooted in misogyny. you mean to tell me that you feel bad for grayson (a man) for being a victim of eve's, but hate on savannah (a woman) for also being one? this happens in so many fandoms. a female character gets hated on for something a male character would be pitied for (idk if this makes sense, im tired)

anyways, avery is my girl. she deserves the world and she's so overlooked. i find her so fucking interesting and complex. i would honestly love to read an essay on her by jlb (she has a degree in psychology, im sure an essay on avery (or any character) written by her would eat).

so mad cause i literally have no time to read tgg. i don’t know when ill be able to actually sit down and read the fucking book

really minor tgg spoilers?

i just started the book. grayson is pissing me off so bad. IM SORRY. i hate his attitude sometimes (this is one of the many reasons why i prefer his brothers) (dont get me wrong i do like him)

the book hasnt even been out for 24 hours and im already seeing people on tiktok post about tgg without using spoiler warnings. wtf PLS USE SPOILER WARNINGS ITS NOT THAT HARD.

tgg comes out tmr for some people and im sure some of you will receive the book early so i beg of you, pls add spoiler warnings when posting about it or add those 'keep reading' things. a lot of people won't be able to start reading until days or weeks later and it would be unfair for those people to have the book unwillingly spoiled to them.

ranking of who i think should win the games based on all the spoilers my best friend told me which is the entire book. I WONT BE SPOILING ANYTHING I KNOW UNLESS ITS FROM THE FIRST NINE CHAPTERS THAT WERE RELEASED/LEAKED so if you havent read the first nine chapters and dont want them spoiled, dont read this. also it is the first book and we dont know everything so this is only based on what i know is revealed in book one.

MY BEST FRIEND GOT TGG EARLY. OMG THE SPOILERS. THE SHIPS EVERYTHING JSLKFJSLFJFLKSJFDS.

my best friend ordered the book and the bookstore received it early. she went to the bookstore and begged to get it and they gave it.

ok so i noticed this parallel (or potential parallel idk) and i wanted to make a post about it.

grayson, in tig, was unnecessarily mean to avery. he treated her like absolute crap for smth she didn’t even do. his grandfather was the one at fault for disinheriting him, and he took his anger out on someone who most definitely didn’t deserve it. he had no right to treat avery the way he did.

now, we have lyra. the hawthornes are the reason why her dad killed himself and she clearly hates them. it seems to me like she’s going to put grayson through it (which i love) for what tobias did to her father (even though he’s technically not the one at fault).

i can’t help but feel like grayson is getting a taste of his own medicine. he treated avery like crap for smth she didn’t do and now lyra might do the same to him. honestly, grayson deserves it (don’t get me wrong, he may be my least favourite brother, but i do love him. there are some things he did that i can’t excuse though)

sorry if this makes no sense. i’m typing this out quickly before i have to leave.