Lessons in Power
aka: The Long Game
The Fixer Book 1
Bloomsbury YA
ISBN 9781547618750
eISBN 9781547620173
ASIN B0FFZ88WTL
Three year ago my daughter and I read The Naturals together. Or rather I read them, and she was reading one in class and had to wait before moving on. We both really enjoyed the series. Then my daughter was reading Nobody and again wanted me to read it so I could be a sounding board for her theories while she was working through it. Now we have are reading these. She is reading the rebranded edition in a physical copy called ‘Lessons in Power’ I have the eBook of the older edition I picked up when we were reading her other books called ‘The Long Game’. And when I stopped at the local bookstore to pick up book 2 for my daughter they had both the earlier and current titled versions of this book in stock. But no matter which version you pick up it is a great read!
The description of this volume states:
“Knowledge is power, but secrets can kill . . .
For Tess Kendrick, a student at the elite Hardwicke School, making problems disappear runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are the children of Washington D.C. elite, even a high school election can have life-shattering consequences.
What starts out as a friendly competition soon turns into a deadly struggle for control. Tess knows better than most that power is currency, but she's about to discover firsthand that power always comes with a price and no one can be trusted . . .
Previously published as The Long Game.”
About the author we are informed:
“I'm a Jennifer who goes mostly by Jen, an Oklahoma girl who's also lived in Connecticut and England, and a writer who spent years with a not-so-secret double life as a cognitive scientist, studying the psychology of fiction and the psychology of fandom.”
It was been almost 2 years to the day since I list finished a volume from Barnes, when I finished book 1 in this series, now apparently my daughter and I will be working through all of her books. My daughter often asks me to read ahead so she has a sounding board and can bounce theories, and when really desperate answer questions. At one point she told me where she was and I predicted tears in under 10 minutes it took less than 2 pages. I love that she is a reader and that she reads books even if they are not comfortable. And there are times as a teen this one would not be, there are times when we have expectations of characters and upcoming events when reading. Barnes does an amazing job of giving a twist, or sometimes sticking the knife in and then giving it a twist. Both to characters and to readers.
I will say it again even though this is a different series and different characters the writing style was such that it was almost like a visit with an old friend. And to be honest we talked about a Fixer – Naturals crossover. In some ways this has the feel of a Ray Donovan for teens and young adults. I ripped thought it one day while travelling home in a story using text to speech, and my daughter is loving it, even if there have been tears.
Once again not all things are as they appear and Tess lands right in the middle of it and she needs to fix the biggest problem she could ever imagine. The story is filled with layers of plots and secrets galore. And unfortunately Tess and her sister both appear to be natural fixers and are working the same issues from different sides.
Again we wonder will it bring them together or pull them apart?
The story moves at a quick pace. Both Tess and Ivy have had their lives upended, and with more than one body they might just be in grave danger, even more so than in the first volume. Find out if they can find a way to work together, and with the help of those who care about them come out of this?
Parts of this story are very moving and the action is intense. A great little read, that leaves you desperate for the story to continue!
A great read from Barnes masterful pen!
Books by Jennifer Lynn Barnes:
The Lovely and the Lost (2019)
Nobody (2013)
formerly At First Sight
Every Other Day (2011)
…
The Naturals Series:
The Naturals (2013)
Killer Instinct (2014)
All In (2015)
Bad Blood (2016)
Twelve (2017)
…
The Inheritance Games Series:
The Inheritance Games (2020)
The Hawthorne Legacy (2021)
The Final Gambit (2022)
The Brothers Hawthorne (2023)
…
Debutantes Series:
Little White Lies (2018)
Deadly Little Scandals (2019)
…
The Fixer Series:
formerly The Fixer (2015)
Formerly The Long Game (2016)
…
Raised by Wolves Series:
Raised by Wolves (2010)
Sweet Sixteen (2015)
Trial by Fire (2011)
Taken by Storm (2012)
…
The Squad Series:
Perfect Cover (2008)
Killer Spirit (2008)
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Tattoo Series:
Tattoo (2007)
Fate (2009)
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Golden Series:
Golden (2006)
Platinum (2007)
…
