Avery remains the protagonist and first-person narrator in the third installment of the Inheritance Games trilogy. She has long represented the “Cinderella” figure thanks to her rags-to-riches story: In the first book, Avery was unexpectedly named heir to Tobias Hawthorne’s massive fortune, so long as she plays by his rules. In keeping with YA tropes, the trilogy serves as Avery’s coming-of-age story, showing her evolution from a confused young girl who is caught up in Tobias’s games to a confident young woman who takes agency over her own life—and ultimately gets the best of Tobias, the man who has manipulated her ever since leaving her his fortune.

As with past books, Avery spends much of The Final Gambit searching for answers to the many mysteries that surround Tobias Hawthorne and his legacy. Avery observes The Dangers of Wealth and Power and The Tricky Nature of Inheritance as she navigates the world of the rich and powerful. Avery witnesses firsthand what massive wealth does to a person, and she resists falling to corruption with the support of several other Hawthorne family members, such as Tobias’s four grandsons and his adopted son, Toby.