The Hawthorne Legacy is a young adult (YA) mystery novel and a sequel to The Inheritance Games. YA is generally described as being for people aged 12 to 18, although readers of all ages can enjoy these books. In a broader literary context, the Inheritance Games series capitalizes on the current rise in popularity in YA fiction, what some experts have called a “golden age of young adult fiction.” This spike in YA's popularity started around 2000, helped by “blockbuster” publications like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Twilight. From then on, the number of YA books published yearly grew significantly and continues to grow. For example, the global children's and YA book market was projected to increase from $10.82 billion to $11.34 billion from 2021 to 2022.

In keeping with its genre, The Hawthorne Legacy explores common YA themes, like Coming-of-Age and Romantic Relationships. The novel pushes the envelope slightly by including the trope of a love triangle, as the protagonist, Avery, finds herself torn between her feelings for two of the Hawthorne brothers, Jameson and Grayson.