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The Naturals #1
The Naturals
Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.
What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.
Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.
What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.
Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2013
About the author
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
37 books24k followersJennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a "practice book" and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.
Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She'll be spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad, doing autism research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She'll be spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad, doing autism research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,060 reviews
September 28, 2023
THIS SERIES IS SO FUN!! READ IT!!
August 21, 2023
Criminal minds + teenagers = a great time
November 10, 2013
This book is Criminal Minds fanfiction, for the under-15 crowd. It takes a great deal of suspension of disbelief to read this book; and I'm not talking about the preposterousness of the idea that children---teenagers, can be FBI criminal investigators. The necessary suspension of disbelief from the reader's part is required in order to swallow the fact that a bunch of utterly incompetent, petty teenagers are capable of looking beyond their egotistical, self-centered noses.
There's this show I love called Criminal Minds. It features a team of FBI profilers at the Behavioral Analysis Unit. They take on difficult cases, involving mainly serial killers. The special agents make psychological profiles about the potential suspect, then using that information, narrow down the field of suspect until they get the right one. The show is entertainment, there is no argument on my part about that. Behavioral analysis is a bullshit art, at best. Criminal profilers have rarely been right, it's more of a matter of throwing a rock into the darkness in the hopes of eventually hitting someone in the face. It rarely happens, but they get it right sometimes. More than anything, it is a show with likeable, complex characters, and a wonderful team who puts their personal problems and quirks aside to work together like a well-oiled machine in order to solve a case.
Well-oiled machine is not the word I would use to describe the characters in this book and their cohesiveness. The teenagers in this book work together as well as an AK-47 that's been left to rust for 50 years in the mud of a long-forgotten battlefield; the parts do not function, and the damn gun might blow up and shoot you by accident in the face at any given moment.
Still, this book is based on that premise. It is a team of teen profilers who use the word "UNSUB" to describe an unknown subject. The word UNSUB is strictly a TV-based term, and it was Criminal Minds that popularized the use of the word. To me, this is nothing more than adolescent Criminal Minds fanfiction, without the likeable, complex characters.
Summary: 17-year old Cassandra (Cassie) lives with her large extended Italian family, working part-time as a waitress. Her mother has been murdered 5 years ago, and her father is out of the picture (see what I mean about parents in YA fiction? Dead or gone 90% of the time). Cassie has always had a skill for reading people, for predicting what they want. Right now, her skills are being used for nothing more than to predict what her customers are going to order next from the menu. A boy, a sexy boy appears from nowhere, well-dressed, too handsome for his own good, and asks her to predict how he prefers his eggs:
“What kind of eggs?” I asked.Over easy eggs! Clearly, Cassie is a genius worthy of the FBI. Just like that, she is drafted to join a special unit in the FBI. The Naturals. She lives and trains with four other teenagers, each with their own special skills. They may be kids, but they're soooooooooo much better than the real FBI agents.
“You tell me.” The boy’s words caught me off guard.
I stared at him through the wisps of hair still covering my face. “You want me to guess how you want your eggs cooked?”
He smiled. “Why not?”
And just like that, the gauntlet was thrown.
“Not scrambled,” I said, thinking out loud. Scrambled eggs were too average, too common, and this was a guy who liked to be a little bit different. Not too different, though, which ruled out poached—at least in a place like this. Sunny-side up would have been too messy for him; over hard wouldn’t be messy enough.
“Over easy.” I was as sure of the conclusion as I was of the color of his eyes. He smiled and closed his menu.
No matter how long they did this job, or how much training they had, these agents would never have instincts as finely honed as ours.Teen
The kids, and they are kids---try to solve old cases for practice, they do training on random everyday subjects at malls, food courts. The teenagers in the prorgam play games, they flirt, they kiss. And there might be a serial killer out there who wants to collect Cassie as his prize.
Let's get this straight, this is Criminal Minds fanfiction, but it does not have an iota of the enjoyability.
Criminal Minds has amazing, complex characters
The teens in the Naturals are teenagers. For better or worse. They have special abilities, there is no doubt of that, but I have serious doubts as to their judgment and their competence to actually fulfil their purpose when 90% of the times, they act like---well, really immature teenagers. The characters are teenagers who act positively juvenile; they have special abilities, but that is the limit to my interest towards them. There is nothing about the characters that make them stand out, that make me sympathize with them, that make me like them, despite the author's attempt at giving them sad backstories. They are merely teenagers who get on my nerves.
We have Dean, who is the James-Dean-esque weightlifting, bulky teenaged deliquent who looks ready to punch someone in the face at any second. Dean is a profiler, like Cassie. We have Lia, the sexy Asian girl, who wants to slither onto Michael's lap at any given second. Her specialty is lying, at detecting liars. We have Michael, the wealthy, (multiple) Porsche-owning trust funded, blue-blooded, smug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug son-of-a-bitch whose sole purpose in life is to make Dean lose control and to make Cassie want to rip his head off (when she's not kissing him, that is). We have Sloane, the duller than dull factoid spouter who is boring, and who's pretty much useless. I mean, anyone can spout off random-ass facts. I would be a much better Sloane. I mean, I have personality.
Cassie herself is boring, without personality. Cassie reminds me of geniuses who are so brilliant in one category that they are completely lacking in everything else in life. Life skills. Personality. Cassie is a good profiler, not great, I have a lot of skepticism where her skills are concerned, and I have to accept the fact that her natural talents are that---natural, inside her, because there is no explaining her talents otherwise. Frankly, Cassie never exhibits many signs of intelligence besides for her Natural Profiling skill.
The rest of the characters are largely unlikeable in one way or another, they are either surly, or selfish, or bitchy, or snarky, or else they blend into the shadow so much I hardly remember they're there. I think that's why Sloane spouts off so many random facts. If she didn't speak up once in awhile to say something completely random like "Less than point-five percent of the words in the English language contain all five vowels,” I would completely forget that she has ever been there.
Criminal Minds does not concern itself about their team playing petty mind games with each other, nor do they play Truth-Or-Dare
There is so much antipathy between the characters. Dean and Michael are ready to strangle each other at any given second, and while Dean keeps quiet and stay true to his bad-boy-loner trope, Michaels is the Naturals version of The Simpson's Nelson Muntz, pointing his finger in Dean's face, going HAW-HAW!!!!!!
“Have you ever seen The Bad Seed?” he inquired politely. “The movie.”**note: Dean's father is a serial killer, hence the Bad Seed joke. The Bad Seed is a movie where the child turns out to be an evil, murdering monstrosity.**
A muscle in Dean’s jaw twitched. “No.”
Michael grinned. “I have.”
Dean stood up. “I’m done here.”
Criminal Minds does not concern itself with a fucking love triangle
There's Cassie! Who will she fall for?! Is it bad-boy loner Dean? The surly boy who never, ever, EVEEEEEEEEER lets anyone close to his heart---until Cassie comes along! Or will Cassie fall for Michael! Michael with his movie-star good looks and multiple Porsches who hides his nonchalance behind a snarky exterior, never letting anyone see the warm, melty, oozing, cheesy (sorry, I haven't eaten dinner yet), fluffy interior. Over easy, indeed!
Or will it be Lia! Lia with her constant flirtation with Michael! Or does Lia love Dean instead?! Noooooooooo!
Fucking gag me, please.
Criminal Minds never has a fucking touching romantic moment right after leaving a crime scene with dead bloodied bodies and a killer on the loose
When Agent Starmans glanced in the room, all he saw was [him] and me.Self-explanatory.
Kissing.
The kiss in the pool was nothing compared to this. Then, our lips had barely brushed. Now, my lips were opening. Our mouths were crushed together. His hand traveled from my neck down to my lower back. My lips tingled, and I leaned into the kiss, shifting my body until I could feel the heat from his in my arms, my chest, my stomach.
Criminal Minds has Reid. Sloane is no Reid
Really, Sloane is the most useless character in the world. She does absolutely nothing besides spouting off random facts:
Sloane on coffee was a bit like an auctioneer on speed. The numbers poured out of her mouth rapid-fire, a statistic for every occasion. For eight hours.Oh, and she's a really good hugger. Because every FBI investigative team needs a hugger. For hugs.
“Sixteen percent of American men have blue eyes,” she informed me blithely. “But over forty percent of male TV doctors do.”
Sloane slipped an arm around my waist. “There are fourteen varieties of hugs,” she said. “This is one of them.”Criminal Minds does not try to slut-shame a girl
Lia. Poor Lia. She is sleek, she is Asian, she is sexy, she is tall. She also has a special ability to lie. She wears barely-there clothes. She makes numerous sexual innuendoes.
Agent Locke added, meeting Lia’s eyes, “she’s a very good liar.”Naturally, she's to be shamed for the way she dresses. Naturally she hits on the guys. Naturally, she eats ice cream for breakfast (in a sexual manner) and wears silk pajamas that leaves nothing to the imagination. Can we not do this, please? Can we just have normal characters who just happen to like dressing that way without writing it in a way so that the reader hates them?
Lia didn’t seem to take offense at the agent’s words. “I’m also bilingual,” she said. “And very, very flexible.”
The second very was aimed directly at Michael.
If you want to read books about serial killers, I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is a good book. Alternately, you can just go watch Criminal Minds itself. Either way, I can guarantee you will get more enjoyment from either than you will ever get out of this book.
August 23, 2023
behavior. personality. environment.
as a true crime addict, i didn’t know if a YA fictional crime book would be enough for me. BUT this book was everything. sometimes i love being wrong.
this was very addicting and i cannot wait to read the rest of this series! the plot was well done and the characters were even better. and there’s just something about ✨short chapters and fast pacing✨ that makes a book so much more enjoyable.
add these books to your tbr for Spooky Season (or any season, really) immediately!! 😌
as a true crime addict, i didn’t know if a YA fictional crime book would be enough for me. BUT this book was everything. sometimes i love being wrong.
this was very addicting and i cannot wait to read the rest of this series! the plot was well done and the characters were even better. and there’s just something about ✨short chapters and fast pacing✨ that makes a book so much more enjoyable.
add these books to your tbr for Spooky Season (or any season, really) immediately!! 😌
September 21, 2023
This truly was like criminal minds written for the YA world and I ate up every moment.
I revel in anything related to criminal minds, cold case, true crime etc. I did major in something closely related to it, so you can only imagine how I could’ve had fun with a YA version of that world.
The concept for this was clearly inspired by what you see in Criminal minds and cold case. But instead, it revolves around 5 teenagers: Cassie, Sloane, Dean, Michael and Lia. All of whom are natural profilers to a program created by the FBI.
Each natural possesses the instinct/gift of: getting into ones mind especially in determining the scenario of how the crime went, and mirroring a persons behavior, personality and their environment. easily reading facial expressions and emotions, analyzing stats and schematics (bless their brain), and lastly detecting deception 🧩 it was interesting to see them interact with one another because of the gifts they possess like just imagine living in a house with all of them lol
I do think it had a slow start but picks up almost immediately and what you can expect here is a little bit of everything. There is also an obvious love triangle (it’s a pain when you like both characters) like why do you have to make me choose?! One moment I’m all for one and then the other 🫠lowkey Dean, I just know he’s gonna be it for me and was told the same is apparent in the inheritance games.
I had so so many theories of what the end was gonna look like but the plot twist at the end just made me experience different stages of disbelief instead like did that really happen!? I still have hope that they somehow hold true to the ultimate possible twist in this story.
Anyways, if you want a fun and enjoyable thrilling/mystery/suspenseful read, with short chapters, twists and a tiny hint of romance—definitely read this.
now onto killer instinct
I revel in anything related to criminal minds, cold case, true crime etc. I did major in something closely related to it, so you can only imagine how I could’ve had fun with a YA version of that world.
The concept for this was clearly inspired by what you see in Criminal minds and cold case. But instead, it revolves around 5 teenagers: Cassie, Sloane, Dean, Michael and Lia. All of whom are natural profilers to a program created by the FBI.
Each natural possesses the instinct/gift of: getting into ones mind especially in determining the scenario of how the crime went, and mirroring a persons behavior, personality and their environment. easily reading facial expressions and emotions, analyzing stats and schematics (bless their brain), and lastly detecting deception 🧩 it was interesting to see them interact with one another because of the gifts they possess like just imagine living in a house with all of them lol
I do think it had a slow start but picks up almost immediately and what you can expect here is a little bit of everything. There is also an obvious love triangle (it’s a pain when you like both characters) like why do you have to make me choose?! One moment I’m all for one and then the other 🫠
I had so so many theories of what the end was gonna look like but the plot twist at the end just made me experience different stages of disbelief instead like did that really happen!? I still have hope that they somehow hold true to the ultimate possible twist in this story.
Anyways, if you want a fun and enjoyable thrilling/mystery/suspenseful read, with short chapters, twists and a tiny hint of romance—definitely read this.
now onto killer instinct
July 3, 2019
1.) The Naturals ★★★★.5
2.) Killer Instinct ★★★★
3.) All In ★★★★.5
4.) Bad Blood ★★★★.5
--------------------------------------------------
REREAD OCTOBER 2017
Wasn't as good as the first time because obviously I knew who the killer was, but still, this series is so good!
JANUARY 2016
*4.5 STARS*
WOW. What a way to start off my reading year! This literally is a YA version of Criminal Minds with a tiny paranormal twist. The FBI has found and recruited some teenagers who are 'naturals' at certain abilities that the FBI want to trial in a new program that could help to solve some cold cases. The main character Cassie is a natural profiler and ever since she stumbled across the scene of her mother's murder (although her body was never found), she's felt like something in her life was missing. She meets these new people and learns all about profiling and victimology and it's just SO exciting I literally read this book in ONE sitting! There is a love triangle introduced which at first had me real angry, but thankfully the characters realised they had more important things to worry about so that was really put on the back burner while they were trying to find a particular serial killer that WAS SO CRAZY. I literally did not see anything coming, which let's be honest, is kinda rare these days in a YA book. I absolutely LOVED this and I can't wait to continue on with the series!
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 31. A YA book
2.) Killer Instinct ★★★★
3.) All In ★★★★.5
4.) Bad Blood ★★★★.5
--------------------------------------------------
REREAD OCTOBER 2017
Wasn't as good as the first time because obviously I knew who the killer was, but still, this series is so good!
JANUARY 2016
*4.5 STARS*
WOW. What a way to start off my reading year! This literally is a YA version of Criminal Minds with a tiny paranormal twist. The FBI has found and recruited some teenagers who are 'naturals' at certain abilities that the FBI want to trial in a new program that could help to solve some cold cases. The main character Cassie is a natural profiler and ever since she stumbled across the scene of her mother's murder (although her body was never found), she's felt like something in her life was missing. She meets these new people and learns all about profiling and victimology and it's just SO exciting I literally read this book in ONE sitting! There is a love triangle introduced which at first had me real angry, but thankfully the characters realised they had more important things to worry about so that was really put on the back burner while they were trying to find a particular serial killer that WAS SO CRAZY. I literally did not see anything coming, which let's be honest, is kinda rare these days in a YA book. I absolutely LOVED this and I can't wait to continue on with the series!
Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge Notes:
- 31. A YA book
May 22, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ IM SO OBSESSED I COULD CRY.
these characters, this team, the plot, the lil bits of romance!!!
yes. just YES.
these characters, this team, the plot, the lil bits of romance!!!
yes. just YES.
December 23, 2017
You know what astounds me about these MCs in YA literature??
Their level of self-confidence which easily, and almost always, borders on the self-centered/self-delusional-ness territory.
I truly can't imagine anyone would hurt other people for my sake at all, let alone to actually end their lives.
But nope, not a problem for our Cassie here. Cassie who almost casually stated "I knew suddenly that he could pull the trigger. He wouldn’t hesitate. If he thought I was in danger, he would put a bullet in the other guy’s head.”
And all this after they had known each other for what? A decade? Ha! If only. No, she met him a month / few months ago. There was no solid timeline from what I remember. But i’m sure those were the most ‘epic’ weeks of their lives *eyeroll*
A lot of times, the book feels overreaching with all the incredibly unnatural 'naturals' abilities. While the writing and mystery/story were decent enough, the book would have benefited so much from not having this perplexing, pointless love triangle in it - just felt like adding another layer of unbelievableness to an already unrealistic book to me.
rating: ★★
====================
The cover is so simple and so effing creepy!!
Is that a promise??
I'll hold you to it, Book.
Their level of self-confidence which easily, and almost always, borders on the self-centered/self-delusional-ness territory.
I truly can't imagine anyone would hurt other people for my sake at all, let alone to actually end their lives.
But nope, not a problem for our Cassie here. Cassie who almost casually stated "I knew suddenly that he could pull the trigger. He wouldn’t hesitate. If he thought I was in danger, he would put a bullet in the other guy’s head.”
And all this after they had known each other for what? A decade? Ha! If only. No, she met him a month / few months ago. There was no solid timeline from what I remember. But i’m sure those were the most ‘epic’ weeks of their lives *eyeroll*
A lot of times, the book feels overreaching with all the incredibly unnatural 'naturals' abilities. While the writing and mystery/story were decent enough, the book would have benefited so much from not having this perplexing, pointless love triangle in it - just felt like adding another layer of unbelievableness to an already unrealistic book to me.
rating: ★★
====================
The cover is so simple and so effing creepy!!
Is that a promise??
I'll hold you to it, Book.
Want to read
September 18, 2023people are comparing this to criminal minds? done. yes i did buy it immediately
September 8, 2023
* 2.5 stars💫
September 9, 2023
4.25 stars
jennifer lynn barnes KNOWS how to write the quickest easiest books to read. the shortest chapters, quick and straightforward plot, sub-plot romance *chefs kiss*.
the naturals are about a group of teenagers who are naturally gifted in areas most fbi agents would have to study years for. the group is funded by the fbi so they can use their gift to the greatest extent and solve cold cases the fbi never were able to. child labor?? 🧍🏽♀️ maybe
cassie (fmc) is natural at reading and profiling people, she’s flagged down by the fbi due to it. she ends up agreeing to join this program because she thinks she will be able to solve or get any sort of clues about her mother’s disappearance five years ago.
among the naturals there’s dean who’s another natural profiler, micheal who can read anyone’s emotions, lia who’s specialty is deception which means she can lie like it’s her second language and tell whenever anyone lies, and lastly sloane who’s a statistician meaning she knows about everything numerical
i can tell already from this book they’re going to be such a found family by the end of the series (hopefully) and although i kinda hated lia 🙄 i really enjoyed seeing their interactions. plus i can’t help but wonder who cassie ends up w 🤭🤭
if you love criminal minds you would def love this series!! i know i can’t wait to start the next book bc although there was a solid ending, i cannot wait to see what else can happen
jennifer lynn barnes KNOWS how to write the quickest easiest books to read. the shortest chapters, quick and straightforward plot, sub-plot romance *chefs kiss*.
the naturals are about a group of teenagers who are naturally gifted in areas most fbi agents would have to study years for. the group is funded by the fbi so they can use their gift to the greatest extent and solve cold cases the fbi never were able to. child labor?? 🧍🏽♀️ maybe
cassie (fmc) is natural at reading and profiling people, she’s flagged down by the fbi due to it. she ends up agreeing to join this program because she thinks she will be able to solve or get any sort of clues about her mother’s disappearance five years ago.
among the naturals there’s dean who’s another natural profiler, micheal who can read anyone’s emotions, lia who’s specialty is deception which means she can lie like it’s her second language and tell whenever anyone lies, and lastly sloane who’s a statistician meaning she knows about everything numerical
i can tell already from this book they’re going to be such a found family by the end of the series (hopefully) and although i kinda hated lia 🙄 i really enjoyed seeing their interactions. plus i can’t help but wonder who cassie ends up w 🤭🤭
if you love criminal minds you would def love this series!! i know i can’t wait to start the next book bc although there was a solid ending, i cannot wait to see what else can happen
August 25, 2013
Man, this was such a huge letdown.
I was really looking forward to this book because I thought I'd finally get to read something like Criminal Minds or Lie To Me or, heck, even CSI. I loved those shows; I gobbled them all up when I first learned about their existence. The Naturals promised me that, but unfortunately, it was a disappointment all around.
These are what The Naturals consists of:
* 50% drama from an unnecessary love triangle;
* 20% of Cassie overthinking things, apart from being dull and lifeless;
* 20% of the characters being self-centered narcissists, basking in all their supposed talents and glories; and
* 10% actual plot
Of course, I should have expected this given that it's, after all, Young Adult, but it's kind of hard not to feel bummed out when you expected a story that actually explores the psyche of a criminal without being pretentious about it. It was already hard enough to suspend my disbelief of the super prestigious FBI hiring a bunch of teenagers who are supposedly "natural" at reading emotions, spotting liars, reading someone's psyche, and are actually better than their adult counterparts who do this for a living, but for this book to add insult to injury... ugh.
Let me better explain my frustrations:
1.) Cassie. Throughout reading the book, I did not feel for this girl at all. I did not root for her, I did not like her. PERIOD. She was amazingly bland, and her 1st person narration felt like reading someone narrate a story from a detached point of view. Every time something huge happened, she sounded absolutely monotonous in describing "her feelings" (and there were honestly very little...) and the surroundings that the events turned out more anti-climactic than anything else.
She's also nosy. Dear woman, if the guy doesn't want to spill his secrets yet, don't freaking force him. God, you make me crazy.
And she over-thinks. A LOT. I mean, okay, I guess if you're a Natural profiler (yes, with a capital N, as portrayed in the book), that's a given, but god, could she be please less pretentious and all-high-and-mighty about it? I get that she's perceptive, but sweet baby Jesus, it annoyed me to no end how she would see someone do something in a particular manner and immediately conclude, "Ah, this person is like this! Ah, that person is like that!"
And yes, I get it, Cassie. You're a Natural. You're so good at observing people. You are SO perceptive. I get it. Stop rubbing it in.
2.) Side characters. The other characters have personalities, but they're so cheesy and unoriginal. We have a cocky guy who thinks he's all that and who's smug all the time who can read emotions, we have the loner guy who has a dark tragic past who's also a profiler, we have a bitchy girl who can spot lies, and we have a quirky girl who's supposedly like Reid from Criminal Minds, who can give you statistics for the most mundane of things. Can they not be anymore stereotypical? T_T
AND YES, I GET IT. YOU'RE ALL FUCKING NATURALS!!! Is there a need to repeat your extraordinary talents over and over???
3.) Unnecessary love triangle. UGH. This part made me roll my eyes SO MUCH. As expected, the bland heroine enters the fray and the two guys in the team, of course, suddenly take an interest in her. She hasn't done anything redeeming, she has no fucking personality, and I'm supposed to believe they both like her already? What the flying fuck?
One of the cheesiest moments in this novel was how they all decided to play a game of Truth or Dare (LOL!!!!!!) and of course she was dared to kiss one of them... OF COURSE... That had my eyes rolling around and around and around like a ferris wheel. And of course, the other guy strikes back by kissing her again later... and OF COURSE the heroine is torn between her feelings for the two as she's always blushing at both of them T_T AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. And of course, by the end of the book, we still have no idea who she's inclined to like more.
What saved it from becoming a 1 star was the ending and the plot that was present in the last 15 or so percent. A bit predictable, but it was interesting. There's also no cliffhanger, and it ends nicely in a way there's still room for more content in the future books.
Just fix this nonsense love triangle and add a personality in the heroine please and this could be better.
July 9, 2022
ms jennifer lynn barnes has never let me down.
December 23, 2014
Rating: 4.5/5
The Naturals is a great book for fans of Criminal Minds, CSI and shows like them. I am a fan of all those kind of shows and when I read the blurb of this book I was dying to get my hands on it. And I am really glad I did. This had mystery, murder, serieal killers, kids with powers (not exactly supernatural powers bu still...), romance, fighting. It was just perfect. Exactly what I was looking for.
The Naturals are a group of teenagers that are trained by the FBI to solve mostly cold cases of serieal killers. All five kids have some amazing powers.
After Cassie joins the group some strange murders start happening close to town. Women are found dead, their faces curved up. Half of them are red-heads and half of them worked as psychics. Cassie's mom was both and she was also murdered 5 years ago with no clue of where her body was. Cassie believes that this case is connected to her mother's and she is determined to find the killer.
If the description so far haven't caught your eye let me tell you that this book was absolutely amazing. There were five teenagers living in the same house, with all the drama that may cause. We got to get inside the killers mind with a few chapters from a YOU point of view, those were the creepiest ones. Also it was amazing to see the little details that profilers use to find out more about the UNSUBs and their victims.
I also really enjoyed the romance in this one. Even though it is a love triangle it's so perfectly done that I still don't know who Cassie will choose. Usually it's so easy to tell, it's like the third person is there just for argument's sake. But in this one both Michael and Dean have this great chemistry with Cassie. They are very different and mysterious and I have no idea what's going to happen with them.
All in all, this was fast-paced, action paked, full of serial killers, mystery, following clues and unique characters. I can't wait for the next one.
The Naturals is a great book for fans of Criminal Minds, CSI and shows like them. I am a fan of all those kind of shows and when I read the blurb of this book I was dying to get my hands on it. And I am really glad I did. This had mystery, murder, serieal killers, kids with powers (not exactly supernatural powers bu still...), romance, fighting. It was just perfect. Exactly what I was looking for.
The Naturals are a group of teenagers that are trained by the FBI to solve mostly cold cases of serieal killers. All five kids have some amazing powers.
After Cassie joins the group some strange murders start happening close to town. Women are found dead, their faces curved up. Half of them are red-heads and half of them worked as psychics. Cassie's mom was both and she was also murdered 5 years ago with no clue of where her body was. Cassie believes that this case is connected to her mother's and she is determined to find the killer.
If the description so far haven't caught your eye let me tell you that this book was absolutely amazing. There were five teenagers living in the same house, with all the drama that may cause. We got to get inside the killers mind with a few chapters from a YOU point of view, those were the creepiest ones. Also it was amazing to see the little details that profilers use to find out more about the UNSUBs and their victims.
I also really enjoyed the romance in this one. Even though it is a love triangle it's so perfectly done that I still don't know who Cassie will choose. Usually it's so easy to tell, it's like the third person is there just for argument's sake. But in this one both Michael and Dean have this great chemistry with Cassie. They are very different and mysterious and I have no idea what's going to happen with them.
All in all, this was fast-paced, action paked, full of serial killers, mystery, following clues and unique characters. I can't wait for the next one.
November 17, 2017
Easiest five stars I've given a book these past six months.
To be fairly honest, it was a 4,5 at the start because it has little flaws that prevent it from being absolutely perfect, but since it put me in such a fierce and euphoric mood, I decided to round the ratings up. After all, if a book makes you feel something positive, that's a start, and a very good one.
I mean, yesterday I finished The Song of Achilles and, even if I loved it with a burning passion, it also left me numb like a rock because it drained all the emotions out of me, so, as I was also trying not to drown in feels, this book and its characters helped a lot.
WHAT A LOVELY LITTLE GEM!
I'll definitely post a better review later because I need to gush about it :D
To be fairly honest, it was a 4,5 at the start because it has little flaws that prevent it from being absolutely perfect, but since it put me in such a fierce and euphoric mood, I decided to round the ratings up. After all, if a book makes you feel something positive, that's a start, and a very good one.
I mean, yesterday I finished The Song of Achilles and, even if I loved it with a burning passion, it also left me numb like a rock because it drained all the emotions out of me, so, as I was also trying not to drown in feels, this book and its characters helped a lot.
WHAT A LOVELY LITTLE GEM!
I'll definitely post a better review later because I need to gush about it :D
November 22, 2017
2.5/5
This book sparked my interest when I saw it marketed as a teenage Criminal Minds, teens with natural talents (such as profiling, statistics, detection of deception and emotion), being recruited by the FBI to help crack cold cases.
The few things that peaked my interest didn't really come to fruition, there wasn't much to compare to Criminal Minds and there was no cracking of cold cases. The 'serial killer' case that this story followed wasn't a main point until the last quarter, which meant the majority of the book dragged.
This book was more of a bad teenage drama than a YA thriller, and I didn't enjoy the petty going's on. The dramas began pretty early on when the main character, seventeen year old Cassie, is removed from the care of her family and into the FBI safe house where four other teenaged FBI 'naturals' lived. There was a painful teenage love triangle (no real surprise there) and the usual girl/girl bitchiness.
The only teenage character I actually enjoyed was Sloane, who was a beautiful and pure soul. She was adorably terrible at anything social and was easily bribed with coffee. So, a lot like me.
I get what the author was trying to achieve by using teenagers, but I felt like it wasn't executed in the best way. There was no real mention of any of the teens' family, and even the main character's family wasn't mentioned after she left their care. The whole story seemed pretty unbelievable, mostly because they were all minors.
My biggest issue was without a doubt, the teenage angst. I have a younger sister who is the definition of teenage angst (seriously, look up the definition and she's listed as a an example) and as much as I love her, she's used up my limit for teenage angst. It made my skin crawl, I was here for serial killers and kickass teenage crime solvers, and I got a fucking love triangle. The only thing worse than a love triangle, is a teenage love triangle. I think you get my message at this point, teenageanything angst is not my favourite thing.
Unfortunately, I guessed the plot and killer pretty early on, picking up thesupposedly subtle clues. Still, I enjoyed the actual crime fighting section of the book and the little chapters in the killer's point of view were a nice touch. There were a few loose ends and plot holes that disappointed me a little, but the overall serial killer plot line was intriguing.
Lastly,
authors, pls stop w/ these love triangles. they suck. u suck.
“Sloane slipped an arm around my waist. "There are fourteen varieties of hugs," she said. "This is one of them.”
This book sparked my interest when I saw it marketed as a teenage Criminal Minds, teens with natural talents (such as profiling, statistics, detection of deception and emotion), being recruited by the FBI to help crack cold cases.
The few things that peaked my interest didn't really come to fruition, there wasn't much to compare to Criminal Minds and there was no cracking of cold cases. The 'serial killer' case that this story followed wasn't a main point until the last quarter, which meant the majority of the book dragged.
This book was more of a bad teenage drama than a YA thriller, and I didn't enjoy the petty going's on. The dramas began pretty early on when the main character, seventeen year old Cassie, is removed from the care of her family and into the FBI safe house where four other teenaged FBI 'naturals' lived. There was a painful teenage love triangle (no real surprise there) and the usual girl/girl bitchiness.
The only teenage character I actually enjoyed was Sloane, who was a beautiful and pure soul. She was adorably terrible at anything social and was easily bribed with coffee. So, a lot like me.
I get what the author was trying to achieve by using teenagers, but I felt like it wasn't executed in the best way. There was no real mention of any of the teens' family, and even the main character's family wasn't mentioned after she left their care. The whole story seemed pretty unbelievable, mostly because they were all minors.
My biggest issue was without a doubt, the teenage angst. I have a younger sister who is the definition of teenage angst (seriously, look up the definition and she's listed as a an example) and as much as I love her, she's used up my limit for teenage angst. It made my skin crawl, I was here for serial killers and kickass teenage crime solvers, and I got a fucking love triangle. The only thing worse than a love triangle, is a teenage love triangle. I think you get my message at this point, teenage
Unfortunately, I guessed the plot and killer pretty early on, picking up the
Lastly,
authors, pls stop w/ these love triangles. they suck. u suck.
February 13, 2019
“None of us had normal childhoods," Sloane said quietly. "If we had, we wouldn't be Naturals.”
This is kind of unusual review for me, since I've already read the first three book in this series (In very record time!) Actually finished the third book - All In - just right now. This review will be completely spoiler free for all three books, I just want to mention a few of my thoughts on the characters and The Naturals series overall. I have to say that the first book was just a starter, each book is better than the former, and it all comes amazingly together in the third one! (Which is also my favourite so far and I don't think any other book from this series can surpass that one). So definitely recommended. Go read this series, people!
This is my second series from Jennifer Lynn Barnes (the first one being The Fixer), which I both adored, and now I can safely say I'm going to read her other novels as well, especially her crimi/ psychological series. Because even though I haven't read any fantasy by her yet, I think she'd be best at these kinds of books.
“Every person in this house was fundamentally screwed up to the depths of our dark and shadowy souls.”
The Naturals series is highly addictive, intriguing and gripping Young Adult crime series which mainly centers on five people, each with special abilities to solve crimes and catch serial killers for FBI.
It was seriously such a page-turner for me! Obviously, since I didn't give it full five stars, it's not perfect. There's some teen drama and indecisiveness regarding the romance going on here in the first two books, but do not fear, the third book had no such thing! (And here I was fearing while reading book one that the love triangle would stretch till the last book. Surprise, surprise!) But even then there were much more important things going on in this series than the romance, it never took center stage in my opinion.
“Agent Sterling turned back to the boxes on her bed. “When the odds are bad,” she said, removing something from one of them, “you change the rules.”
The plot flows swiftly and there aren't many dull moments, the mysteries in every book are pretty dark and inteligently written. There were always some little hints here and there throughout the stories, and each investigation was greatly done. I guessed some of the identities of the killers alongside the characters, but some other plot-twists were hugely surprising! So if you get through the fact that it's about five teenagers who are working for the FBI and solving murders (and even though there are some restrictions, the authorities ultimately lets them), this series is very clever. (Just like The Fixer, which is btw also recommended!)
“Nothing hurts you unless you let it.”
It's clear to see that Jennifer Lynn Barnes studied psychology and has degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought), because none of these characters (even the side ones) are flat, and as the series progresses they only become more layered and complicated. Believable.
Every last one of them gets the attention he/she deserves - the main heroine, the other four kids, the old marine sniper who's taking care of them, the FBI agents and of course, the killers. I was especially very surprised about the YOU chapters.
The story is not only told from the point of view of our main heroine Cassie, but also from each different killer in every book. These little chapters were suprisingly and sometimes sickeningly detailed, which was pretty surprising for YA in my opinion. The author doesn't play nice with her readers, she makes them loathe the villains, but also understand their motives, the histories that made them into the monsters they are. It's fascinating.
“Some people said that broken bones grew back stronger. On the good days, I told myself that was true, that each time the world tried to break me, I became a little less breakable. On the bad days, I suspected that I would always be broken, that parts of me would never be quite right—and that those were the parts that made me good at the job.
Those were the parts that made this house and the people in it home.”
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Cassie Hobbes -
Natural Ability: The Profiler
She's ultimately great and very relatable main heroine. Sometimes she acts too much teenagey, especially in the beginning of this series, but can surprise you with her mind and courage.
As the series goes, her characters gets through more and more trials, have some battle scars, but lives, survives and becomes so much more fascinating than she was before.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Dean Redding -
Natural Ability: The Profiler
“Maybe, to do what you and I do, we have to have a little bit of monsters in us.”
It's pretty hard to decide since all five of the characters are distinctive and amazing but I think he comes as my favourite from them.
I can't say too much about him, because hello spoilers, but his history, his struggles... I can definitely understand why he wouldn't want people close after that, why he'd have problems to open up, his low sense of worth, his fear of himself.
All of it was so well done, so psychologically intriguing, dark and painful. One cannot help but be fascinated and maybe a little in love with his character.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Lia Zhang -
Natural Ability: Deception Specialist
“Too young to party, just old enough to participate in federal investigations of serial murder.” Lia let out an elaborate sigh. “Story of my life.”
When she first stormed on the scene, I thought for sure there will be once again the annoying ex-girlfriend who hates the MC for no reason whatsoever and girl hate over a guy.. Well, surprise surprise! This is not the case. Yes, sometimes it seems that she hates Cassie, but there's more to it than that. She has problems with trust, she doesn't show people her real self, because she's protecting herself from them in a way. There's definitely no insta-friendship between Cassie and Lia, I love their interactions anyway. Her past is very complicated - Ok, you can just note here that EVERYONE'S past is complicated here. And I mean it in the best possible way - and truth be said I still don't know all of it, she's complex and layered character like that! It takes some time to truly know who she is, to know when she tells the truth and when she deceives. She hides under layers of different personalities, she can lie and detect lies effortlessly. Alongside with Dean, she's the most fascinating character, and I love her probably just as much as him.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Michael Townsend -
Natural Ability: Emotion Reader
“Luckily for us, I've never met a bad idea I did not immediately embrace like the dearest of friends.”
I don't have that much to say about him, besides the fact that he is pretty fun character (but in no way as amazing and fun as Asher from The Fixer!)
I admit, I have kind of hate to like relationship with this guy. His past wasn't all sunshine and roses either, but I just didn't really love to him like I did the others. Mainly because this guy seemed like such a player, that's why I preferred Dean with Cassie and Michael with Lia from the get go of this book. Lia could handle him more, and personality wise, they seem like a much better fit. Plus he has some serious anger issues, which I would normally loathe to read about, but in his case I think it was understandable, well done psychologically and he was in no way abusive toward Cassie or Lia, so there's that. Overall I did like him. Only, he's my least favourite from the five.
And yes, there's a love-triangle again.. Sigh.. Which is one of the few things about this series that I didn't really like. It was unecessary. And now after finishing book three, I breathe a sigh of relief, because there was none now.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Sloane Tarvish -
Natural ability: Numerical Expert
“I wondered how much of Sloane’s fascination with numbers had arisen during moments like this one, when numbers were easy and people were hard.”
She's just such a sweet character! Sloane love numbers and statistics. She's practically a walking Encyclopedia and Wikipedia in one.
Sloane doesn't really understand basic 'normal' human interactions and relationships. She experiences and deals with emotions in slightly different way, when she can't deal with them, she obsessively does something else, mostly her work for the cases. She's highly intelligent. Loves math and statistics. I adore this girl, but really... can't relate.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
“It's not the bad memories that tear a person apart. It's the good ones.”
All in all, intelligent Ya Crimi series about five teens with special abilities (not paranormal) who solve murders, try to save people, form different relationships and even in their new lives, past comes haunting them each back eventually. The psychological matters are greatly and believably done, the investigations intriguing and plot addictive. I would without doubt recommend for you to give The Naturals a try.
“Home isn't a place, Cassie.' The memory crept up on me. 'Home is the people who love you most, the people who will always love you, forever and ever, no matter what.”
------------------------------------
My rating of The Naturals series -
The Naturals ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
Killer Instinct ★★★★☆ (4.5/5 stars)
All In ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)
Bad Blood ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)
Twelve ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)
This is kind of unusual review for me, since I've already read the first three book in this series (In very record time!) Actually finished the third book - All In - just right now. This review will be completely spoiler free for all three books, I just want to mention a few of my thoughts on the characters and The Naturals series overall. I have to say that the first book was just a starter, each book is better than the former, and it all comes amazingly together in the third one! (Which is also my favourite so far and I don't think any other book from this series can surpass that one). So definitely recommended. Go read this series, people!
This is my second series from Jennifer Lynn Barnes (the first one being The Fixer), which I both adored, and now I can safely say I'm going to read her other novels as well, especially her crimi/ psychological series. Because even though I haven't read any fantasy by her yet, I think she'd be best at these kinds of books.
“Every person in this house was fundamentally screwed up to the depths of our dark and shadowy souls.”
The Naturals series is highly addictive, intriguing and gripping Young Adult crime series which mainly centers on five people, each with special abilities to solve crimes and catch serial killers for FBI.
It was seriously such a page-turner for me! Obviously, since I didn't give it full five stars, it's not perfect. There's some teen drama and indecisiveness regarding the romance going on here in the first two books, but do not fear, the third book had no such thing! (And here I was fearing while reading book one that the love triangle would stretch till the last book. Surprise, surprise!) But even then there were much more important things going on in this series than the romance, it never took center stage in my opinion.
“Agent Sterling turned back to the boxes on her bed. “When the odds are bad,” she said, removing something from one of them, “you change the rules.”
The plot flows swiftly and there aren't many dull moments, the mysteries in every book are pretty dark and inteligently written. There were always some little hints here and there throughout the stories, and each investigation was greatly done. I guessed some of the identities of the killers alongside the characters, but some other plot-twists were hugely surprising! So if you get through the fact that it's about five teenagers who are working for the FBI and solving murders (and even though there are some restrictions, the authorities ultimately lets them), this series is very clever. (Just like The Fixer, which is btw also recommended!)
“Nothing hurts you unless you let it.”
It's clear to see that Jennifer Lynn Barnes studied psychology and has degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought), because none of these characters (even the side ones) are flat, and as the series progresses they only become more layered and complicated. Believable.
Every last one of them gets the attention he/she deserves - the main heroine, the other four kids, the old marine sniper who's taking care of them, the FBI agents and of course, the killers. I was especially very surprised about the YOU chapters.
The story is not only told from the point of view of our main heroine Cassie, but also from each different killer in every book. These little chapters were suprisingly and sometimes sickeningly detailed, which was pretty surprising for YA in my opinion. The author doesn't play nice with her readers, she makes them loathe the villains, but also understand their motives, the histories that made them into the monsters they are. It's fascinating.
“Some people said that broken bones grew back stronger. On the good days, I told myself that was true, that each time the world tried to break me, I became a little less breakable. On the bad days, I suspected that I would always be broken, that parts of me would never be quite right—and that those were the parts that made me good at the job.
Those were the parts that made this house and the people in it home.”
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Cassie Hobbes -
Natural Ability: The Profiler
She's ultimately great and very relatable main heroine. Sometimes she acts too much teenagey, especially in the beginning of this series, but can surprise you with her mind and courage.
As the series goes, her characters gets through more and more trials, have some battle scars, but lives, survives and becomes so much more fascinating than she was before.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Dean Redding -
Natural Ability: The Profiler
“Maybe, to do what you and I do, we have to have a little bit of monsters in us.”
It's pretty hard to decide since all five of the characters are distinctive and amazing but I think he comes as my favourite from them.
I can't say too much about him, because hello spoilers, but his history, his struggles... I can definitely understand why he wouldn't want people close after that, why he'd have problems to open up, his low sense of worth, his fear of himself.
All of it was so well done, so psychologically intriguing, dark and painful. One cannot help but be fascinated and maybe a little in love with his character.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Lia Zhang -
Natural Ability: Deception Specialist
“Too young to party, just old enough to participate in federal investigations of serial murder.” Lia let out an elaborate sigh. “Story of my life.”
When she first stormed on the scene, I thought for sure there will be once again the annoying ex-girlfriend who hates the MC for no reason whatsoever and girl hate over a guy.. Well, surprise surprise! This is not the case. Yes, sometimes it seems that she hates Cassie, but there's more to it than that. She has problems with trust, she doesn't show people her real self, because she's protecting herself from them in a way. There's definitely no insta-friendship between Cassie and Lia, I love their interactions anyway. Her past is very complicated - Ok, you can just note here that EVERYONE'S past is complicated here. And I mean it in the best possible way - and truth be said I still don't know all of it, she's complex and layered character like that! It takes some time to truly know who she is, to know when she tells the truth and when she deceives. She hides under layers of different personalities, she can lie and detect lies effortlessly. Alongside with Dean, she's the most fascinating character, and I love her probably just as much as him.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Michael Townsend -
Natural Ability: Emotion Reader
“Luckily for us, I've never met a bad idea I did not immediately embrace like the dearest of friends.”
I don't have that much to say about him, besides the fact that he is pretty fun character (but in no way as amazing and fun as Asher from The Fixer!)
I admit, I have kind of hate to like relationship with this guy. His past wasn't all sunshine and roses either, but I just didn't really love to him like I did the others. Mainly because this guy seemed like such a player, that's why I preferred Dean with Cassie and Michael with Lia from the get go of this book. Lia could handle him more, and personality wise, they seem like a much better fit. Plus he has some serious anger issues, which I would normally loathe to read about, but in his case I think it was understandable, well done psychologically and he was in no way abusive toward Cassie or Lia, so there's that. Overall I did like him. Only, he's my least favourite from the five.
And yes, there's a love-triangle again.. Sigh.. Which is one of the few things about this series that I didn't really like. It was unecessary. And now after finishing book three, I breathe a sigh of relief, because there was none now.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
➵ Sloane Tarvish -
Natural ability: Numerical Expert
“I wondered how much of Sloane’s fascination with numbers had arisen during moments like this one, when numbers were easy and people were hard.”
She's just such a sweet character! Sloane love numbers and statistics. She's practically a walking Encyclopedia and Wikipedia in one.
Sloane doesn't really understand basic 'normal' human interactions and relationships. She experiences and deals with emotions in slightly different way, when she can't deal with them, she obsessively does something else, mostly her work for the cases. She's highly intelligent. Loves math and statistics. I adore this girl, but really... can't relate.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨✨✨✨
“It's not the bad memories that tear a person apart. It's the good ones.”
All in all, intelligent Ya Crimi series about five teens with special abilities (not paranormal) who solve murders, try to save people, form different relationships and even in their new lives, past comes haunting them each back eventually. The psychological matters are greatly and believably done, the investigations intriguing and plot addictive. I would without doubt recommend for you to give The Naturals a try.
“Home isn't a place, Cassie.' The memory crept up on me. 'Home is the people who love you most, the people who will always love you, forever and ever, no matter what.”
------------------------------------
My rating of The Naturals series -
The Naturals ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
Killer Instinct ★★★★☆ (4.5/5 stars)
All In ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)
Bad Blood ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)
Twelve ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)
July 26, 2023
running to the next one but just putting it out there im very much team dean, mans can console her n bring her back to reality AND be willing to put a bullet in someone 🫠
i mean im team michael too because im a jameson girly and hes brunette??? dean is literally blond 😔 #brocken rn (but hes tall, traumatized, AND mysterious so we'll ignore his faults!!)
…
team dean or team michael?? knowing jenny it’s gonna be dean 🤭 or maybe michael…
i mean im team michael too because im a jameson girly and hes brunette??? dean is literally blond 😔 #brocken rn (but hes tall, traumatized, AND mysterious so we'll ignore his faults!!)
…
team dean or team michael?? knowing jenny it’s gonna be dean 🤭 or maybe michael…
September 14, 2023
no cause this book was actually soooooooo good and jennifer lynn barnes is a mastermind. shes so good at writing. but its four stars bc of CASSIE. a lot of the books i read have a fmc and they’re usually pick me asf. cassie’s not even that bad but shes soo manipulative and she doesnt even do it consciously and that makes it more messed up. shes also honestly really insensitive about a lot of shit.
and the ships- im so torn bc michael and dean are both so amazing and i love them. but they both deserve wayyy better than cassie. michael kinda reminds me of jameson and dean of grayson. maybe its jennifer tryna give us a different ending in which she ended up w grayson but totally different characters and plot??? or maybe im just crazy. i lowkey want michael and lia to end up together thoughh.
characters- umm i cant talk about cassie anymore without getting really mad so imma just skip to lia, i love her. shes literally such a great character. i got isabel lightwood vibes from her. sloane…..sloane’s very interesting and i love her but i dont think i would in real life. i would actually die from all the knowledgeable shit she says all the time. michael!!! michael is SO amazing. hes so perfect without being perfect and its actually killing me because i feel like i need to choose between him and dean. dean’s also really great buttt i cant choose. but i also cant NOT choose. i dont think im supposed to be getting this much stress over fictional guys but i also love it.
i’ve been controlling myself so far but i cant hold it in so we’re just going to talk about all the actual stuff now.
‼️SPOILER WARNINGS‼️-
OKAY HOLY SHIT IM STILL IN SHOCK FROM ALL THIS BC WTF AGENT LOCKE IS THE KILLER AND SHES ALSO CASSIE’S AUNT AND WAS ABUSED AND ABANDONED BY HER OLDER SISTER SO SHE BECAME A SERIAL KILLER?? AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ‘YOU’ CHAPTERS BECAUSE THEY WERE SO CONFUSING. I GET THAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SAY YOU OR I FOR AN UNSUB BUT IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE IM THE PERSON AND I DIDNT EVEN UNDERSTAND THE FIRST HALF OF THE YOU CHAPTERS.
alsoo am i the only one who thought the killer would be cassie’s father?? we dont really know anything about him soo it kinda makes sense. and if agent locke didnt kill cassie’s mom who tf did????? im just so confused because i think all this might be too much for my half dead self to be figuring out. i should provably be asleep.
soo yeah i cant wait any longer to get the second book. BUT i also need to wait. my brains still processing all this and i dont know if i can handle that happening again so soon because this left such a huge impact on me and i know that the next book probably will too. maybe its just me but after reading a mystery book i just sit in shock for like an hour after finishing it trying to process everything. this is too much rn, guess im waiting for a couple days to get the next book💀💀
and the ships- im so torn bc michael and dean are both so amazing and i love them. but they both deserve wayyy better than cassie. michael kinda reminds me of jameson and dean of grayson. maybe its jennifer tryna give us a different ending in which she ended up w grayson but totally different characters and plot??? or maybe im just crazy. i lowkey want michael and lia to end up together thoughh.
characters- umm i cant talk about cassie anymore without getting really mad so imma just skip to lia, i love her. shes literally such a great character. i got isabel lightwood vibes from her. sloane…..sloane’s very interesting and i love her but i dont think i would in real life. i would actually die from all the knowledgeable shit she says all the time. michael!!! michael is SO amazing. hes so perfect without being perfect and its actually killing me because i feel like i need to choose between him and dean. dean’s also really great buttt i cant choose. but i also cant NOT choose. i dont think im supposed to be getting this much stress over fictional guys but i also love it.
i’ve been controlling myself so far but i cant hold it in so we’re just going to talk about all the actual stuff now.
‼️SPOILER WARNINGS‼️-
OKAY HOLY SHIT IM STILL IN SHOCK FROM ALL THIS BC WTF AGENT LOCKE IS THE KILLER AND SHES ALSO CASSIE’S AUNT AND WAS ABUSED AND ABANDONED BY HER OLDER SISTER SO SHE BECAME A SERIAL KILLER?? AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ‘YOU’ CHAPTERS BECAUSE THEY WERE SO CONFUSING. I GET THAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SAY YOU OR I FOR AN UNSUB BUT IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE IM THE PERSON AND I DIDNT EVEN UNDERSTAND THE FIRST HALF OF THE YOU CHAPTERS.
alsoo am i the only one who thought the killer would be cassie’s father?? we dont really know anything about him soo it kinda makes sense. and if agent locke didnt kill cassie’s mom who tf did????? im just so confused because i think all this might be too much for my half dead self to be figuring out. i should provably be asleep.
soo yeah i cant wait any longer to get the second book. BUT i also need to wait. my brains still processing all this and i dont know if i can handle that happening again so soon because this left such a huge impact on me and i know that the next book probably will too. maybe its just me but after reading a mystery book i just sit in shock for like an hour after finishing it trying to process everything. this is too much rn, guess im waiting for a couple days to get the next book💀💀
May 25, 2014
I honestly didn't even have time to add this to my "currently reading" shelf because i completed this book in whopping 2 1/2 hours, WOAH. This book was absolutely phenomenal! I am so compelled to do a booktube review of it because there are just so many amazing things I have to say about it! It was ridiculously fast paced and never had a dull moment. The author actually just tweeted me back telling me the sequel comes out in November, because I had NO IDEA it was a series!!!! I cannot wait for more :)
August 5, 2023
this book felt like coming home! i have loved this series ever since i was a preteen, and this is the first time i have reread it since high school, and i am so happy! this book has so much depth to it, so many layers, and honestly has one of the most intriguing plots i’ve ever read. i love every single character, except for the obvious ones so much and i am just really happy to be reading again 😁
July 6, 2018
Love triangles are the bane of enjoying YA books peacefully.
First of all, let me tell you about how I read this series and DNF'ed it.
Innocent 16-year-old Nedia stumbled upon a series called THE NATURALS. She liked the series. The series liked her back. She found a fictional boyfriend called Michael. She started shipping Michael and Cassie. Nedia was certain that they will end up together. How could they not? But, Oh, no! Nedia was so so wrong. She shipped the wrong ship. That ship was sinking. And that's how Nedia left the ship and the series. And looked into the sunset with tears running down her face. Then she read a lot of other books, ate chocolate and shipped other people.
Beautiful story, I know. I came back to finish the series while keeping in mind to ship Cassie and Dean. And now, I can see how Dean is the bad boy with a dark past who needs a hug. I DO. Yet, the author had so many good scenes with Michael and Cassie. SO MANY. I was deceived!
I will just stop being dramatic and talk about the book.
Rating 4,5- should've been 5 but the love triangle ruined it-stars.
The Plot
Cassie has been always good at reading people. Figuring them out. A skill that gets her into a special program for the FBI where she will use her ability to catch serial killers. Her first case is related to her mother's death. Will Cassie be able to solve the case? or is the killer too clever?
The plot was interesting, fast paced and will keep you at the edge of your seat. It's also original. Its greatest aspect is the killer's chapters. It's so creepy and weirdly entertaining.
The Characters
Cassie
Despite being in a love triangle. She was a decent character. She's a natural profiler. I really liked the fact that she was level-headed through it all: Her mother's murder, FBI and serial killers. She always got her emotions under control and analysed everything. BUT when it came to love. She was like: What's happening to me? Michael is so beautiful, witty and mysterious. Dean is such a bad boy, with lean muscle and a dark past. Michael or Dean? Dean or Michael? To be honest, I don't mind love triangles that much when the real ship is obvious. But this book played with my emotions.
Michael
He's so mysterious. Has a mask under his mask. Sometimes an ass-hole. But most of the time, a lonely soul who cares for Cassie. He made me laugh. And I just really liked him. He was so dreamy.
He's also a natural who has a knack for reading people's emotions.
Dean
Now, that I'm twenty. I know that Dean is THE ONE. In all honesty, I should've loved him. He's kind of a lost puppy with a dark past. BUT he was too withdrawn even for my taste. And we don't see that much of him in this book. He's also a natural profiler. Just like Cassie. *I'm rolling my eyes*
Lia
She's a pathological liar and detects any lie. Super interesting. And likes trouble.
Sloan
Another great character, with a skill related to statistics and probabilities. Knows a lot of random scary facts. And weirdly sweet.
The writing
pretty good but doesn't stand out.
Why I recommend this book
*Original plot
*fast paced
*Action packed
*Psychopath's chapters
*Pretty short
*Great cast of characters
Even though, I had a problem with the love triangle, I still really enjoyed this book. I think this series is underrated and I hope more people give it a chance. I'm just salty I didn't get the ship right the first time.
Thank you for reading this review, and I hope you enjoyed it.
First of all, let me tell you about how I read this series and DNF'ed it.
Innocent 16-year-old Nedia stumbled upon a series called THE NATURALS. She liked the series. The series liked her back. She found a fictional boyfriend called Michael. She started shipping Michael and Cassie. Nedia was certain that they will end up together. How could they not? But, Oh, no! Nedia was so so wrong. She shipped the wrong ship. That ship was sinking. And that's how Nedia left the ship and the series. And looked into the sunset with tears running down her face. Then she read a lot of other books, ate chocolate and shipped other people.
Beautiful story, I know. I came back to finish the series while keeping in mind to ship Cassie and Dean. And now, I can see how Dean is the bad boy with a dark past who needs a hug. I DO. Yet, the author had so many good scenes with Michael and Cassie. SO MANY. I was deceived!
I will just stop being dramatic and talk about the book.
Rating 4,5- should've been 5 but the love triangle ruined it-stars.
The Plot
Cassie has been always good at reading people. Figuring them out. A skill that gets her into a special program for the FBI where she will use her ability to catch serial killers. Her first case is related to her mother's death. Will Cassie be able to solve the case? or is the killer too clever?
The plot was interesting, fast paced and will keep you at the edge of your seat. It's also original. Its greatest aspect is the killer's chapters. It's so creepy and weirdly entertaining.
The Characters
Cassie
Despite being in a love triangle. She was a decent character. She's a natural profiler. I really liked the fact that she was level-headed through it all: Her mother's murder, FBI and serial killers. She always got her emotions under control and analysed everything. BUT when it came to love. She was like: What's happening to me? Michael is so beautiful, witty and mysterious. Dean is such a bad boy, with lean muscle and a dark past. Michael or Dean? Dean or Michael? To be honest, I don't mind love triangles that much when the real ship is obvious. But this book played with my emotions.
Michael
He's so mysterious. Has a mask under his mask. Sometimes an ass-hole. But most of the time, a lonely soul who cares for Cassie. He made me laugh. And I just really liked him. He was so dreamy.
He's also a natural who has a knack for reading people's emotions.
Dean
Now, that I'm twenty. I know that Dean is THE ONE. In all honesty, I should've loved him. He's kind of a lost puppy with a dark past. BUT he was too withdrawn even for my taste. And we don't see that much of him in this book. He's also a natural profiler. Just like Cassie. *I'm rolling my eyes*
Lia
She's a pathological liar and detects any lie. Super interesting. And likes trouble.
Sloan
Another great character, with a skill related to statistics and probabilities. Knows a lot of random scary facts. And weirdly sweet.
The writing
pretty good but doesn't stand out.
Why I recommend this book
*Original plot
*fast paced
*Action packed
*Psychopath's chapters
*Pretty short
*Great cast of characters
Even though, I had a problem with the love triangle, I still really enjoyed this book. I think this series is underrated and I hope more people give it a chance. I'm just salty I didn't get the ship right the first time.
Thank you for reading this review, and I hope you enjoyed it.
September 20, 2023
OH MY GOD ??? HOLY SHIT ???
August 6, 2023
4.5🌟
wow this was SO good!🤯
if you like watching criminal minds you should read this!!
wow this was SO good!🤯
if you like watching criminal minds you should read this!!
August 10, 2023
unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. while I’m typically a huge YA mystery fan, too many parts of this book just didn’t do it for me. the 2000s style ya love triangle with one brunet and one blond guy, the one-dimensional side characters (including the sterotypical mean girl character), the mystery that started out a little too personal for the MC because oh! she's involved — it just wasn’t for me.
the mystery was intriguing at first but then it became obvious where things were going, and i just didn’t find the resolution to be satisfying :( sad because i really thought i would enjoy this one.
*2.25
my carrd ❦
the mystery was intriguing at first but then it became obvious where things were going, and i just didn’t find the resolution to be satisfying :( sad because i really thought i would enjoy this one.
*2.25
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
my carrd ❦
August 29, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
JLB can do no wrong 🤷🏼♀️ this was so fun to read!
JLB can do no wrong 🤷🏼♀️ this was so fun to read!
September 26, 2023
there are some spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!
the plot:
however unrealistic it may be, i love love love the concept of a group of teens solving crimes in the fbi! this was such a fun read for me, and i was kept guessing throughout the whole book. it was a bit slow at the beginning (obviously), but after a couple of chapters i was absolutely hooked. after a reading slump, it was so nice to find a book that i just didn’t want to put down 🥲.
the love triangle:
wow, jennifer lynn barnes must really enjoy writing love triangles 😅. i’m really glad that she kept the romance a sub plot, and didn’t over-do it. with the whole situation going on, it would have been weird if cassie was just thinking about the boys, so i like that it was kept to a minimum. i felt no chemistry between cassie and michael, it just seemed like he was trying to win her, or make sure dean couldn’t have her.
cassie hobbes: cassie is not a character i love, but she isn’t one i hate either, i like her during the book, but she can be boring at times. hopefully there will be more development throughout the series, and i’ll end up loving her character🤞.
dean redding: i try not to be one of those people who only loves the broody, angsty guys, but it tends to happen anyways. i love dean, and there seems to be a lot of things we haven’t learned about his character yet.
michael townsend: i do not like michael, at all. i found him to be very annoying, and to be fair, i doubt that’s how he was meant to be written, but that’s how i read it. he makes stupid comments to dean all the time, and gets jealous over nothing. the only time i liked him was when he shot lacey 🤧.
i’m so excited to see where the rest of the series goes, because i can totally see myself liking this more than the inheritance games! 💗
pinterest board: https://pin.it/4k3wuRO
pre-review:
idc i love dean 🫶
the plot:
however unrealistic it may be, i love love love the concept of a group of teens solving crimes in the fbi! this was such a fun read for me, and i was kept guessing throughout the whole book. it was a bit slow at the beginning (obviously), but after a couple of chapters i was absolutely hooked. after a reading slump, it was so nice to find a book that i just didn’t want to put down 🥲.
the love triangle:
wow, jennifer lynn barnes must really enjoy writing love triangles 😅. i’m really glad that she kept the romance a sub plot, and didn’t over-do it. with the whole situation going on, it would have been weird if cassie was just thinking about the boys, so i like that it was kept to a minimum. i felt no chemistry between cassie and michael, it just seemed like he was trying to win her, or make sure dean couldn’t have her.
cassie hobbes: cassie is not a character i love, but she isn’t one i hate either, i like her during the book, but she can be boring at times. hopefully there will be more development throughout the series, and i’ll end up loving her character🤞.
dean redding: i try not to be one of those people who only loves the broody, angsty guys, but it tends to happen anyways. i love dean, and there seems to be a lot of things we haven’t learned about his character yet.
michael townsend: i do not like michael, at all. i found him to be very annoying, and to be fair, i doubt that’s how he was meant to be written, but that’s how i read it. he makes stupid comments to dean all the time, and gets jealous over nothing. the only time i liked him was when he shot lacey 🤧.
i’m so excited to see where the rest of the series goes, because i can totally see myself liking this more than the inheritance games! 💗
pinterest board: https://pin.it/4k3wuRO
pre-review:
idc i love dean 🫶
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2023
what an ending omg??? did not see that one coming.
also — can you imagine living in a house with people who can just see right through you? yeah, no thanks. i would have left immediately.
3.5 rounded up bc i’m feeling generous
also — can you imagine living in a house with people who can just see right through you? yeah, no thanks. i would have left immediately.
3.5 rounded up bc i’m feeling generous
October 20, 2013
The Naturals is a hit or miss for me and very hard to review. Some parts of the book I really enjoyed, while others I found lacking. To give you an example - I'm not even sure if this book is part paranormal or not. As a serial killer mystery, however, it has its fair share of appealing qualities.
This novel starts by introducing us to our protagonist, Cassie, who's always been good at reading people with only the tiniest of details. She quickly meets with an FBI team who takes her on to train as a profiler. That is about all we get as an introduction. Forget learning very much about this classified Naturals program. Moreover, we don't find out where these special abilities come from. Are we supposed to assume they're genetically modified kids, or just very talented? It seems to enforce the fact these kids' abilities are not "normal", but no explanations are ever given to make this something other than speculation. You simply have to take this part at face value. Furthermore, we have one dreadful love triangle in the mix, as well as side characters who could have used a lot of work - most are very two dimensional. As for Cassie, while I did like the profiling side of her - I've always had a fascination with criminal profiling - I found her narration lacked a certain vibrancy. I did not dislike her, exactly, but her personality was quite monotonous and failed to turn her into a memorable character.
The part that did keep my interest was the serial killer storyline. Being a big fan of crime mysteries, this part was right up my alley. The profiling bits were by far the most interesting. We see them pick up on slight details that throws them directly into the head of this killer or the event in question. Being in training, the characters have to explain what brought them to these conclusions, so fortunately this part did not lack explanation. We get to see the train of thought, from A to Z, that these profilers form with the smallest of clues. Having read my fair share of books on the matter I found it to be well researched on that front. The mystery itself did have me stumped for most of the book which was a nice change, and even if I had guessed the culprit, I would not have known the motive behind it. It was well thought-out.
The Naturals is an entertaining novel with an engaging mystery, but it lacks in areas that might have made it possible for it to stand out. As is, I finished this book 3 days ago and it's already starting to fade from memory.
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
This novel starts by introducing us to our protagonist, Cassie, who's always been good at reading people with only the tiniest of details. She quickly meets with an FBI team who takes her on to train as a profiler. That is about all we get as an introduction. Forget learning very much about this classified Naturals program. Moreover, we don't find out where these special abilities come from. Are we supposed to assume they're genetically modified kids, or just very talented? It seems to enforce the fact these kids' abilities are not "normal", but no explanations are ever given to make this something other than speculation. You simply have to take this part at face value. Furthermore, we have one dreadful love triangle in the mix, as well as side characters who could have used a lot of work - most are very two dimensional. As for Cassie, while I did like the profiling side of her - I've always had a fascination with criminal profiling - I found her narration lacked a certain vibrancy. I did not dislike her, exactly, but her personality was quite monotonous and failed to turn her into a memorable character.
The part that did keep my interest was the serial killer storyline. Being a big fan of crime mysteries, this part was right up my alley. The profiling bits were by far the most interesting. We see them pick up on slight details that throws them directly into the head of this killer or the event in question. Being in training, the characters have to explain what brought them to these conclusions, so fortunately this part did not lack explanation. We get to see the train of thought, from A to Z, that these profilers form with the smallest of clues. Having read my fair share of books on the matter I found it to be well researched on that front. The mystery itself did have me stumped for most of the book which was a nice change, and even if I had guessed the culprit, I would not have known the motive behind it. It was well thought-out.
The Naturals is an entertaining novel with an engaging mystery, but it lacks in areas that might have made it possible for it to stand out. As is, I finished this book 3 days ago and it's already starting to fade from memory.
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
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