From the Bookshelf of Endless Readers …

The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Start date: April 1, 2025

Finish date: April 30, 2025

Discussion: BOTM!

Why we're reading this: April's BOTM 2025…more
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Shadow and Bone- 11/2025
By Yeehawwlovesb… , Lead Moderator · 4 posts · 4 views

last updated Oct 29, 2025 09:02AM

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What Members Thought

Apr 01, 2025 ͙͘͡★ Ancuta✨🌙 rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5✨

Okay, so I kinda have mixed feelings about this one. Like, something about this book felt flat for me tbh.
This one is fast-paced, I really loved the fact that I could finish it so quickly. I really liked the parts where there were used and explained concepts from the criminology field (as few as there were). I guess I always had a special interest in this field, in criminal psychology especially, and everything related to crimes lol (promise I’m normal, but I do like reading thrillers/myste 3.5✨

Okay, so I kinda have mixed feelings about this one. Like, something about this book felt flat for me tbh.
This one is fast-paced, I really loved the fact that I could finish it so quickly. I really liked the parts where there were used and explained concepts from the criminology field (as few as there were). I guess I always had a special interest in this field, in criminal psychology especially, and everything related to crimes lol (promise I’m normal, but I do like reading thrillers/mystery/true crime books or binge watching crime shows after all). I also really liked the snippets into the killer’s mind.

However, this book felt just so… plain and simple. Also (and this is probably because of my age), I get the feeling that I can’t enjoy books featuring teenagers as much as I would have a few years ago. Althought the concept was really interesting and the book itself was quite engaging (the short chapters and the mystery managed to keep me entertained), I feel like this could have been so much more than what we got. I would have liked to see more detective work, I wanted more clues, I just wanted more and I’m a bit disappointed.

Now about the characters. They felt a little bland tbh. I feel like we didn’t get enough background for them. All we really got were minor details about each one of them, but, like, nothing really deep (or even if there were some mentions here and there, they could have been explored more). That’s probably why I didn’t feel like I developped a deep connection with any of them.

Also, what’s with this author and the love triangles ? Like, does she have to repeat the same cliché in all her books ??? I think this one would have been very good without including that (not to mention that I got the impression that everything came out of nowhere). But anyway, I think I have a fav (Dean🤭), so I’m curious if it goes my way like it happened in The Inheritance Games 🤔🤭).

And about the big plot twist at the end of the book… tbh I didn’t really see that coming and that is actually a plus for the book. But that still doesn’t make up for everything else.

Overall, this was a fun read tho. I’m happy I read it, especially since this series was on my list of series I’d like to start this year, so I’m proud for achieving this reading goal (and also, it got me out of my reading slump🦋). I’ll probably continue the series because the books are all rather short and fast-paced and I’m hoping the series will improve. But tbh, If I had to choose between this one and The Inheritance Games, the latter would be the winner (there I really grew attached to the characters and I feel like there were more clues and riddles and more plot twists). But we’ll see if anything changes as I read the next ones, I guess. 🦦 ...more

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Feb 05, 2024 akacya ❦ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-mystery, format-audiobook, audience-young-adult

2024 reads: 33/250

cassie is a natural at reading people’s motives and personalities. she’s invited to join a program with the fbi for teens with similar abilities to crack cold cases. soon, though, she realizes there is so much more at stake than what she signed up for.

i’m slowly getting through jennifer lynn barnes’s backlist, and i’m glad i picked this up. this was a short read, but definitely packed a punch. i enjoyed reading about all the different characters and how their dynamics worked to ...more

31 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2024 Ana Lopez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-rated-books, ya-read, books-read-in-2024

It was amazing to read another book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I love her writing so much!!
I loved this book and the storyline so much! It definitely gives Criminal Minds vibes but with lots of teenagers.
The plot twist at the end totally got me, I did not see it coming at all! I love when a murder mystery/killer reveal completely shocks me.
There is also a love triangle in this series and I can honestly say that I have no idea who Cassie will end up with. I do have a bit of a preference on who I ...more

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Nov 06, 2013 Sarah E B ʚ♡ɞ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-thriller, 1st-in-a-series, read-2025, superheroes-superpowers, suspense-thiller-mystery-etc, serial-killer, science-fiction, series-continue, setting-alternate-earth, psychological

4/5 Stars ⭐💫

Imagine a young adult version of Criminal Minds infused with supernatural abilities. The protagonist is a brilliant and resilient character, showcasing her intelligence and strength throughout the narrative. While the romantic subplot, particularly the love triangle, doesn't captivate me, the eerie and thrilling atmosphere reminiscent of Criminal Minds is truly engaging! Overall, it's an enjoyable read, and I'm excited to dive deeper into the series. I do hope that some characters de ...more

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Oct 28, 2025 Emily✨ rated it really liked it

4.5ish but honestly I have no complaints !!! I'm obsessed with the YA criminal minds vibes ...more

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Oct 05, 2024 lucy rated it really liked it

i loved this book! i didnt see the plot twist coming at all but the romance is feeling VERY rushed

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 18, 2024 maud ⋆˙⟡ rated it really liked it

4,5* super fast read, loved it

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 02, 2024 Kayla Mickelson rated it liked it

I didn’t expect this to be a 5 star by any means, but it was a huge let down. Yes, I’m aware it’s a YA, but based on the raving reviews from adults I thought I would be able to get past the cheesiness but unfortunately I couldn’t. It all just felt a little annoying 😅

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