The Naturals

This was a well-written novel that I would never give to a middle schooler. It was intense and graphic enough that I would reserve it for an upper high school/adult audience. I found the story riveting with a conclusion that totally surprised me. Barnes is a very talented writter.

I love JLB's writing style but I'm so over love triangles. The mystery/gore was a nice change of pace though from some of the other books I've been reading, even from TIG. The novel does a great job at keeping more with the plot and focusing on Cassie and the guys. I wasn't expecting the twist ending which is always a nice surprise. It was very fast paced and very enjoyable.

This book is full of great drama. It feels like watching a Criminal Minds episode. The triangle didn't make a lot of sense to me, but it is subtle and didnt take away from the story. This was the first book I ever read by her; after I finished this one, I immediately started to read more books by her. I have enjoyed everything I have since read by Ms. Barnes. She has not disappointed!

I liked the book; good enough to read book two. There needed to be a bit more explanation of everyone’s abilities. It seemed to me that the FBI already had people who could do the things these kids could do. The secondary characters felt a little more developed than Cassie's, and there seems to be very little growth in anyone. The connection between the characters was well-made, and the twist at the end was somewhat surprising.1. The Naturals (2013)2. Killer Instinct (2014)3. All In (2015)4. Bad Blood (2016)

Nothing is more terrifying than a serial killer hunting in your back yard. Well, maybe a horde of zombies, but one is more likely than the other. In Jennifer Lynn Barnes' first book of a new series, The Naturals, she explores the desperation of the FBI to catch these brutal hunters, even if it means she has to enlist the help of some kids.Cassie knows her grandmother loves her, but after her fake-psychic mother was murdered and Cassie was the one to stumble upon the crime scene, living with her grandmother has always left her feeling like an outsider. When she is approached by a boy sent by the FBI to consider entering a special program of other Naturals, she assumes they are just messing with her. But the offer is real. There is a special group of kids who are Natural profilers, genius statisticians, and human lie detectors who can swing the result of any investigation. They aren't allowed into the field, but the agents house them in an old mansion and ask them to review cold cases in the hopes of solving previously unsolvable crimes.Michael brings her around to meet the other kids, but while he is welcoming, the others aren't exactly interested in her presence. They all live in a house with pictures of serial killers on the walls, but that isn't even the strangest thing about the place. Liv can read lies and Sloane is like Rain Man (and a klepto). But mysterious Dean is the unreadable member of the team. The agents want to ease Cassie into the process, but when a serial killer starts hunting in the middle of the city, they get desperate. The kids aren't willing to stay on the sidelines, though, and their meddling gets them, Cassie in particular, the attention of the one person they don't want: the serial killer.The Naturals was my first experience with Barnes, and I have to say it was definitely a good one! The story was a nice mix of slightly paranormal (the kids' "natural talents" feel a little like special abilities) and a crime mystery. The serial killer is a pretty creepy twist with special short chapters between Cassie's chapters where you get inside the killer's head. Creeptastic! Barnes did a good job of building enough suspense that you couldn't put the story down, and better yet, it seems we will have a sequel to look forward to. The one aspect of the story I struggled with was the boys. Michael and Dean are supposed to be the Cassie Love Triangle, but neither really appealed to me. I was more interested in quirky Liv and Sloane than I was the boys, which made it tough to be too invested in the small amount of romance in the story. But Dean has a promising back story that could get interesting.The story can be kind of gruesome at times. Basically, if you would let a kid watch Criminal Minds, they could read this book about these serial killers. The house the kids live in is a little morbid, but it adds to the creep factor of the whole place. The story was fast-paced and incredibly interesting, so it would be good for any reader interested in mysteries or crime writing. I am looking forward to the next story to see what happens to all the Naturals!

You can't go into The Naturals expecting a chilling serial killer novel that gets your heart racing in fear, characters that will make you sob for hours, or a perfectly crafted plot. But you can expect a quick and enjoyable read with some mystery and plenty of supporting characters with actual depth.(Bear with me for this incredibly short review, considering it's been a few months since I read this.)You definitely have to suspend some disbelief for this novel, but when you do, I think the idea is fantastic. Cassie has a really cool talent - give her just a few seconds and she can know plenty of details about you that you'd never have shared. I love the way Barnes writes this - it appears logical and factual on Cassie's part, not mystical and magical. This, of course, is a very desirable trait for the FBI, who already have a project started with a few other gifted teens. Though I wish we had gotten a better glimpse into the inner workings of the FBI and their investigation, I still say it's a really cool concept, and Barnes certainly writes it well.The Naturals includes short chapters written in the POV of the serial killer, and this was a great addition. Definitely made it creepier and kept me on my toes. This could have been done horribly, but getting a glimpse into the action and the mind of the serial killer was pretty cool. I definitely think it could have been even creepier, but that doesn't really fit with the style of the novel. I think I just wanted to be scared. (My friend and I did an entire project on Jefferey Dahmer and Ted Bundy last year. We watched interviews at midnight in the dark for it. I like the fear, apparently.)We get to watch Cassie adjust to living with other teenagers - Michael, who can read her emotions like a book, Sloane, a bit of an oddball who's a whiz with math and statistics, and Dean, a fellow profiler, albeit an angrier one. Romance aside, Cassie's developing relationships with them was fun to see. Everything felt very natural (ha. ha.) and each character had their own quirks and certainly served a purpose, rather than just being there for decoration like secondary characters in many novels.And, of course, we find two men for potential relationships. I'll tell you that, for the most part, the love triangle didn't annoy me simply because the plot overshadows it most of the time. It's still irritating, though. It always is. I dare you to find me one that doesn't annoy me.Overall: The fact that Barnes was able to completely surprise me with the end of the novel speaks volumes. I enjoyed the concept, the plotline, and the characters immensely. 4 stars.

This book was absolutely amazing!! I bought it used and it came in pretty good condition. No complaints. :)

Loved it! Better than I thought it was going to be.

Sehr spannend

I think I liked it but it took a while to get through so that says something. The mystery was good and there was a lot of explaining though which got a little bit boring to me. I think if you don’t know much about investigation or criminology this is great but even if you just watch a crime show like criminal minds you will know all of it. There is a love triangle and some interesting characters. The naturals (essentially teens with a natural ability that would help in crime investigation) are Sloane, Michael, Lia and Dean. I love Sloane and Dean, I am unsure about Michael but I mostly like him and I can’t stand Lia.I read this because I really liked The Inheritance Games so I wanted to try this. So far this isn’t as good but I still recommend it.

Amazing

Ich muss echt aufhören abends ein neues Buch anzufangen. Denn dieses hier konnte ich einfach nicht weglegen.Die Geschichte und ihre Umsetzung sind fantastisch. Die profiling Aspekte sind der Hammer und das Ende ohne Worte.Normalerweise bin ich echt gut im vorher herausfinden wer der Übeltäter ist aber hier auch mich das Ende einfach umgehauen.Und nicht nur einmal, sondern gleich 3 mal, da die Autorin es wahnsinnig gut drauf einen in die Irre zu führen.Ich kann dieses Buch nur empfehlen!