A Deep Dive into “The Naturals”
Why Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ YA thriller series is a must read.
Many YA thriller books incorporate twists and turns that feel predictable, but throughout the entire book, I was guessing the wrong suspect all along!
I picked up this book looking for a quick read after a month of a reading drought. But once I got about 10 pages in, I stayed for the author’s amazing ability to wrap psychology, her characters, as well as emotion.
If you’re into rapid-paced thrillers, witty dialogue, and a sprinkle of romance, then The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes might be your next obsession! Perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Inheritance Games, The Naturals is a fast-paced thriller featuring brilliant teens where secrets run deep and danger is always nearby.
After the first novel, I immediately began searching for the next book of this series!
What’s It About?
The story surrounds the protagonist Cassandra (Cassie) Hobbes, a 17 year old with a flair for analyzing people, noticing small details, picking up patterns, and always telling what other people are thinking. She always incorporates the skill in her daily life but that all changes when the FBI comes knocking. Cassie finds out she got recruited into a top secret program for teens like her–”Naturals”, with extraordinary abilities who are trained to solve cold cases. Consisting of Michael, who can read emotions; Lia, a living lie detector; Sloane, a walking encyclopedia; and Dean, a profiler with a dark past. At first it’s all fun and games with theoretical cases. But when a real serial killer begins targeting victims a little too close to Cassie’s past, training becomes a petrifying game. With her life at risk, Cassie must use the extent of her intelligence and everything she knows to outthink the murderer.
Why It Stands Out
Many YA thriller books incorporate twists and turns that feel predictable, but throughout the entire book, I was guessing the wrong suspect all along! This book kept me on my toes and I wasn’t able to even put it down, making me finish the whole thing in a day. The way that Barnes described emotion in the novel made me stay engaged as well as how she wrote the characters. Each one had their own individual backgrounds and inner conflict, like Cassie’s struggle with her past—“A part of me had never really left that fateful theater: the lights, the crowd, the blood. Maybe I never would, but Agent Briggs was offering me a chance to do something about it.”—which makes the story feel even more real. The balance between teen drama and the psychological suspense is surprisingly well done.
Go Check It Out!
If you like complicated mysteries, characters with emotional baggage, and a chilling plot, then The Naturals is 100% for you! Additionally, the book series is complete with 4 books which means there’s three more books to enjoy if you’re not ready to end the reading journey yet–Killer Instinct, All In, and Bad Blood. So if you decide to invest in this book, get ready to indulge in this thrilling read!
