Book Review: The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hello readers!

I recently read THE NATURALS by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and it was heart-pounding thriller. Take a look:

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.

When I read THE NATURALS I felt like I was watching a pilot of a new TV Crime Drama show. I was sucked in after Chapter One. And when I had to do some mundane chores around the house, those were the commercial breaks. I was dying to find out what happens next.

What I found very intriguing were the Naturals, people with extraordinary skills. Cassie, our protagonist, is a Natural profiler, she can read people easily. For instance Cassie would know if someone liked their eggs scrambled or sunny-side-up without asking them. There are other Naturals in the book like Naturals at deception and lying, numbers and probabilities and reading emotions. I wondered if there are such people out there. I’ve heard about these geniuses on the news and I wonder if the FBI hires these geniuses.

I also enjoyed the very short chapters in the point-of-view of the killer. The killer’s chapters were chilling to read and I was desperate to find out who was the serial killer as much as the characters.

I highly recommend THE NATURALS to people who love TV Crime Dramas when they’re not reading a good book.

Also the thrilling sequel, KILLER INSTINCTS, coming out November 4th. Readers, I'm dying for it!

That's it for today! Make sure you check back the blog for more book reviews, author interviews and more!
Miranda