Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Naturals
1st The Naturals
[YA mystery]
You can buy it here:
The Naturals (Amazon hardcover)
The Naturals(Amazon paperback)
FTC: I recieved an eARC via Netgalley for review.
Summary: (via Netgalley.com)
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. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. 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.
Think The Mentalist meets Pretty Little Liars—Jennifer Lynn-Barnes’ The Naturals is a gripping psychological thriller with killer appeal, a to-die-for romance, and the bones of a gritty and compelling new series.
My thoughts:
I heard a lot about this book before diving in. Some related it to Criminal Minds, some to The Mentalist - and many said it was like those crime shows, but for young adults. To me, all these comments do have a point, but: I love the book with or without the similarities to shows I admittedly enjoy a lot. To me, The Naturals was a nice entrance to a new series that hopefully will not end after book two or three.
Our main character, Cassie, has been through a lot in her few years. Her mother was brutally murdered (no spoilers here!) and she lived with family until she decided to go off on an adventure on her own, when she is recruited as a sort-of profiler for the FBI. She will be one of a team of young adults with special abilities. Where seasoned agents have to learn the tricks of the trade, these young people have a natural gift and I found the explanation considerably reasonable. They do not have supernatural abilities, they just have natural traits that help them notice things sooner than other people. It only recquired a minimal amout of suspension of disbelief on my part, especially as I have met people who could pinpoint to certain important aspects way before anyone else had noticed.
Cassie stumbles into her new home with her team mates just as a new serial killer is on the loose and the FBI agents responsible for the project are in the midst of it. While the young adults are supposed to stay out of it, we all know what a big "No" does - it entices even more. And thus, the action starts for all of them.
The novel was gripping from the start and would not let go even after I read it. Jennifer Lynn Barnes did a wonderful job working out the different characters. They came to live to me and I had no problems imagining them standing right in front of me, in all their colorful (or dark, in some cases) glory. I thoroughly enjoyed The Naturals and am looking forward to the second book in this series, which will be out later this year!
Rating:
4/5
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