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tiana_king's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It was disappointing how much about the cult was left up to the imagination. I really loved this book until the end
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Self harm
Minor: Infidelity
kaitlynnnng's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Note: I didn’t read the novella at the end. I might someday, but I’m not super interested in doing so at the moment.
I’m actually so mad about the ending. I’m crying. I’m angry. I’m disappointed. I was enjoying the story, less than I enjoyed the other books in the series, but I wasn’t complaining; however, the ending ruined the whole book for me.
I’m actually so mad about the ending. I’m crying. I’m angry. I’m disappointed. I was enjoying the story, less than I enjoyed the other books in the series, but I wasn’t complaining; however, the ending ruined the whole book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
bribreez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5⭐️
Over the span of this series, each book has revealed secrets, mysteries, a variety of UNSUBS, danger, a bit of suspense, and a whole lot more for the Naturals. Cassie, Dean, Michael, Lia, and Sloane had to face against their biggest case so far, one that little by little with each case they worked collectively led them to the case that challenged them in ways they never saw coming. The conclusion to the series was amazing, exciting, addicting as always, and had me feeling immersed in the story as I usually am whenever it comes to Jennifer Lynn Barnes series.
Over the span of this series, each book has revealed secrets, mysteries, a variety of UNSUBS, danger, a bit of suspense, and a whole lot more for the Naturals. Cassie, Dean, Michael, Lia, and Sloane had to face against their biggest case so far, one that little by little with each case they worked collectively led them to the case that challenged them in ways they never saw coming. The conclusion to the series was amazing, exciting, addicting as always, and had me feeling immersed in the story as I usually am whenever it comes to Jennifer Lynn Barnes series.
The ending of the previous book took a turn in which I never expected, but left a lot more open in terms of what Cassie and the Naturals were up against. With the big reveal that Cassie’s mom wasn’t dead and it seemed like she was connected to the serial killer cult the Naturals uncovered, everything that Cassie knew about her mom completely changed. Cassie was put to the test in her abilities, uncovering the truths, and once again trying to unravel all the clues that played a significant role. With the revelation from the last book in which, Cassie found out that not only was her mom alive, but also part of the cult they were hunting down. I could only imagine that Cassie felt shocked, overwhelmed, and confused as to what led to her mom’s death being staged, to her seemingly being part of a cult, as well as having a sister she didn’t know about?! It was crazy! Little by little, with Cassie and the Naturals on the case, the clues they found were surprising and eye opening!
Each book focused on a new case, as well as mainly on one of the Naturals, so this time around Michael and his backstory came to light. Michael was the one who could see people’s emotions, there wasn’t anything you could keep from him since he’d be able to see it on your face right away. Based on the few details that Michael said about his life, it was mentioned that Michael’s dad was abusive and was the one that got Michael into the Naturals program in order to avoid prosecution for white collar crimes. Michael didn’t have the best relationship with his dad (and rightly so), but with this newest case, it brought Michael back in proximity with the one man he hated. Throughout the story, I was able to get a better understanding of Michael, but also similarly to how I felt about Sloane in the previous book, I just wanted to hug Michael and let him know he wasn’t alone! Michael usually covered up his vulnerability with his confidence and bravado, but in this story I was able to see underneath all the layers he kept, and see who Michael was.
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, this series is so addicting and easy to get into! From the moment I started reading this book, I was zooming as fast as can be just jumping from one chapter to the next! I found it easy to follow along, even at some moments with the breakdown of clues the Naturals uncovered, I felt immersed in the story as if I was right there with them. From beginning, to middle, and end, there was a consistent flow in the plot that never seemed boring or lacked any shocking moments. There were plenty of moments that (as per usual) caught me by surprise, and added another layer of excitement/ danger! Especially with this book being the conclusion to the series, everything from the previous books was all coming together to create a worth while finale to these amazing character’s story!
The beginning may have focused on Michael, but it also revealed more about Lia. Since the beginning of this series, I could never exactly pinpoint which of Lia’s lies were really lies and what was true. Lia was the resident deception detector and incredible with making lies believable. Similar to Michael, most of Lia’s past was a mystery and unknown to me, but through this story, and trying to uncover the people behind the cult, parts of Lia’s past were revealed. I guess now having learned about what Lia went through as a kid really made me see her in a different light as opposed to seeing her always putting up a strong front. Beneath all the lies, there was the truth of Lia went through and all the things she did in order to survive. This story as a collective revealed all the nitty gritty truths to each of the Naturals pasts, their own vulnerabilities, and ultimately showing them being there for one another.
OMG OMG OMG OMG?! NOT ONLY DID THE PLOT THICKEN, BUT THERE WAS A WHOLE OTHER PART OF THE CULT AND MORE!!! I WAS SHOCKED! THE PLOT TWISTS AND PEOPLE REVEALED TO BE PART OF THE CULT! IT’S LIKE NO ONE COULD BE TRUSTED?! AHHHHHHH! That being said, this was by far the most shocking, surprising I’ve felt so far while reading this book particularly from the whole series! As a whole, each book delivered great stories, but it also all built up to this very moment, the ending of this series in the most unexpected yet intriguing way possible!
The end has come, but…WOW! THIS WAS SO FREAKING AMAZING! Over the course of this series, it has continued to grab my attention, keep me hooked, immersed in the story, and vicariously living out my, “Criminal Minds” dreams! Cassie, Michael, Dean, Sloane, and Lia were each fantastic, and their talents were impressive and unique. Aside from all the danger, mystery, and investigating the Naturals had to do, I also loved the found family and seeing how everyone became so close. This story dealt with some hard truths especially towards the ending of the story, but I also felt that as a whole this story was heartwarming in seeing Cassie and the rest of the gang find themselves together as not only a team, but as a family. I genuinely kept gasping in shock towards the end, and I’m honestly going to need a few days to process EXACTLY WHAT WENT DOWN! I would genuinely re-read the whole series again because, I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Bittersweet to have finished the series, but I wholeheartedly love these characters, and definitely a series I won’t stop thinking about as well as this book in particular!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Blood, and Kidnapping
ashleynp24's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Animal death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, and Torture
lucyford's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As always, I really enjoyed this book. It’s probably my second favorite out of the whole series, and definitely was the hardest to wrap my head around, but I loved it nonetheless. Jennifer Lynn Barnes perfectly wrapped up the series in this book, and I loved seeing everything gradually get resolved, and questions get answered, particularly about Cassie and Lia’s lives (plus Michael was extra unhinged). Overall, I’m so glad I read this series and I couldn’t have asked for a better final book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Confinement, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Self harm, Infidelity, and Rape
carsonbailey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Abandonment, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Self harm, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
namenotimportant's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow. I don't have words for this, except for wow.
I think this was my favourite book out of the four. The profiling, the process, the emotions?! I did not expect the plot twist(s) in the end.
I loved that Lorelai came back, I was scared that she wouldn't.
All of the Naturals, Briggs, Sterling, Judd, they all grew on me. I felt like in this book I learnt a lot about Sloane.
Overall, this was incredibly intense.
I think this was my favourite book out of the four. The profiling, the process, the emotions?! I did not expect the plot twist(s) in the end.
All of the Naturals, Briggs, Sterling, Judd, they all grew on me. I felt like in this book I learnt a lot about Sloane.
Overall, this was incredibly intense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, Emotional abuse, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Gun violence and Self harm
ong's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I pride myself in being able to predict where things are going in shows, movies, books. This book literally had me in the first half, thinking I’d guessed where it was going. But holy shit. NOTHING could’ve prepared me for that ending.
The best part of this series is how it keeps me guessing & on my toes. And the fact that the teens sounds like real human beings, not way too exaggerated, if a little fucked up. Very 3 dimensional characters. The plot flows real well too. Definitely one of my fav series now.
The best part of this series is how it keeps me guessing & on my toes. And the fact that the teens sounds like real human beings, not way too exaggerated, if a little fucked up. Very 3 dimensional characters. The plot flows real well too. Definitely one of my fav series now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death of parent
Moderate: Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Drug abuse, Grief, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, Child death, and Pregnancy
mrsalexisrjones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The finale. I actually postponed reading this one because I was still processing the last one. I read this in two sittings. I read chapter one on one day and the rest in another day. It’s a book that you can’t put down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Torture, Violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Drug use
gigihopkins's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Body horror, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Drug use, Torture, and Violence