A review by bribreez
Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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.

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! 
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