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A review by bladebailey
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Cassie Hobbes has been recruited to an elite program where teens naturally gifted in various aspects of criminology are trained to hunt violent criminals, but as she works the program it becomes increasingly evident that someone may be recreating her own mother's death. It'll take her new friends and the FBI agents that oversee them every resource to solve the case before someone else dies.
As someone who watches Criminal Minds religiously, and naps to it almost every afternoon, I knew I had to read Barnes' YA series that turns teens into FBI profilers. As with the Inheritance Games, I'm glad I did. It's been a while since a mystery has been engaging enough to hold me and while this one wasn't too complex until late in the book, it held my focus and I didn't guess the UNSUB. The characters shine, each one bringing their own skills, trauma, baggage, and messy romantic emotions to the table. Sometimes a YA mystery thriller orbiting serial killers and some messy ass teenagers is exactly what the heart needs and I'm excited to read the next books in the series.
As someone who watches Criminal Minds religiously, and naps to it almost every afternoon, I knew I had to read Barnes' YA series that turns teens into FBI profilers. As with the Inheritance Games, I'm glad I did. It's been a while since a mystery has been engaging enough to hold me and while this one wasn't too complex until late in the book, it held my focus and I didn't guess the UNSUB. The characters shine, each one bringing their own skills, trauma, baggage, and messy romantic emotions to the table. Sometimes a YA mystery thriller orbiting serial killers and some messy ass teenagers is exactly what the heart needs and I'm excited to read the next books in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and Gun violence