The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genres: Thriller, Crimes, Mystery, YA
Pages: 308
Cover: Paperback
Age rating: 12+
Buy on: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
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Cassie, 17, has a natural ability to read people. She can determine your identity and desires by piecing together even the smallest details. However, she has never taken it seriously as a skill. That is, until the FBI shows up and says they need Cassie for a classified program they have started that recruits extraordinary youngsters to solve notorious cold cases.
When Cassie is ordered to live with a group of teenagers whose powers are as outlandish as her own, she fails to see that there is more at stake than a few unsolved murders. Because of his ability to read emotions, sarcastic, privileged Michael is able to get into Cassie's head and get under her skin. Although he shares Cassie's talent for profiling, Dean maintains a distance from her.
It soon becomes evident that the Naturals program is not what it seems. Furthermore, danger is closer than Cassie could have ever thought as a new killer strikes. The Naturals will need to use every gift they possess in order to survive after becoming entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a murderer.
General Opinion
I think I will never be disappointed by any Jennifer Lynn Barnes, her writing style always resonates well with me. I lover the Inheritance Games and think that I will enjoy The Naturals as well, I was not wrong.
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Characters
My favorite character in this book was Dean, he seems to be the most interesting out of them, I found his brooding nature to be cute, and readers know that he's a softie inside. I love how protective he is of teammates, and Dean's quarrel with Michael also struck me funny, reminding me of an average sibling fight. Cassie as a main character didn't stand out to me yet, as the only thing that got her going at the moment was her mother, who we aren't sure is dead or alive, but preferably dead. I like her and Dean's profiler ability though, and all of the other Natural's abilities of course. ​
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Lia is interesting, she comes off as annoying, but something telling me that there's more to her than we've seen, and we are going to see more of her in book 2. I am 100% sure though that Lia and Cassie are going to become besties, and I do love her chaotic vibe. Sloane is a sweet girl, though she needs to make more of an appearance to stand out to me.
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When I went into this book, I did expect a little romance, from reviews I saw online, I just didn't expect a love triangle. Now, if you know me, you know I don't like a love triangle, but this one isn't so bad. However it did get a bit annoying when Cassie was thinking about choosing Dean or Michael when there's an active case going on. But I'm team Dean, he's just more interesting, and I think he and Cassie understand each other more, as they are both profilers. Michael is an enjoyable character though, he is chaotic, funny, and charming, kind of reminds me of Jameson Hawthorne.
Plot
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I love the Naturals and am very excited to read the next book. Would love to know more about the backstory of the other Naturals, and hoping for crazier twist. ​