The Naturals

Actual rating: 4.5 starsOriginally posted at [...] The Story Goes...</a>This book is about a group of five teenagers called Naturals by the FBI for their Natural and uncanny abilities the read people, to profile them, or read their emotions, or tell when someone is lying. Recruited by the FBI they receive training to help on Cold Cases but things go horribly array when a killer starts stalking one of their own! (I am horrible at explaining books!)Let's Talk -Characters -I really loved basically all the characters. I felt like there maybe could have been a little more character development but overall I really liked them. One thing that surprised me is that I ended up liking both the guys that start to form the love triangle in this book, I still feel like there's one Cassie obviously likes more(though I could be wrong), but I did like both Micheal and Dean which for me doesn't happen very often. I also really liked that there was no insta love, this character wasn't jerking around both boys and claiming to love them, she admitted she was confused and tried to stay away from them so as to not hurt them. So that was refreshing. I'm really interested in finding out more about Micheal, Lia and Sloane because I feel like we don't know anything about them and I really want to know more.The Big Reveal - So of course there's the moment towards the end of the book where the killer is finally revealed...and I don't know, it didn't feel as shocking as it should have. I mean it was a shock, I had never once considered that person, it never crossed my mind that it would be that person but still, I just didn't feel shocked. That whole part was a little disappointing to me.The Plot - I love mysteries and I feel like that is one genre YA is lacking in(maybe I just haven't been looking hard enough?) and obviously this is a tad unrealistic what with teenagers working with the FBI and all but it didn't feel unrealistic, it was really well written to where not even once did I question why teenagers would be working with the FBI. I also felt the suspense was done really well and like I said I don't think it's easy to figure out who the killer is which is always a good thing in a mystery.Overall - I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and interesting and suspenseful and I can't wait to read the next book!

You can't go into The Naturals expecting a chilling serial killer novel that gets your heart racing in fear, characters that will make you sob for hours, or a perfectly crafted plot. But you can expect a quick and enjoyable read with some mystery and plenty of supporting characters with actual depth.(Bear with me for this incredibly short review, considering it's been a few months since I read this.)You definitely have to suspend some disbelief for this novel, but when you do, I think the idea is fantastic. Cassie has a really cool talent - give her just a few seconds and she can know plenty of details about you that you'd never have shared. I love the way Barnes writes this - it appears logical and factual on Cassie's part, not mystical and magical. This, of course, is a very desirable trait for the FBI, who already have a project started with a few other gifted teens. Though I wish we had gotten a better glimpse into the inner workings of the FBI and their investigation, I still say it's a really cool concept, and Barnes certainly writes it well.The Naturals includes short chapters written in the POV of the serial killer, and this was a great addition. Definitely made it creepier and kept me on my toes. This could have been done horribly, but getting a glimpse into the action and the mind of the serial killer was pretty cool. I definitely think it could have been even creepier, but that doesn't really fit with the style of the novel. I think I just wanted to be scared. (My friend and I did an entire project on Jefferey Dahmer and Ted Bundy last year. We watched interviews at midnight in the dark for it. I like the fear, apparently.)We get to watch Cassie adjust to living with other teenagers - Michael, who can read her emotions like a book, Sloane, a bit of an oddball who's a whiz with math and statistics, and Dean, a fellow profiler, albeit an angrier one. Romance aside, Cassie's developing relationships with them was fun to see. Everything felt very natural (ha. ha.) and each character had their own quirks and certainly served a purpose, rather than just being there for decoration like secondary characters in many novels.And, of course, we find two men for potential relationships. I'll tell you that, for the most part, the love triangle didn't annoy me simply because the plot overshadows it most of the time. It's still irritating, though. It always is. I dare you to find me one that doesn't annoy me.Overall: The fact that Barnes was able to completely surprise me with the end of the novel speaks volumes. I enjoyed the concept, the plotline, and the characters immensely. 4 stars.