REVIEW The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Cassie was raised to be perceptive by her mother, who made her living as a con artist until her murder acting as psychic. Which meant Cassie had nowhere to go, as her father was overseas. She's shipped off to live with her grandmother however pretty soon her talent to read people was flagged in the FBI's system and she found her way out of her situation: she was invited to join an elite training program run by the FBI. She saw this as her opportunity to help others from experiencing the heartbreak she'd been dealing with due to her mom's murder, so she moves to DC. Soon, the new case her teachers are working on turns personal, sending her and her four classmates into a tailspin chasing a serial killer on the coattails of the FBI.

I found this book while checking in books at the library I volunteer at and switching them to storage, and checked it out as soon as my shift was done. I read in that night. It was a relatively easy read, as it reads more like a crime show episode than anything else. I think this book would be a great read for anyone who's not the biggest reader as the entertainment value of this book rivals crime shows. I have no big complaints about this book, really, which is awesome.

As far as romance goes, I just wanted to address this because it's such a big part of young adult fiction, but with this story the focus of the book is Cassie and her relationship with her past instead of her romantic relationships. Yes, there is romance, and yes, it is my least favorite kind: a love triangle. But the dynamics of the love triangle are so integral to the story without the focus being on the romance but rather the interplay between the involved characters and how those interactions affect the plot. For once, the heroine isn't stupidly more worried about her love life than the issue at hand, so that really impressed me.

The police terminology defined was all information I'd already gathered through my years of watching crime shows with my parents every school night, but they were presented in a new way and were demonstrated without collapsing into any sort of cheesiness so I take no issue with that. For those not as well versed in criminal terms, the crash courses on the theories are perfect and concise.

I'm excited to see how the love triangle carries into the next installment of the series, which I will be reviewing soon, and I'm anxious to see if the terminology is as well defined and established. I'm excited to see how they handle the continuation (no spoilers) and am worried that it was also follow the way a TV series can, dragging one storyline through episodes or seasons even.

As far as the characters go, there are quite a few. I found some the agents to be a bit cliche, but not necessarily in a bad way. However, Cassie is the only one who really had character development, but considering the fact that she's the only one who was under duress, and some of the characters seemed a bit flat at times, but I had to strain to even think of that. I love the characters, don't be wrong, I just think that the background characters were unevenly represented and yeah, they all had purpose in the the plot but I think that at some times there were too many characters.

Overall, this book is a fast read that is entertaining through the end, and it is so well written and well organized and well developed. I would definitely read it again, and look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Rating: 5/5

Would I recommend: Yes

To: Anyone who loves crime shows, especially shows like Criminal Minds. Anyone who isn't huge into reading, as this is as entertaining as a TV show.

If you liked...
Virals by Katie Reichs
Heist Society by Ally Carter

My Playlist for this Book:

Conspiracy by Paramore

Sometimes (Alternate Version) by A Rocket to The Moon

Think About It by American Authors

:)

R