From the Bookshelf of YA and Beyond…

The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Start date: September 1, 2014

Finish date: September 30, 2014

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MONTHLY BOOK DISCUSSIONS

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What Members Thought

Feb 20, 2014 Kit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014

This is a really excellent book. What I really liked more then anything was that it really is a psychological thriller/mystery book. It is creepy and suspenseful, and it is chock full of quirky characters and even a little romance, but it’s biggest selling point for me was that all the way through my mind was trying to piece it together, to figure out who the killer was and why they were killing, but I didn’t figure it out. I had some guesses, some of which I was already determined to really pis ...more

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Nov 01, 2013 Stormi (StormReads) rated it really liked it

I have read one other book by this author and I will admit it wasn’t one of my favorite books, but I normally give authors more than one try and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed The Naturals and it had me hooked from the very beginning.

Cassie is a natural, meaning she is someone who has the natural ability to read people. She doesn’t have to go through some sort of training she can just put herself into the other persons perspective and figure out thing about them. It makes her a natural profil I have read one other book by this author and I will admit it wasn’t one of my favorite books, but I normally give authors more than one try and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed The Naturals and it had me hooked from the very beginning.

Cassie is a natural, meaning she is someone who has the natural ability to read people. She doesn’t have to go through some sort of training she can just put herself into the other persons perspective and figure out thing about them. It makes her a natural profile and the FBI has a special program for teens like her.

Cassie has never felt normal, and she never really had a normal childhood. Her mother was a fake psychic, she was more of a mentalist. She used her powers of deduction and being able to read people to make money off of them. She taught Cassie from an early age how to do it, but there are things Cassie can do that couldn’t be taught. Cassie’s mother was murdered five years ago and she walked into the crime scene. She knows things about that crime scene that most of the cops couldn’t, but nobody would believe her so she never said anything. Nightmares of that night haunt her. She went to live with her fathers family and even though they are all very nice, she just never felt like she fit in.

Then the FBI come calling and when she finds out what they want her to do, she sort of feels like maybe it will be a chance to find out what happened to her mother. She also realizes really quickly that it was a place where for the first time in five years she feels like she fits in. There are four other teens there with natural abilities. Michael has the ability to read peoples emotions and can tell how your feeling by the way you stand, hold yourself or your facial expressions. Lia, is the deception expert. She can always tell when your lying. Sloane is all about statistics and probabilities. I think she can quote a statistic for just about everything. Dean, he is a natural profiler just like Cassie.

They are only suppose to work on cold cases, but then they sneak a real case to look at. Cassie get’s a morbid gift and all of a sudden it’s cat and mouse with a real killer. The ending sort of caught me by surprise and it seems left open for another book. I wouldn’t mind there being a sequel and if there was I would definitely pick it up.

I really enjoyed The Naturals, it was sort of a refreshing read. In the mist of romances and some books not really holding my interest it was nice to find one that did. I enjoyed all the characters but I think I would have like to know a little bit more about each of the teens as they just sort of felt flat. Each had their individual quirks and it would have been nice to have explored that a little bit more. I also wish they wouldn’t throw in love triangle as I really just hate those, but it was there and it was tolerable.

Over all if you like your YA with a bit of crime story mixed in then you will want to check this one out. ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Suzy Turner rated it it was amazing

Holy Cow this book was fantastic! I'm a huge fan of FBI crime drama on TV (Criminals Minds, etc) but I don't often read it. Sometimes though, it's good to climb out of your comfort zone and try something a little different.
What I really liked about the book is that, although it's about serial killers it's still a YA book at heart and I just love reading anything and everything YA.
When I first started The Naturals I found I was completely hooked from literally page one and ended up reading well ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 Jenny rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this one! Good creepy mystery, lots of suspense--and I didn't figure out the killer until right up to the end! ...more

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Jul 10, 2014 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, romance, mystery

This book was a quick read with a good mystery and decent characters. It would have gotten four stars if there had not been a love triangle. This love triangle really bugged me for the first half of the book but took a back seat to the mystery during the second half of the book. So, if I was just rating the second half, it definitely would have had 4 stars. I would like to read the second book when it comes out.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 16, 2013 Maggie61 rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2015

I love the concept, a group of gifted teens solving cold cases with their abilities. Cassie has felt out of place in her father's family after being sent there after the unsolved murder of her mother. Now she is thrust into other murders that seem to be patterned after her mother's murder. And she is receiving little gifts that seem to come from the killer. And of course we have that love triangle that so many teen books have.
Was a quick read. After a while I figured out the who, but not the wh ...more

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May 17, 2012 Laura's Book Addiction rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013, 2013-wishlist

Well after a shaky start the pace really picked up and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading book 2!! Team Dean or team Michael????? For me there is only Dean!! I SHIP Cassie & Dean!!! ...more

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