Teen Review: The Naturals

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a psychological thriller/murder-mystery book involving Cassie Hobbes and four other teenagers who have special abilities that the FBI is interested in. Cassie Hobbes is a seventeen-year-old girl whose mother went missing and was presumed dead when she was twelve. The FBI recruits Cassie in a program along with Michael, Dean, Lia, and Sloane to solve cold cases that could be made easier with their unique abilities. However, things take a turn when Cassie and her friends start to lend a hand with the case of one particular, active killer. In the course of this book, Cassie goes through a great deal of self-discovery and discovers new information about her mother. The book pulls readers into a world of mystery, crime-solving, betrayal, and unexpected plot twists that will leave the readers stunned.  

One of the most important strengths of this book is that it has a remarkably interesting and engaging plot filled with twists and turns. The book is from the perspective of the protagonist, Cassie Hobbes. However, it includes several chapters titled, ‘YOU’ and it is written in first person. These chapters are from the killer's perspective. I found this element very intriguing and surprising. These chapters allow the reader to uncover information and details that the protagonist doesn’t know about yet. Therefore, the readers feel very engaged and invested in the story. Another strength is that the characters of this book are very well- written and developed throughout the story. Each of the characters have incredibly unique personalities and bring a special skill to the team and, like Cassie, they have all been through challenging times in their lives, as well. Their friendship dynamic builds stronger as they go through life-altering situations in the journey of unveiling murders.  

One weakness of this book is that it includes repetitive themes that are seen throughout the book such as Cassie dealing with her past trauma of her mom being taken away and being presumed dead. This of course is essential to Cassie’s character development; however, some people may find this repetitive and boring if they aren’t familiar with characters dealing with past trauma. Another weakness of this book could be that the side characters aren’t well developed. The readers do not see much character development and growth of the side characters in this book. Though they are more developed in the following books in the series, readers who might’ve read this book as a standalone may feel that the side characters could’ve had more development and growth.  

What I liked about this book was that while reading it, the readers feel as though they are the detectives and are discovering and analyzing every clue and detail. The book is written in such a way that allows the readers to feel this amount of engagement and excitement while reading it. The readers are also shown perspectives that the protagonist doesn’t know about, so it feels like the readers are uncovering more information and detail that is crucial to the plot of the book.  

I would recommend this book to fans of young adult murder mystery and thriller books. As a fan of the genre myself, I believe that this book is perfect for those who enjoy the genre. Fans of the author Holly Jackson might enjoy this book as well. I rate this book 5/5 stars. It was a very enjoyable and entertaining experience for me to read this book.