The Naturals (The Naturals, #1) in A Little Tree Hollow

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The Naturals (The Naturals, #1)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Start date: January 1, 2025

Finish date: January 31, 2025

Discussion: 铀珺翱罢惭蝉铀�

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What Members Thought

Jun 22, 2024 Gina Maria rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

They say this is like criminal minds, but YA version and that statement could not have been more true. It鈥檚 like Criminal Minds, CSI, Dexter, Lie to Me and then add some super abilities to the mix and you have the Naturals. Such a great series from beginning to end. Loved this starter of the series. I want to see this as SEASONS on Netflix! It would be amazing because the book was da bomb!

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May 06, 2017 Marilyn rated it liked it

This is definitely a nice change from the fantasy that inundates YA today (not that I mind that much, though). It felt very familiar, very TV procedural. So, if you're looking for a quick, comfortable read that does not challenge your brain, this is the book for you.

The premise of this novel is very unique; unfortunately, it didn't feel like the author took the best advantage of her idea. The premise is that the FBI has a program for "naturals," or teenagers with unique, natural skills, that are This is definitely a nice change from the fantasy that inundates YA today (not that I mind that much, though). It felt very familiar, very TV procedural. So, if you're looking for a quick, comfortable read that does not challenge your brain, this is the book for you.

The premise of this novel is very unique; unfortunately, it didn't feel like the author took the best advantage of her idea. The premise is that the FBI has a program for "naturals," or teenagers with unique, natural skills, that are geared towards solving crimes. Examples of these skills are the ability to profile people, read emotion, and being able to tell if someone is lying. The program recruits these kids to help solve cold cases and train them for future careers in the FBI.

One of the faults of this book is that the characters fell flat and the reader never really gains a sense of who they are. Granted, they are trying to hide who they are from one another; this makes it difficult for the author to share that with her reader who they are while having them hide it from one another. Nevertheless, not once did I really fell a connection with any of the characters and I really did not come to care about any of them. This doesn't exactly make me want to read any subsequent novels.

My other big complaint with this novel is that it focuses too much on the main character's history. To the exclusion of actually getting into any cold cases. There were a couple of moments when the story delves into some cold cases, but it never follows the cases. There are just snippets of cases, never any resolution and the Naturals are never shown to actually be working on any cold cases. This is a serious shortcoming, in my opinion. It was like the author could only focus on one plot line at a time. Even if the characters had been flat, if there had been some other focus, like the cold cases, it would have been a better book. Instead, the author focuses on the main character's history, without having properly provided the stakes for the reader. I really did not care much about her history and I found the focus to be somewhat convenient and slightly contrived.

Perhaps because of some of the book's shortcomings, it felt very much like a TV procedural. This is not necessarily a bad thing. As I stated above, it felt very comfortable and, therefore, easy to slip into. It is a nice palette cleanser. ...more

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Mar 06, 2024 AK rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, mystery-thriller

Simple, short, engaging. That about summarises what I felt while reading this book.

There was an easy flow to the book but the final reveal was nothing too remarkable. I don't know if it's because the book went by so fast that I didn't particularly feel as though the stakes were high even though two characters were on the verge of death at the end.

The reason why I found this book to be better than it would've been otherwise was because of the characters. It's a rather interesting idea to have a ...more

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