The Naturals (book series) explained

The Naturals
Author:Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Cover Artist:Abby Kuperstock
Country:United States
Language:English
Genre:Young adult fiction
Crime fiction
Mystery
Romance
Publisher:Hachette Books
Pub Date:November 5, 2013 - November 7, 2017
Media Type:Print
Number Of Books:5

The Naturals is a series of young adult novels by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Beginning with 2013's initial novel of the same name, the series follows the life of Cassie Hobbes, a 17-year-old girl who is contacted by the FBI to join a special program. The other members consist of Dean Redding (profiler), Lia Zhang (human lie detector), Michael Townsend (emotion reader), and Sloane Tavish (human dictionary). Each one of them has a traumatic past, it's how they learned to have a certain skill used to help the FBI.

The initial book was followed by Killer Instinct, published in 2014. The third book, All In, came out in 2015, and the fourth and final book, Bad Blood, was published in 2016. A novella, titled Twelve, was published in 2017.

Reception

Alex Winters of The State Journal-Register praised the series and said, "If you enjoy suspenseful crime thrillers and whodunnits with a dash of teen melodrama, then this is the book series for you."[1] The New York Times best-selling author Ally Carter said the series was "a must-read for anyone who likes books about real teens who have no superpowers and yet aren’t quite typical either."[2] Reviewing the first novel, Kirkus Reviews wrote:

Also reviewing the first novel, Publishers Weekly lauded the writing by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, stating that "Barnes shows every card at just the right moment, catching readers off-guard at the final reveal. It’s a stay-up-late-to-finish kind of book, and it doesn’t disappoint."[3]

Kristi Elle Jemtegaard, from Booklist, wrote in her review for the initial book that "Nevertheless, teens looking for a fast-paced heart-stopper may find the pace slow at first, but then the thrills and chills kick in—only to leave listeners hanging, as this is the initial volume of a projected series."[4]

Accolades

Accolades for The Naturals!Book!Year!Award!Result!Ref.
The Naturals2017Lincoln AwardNominee[5]
Missouri Gateway Readers AwardNominee[6]
2014YALSA's Best Fiction for Young AdultsSelection[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Book review: 'The Naturals' series is full of suspense. August 31, 2017. Alex . Winters. The State Journal-Register. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029141952/https://www.sj-r.com/entertainmentlife/20170831/book-review-the-naturals-series-is-full-of-suspense. October 29, 2020. live. August 1, 2020.
  2. Web site: I Read YA. May 20, 2014. Ally . Carter. allycarter.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029142347/https://allycarter.com/2014/05/read-ya/. October 29, 2020. live. October 29, 2020.
  3. Web site: The Naturals. September 30, 2013. Elizabeth . Harding. Publishers Weekly. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029143415/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781423168232. October 29, 2020. live. October 29, 2020.
  4. Web site: The Naturals. March 25, 2014. Kristi . Elle Jemtegaard. Booklist. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029143843/https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Naturals-/pid=6565894?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. October 29, 2020. live. October 29, 2020.
  5. Web site: The Naturals. 2021-12-21. Goodreads.
  6. Web site: The Naturals. 2021-12-21. Goodreads.
  7. Web site: December 4, 2018. The Naturals Awards & Grants. 2021-12-21. American Library Association.