Presenting Author - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

[Viviana Kingston]

Name of the author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Main genre: Young Adult
Main audience: Young adult
Main books: The Naturals (4 books + 1 Novella), The Inheritance Games (4 books)
Short summary of the author:
Jennifer is an accomplished academic and has penned more than a dozen books. She wrote her first published book at the age of 19 and specialises in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science.

[Viviana Kingston]

Title: The Naturals
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: young adult fiction, thriller, mystery
Rating: 5/5
Category: traditional publishing, book 1 of series
Age rating: 13+
Warnings: Death, Murder, Parent Death, Gore, Blood, Violence, Abduction, Abuse
Synopsis:
Cassie has the natural ability to profile people, something adults have to pursue years of training to master, and when she falls under the FBI’s radar, she joins a special program where other teenagers like her, called Naturals, with natural abilities help solve cold cases the FBI haven’t been able to crack. But no one is as they seem in the program and solving a few cold cases is much more risky than it’s supposed to be. With danger looming closer than they anticipated, the Naturals will have to use all their skills to survive.

Comments + opinions:
This book is absolutely mind blowing. It does have some dark material hidden, behind simplistic descriptions to not make it as dark as it would be in an adult novel, but it’s not as pronounced and develops into an incredibly complex plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat. I’ve binged the entire series recently, and I’ve noticed a pattern in each of the books. Each book focuses on one of several of the characters and their back stories. While we’re introduced to the characters for the first time, you realise that each of them as special for a specific reason and their childhood were anything but normal. This book mostly focuses on Cassie and her opening up and joining the Naturals while still trying to cope with her mother’s cold case. When Cassie joins the program, she knows that the FBI haven’t found any leads on the case, and she probably won’t get any help with it either, but still pursues the chance because she feels she doesn’t fit in and if she could help someone else get the closure she couldn’t get, then it was a win for her. But you know authors and their dramatic irony. Suddenly, an active case that her handlers are investigating are looking a bit too much like her mother’s “murder” and Cassie has no choice but to face her demons. The characters are relatable in their own sense and it makes a very compelling storyline that sucks you in right until the end. It’s tragic and heartbreaking, but it also gives you an immense sense of hope. This is truly a tale of found family, love, loss and dealing with life no matter what cards it deals.

[Viviana Kingston]

Title: Killer Instinct
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: young adult fiction, thriller, mystery
Rating: 5/5
Category: traditional publishing, book 2 of series
Age rating: 13+
Warnings: Death, Murder, Parent Death, Gore, Blood, Violence, Abduction, Abuse
Synopsis:
Cassie’s had her hands full with a serial killer who was obsessed with her mother’s “murder” and hopes that means they now get to continue solving cold cases at a distance, but another series of murders arise, the Naturals are forced to deal with cases closer to home - the killer is a perfect copy of Dean’s incarcerated father - a man the Naturals hoped they’d never have to deal with.

Comments + opinions:
In this book, we get to know another Natural and their story much better - Dean. Dean is the son of a serial killer and is also a natural profiler like Cassie, but he seems to have history with their new handlers, something that’s explored more during the book. From reading the first book and comparing it to this one, there’s no comparison because everything is connected. Whether you realise it or not. Every little thing. I found myself analysing the books as I was reading them in hopes of solving the plot before the great big reveal, but the details I noticed in the first book and thought I got awfully wrong for pinpointing them to have some significance, had a bigger significance in this book. It was mind-boggling and just crazy. I have nothing more to say than for you to read it yourself because the whole series have the craziest Easter eggs within them that you have to read to fully appreciate.