The Naturals

For fiction or nonfiction, explain what you enjoy about the style or structure of the book. (Does the author use comedy to make the narrative engaging? Does the plot go back and forth between two settings or two times?) How do these stylistic or structural choices affect your experience as a reader?

Fiction, fantasy, and mystery are some of my favorite genres as a reader, but it’s rare for an author to combine them all. Jennifer Lynn Barnes does so in The Naturals–and more than that, she does it well. The book is targeted at those around 12-13, but I enjoyed it even though the writing was slightly less advanced. The narrative is told from the point of view of 17-year old Cassie Hobbes who joins an organization of sorts that is run by a section of the FBI. The program is designed to scope out kids with different natural abilities, referred to as the Naturals, and hone their skills to solve cold serial killer cases. The characters are developed well, and the writing is funny and detailed, but what stood out to me most was how Barnes crafted the story.

The novel consistently is told by Cassie in first person, but after every chapter, there is a section from the killer’s perspective. Cassie is encouraged at the program to think like the killer, and to put herself in their shoes. As a result, Cassie uses “you” instead of “they” when referring to the killer to connect with them and also understand the situation and their motive more quickly. Because of this, the killer POVs after every chapter are told in second person: you did this, you did that. This decision from Barnes also helps the reader connect with the killer, and understand their choices throughout the novel without ever learning the actual identity of the killer until the climax of the novel. This style was different from most murder mysteries I had read, and I liked that readers had to piece together most of the clues themselves between the different POVs rather than simply watching the main character connect the dots for the reader like in most young adult mystery novels.

Besides the killer POVs, the decision to have the novel told in the first person surprised me and I enjoyed it more than I initially expected. The emotions from the characters seemed more real, so the final killer reveal at the end was more painful because I was much more attached to the characters. The character development throughout the novel happened through the eyes of Cassie, which was sometimes clouded by her own emotions at the time. I learned quickly to make my own decisions about characters rather than follow Cassie’s assumptions even though she was usually correct. First person was also different in that Cassie’s knowledge was very limited since she was younger and not fully involved with the case. This caused gaps and pieces of information that did not make sense because Cassie was denied the full picture, so the reader was as well. An example of this is when Cassie is first forbid to work on one of the active cases: 

“‘I was up front with you about what this program is and what it is not. The FBI isn’t about to authorize teenagers to dive into the middle of active cases’” (Barnes). I think it made the novel more fun because readers are guessing with Cassie, instead of guessing what Cassie knows and what we do not know.

I also enjoy the choices Barnes makes at the end of the novel. I love plot twists in mystery novels, and the killer’s identity was certainly unexpected. I will not say anymore for the sake of those who might read this book in the future, but the killer is very well-developed as a character. The killer POVs paint an image of a violent and psychotic figure who enjoys brutally murdering different women, but when the final reveal happens at the climax of the novel, I was very unprepared for the actual person. This decision affected the rest of my experience reading the climax because my shock at the final reveal was similar to what Cassie must have been feeling in the moment. This helped me connect with the protagonists in the scene and I felt more immersed in the story. 

If you’re looking for a fast but fun read, The Naturals is a great choice. It’s also the first in a series, so there’s more besides the first novel. The novel has a Percy Jackson feel, but I also learned a good amount about actual serial killer cases and the human mind. I definitely recommend it!

Works Cited

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. The Naturals. 2013.