Book Review: The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

NOTE: A huge thank you to Disney Book Group, who allowed me to review The Naturals via Netgalley.

The Naturals turned out not to be what I expected. It was much, much, MUCH better. Fantastic, incredible, full of suspense. A great adrenaline rush!!

The writing was flawless, which is a true giveaway to the talent of a writer and I'm telling you Jennifer Lynn Barnes has got it going! I could hardly make myself put the book down, and the story remained with me even after I was done. The suspense was interwoven so well in the story, that I was clueless as to who was the killer until the very end. Truly, The Naturals is a thrilling adventure with a large bowl of mystery thrown inside.

I have to say that I loved the main character, Cassie, whose story we're following here. She's gone through a lot - mainly seeing her mother's blood splattered all over her changing room - and she's now living with the very loving (but not very close to her heart) Italian relatives. Up until a government agency swoops in and offers her a deal: her help in exchange for the chance to get to find her mother's killer. Of course she accepts and that's how it all begins.

I haven't gone through the emotional state Cassie has, and I pray to God I never do, but I felt her pain seep through the pages and get to me. Really get to me. Cassie was trying to hold it together, for the sake of everyone, but on the inside she was burning in pain so deep, it's hard to describe. The worst though is the hope that sometimes builds up in her. Because no one's yet found her mother's body. Sure the blood she saw was way too much, but still... She keeps on hoping, and that's undoing her well practiced facade.

At the new place Cassie meets a couple of feds and five other special kids. Kids who help solving 'old' cases. Until a particularly tough new case comes around the corner. A case of several murders that leads to... Cassie's mother? I won't say more, you gotta read it because it's just sooo good! Anyway, let's move on.

We meet Michael first, and he's this charming boy that the reader is compelled to like even though he's just acting out as important and tough and all that. He's not, of course, and he didn't fool me for a second. I can't say that I particularly liked him. His talent though, feeling people's emotions, was pretty awesome. I definitely did not like how possessive he was of Cassie - as if she was his girlfriend or something, when clearly, she was not.

Then there was Sloane, who's particularly good with numbers, as in analyzing the math stuff behind a crime scene. It was pretty fascinating, as if I was watching a special unit of the CSI or something.

Lia... was weird. She's hard to figure out. She lies well, and she can always tell if a person lies. That's her specialty. Handy, I guess. But her attitude just put me on edge.

And well, last I'm choosing to write about Dean. Tortured, guilt-ridden Dean, who shares Cassie's ability - profiling a person by looking at their demeanor, clothes, facial expression and such. He taught her a lot, especially how to think like a criminal mind. Of all things in this novel, the encounters between Cassie and Dean were the most fascinating. They learned from each other, they analyzed serial killers... and something more happened between them. They sort of clicked together, if you know what I mean.

I believe that The Naturals could satisfy any kind of audience over 16, due to the fact that some scenes are associated with murder and aren't particularly nice to read about.

My rating is 5/5 stars

Book Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman

NOTE: I received the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm stunned. I'm mesmerized. I can't breathe! These Broken Stars has simply left me brokenhearted. Why? Because it's over, that's why. The amazing story, the incredible characters... and it's over. And I'm suffering from a severe depression because of it. Do you know how awfully difficult it is to find a book that really speaks to your heart? Do you? I know, and I also know the after effects. Above mentioned depression is certainly one of them. Then there's also sadness, and later on comes hope. Yes, hope. Because I realized a new companion novel in this series is coming out in 2014 and I cannot wait for it!

Amie Kaufman seems to be a new blinding star in the family of awesome writers. I have to be-fan her, that's for sure, because she definitely deserves it. Not only has she worked hard on These Broken Stars, but she's also made the book impossible to let go of! And to think that she's gifting us with two more stories to come? Well, that's what I call a present!

Anyway, I suppose you gathered exactly how much I liked These Broken Stars. The story was unique to me, as I haven't read many universe related novels. There was an unforeseen adventure that took my breath away in it's complicated simplicity. And of course there was romance, but it wasn't the real driving force of the events. It became a larger part of the story towards the very end, but definitely not before. Still, there were sparks that had me giggling and wishing for Lilac and Tarver to just kiss already! Then there was the mystery of the planet where all events take place - it had a certain note of paranormalcy that had me chewing my nails in anticipation for what would happen next.

Now onto the characters.

I loved Lilac from the moment I met her. Sure, she was a somewhat spoiled brat, but she was also kind and sensitive in her heart. She had to keep her real self hidden deep inside for fear her father might hurt whomever decided to take a peek of the real girl behind the pretense, so most of the time her behavior was that of the 'expected', of the norm for her position in society. I was really impressed by her, for wanting to protect Tarver, even though it meant being rude to him and pushing him away. Then when they 'landed' on that planet, she had to suck it up and be bold and brave and to trust Tarver. Not an easy task when still trying to pretend that she hated him. I really truly loved that girl. She stood up for herself and for the one she loved and I could only admire her.

Then there's Tarver. He was a sweetheart, a poet, a boy turned man in the nick of time. Totally swoon-worthy on his own - but when you add the Major uniform with medals and such and the character of a survivor... Yum! He wasn't your average guy either - he'd gone through family tragedy, through war that jumped him from a soldier to an Officer, and then he crashed on a forsaken planet with the only company of a bratty girl, whose father more or less owned the universe. It was obvious that Tarver was extremely well trained to survive whatever situation he may get stranded into - he was realistic, he knew how to look for food, he could recognize a planet's state of terraforming right away, and he could lie his way out of any question.

In other words, These Broken Stars can only make you eager to read more of the wonderful world Amie Kaufman has created. I didn't want the story to end, and I'm certain any reader who decides to pick this book up would feel the same way too.

My rating is 5/5 stars