Killer Instinct

Excellent sequel that I kept intending to put down but never could. I love these smart, damaged characters. While I can see the bones of some of my favorite procedural show characters in them (i.e. Sloane=Reid), they are still very much themselves with layers and background Barnes clearly intends to slowly reveal over the course of the series. The plot still kept me guessing and though I pieced together a portion of the whodunnit I missed out on a full prediction.

Killer Instinct was an excellent addition to the Naturals series. This story sees the Naturals team actively and covertly working on a case that hits close to home, where a series of murders seem to copy Dean's father's MO. We meet new people and encounter surprising twists. Killer Instinct is both captivating and thrilling.

I Killer Instinct felt more emotionally tethered to this book than I did to the first book in the series. There is so much emotional weight in this story from Dean coming face-to-face with his father, the introduction of Veronica Sterling, and Cassie's feelings about both Michael and Dean. I felt each emotional moment in the story and they carried me to the next.

I feel like the UNSUB's reveal was fitting and made show more sense in the context of the story. The reveal of more than 1 UNSUB and their Strangers on a Train-like pact was believable, even though not original or surprising. However, Clark and Christopher both, were introduced and suspected by the FBI and the Naturals team, so they were viable suspects and not convenient plot solutions. And the ultimate reveal of Wagger the prison guard's idolization and imitation of Daniel Reading was completely believable, in my opinion. I also felt like the team being brought in on active cases was a natural and realistic progression for the story that allows higher stakes and the potential for more danger and connections between the team members.


Overall, I greatly enjoyed Killer Instinct and am eager anticipating the next installment. I hope there continues to be emotional weight in both the Natural's team personal lives and in their jobs on cases. show less

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. This is the second book in Barnes’s Naturals series, which has been a wonderful mystery/thriller series full of really entertaining quirky characters. There is at least one more book planned in this series but I couldn’t find title or release date for book 3 yet.

Cassie is looking forward to solving some cold cases for a while after her and her fellow Naturals got a bit too involved in the last big serial killer case. However that is not destined to be the case. Another serial killer in on the loose and this one appears to be a copycat of Dean’s incarcerated serial killer father. Now The Naturals (the five teens in the FBIs elite program for teens with natural crime-fighting show more abilities) are once again getting drawn into active duty.

The last book centered around Cassie and some issues from her past that came to haunt her. This book centers on Dean and his super creepy serial killer father. I have enjoyed how each of these books has focused on different characters and how the events in their past are influencing present crimes. I am wondering which character the next book will focus on.

The characters in this series have been amazing. Cassie and Dean with their ability to profile and draw correct conclusions about a person’s past/present/future actions, Michael with his ability to read emotions, Lia with her ability to lie and detect lies, and Sloan with her ability to cipher through facts and make accurate predictions. Apart these characters would be very fun to read about, as a group they are amazing. Especially considering how much tension and emotional wreckage they have all brought with them.

There is a love triangle going on here between Cassie, Dean, and Michael. I am not a huge fan of love triangles. However it works well for this book, these characters are just so messed up that there are so many other elements that play into the “romance”. That being said there isn’t a ton of romance.

I love the plot as well. It is super fast paced with lots of mystery. You are constantly trying to work through who did what before the characters unravel the mystery. There are just so many twists and turns and the book just keeps you guessing. Nothing ever comes off as contrived and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, this book was impossible to put down!

As with the first book the story is interspersed with small “outtakes” from the killer’s journal which are super creepy. The serial killings are vicious in description but never so gory as to be stomach-turning.

I enjoyed the writing style. Barnes gives each character such a distinct and natural sounding voice. The book was fast-paced and hard to put down, just very readable, witty and smart. I liked how the story wrapped up and am eager to see what happens next; The Naturals program takes an interesting turn right at the end of the book.

Overall a wonderful YA thriller. I love the characters, the fast-paced of the story, the great twists and turns and just how witty and smart this book is. This whole series is highly recommended to those who love thriller/mysteries, especially those involving serial killers. It does get quite creepy, so just a warning if you scare easily! show less

Six months after Agent Locke was caught for being the serial killer who imitated Cassie's mother's murder, the naturals have solved yet another cold case regarding a missing child. All is well for the gang until Agent Locke's replacement shows up and begins cracking down on the kids with new rules and a return to a regular education on top of the program. This puts Agent Veronica Sterling on everyone's bad side, especially Cassie's, until she finds out that her new mentor is involved with Dean's past. She was the one who helped Agent Briggs put Daniel Redding, infamous serial killer and Dean's father, behind bars. And not only is she serving as Locke's replacement, she also is here to evaluate the Naturals program and could possibly show more shut it down. However, that soon becomes the least of their worries as a new killer is on the loose. One that's impersonating the one and only Daniel Redding himself.
I liked this one a lot better than the first book in the series, as it focused so much more on the actual case at hand and didn't divide its attention with Cassie learning the ropes of profiling. The love triangle in it also isn't too insufferable as the story mainly focuses on the investigation. And for the most part, I liked pretty much all the characters before, but after reading this I can officially say that Sterling is my favorite character. show less

The Naturals are a group of teenagers with crime solving abilities who are part of a special FBI program. They are supposed to only be working on cold cases. In this second adventure, they are drawn into a serial killer case. The cases seem to be copycats of the killings Dean's father was arrested and convicted for.

When a college coed in murdered and her body staged on a car on her college campus, the group decides to investigate despite the adults in their lives forbidding it. After all, they want to help their friend Dean who is already being forced to interact with his father again to find information.

I enjoyed this mystery. I liked the way the teens interact. As the viewpoint character, Cassie who is an extremely competent show more profiler takes the lead. I like the depth of all the teenage characters. I also enjoyed learning more about the adults who make up the cast of characters. show less

This book kept me up reading until midnight on two occasions, and if that isn't a testament to how much it had me hooked, I don't know what is. I think those who enjoy the Jasper Dent series by Barry Lyga, but want something a bit less gory and gross definitely need to check this series out.

The one main detractor? The absolutely useless love triangle. I just couldn't be bothered to care which guy Cassie ended up with. And who has time for wuv, true wuv when you have killers to catch, anyway?

This book kept me up reading until midnight on two occasions, and if that isn't a testament to how much it had me hooked, I don't know what is. I think those who enjoy the Jasper Dent series by Barry Lyga, but want something a bit less gory and gross definitely need to check this series out.

The one main detractor? The absolutely useless love triangle. I just couldn't be bothered to care which guy Cassie ended up with. And who has time for wuv, true wuv when you have killers to catch, anyway?