Killer Instinct (The Naturals, 2)

If you have an inner geek, this story will probably scratch it behind the ears. If you enjoy a well-written murder-mystery/suspense tale, without the gratuitous violence and sex that too many of them wallow in, then you'll like this. The main heroine is a girl who has a knack for profiling, i.e. figuring out a stranger's personality and motivations, and anticipating future behavior, based on subtle clues. Her deductions are reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes at times, only more in the arena of psychology. Other misfit-savants in the story include a girl who is good at lying and detecting lies, a boy who is expert at reading body language, a boy profiler-prodigy with a shady past, and a girl genius with poor social skills. There doesn't seem to me to be anything supernatural in their gifts, though they are far beyond normal. The teens use their skills to solve murder cases, especially serial murders. They aren't 18 yet, so they are basically in a group home, which is also helping them to form the close human connections that most of them were lacking in their previous situations.I was first introduced to Ms. Barnes' writing through her Raised By Wolves trilogy, and that is also an excellent read. Her books are in the young adult genre but her writing and realistic characterizations are far above the usual YA book, or many adult novels, for that matter. I liked both of the Naturals books, they were a quick read for me. They did not lag or bore me at all, and there was enough humor and goodness throughout to keep the stories from being depressing. My only complaint is that I wish the books were a little longer and explored the different personalities a bit more. Her protagonists are compelling and likable. These books have intelligent plot-lines, with heart and a dash of humor.

Found family, serial killers, and a bit of romance? I'm in!This book was fast-paced and entertaining, and I’m a sucker for short chapters. I actually enjoyed the reveals and plot twists more than in the first book, although I did get a bit bored in the middle.This was definitely enjoyable!I’m excited to see how the Naturals and their bonds evolve in books three and four. My babies deserve the best. If only these books were multiple POVs!!! 🥲… and yes, the love triangle is slowly killing me.

This book was a recommendation from my previous purchased. This book was great. This entire series has been awesome. I have now purchased the complete set. I have not been disappointed and now have a new author to add to my list of preferred authors.

I should have been writing my Masters thesis today. Hmmmmmmm, hah. Obviously I was reading instead and hiding underneath a blanket holding tightly onto my kindle and trying to maintain steady breathing because WHAT A THRILLING RIDE THIS WAS.This book has it all: it's fast paced, action-packed, so much more mysterious than the first installment and keeps you on the edge of your seat; it has character-development in spades and most of the relationships are developed further. I loved that we got to know the Naturals more with hints at their pasts and whatnot. My favorite Naturals (at the moment, because they're constantly changing) are Sloane and Michael, though I love all 5 of them a lot. Super excited about the new major character who was added to the mix. She brings so much to the table and it made for some interesting dynamics. Alsooooooooo the mystery: I had certain theories, some of which were correct, but I loved how it all tied together. The last 20% or so were quite nerve-wracking, not gonna lie.I think the one major flaw these books have is the love triangle/square (coming from someone who is on the wrong side of ships; sort of). I mean I don't reallllllly care for the love drama and it was honestly annoying at times. It's the only reason I'm rating it less than 5 stars tbh, so I hope the next one will have a little less of the romantic angst. Though I must say, I liked that there was so much more talk about why Dean and Michael don't get along; why Lia trusts Dean the most out of all the Naturals; how Sloane feels when she's neglected by the others + more.Ok, I really have to go and write my thesis a little bit at least, so time to wrap this up. Other than the shippy stuff, this book is a really thrilling read and I already ordered the hardcover for the next installment, because I can't just sit and wait until the ebook is available in my region. If you're looking for a fast-paced, high-stakes read with snark, ships, character groth and don't mind gore, blood and second person point of view of serial killers, this might just be the series for you!Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

I read the whole series, I loved them and the books were amazing, I recommend to all people who like criminal minds due to it basically being in a “younger setting”

I LOVEEEEEE the Naturals series and I thought it was super interesting. Only problem….the book came damaged. The spine was dented and th front page was a bit scratched and deformed. Also this book was my least favorite of the series. Definitely worth the read though.

Usually, I do not like sequels, they just aren’t as good as the original. However, this one lived up to the first, and exceeded it. This book was funny, clever, sweet and raw. I loved how it continued to catch me off guard, and the complexity of the plot.