Twelve (Novella) Book Review

Written By MK

Twelve by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Book Review and Recommendation.

Date: 4-11-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 9.3/10

Twelve Book Review

Book Cover Rating: 5.9/10

(My personal opinion)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Pages: 144

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Mystery

Subplots: Thriller, Crime, Romance

Romance Level: 1/3

Series: The Naturals #4.5

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Published: 2017

Number of Editions: 7

Formats: Kindle, Audiobook (this seems to be accurate for the most part, but Twelve was included in the back of my Bad Blood book)

Goodreads Rating: 3.79/5

# of Goodreads Ratings: 50,816

Amazon Rating: 4.2/5

# of Amazon Ratings: 3,387

Movie/TV Show?? : No

Book Type: Novella

POV Type: Single, First/Second Person (with occasional flashbacks)

Pacing: Fast

Generally: The Naturals novella wrapping up the series, one more case, possible lighthouse jumper

Blurb:

Cassie Hobbes has been working with the FBI since she was a teenager. Now twenty-three years old, she and her fellow Naturals have taken over running the program that taught them everything they know. As a unit, they're responsible for identifying new Naturals--and solving particularly impossible cases. When their latest case brings back a ghost from their past, Cassie and the other Naturals find themselves racing against the clock--and reliving their own childhood traumas. In a small, coastal town in Maine, there has been a rash of teen suicides--or at least, that's what the police believe. Mackenzie McBride, age twelve, thinks differently. Desperate to make herself heard, she stands at the top of a lighthouse, threatening to jump... unless the FBI agents who rescued her from a kidnapper at age six come to hear her out. Enter the Naturals. It doesn't take Cassie long to realize that Mackenzie isn't bluffing: she truly is convinced that the suicides are murder, and she really will jump if she can't get the FBI to believe her. To the outside world, Mackenzie is nothing more than a traumatized child. But so was Cassie, once upon a time. So were Michael, Dean, Sloane, Lia, and Celine. With a storm rolling in off the ocean and Mackenzie's position becoming more precarious by the moment, the Naturals have very little time to get to the truth about the deaths--and about twelve-year-old Mackenzie McBride.


My Review

Going Into It:

Going into this book I was on a massive high from the last book!!

Main Characters:

  1. Mackenzie McBride- Mackenzie is twelve years old. The Naturals saved her from kidnapping in a previous case. She is stubborn and LOVES to dance.

  2. Celine Delacroix- Celine is a newer FBI member. She has recently finished their training program. She is an AMAZING sketch artist.

  3. Cassandra Hobbes- Cassie is the main character of this book. She is twenty-three years old. She’s a Profiler (she can basically look at someone and see the little things they do and decide things about them: job, family, personality, wants, interests). She is kind and truly wants to make people happy.

  4. Dean Redding- Dean is twenty-four years old, and is also a Profiler. He pretends to be the person he is profiling in order to truly understand them. He struggles to get close to people because he thinks he will hurt them.

  5. Lia Zhang- Lia is twenty-three years old. She’s basically a human lie detector. She can effortlessly lie, and often uses this to mask her real emotions. She also had a VERY rough childhood.

  6. Michael Townsend- Michael is twenty-three years old. He can read others’ emotions. Michael rarely (if ever) shares his true emotions. He is daring, and sometimes, stupid with his actions. He tends to purposefully rub people the wrong way, but in reality has a caring side as well.

  7. Sloane Tavish- Sloane is twenty-two years old. She’s basically a human wikipedia. She is constantly overflowing with facts, statistics, and data. She can also remember (almost) everything she sees and hears. She is really sweet, but sometimes insecure.

    Loved these characters!! There were two new additions to the normal five main characters, and I loved them too!! Though, I’m still biased towards the main five characters. Even though this was short, there was still room for solid character development!!

Character Rating: 9.6/10

Setting:

This book takes place in Maine.

Wow!! There was certainly some tension and drama around this setting, given that it directly connected to the plot. Though, it was clearly less elaborated upon, because the novella is so short.

Setting Rating: 7.8/10

Plot:

Since this was a novella, there wasn’t much room to have an in depth story line. That being said, Jennifer Lynn Barnes was still able to make an engaging, exciting plot that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Plot Rating: 8.9/10

Writing:

Jennifer Lynn Barnes did an AMAZING job turning this short novella into a story with thrill and excitement. She wrote this book in an engaging way that highlighted the strong characters and plot.

Writing Rating: 10/10

Ending:

Absolutely fabulous! I know Bad Blood technically wrapped up the series, but this helped in wrapping it up to an even greater extent. It also scratched that itch I, for one, ALWAYS have (wondering how the characters are doing once the main series is over).

Ending Rating: 10/10

The Overall:

Overall, this was a great novella that balances excitement/thrill with fun. Even though it was short, it still had a solid plot, and satisfying conclusion. I loved hearing from the characters again, and it scratched an itch I didn’t even know I had. If you have already read The Naturals series, I highly recommend this!!

Overall Book Rating: 9.3/10

I would strongly recommend this book



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ChatGPT’s Opinion: Twelve by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a thrilling novella that deepens the psychological complexity of the characters in The Naturals series. It explores their personal struggles, fears, and how their extraordinary abilities affect their relationships and decisions. Barnes balances suspense and character development, showing the tension between their skills and vulnerabilities. While it doesn’t have the space of a full-length novel, Twelve is a perfect addition to the series, offering fans more insight into the characters’ growth and setting the stage for future mysteries.

  • Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed young adult novels. She has advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science, including graduate degrees from Cambridge University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and Yale University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2012. Jen wrote her first published novel when she was nineteen-years-old and sold her first five books while still in college. In addition to writing YA novels, Jen has also written original pilot scripts for television networks like USA and MTV, and she is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination more broadly. Jen is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she holds a dual appointment in Psychology and Professional Writing.

  • Goodreads

What did you think of this book??

MK https://alltruereviewsbymk.com
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