Blog Tour Stop : Naturals by Tiffany Truitt

The Naturals Blog Tour is hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

Hi guys!

Welcome to my tour stop for the Naturals Blog Tour. For my tour stop I'll be sharing with you all my review of Naturals! You can also check out my review for Chosen Ones, the first book in the series.
Thanks for stopping by! :)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Naturals (The Lost Souls #2)
Author : Tiffany Truitt
Publication Date : April 2nd 2013
Publisher : Entangled Teen
Goodreads - The Book Depository

Tess is finally safe from the reach of the Council, now that she is living in the Middlelands with the rebel Isolationists. With James having returned to Templeton, she easily falls back into her friendship with Henry, though her newfound knowledge of Robert’s chosen one status still stings. Even surrounded by people, Tess has never felt more alone. So she’s thrilled when James returns to the settlement, demanding to see Tess — until she finds out that it’s because her sister, Louisa, has been recruited into Tess’s old position at Templeton, and that the dangerously sadistic chosen one George has taken an interest in her.

Personal Thoughts

**THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW**

When I read Chosen Ones last year, I enjoyed the book despite small issues I had with it. The book had interesting characters and a romance to die for. After how Chosen Ones ended, I was looking forward to reading Naturals, the sequel.

Tess, as a character, has really undergone tremendous growth throughout the series. In Chosen Ones, she was rather narrow-minded, naive and weak. In Naturals however, the reader gets to see a change in her. She was a whole lot braver and stronger. I liked that she no longer bowed down to authority if they were wrong. She didn't mince her words and openly voiced out her opinions. After the events of  Chosen Ones, I thought Tess would turn out to be a Bella Swan in New Moon, but I was pleasantly surprised that she didn't let the downs in her life to rule her future. Instead, she put her mind and energy into her goals, vowing to do whatever she had to to reach them. I loved the new headstrong and determined Tess. However, there was one scene where I was pretty upset with Tess. I just didn't approve of her decision or her attitude. Other than that though, Tess was a very likable heroine. I wasn't a huge fan of Henry, Tess' childhood friend, but I liked him a lot better in this one. I felt like the reader got to know the layers to his character much better in Naturals, making it much easier to grow fond of him. At some point, I really felt bad for what happened to him. James, Tess' love interest doesn't make an appearance until midway through the book. I missed his absence in the first half of the book, but I was glad to have him back later on. He was still his usual mysterious and really sweet self as in Chosen Ones. Naturals introduces the reader to a bunch of new characters, all of whom were very well-fleshed out. Character-wise, Naturals was great!

While Chosen Ones gave the reader insight on the Chosen Ones, the killing machines created at Templeton, Naturals delves further into the life of the rebel Isolationalists. The author introduces us to their lifestyle and community. I felt like Naturals was a lot more character driven than plot driven. Rest assured that it wasn't without a plot though. In fact, the plot was pretty intense and had me flipping me the pages and keeping me on the edge. I would like to talk more about the plot line, but I do not want to spoil anything for those readers who haven't started this series yet. All I can say is that the story line was action-packed and highly entertaining. As far as the romance goes, I was satisfied with it. However, I was slightly disappointed by the love triangle, if you can call it that. I loved James and Tess' relationship in Chosen Ones, but my feelings were quite conflicted after getting to know more about Henry. I also didn't like how Tess treated him and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Fortunately, the romance didn't overshadow the story line and hence, didn't bother me as much as it should have. My favorite part of Naturals was the growing friendship between Tess and Lockwood. I loved the banter and lines that they shared and I would anticipate their scenes more than scenes between Tess and her love interests. Tiffany Truitt's writing was still as engaging as in Chosen Ones. I still found myself being very much invested in her writing and couldn't wait to get to the end of the book.

If you enjoyed Chosen Ones, there is no doubt that you will enjoy the sequel, Naturals. This isn't a book that suffered from middle book syndrome. This series has all the elements that make up for a solid dystopian : great cast of characters, strong world-building, engaging plot line and a sweet forbidden romance. Fans of dystopian novels, this is not a series to be missed out!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Author Biography
Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her
childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba.
Since her time on the island of one McDonalds and Banana Rats (don’t ask), she has been obsessed with
traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading
belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman (5th
grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high
school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or
outside the “classics.”

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world
of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her
classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The Outsiders, Speak, Night, Dystopian Literature
Circles: The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Uglies, and Matched.

Tiffany is proud to call herself an educator and Young Adult author. Her first book will be published by
Entangled Publishing.

Where you can find her:

Website: http://tiffanytruitt.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffanytruitt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiffany-Truitt/205025266243934

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5252348.Tiffany_Truitt

Giveaway

Prize :
- 3 e-book of Naturals (International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you guys read the first book in this series yet?

Are you looking forward to reading the sequel?
Be sure to let me know in the comments below!

Thank you to Rockstar Book Tours for letting me take part in this blog tour. Be sure to check out their page

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I also have another tour stop today for an interview with author Rebecca L Ethington. Please be sure to check that post too if you have some time! Thank you!