Blog #5

If had to choose a character to be my friend, it would be Michael. I chose him since he can read emotions. Sometimes not saying anything is better than ever. There is also times where I can not findmy words, but if I have Michael as a friend he can tell right away. This is not the only reason why I chose Michael. I chose him since he dealt with problems that I would like how to deal with. Michael is the type of guy that would make an effort to comfort and cheer me up if I was having bad day. Through out the three books, I find that he is the one who will tell me that if I am doing something wrong and would not be afraid of the consequences. I also find that he is the one to go to if I ever want to have fun and would talk for hours on the phone. Michael reminds me of my best friend. My best friend and I talk through facetime without saying a word sometimes, but it was one of those comfortable silence. We do this since she lives all the way from North Vancouver and soon Toronto.

Blog #4

When the case that the naturals is slowly being revealed, I felt estatic and excitement. Thorughout the book, all the person of interests are all shown and had their bit on the book. Though some more than other. The book makes me guess as well on who can be the possible UNSUB. Towards the end of the book, Barnes (author) narrowed down my guess through the characters. Through the profiling of Cassie and Dean, I narrowed down Aaron Shaw and Beau Donovan. I also love how Barnes would have a hook at the end of each chapter, making me want to read more and more. Even though some chapters were just filler, it still left a cliffhanger. Books like this are the ones that I absolutely love. By reading the very first book of this series, I got to know myself a bit more. I learned that murder mysteries are the books that I absolutely love. Before discovering the series, all I read were books that somewhat interested me. I tend not to finish those books for I never get pass 5 chapters. Finding out what kind of book I like is important to me since I do love reading online, but holding a book physically and turning the pages is much better than swiping on a screen.

Blog #3

In the book, the setting was in Las Vegas. This place was a significant place for one of the character, Sloane. She became good with numbers and a genius by being forced to play casino games. By being in Vegas bought back bad memmories. That is also the time where she saw her father again for a long time. In the book, Sloane's father clearly did not want her to be near his family and him. This news bought sadness to her. Although, she met her half-brother while being in Vegas and found out that he was nothing like their father. Sloane felt acceptance and happiness to find out that someone who is actually blood related to her, cares for Sloane. The setting is also important since the murder is happening here and it is somehow connected to the Majesty Hotel and Casino. Though this can happen anywhere also. The book revealed that a cult is somehow involve in this murder case that dates back to 1800s. This means that this cult have been killing nine people in seven different ways every three years. With this information, this means in three years the cult will start killing again but in a different location.

Blog #2

The book started during New Year and that is when Cassie seen his dad for the very first time since she was a little girl. Though, her dad brought, in a way a good and bad news. The police said they have found her mother's grave. Throughout the book the father would call to update Cassie on her mother's case while the FBI gave her the files and picture of her mother. Without her 4 other friends that she catch murderers with, Cassie wouldn't be able to deal with this properly. No one that Cassie knows how she is feeling and how to deal with it. However, her friends in the program helped her by understanding what it must be like and how she can cope. Another way that Cassie dealt with her mother's case is just by forgerting about it for just a moment. She distracted herself with the Vegas case but there are always reminders of her mom. Though she did not ignore those reminders but awknowledge them.

Blog #1

"I kept everyone at a distance, and there you were, smashing through every wall...The first friend." (293)

I can relate to this quote for I have felt the same whe I first came to Canada. I was extremely shy and kept the unfamilliar kids that surrounds me. I still didn't know how children, that were the same age as me, acted each other and I had no clue of their cultures here in Canada. When I first came to school was hard, I'd say I knew people but I did not have friends until the following year; sixth grade. That was when three people broke through my wall and they were able to break free the real me. This is also a part of the theme in the book. The Naturals mainly had a rough start in their earlier lives and that is how they developed their incredible skills that they possesed. By being in a program with all of the members have something in common, walls are often broken down like the Berlin wall. These people understand each other to an extent where they considered each other as their homes. Every body has walls that they put up and there are people in their lives that continuously break them down with or without effort. These walls are just like a cell membrane where there are certain proteins with the right key can enter and be a benefit to the cell.

Vocabulary Words

"...drowned out by the sound of boisterous laughter." (3)

Boisterous - noisy, energetic, or cheerful.

"Seeing all the boisterous children, made her think of all the wonderful thing that comes to being a parent."

"...to break the ice by informing his family that the last word in the dictionary was zyzzyva, a form of tropical weevil." (21)

Zyzzyva - a tropical American weevil.

"The Christmas tree looks like it is surrounded by zyzzyvas."

"Schematic of the first two crime scenes." (50)

Schematic - symbolic and simplified 

"A schematic of the equation was given to the students as a study guide for the upcoming test." 

"With those words, Sterling slipped out the door, leaving me to face the inquisition alone." (52)

Inquisition - a period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation. 

"The long inquisition of the OJ Simpson case was splitting the Kardashian family in two."

"If you mention a word of what I'm about to tell you to Dean, I will disavow any knowledge of this conversation." (91)

Disavow - deny any responsibility or support of. 

"Due to being afraid of becoming a parent at such a young age, he disavowed his child and left. 

"capillaries that had burst as she'd struggled against her assailant." (92)

Assailant - a person who physically attacks another. 

"She didn't expect that her assailant was her own best friend."

"She struck me as pragmatic." (108)
Pragmatic - dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical.
"Instead of listening to social media he handle the rumours about himself in a pragmatic manner."

"And I've magnanimously decided against shaving my initials into Dean's head." (143)
Magnanimously - very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.
"She was surprisingly magnanimous towards the girl who stole her ex boyfriend from her."

"As the UNSUB becomes more grandiose, so do the kills." (150)
Grandiose - Impressive or magnificent in appearance or style, especially pretentiously so.
"Anna Wintour have a grandiose sense of fashion that many respect and admire."

" The fact that she'd also returned of her own volition didn't seem to negate their opinion that she;d shoplifted." (162)
Volition - the faculty or power of using one's will.
"Against her volition, she was forced to speak in front of thousand of people."

"I do hope my dowry is large enough to attract a virile man." (188)
Virile - having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive.
"It is clear to see that Neymar Jr. is a virile man and at the same time, a responsible father."

" We weren't dealing with a novice." (205)
Novice - "a person to or inexperienced in a field or situation.
"During try outs, the coach saw that he was not a novice in the soccer field."

"The rest of you miscreants can eat." (219)
Miscreants - a person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law.
"Compton was famous having a large amount of miscreants in the area."

"We're not finished, I thought vehemently." (259)
Vehemently - showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intesne.
"Her passion for fashion was vehemently seeping through her dresses."

"The cessation of abuse." (335)
Cessation - the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.
"The cessation of the giollotine occured in 1977."