Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex

Monicap

Well. You know. Quick read, interesting concept.

Terrible execution.

I have two big problems with this book. The first is, of course, Meadow and Zephyr's relationship. WHICH MADE NO DAMN SENSE.

Okay, I get it. He's a ward but the doctor said he was an essential citizen which tripped her up. Okay, cool.

The next day they officially meet. And then spontaneously decide to go on a date as soon as she gets off work. 
**This is not your standard meet-cute**
And, you know, they're walking along talking about their families and drawing out their dark and sordid stories which gives them reasons to be upset with life. And Zephyr takes her someplace that she is not familiar with, DESPITE HER RELUCTANCE.
(view spoiler)[and then he goes crazy and tries to kill her (hide spoiler)]
Were I her, I would have tracked back all the events of the afternoon and assumed he was leading me off to this secluded place with the intent of doing that.
But no. Because her reaction is wrong. That assumption, that totally rational assumption I would have had, warrants, you know:
running away... 
calling the police...
kicking him in the balls...
Instead, Meadow tries to appeal to his better nature. "Zephyr, it's me, Meadow!" she cries dramatically. Which does not work, because they only officially met earlier today. 

And then after that it was like this constant back and forth wherein one day Meadow's all like "Don't touch me, I don't trust you, (view spoiler)[you tried to kill me (hide spoiler)] so stay back, crazy person." And then the next day, she's like. "Oh, but it wasn't your fault, and you're hot, so you're forgiven..." and then the next day she was back to hating him. Personally, I found the parts where she hated him to MUCH MORE BELIEVABLE, since, you know (view spoiler)[he tried to kill her (hide spoiler)].

My second big problem with this book was ALL THE KILLING. It felt senseless and baseless and like it wasn't fazing the characters. Well, it fazed Zephyr a little, I guess, but Meadow was very nonchalant about it.
That's the word!
All the killing in this book was so nonchalant. Like it didn't mean anything.

Death and killing and murder are big issues and they should not be handled so lightly. And it felt like their only purpose in this book was for the mere fact of bloodshed. Just for the sake of argument, let's list some books that handled the issue of murder and violence and death well.
The Hunger Games--I'm not a huge fan of this series, but Suzanne Collins took the topic of desensitization to violence and somehow managed to keep her character human in the process. she managed to make the deaths that occurred in her series MEAN something.
Divergent-- again, there is large amount of death in this series, but EACH DEATH counts and occurs to create an emotional reaction in the characters and in me, the reader.
The Brokenhearted-- (view spoiler)[in this book, the main character goes a little vigilante on our asses, but she has a REASON ans when she kills people, IT MEANS SOMETHING (hide spoiler)]
Lindsay Cummings failed in both making the deaths that occurred MEAN SOMETHING and creating an emotional reaction in me or in her main characters.

Very disappointing. 

I DID like Meadow's family however. Especially her brother. I've said before, I have brothers, and I like to think that if there were a world-ending situation, after personal survival, they would be my top priority and I would be theirs. 

Yeah. I sorta want to know what happens, so I might read the next book. We'll see.

devin.reads

Emelie

Jill Basilone

I'm not usually into futuristic books but I really enjoyed this book! Can't wait to the read the next

Kathryn 

** spoiler alert **
           Pretty run of the mill YA dystopian. Very strong Divergent vibes and honestly just not really for me. The Insta love was really ridiculous. (Ma’am he just tried to kill you???)

An ok book but I don’t believe I’ll be continuing because honestly I just don’t care what happens.

Courtney ✿ @librarycutie

"Welcome to the Murder Complex.
You cannot see us. You cannot feel us.
But we are here.
And we control your every move."
  

OH. MY. STARS! What have I just read?? I need more. I NEED The Death Code!!!

I started this book yesterday, and have finished it today. This was amazing and I honestly couldn't put it down. The writing was so easy to follow, and It was a really quick read. From the get-go I was Intrigued, and every time I turned the page, I wanted more!

So in this world, or this area of the world which is Florida, is after the plague has been cured. Everyone has nanites in their system, it heals them miraculously, the only way someone can die is from unnatural causes... You'd think that getting a cure for a dangerous plague that almost wiped everyone out, would make the world better. Well, wrong. It's worse. It's like a living hell! The Initiative and Leeches run the town. The Initiative is mainly the ones that control The Murder Complex. They could've changed the world years ago, but instead they kept it going for their own better. They started putting pins in people, saying it was extra nanites, but really they're just trackers. If you try to leave, the pin in your body will paralyze you instantly. There are Four Commandments for the Shallows that you must obey:

  
    Commandment One: Honor the Initiative.
Commandment Two: Thou shalt not attempt to cross the Perimeter.
Commandment Three: Honor the Silent Hour.
Commandment Four: Thou shalt not harbor useful items from the days Before.
  

The Silent Hour, that is where everyone in the Shallows are to be absolutely silent and mourn the dead ones. The many many dead ones.

So, naturally, there are Leech lovers... Why? I have no bloody idea, they're probably just as messed up and psychotic as the Leeches. They praise everything the Leeches do. The Dark Hour, known as the hour when it turns dark that death happens everywhere. Murder is at every corner. They Praise It.

The story is based around the POVs of two people, Meadow and Zephyr. Meadow is a sixteen year old girl with silver hair and grey eyes, just like her mother and little sister, she is getting ready to "try-out" for a job for more rations for her family. The only problem is there is a battle between two people for that position.. and only ONE will make it out, alive. Lucky for Meadow, she has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation. She makes it out, and gets a job at the rations section. Zephyr thought he was just an orphaned seventeen year old, working as a ward with his only friend, Talan. It wasn't until the girl with the silvery moon-lit hair came into his life that the truth was spilled. It turns out he's one of the Mirder Complex's programmed assassins. — I want to spill the details but it will probably ruin a lot… so, you just have to read and find out what happens.

I cannot tell you how much I love Meadow and Zephyr, they're relationship grows rapidly, but it's all they can do to get answers in the messed up world they live in. Secrets hide in every corner.

  
    We live, for the first time in our life's, without the Pulse tracking us. Together.
  

Together. Oh how that gives me butterflies. He would die saving Meadow, she is what makes him stronger, she is what gives him the strength to fight back. Together, they can make it.

It's kill or be killed.

I was so surprised at how bloody this book was. Lindsay Cummings is such a sweet person and I'm still shocked she wrote such an amazing blood-filled murdering book. That's amazing! The plot twists and truth reveals were mind blowing, I scared my dog serveral times from my screeches and squeals, now she's on the other side of the house..

  
    The sky turns seashell pink. Then mandarin orange. Then a red so deep it reminds me of blood. It reminds me that everything I have ever known is lost.
  

I just got chills.. This is such a dark dystopian, and I love it so much I want more! (I've said that almost three times now..)

I was at first confused because I didn't understand where The Murder Complex came into the book until almost half ways, and that's a huge shocker there. Poor Zephyr! His whole past was a lie. It was all a lie, the only thing holding him together is the moon-lit girl.

Also, I love the added slang words in this book. 
  Flux. Skitz. Stars.
 It's really awesome and adds more life to the story.

I read The Murder Complex before The Fear Trials... 
  *facepalm*
 Oh well, at least I already know what's going on. I can't wait for The Death Code this month!

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller—set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate—that Booklist called "carefully crafted . . . chilling." "Legend meets La Femme Nikita in this dark and dangerous bloody thriller. The nonstop action of The Murder Complex kept us guessing at every twist and turn. It's a must for fans of action-packed dystopians like The Hunger Games and Divergent."—Justine Magazine Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision. The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn't know it—one of the MC's programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family? Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

Toni Turner

I am so exciting to get my hands of the rest of this series! I wasn't expecting it to be as amazing as I found it to be. There are so many elements that made me so happy. The boats and the thugs and the whole world really plus the ending!! I was so shocked!! wow. good good times.

ashley hopkins

Are u kidding? 

Despite some of the flaws in The Murder Complex, the absolute horror-ridden, terrifyingly beautiful and blood-soaked theme of TMC made it one of my favorites. Yes, I just used the words beautiful, blood soaked and horror all in one sentence. If nothing else in this review makes sense, or you just don't get anything from it than please remember the first sentence. :)

When I first heard about TMC I knew I wanted to read it. Gotta support my fellow Texans. I also had been following Lindsay throughout her journey on her blog. I'm not sure what I thought I would get from the story, but I will say it's not what I did. I mean this in a completely, awesomely (is this a word?), shocked way. I wasn't even half way through the book,and it was more gory than most dystopians I've read. That's one of the aspects I loved about it (see beginning sentence) Does that make me weird? I'm serious though it was bloody gory. I realize that means about the same thing. It's awesome so I had to say it twice. :) There have been fights, a death, an almost death. So where could a story that starts off like this possibly go? It goes in directions and crevices I didn't even think about. 

As you can tell there really wasn't a whole bunch that I didn't like about TMC. I did however have a few bumps that I had a hard time getting over. 
1. As much as I loved Meadow's fierceness and the way she cared for her younger sister and family she felt older than she was. She's suppose to be 15, but she felt like an older teen maybe 17/18. Teens grow (I think tremendously between 15 and 18 (9th to 12th grade) I know that in the world she was living in she grew up fast, but even a little bit of innocence would have been good.
2. I'm trying to remember if it gave me a specific time that this was happening. We know it's in the future, but how far?

In all I would recommend this up and down. I think the ending was almost my favorite part of it. I know the ending my favorite part right? Usually I hate cliffhangers, and I hate endings, but this was a satisfying ending.

laura

** spoiler alert **
           The murder complex: Review I have not read this type of book in so long but I loved it. It was such an interesting premise with a hell of cliff hanger. I loved the duel perspective that the book was told from and also how different the characters were and also how connected they became. I will admit it was a super complicated novel but since i read it so fast it did not bother me. 
 
I loved both Meadow and Zephyer. Normally in books the girls feel bad about murder and death but it was switched in this book and you can feel the grief coming off of zephyr. It was so sad to watch. Then you have Meadow who is so strong and so willing to murder the it gives a nice contrast between the two. I really loved that.
 
This book was filled of twists and turns. The first few pages I thought the book was going to be about the job and then it turned to something so much more complicated. I loved it. I loved the fast pace nature of the book and all the character.
 
I am so excited for the next book and to get my hands on the novel that is currently out.
 
Here is my video review.
http://youtu.be/7JhI_k4wUAM

Jelke Lenaerts

Where do I need to start? There is so much I need to tell. I'll try to keep it as short as possible.

I didn't know much about the book when I started. The only thing I knew was that the murder rate is higher than the birth rate in this book. It didn't seem like a book for me because I'm not really into bloody things but something about this book intrigued me. I still don't know what it was but it was definitely worth it. 
The book is in the point of view from Meadow and Zephyr and because the two of them met very early I was a bit scared. I was scared that the book was going to repeat itself a lot but that wasn't the case and I'm glad because of that. We also got a lot of background story what I definitely love and it makes the story more understandable. It's also fun to discover a mystery together with the characters. Overall I really loved this book and I highly recommend this one.

Anastaciya

It was okay. Not interested in this plot, though. Just read like something that's been done many times before, and it doesn't have enough in it to stand out. P

Anika Duff

I absolutely loved this book! I will most likely read this book over and over again because it is that good. What I enjoyed most about this book is that it constantly kept you on the edge of your seat. This book will be recommended to all of my friends and everyone that I see in the library or in a bookstore looking for a good book to read.

Devin Jones

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Eh. I have a feeling this is a case of "It's not you, it's me." This book on its face is outside my comfort zone, but with my new branching out resolution this year, I decided to give it a try anyway. I follow Lindsay Cummings on Instagram and Twitter as well, and she seems so sweet and so real. Adorable, really. I so WANTED to like this book. And I have to say, the writing was really good. I thought for sure that I would like it simply based on the writing. And that's why I ended up finishing it, though I considered DNF'ing it a few times. Overall, it just wasn't for me. Mostly because it was very gory and I'm really not good with torture and killing to that extent, especially in a YA book.

So, yeah, it's me. I can't really recommend this book personally, but I do think there is definitely a huge group of people that will really enjoy this book. The writing was really good, though just not for me.


  Find my other reviews at Lost in Literature!

Giulia 

4.5/5

Recensione su Giulia's World

Linsday ti pare il modo di concludere un romanzo?! Ti sembra una cosa logica?! Da lettrice a lettrice, sei stata una stronzetta U_U.
Tralasciando questi discorsi post finale, come primo romanzo non c'è male! Lo stile è ancora un pò grezzo, ma ci si può lavorare così come si può lavorare nella lunghezza dei capitoli. Un pò cortini, spero che nel secondo romanzo siano più lunghi!
La storia mi è piaciuta moltissimo, soprattutto il fatto che ci sia pochissimo romance. Poteva anche non esserci per niente, ma ci sta dai *-*. Il mondo descritto fa davvero paura, ma non so mi ha conquistata! Era da tanto che non leggevo un distopico con tutte queste scene d'azione! E morti, vogliamo parlare di tutto il sangue che scorre in questo romanzo? Ti credo che la cover è rossa xD.

Sono molto, molto, molto, MOLTO curiosa di leggere il seguito! *_* Fammi ancora il doppio punto di vista e possiamo pure diventare amiche intime ;).

Ashton Reed

3.5/5

I enjoyed this book. But I had a few problems with it, as well.

The world was interesting and, like other dystopians, displayed interesting consequences to events that could potentially happen now. The characters were interesting, as well, and I did enjoy seeing their development.

However, there are hints of insta-love in the beginning, and you know I can’t do thaattt ugh. And there were some parts that felt amateurly written.

I recommend if you love dystopians and want a new action-packed one to devour!




Oh, and if you enjoyed this (rather short and to the point) review, don’t forget to follow me here on Goodreads or on my Instagram @ashton_reads for even more bookish weirdness! Haha thanks!

The Murder Complex

Reviews