The Murder Complex (Murder Complex, 1) Hardcover – Box set, June 10, 2014

4 StarsTHE MURDER COMPLEX was bloodtastic read that I devoured. I was allured by the dark essence and the fast paced plot that kept me engaged and entertained until the very last page! It was a bloody world, full of twist and turns that satisfied.But to keep it real, THE MURDER COMPLEX was a good book, but it had it's faults. There where many aspects that I enjoyed, but many that I didn't. One that I really enjoyed was the world-building--the backbone to THE MURDER COMPLEX. I liked that it added it's own touch of originality to the dystopian world, and that it delivered on that aspect of the book.Another thing that I really loved was that it was bloody! I don't really know what that says about me...lol, ;) but I loved all the blood and murder, and the chase. It was thrilling to live through it all through the characters eyes, and see and feel what they felt. It was definitely a terrifying world that I would never want to live through!! I do give the author mad props for creating such a complex world that was dark and deadly, and awesomely thrilling!!But there were a few things that drove me insane. Manly it was just one of the characters that I didn't like for numerous reasons. Zephyr was one of the main POV's and the love interest that drove me insane. First, his name annoyed the hell out of me!! I mean what kind of name is Zephyr??? That was the first strike against him. Then he said this repetitive word, Skitz's." What hell does Skitz's mean anyway?? I looked it up, and it's the meaning for Schizophrenia. WHAT??? What idiot would go around saying that all the time?? Then, when he meets Meadow, the other main POV, he starts acting like a little love sick puppy that would bend the earth for her. I mean he JUST met her and he was acting like that. Actually, I think he said that he might love her before he was even formally introduced to her. He was just a total turn off from the beginning, and then it just kept getting worse. Their was just too many reasons why I didn't see eye to eye with his character.Another issue I had was the POV switch. I can usually put up with multiples POV's, but don't prefer them. And THE MURDER COMPLEX was no exception. I really only liked Meadow's POV. Zephyr just drove me crazy, and that made me hate him even more when it would switch to his POV.THE PLOTCommandment 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.In the horrifying world of THE MURDER COMPLEX, where murder rate is higher than the birthrate, and killing becomes as easy as breathing. Meadow, a girl just trying survive in this blood-soaked world she was born in, is ready to do the unthinkable in order to keep her family alive--even if she has to kill for it...Fifteen-year-old Meadow Woodson has been trained to kill. Her only goal in life is to survive, survive and keep her family breathing, and that is by any means necessary.KILL OR BE KILLED...Meadow's father has been training her how to fight, kill, and survive for years. Preparing her for her chance to take the placement testing--where everyone gets the opportunity to prove their worth for the honor of a job in their society. He's been readying her for when the time comes that she will have to kill or be killed, for the job that their family so desperately needs. And it's now Meadow's time--kill or be killed.... Meadow is determined to be the last one standing, she's ready to embrace her training, she's ready to shed blood, she's ready to kill....But then Meadow's world starts to fall apart even more when she meets Zephyr, a Ward of the state--unworthy in the eyes of The Murder Complex. But something is different about Zephyr, he's not like the other Wards, and she feels compelled to help him when he makes a stupid decision that could cost him his very life. And then the web The Murder Complex spun many years ago begins to unravel, and the truth behind it all starts to slowly surface, and many facts are revealed that could shatter their world to the very core. Meadow's world becomes a race against the clock as she tries to understand who--or what Zephyr is, and what really is The Murder Complex, and why do they want her so badly, but most important, how is her mother tied into it all. As if that's not enough, Meadow has to cope with all this while trying to find and rescue her family that's just become missing.Like I said above, it was a good book with it's flaws. I was expecting more from THE MURDER COMPLEX then what I got, but it still satisfied enough to keep my attention and have me engrossed in the characters and the overall plot of the book. I'm still eager to read the next book and see how it all plays out, because that ending was intense and definitely has me craving the next book!!Overall, THE MURDER COMPLEX was a thrilling start to a fun series that I know I will continue to enjoy! I had my issues with this book, but I also really enjoyed it at the same time. I've been eager to read this book after hearing about how bloody and dark it would be, and it overall didn't disappoint! I think if you enjoy dystopia, mixed with a touch of Sci-f, thrown into a bloody dark world, then you will definitely enjoy this one!!NOTE: I received a physical ARC from Harper Teen for reviewing purposes! All opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way!

"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 Murder 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.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 server all 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!

Ahhh. This had the potential to be good but I felt like I'd read it 100 times before.Meadow Woodson is a 15 year old girl living in a blood-soaked, futuristic world. She has been trained by her father to survive any situation, by either fighting or killing. She lives in a houseboat in Florida, separated from the rest of the world by a wall. Inside the wall, everyone is controlled by the Initiative, that keeps the population in check by way of the Murder Complex. Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is unknowingly part of the Murder Complex and one of the Initiative's programmed assassins. Will Zephyr stop Meadow from discovering the devastating truth about her family?The setting was interesting but not detailed enough, I thought. It really did not pull me in like the settings of other dystopian novels have. The descriptions didn't really make me picture it to be set in Florida. Also, how many other dystopian books have a wall that separates them from the rest of the world? Divergent is one, and unlike when I was reading Divergent, when reading this, I didn't really care what was on the other side or why the wall was there.I felt like I'd read all of the characters before. The only thing I really liked about Meadow is that she was ruthless and had no problems killing in order to survive. This is not something you see a lot with other protagonists in books like this. Zephyr didn't really interest me much. The way he and Meadow fell in love instantly was cringeworthy and made the book a lot worse for me. This is another thing that is done far too much in YA. The only character I did like was the one introduced near the very end, who'd been kept prisoner by the Initiative, although they did seem a bit robotic and one-dimensional. I don't want to say any more on them as I don't want to spoil anything. There were many parts where I found myself thinking "yeah right", namely when said character - who had been chained up and starved for goodness knows how long - gets up and has all the energy in the world as soon as they are freed by Meadow and Zephyr.Do I want to read more? Nah, probably not. This is another one of those books I've read where I want to find out what happens next, but the thought of reading through another 400 pages or so to find out really does not appeal to me. It isn't the worst book I've read - nowhere near it, but I just don't want to read any more. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already read so many books that were similar.

Deliciously dark and deadly, The Murder Complex is told from the perspective of Meadow and Zephyr, and set in dystopian society The Shallows, being action-packed from cover to cover.Extremely fast-paced, this book keeps you on the edge of your bookish seat throughout. Cummings has a style that enables her to keep the audience gripped and utterly interested throughout, action creeping around every corner. The chapters are relatively short - some being dramatically so - meaning this book is a quick read, and seizes your attention from the first page. Also, because it's written in 2 different perspectives, you're swiftly given all the answers - no more guessing what the other character is thinking!Personally, I really like how fast this book is, because it makes it feels more real, for me, due to how fast-paced life is in reality. This book really matched up to that, and I really liked it. Also, with short chapters, you can read more a lot quicker, and it feels like you've accomplished something more, so this book tended to make me feel good in that respect, too.On the other hand, I should not that Cumming's writing isn't anything special. If you are looking for a poetically written book with swooping sentences and bundles of metaphors, this isn't the book for you. However, in not having these aspects, it becomes a lot more basic and easier to relate to. You're not told everything it odd similes, but instead are left to fill the gaps with your imagination, which I really like doing.On another note, the plot for this book is really original - I've never seen anything like it. There were so many twists and turns, nothing being handed to you straight. Frankly, you're given information, only to have it ripped away and told to be false. I really enjoyed this aspect, because it meant the book was rather unreliable when giving you information, causing you to piece it together yourself.Some aspects of this book were also really clever. For example, in this book, humanity have Nanobots in their blood, something that is under development now. Everything that transpires in this book is courtesy of that step in medicine, and I think it's really interesting to see what humanity could resort to if this method progresses in reality.In terms of characters, Meadow is really badass. It's so empowering to read from the perspective of a strong woman, and it was so great to see her kill with no repercussions. It was great to not have pages dedicated to a girl panicking over the death of someone unknown. Granted, Meadow strongly feels for those she cares about, but she doesn't fret over those she doesn't know, which was perfect in the setting.Zephyr is extremely complex. I really like his narration, because he's funny, but also painfully honest. There's a lot of raw emotions from Zephyr, and it added another great layer to this book.Talan is hilarious. It was great to have some humour injected into the book, and her relationship with Zephyr is such a nice thing to read about, for their connection runs very deep, but doesn't go any further than friendship. Strong friendship power couples are great - not everything is about love and fluffy stuff, it's about having one another's backs.One criticism I would have for this book is how many characters there actually are, some being irrelevant. However, having so many people dotting around managed to add to the action-aspect.Overall, it was great to finally read an action-dystopia novel that didn't focus too much on a romantic plot line. Yes, there were a few moments between Meadow and Zephyr, but it was subtle, and definitely not overdone, only a few paragraphs being dedicated to it here and there. Thrilling, gripping, deadly, and intoxicating, The Murder Complex is a fast-paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, explaining as to why I awarded it 4/5 stars.

I was lucky enough to get an e-arc review copy of The Murder Complex over Christmas last year and if it had been published last year you would of seen it on my end of year lists because I was absolutely floored once I had finished reading it.It had first caught my attention several months earlier when I came across Lindsay's twitter account and saw her tweeting and I had seen a book called The Murder Complex on Goodreads and thought it couldn't be a coincidence... A little bit of research and I read up on the main idea of the book and I was sold instantly so when I got a copy thanks to Edelweiss I was beyond excited hence why I started to read it straight away and fell in love with the world captured within its pages.Right from the off you're transported into the bloody world of murders, dead bodies lying in the street just waiting to be carted away, a fight to survive and the Initiative. The Murder Complex is told from two points of view, alternating every chapter between the feisty and ruthless Meadow, and the Jekyll and Hyde-esque Zephyr who is sweet and normal just like every other boy one second, and becomes a blood thirsty killing machine the next with a simple flick of a switch. Some will love the way the narrative changes every chapter and some might find it jarring but personally I'm in the former camp. I loved it. I loved that every chapter you're somewhere different within the Florida Everglades where the book is set. It was already great getting to see people that are so different from each other, a contrast I really liked. Meadow has been trained by her father to survive. The world in which we're drawn into in The Murder Complex is a world where the murder rate is higher than the birth rate, the population cannot keep up and bodies spill into the streets as the wards struggle to keep up with carting them away. That's what Zephyr is. A ward. He's determined to stay out of trouble, just keep his head down and get on with things. He has no family, just his friend Talan so does what he can to get by. Something else I loved about the dual narrative is that when things got really going and you're thrust right into the action, the fact that the next chapter could be completely different meaning you have to read a whole chapter before you can see what's going to happen next simply has you racing through the pages at break-neck speed to see what on earth is coming next.I'm a big sucker for anything dystopian and The Murder Complex did not disappoint. The Murder Complex itself and the Initiative had me reeling as revelation after revelation came knocking me for six and demanding that I turn the pages quicker to see where it was all heading. At the time of reading the book I wasn't sure if it was a one off or part of a larger series and I have to say upon finishing this book, quite early in the morning if memory serves me correctly, that I was chomping at the bit to read more. It felt like there was more to be told, that the bits and pieces that were hazy, missing, still needed to be elaborated on. And thankfully it looks like we'll get the answers we are craving! Earlier this month, The Fear Trials, a prequel novella was released and Lindsay announced a few months ago that had handed in the second Murder Complex book to her editor and I couldn't be happy. I've seen some reviews that they weren't happy with the romance in the book and whilst I have to say I prefer my books to be romance free, especially if it's going to soppy, but I liked it here. It felt well placed and gave a good contrast to the dark, gritty and bloody world. You needed a few lighter moments here or there to give you a moments peace, a deep breath, before it all kicked off again.A word of warning for those that are squeamish... There is blood and lots of if in the book. I personally found it so disturbing that people just go around killing one another. It's dark, scary and twisted and at times some of the deaths were so violent I would find myself holding in a breath in the hope that it'd pass and I could continue. Some scenes left me breathless, gasping for air as I saw them all play out in my minds eye. These scenes were so well written and crafted in such a manor that they leave a lasting imprint on you that lasted several pages after you'd read it and just showed just how dark the world has become.All in all I have to say that I think this book is a stunning debut. It's well-written, fast paced, chock full of action sequences that will have readers racing through the pages. It's honestly one of my favourite books I've read this year, even though I read it last year... But it's published this year, so it counts! Haha. Just go get it! It doesn't currently have a UK publisher but it is available on Amazon both for Kindle and hardback imported from the US of A which I've seen pictures of and it looks stunning. I cannot wait to get my copy and I cannot wait to see what's next in store for Meadow and Zephyr!Originally posted on Empire of Books.

"Welcome to the Murder Complex.You cannot see us. You cannot feel us.But we are here.And we control your every move."Set in a dystopian world where the murder rate is higher than the birth rate, The Murder Complex is, above all else, a book about survival."Close your eyes and feel your enemy's weakness.Mind over body.Mind over body.Mind over body.Breathe.In.Out.In.Out.Now survive."Meadow Woodson has been trained her whole life by her father and she knows that in this corrupted world you either kill or be killed. And she would kill anyone who threatened her family, without hesitation.Zephyr James has been a Ward (an orphan) for most of his life. He does his job removing dead bodies from the streets, with the help of his long time friend Talan, and tries not to attract any attention to himself. But he is hiding a huge secret, a part of himself not even he can comprehend. He's been programmed to kill. And that torments his mind.When Zephyr and Meadow's paths meet, they both feel very intrigued by one another and despite all the setbacks, they begin to really care about each other.I really liked the dynamic between these two, they balance each other out; while Zephyr teaches Meadow how to trust, Meadow reminds Zephyr how to survive, so that together they can uncover the truth.I loved Meadow as a female lead, though I think there's still room for some character development. Honestly, I'm a sucker for badass female characters with guns, knives, bow and arrows, etc. who generally kick ass.I also loved Zephyr, he really anchored Meadow down at times. And I love to read about a good tortured soul.Throughout this novel, both Meadow and Zephyr kill multiple people, but while Zephyr feels remorse at first, Meadow never does. For this reason, I probably wouldn't recommend you this if you feel squeamish about death, blood and gore (which this book as plenty).I was really intrigued with the Initiative and the Murder Complex. While in real life, if you see someone being murdered right before your eyes, you run the hell away and get help, in this twisted dystopian world you barely give it a second glance, let alone help. It really makes you think. With the way things are, this could be us in a couple of centuries or even decades. Which is scary because I mean, these people have identification codes tattooed in their foreheads. That is not a world I want to live in. Which made this the perfect Halloween read for me! And after all those plot twists and that amazing ending I seriously need to read The Death Code!"Kill.Destroy.No escaping.No turning back.This is your duty.Purge the Earth.This is the Murder Complex."

Suspenseful! Keeps you guessing! This world was really interesting to learn about. I kept wanting more and thank goodness there is a second book coming out! I cannot wait! This book is definitely worth a read! I would recommend it to anyone! If you need a book to get you out of a reading slump then this is it! It got me out of mine!