[Book Review] The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex (Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

Publication Date: June 10, 2014

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Source: eARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss

Summary

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

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.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

My Review

Note: I received a digital review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler free review.

Are you sick and tired of YA dystopian books? Well I'll ask you to reconsider because The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings is a mind-blowing thriller that will make you forget why you were sick of the genre in the first place. Fast paced and suspenseful, I couldn't put this book down and the 400 pages seemed to fly by. Of course no book is perfect and there were certain aspects of the book I wish could have been different. Even so, I don't know how I'm going to wait a year for the sequel, because the ending, while satisfying, left me wanting to dive right back into the world of Meadow and Zephyr.

New Release Tuesday...The Ones I'm Psyched For [17]

The Murder Complex (Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

Summary

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

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.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher and I'm currently reading it and loving it! It's fast-paced, action-packed, and I can't put it down! Once I've finished I'll be sure to put a review up, but in the mean time I highly suggest you pick up author Lindsay Cumming's debut novel.

Check it out on Goodreads.
Check out author Lindsay Cummings's website.

Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1) by Michelle Krys

Summary

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Paranormal isn't usually my genre of choice but Hexed by Michelle Krys sounds like it might be just up my alley. I like how it mixes both the natural and supernatural and it doesn't seem to be all about the romance.

Check it out on Goodreads.
Check out author Micelle Krys's website.

(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

Summary

Welcome to Gardnerville.

A place where no one gets sick. And no one ever dies.

Except...
There’s a price to pay for paradise. Every fourth year, the strange power that fuels the town exacts its payment by infecting teens with deadly urges. In a normal year in Gardnerville, teens might stop talking to their best friends. In a fourth year, they’d kill them.

Four years ago, Skylar’s sister, Piper, was locked away after leading sixteen of her classmates to a watery grave. Since then, Skylar has lived in a numb haze, struggling to forget her past and dull the pain of losing her sister. But the secrets and memories Piper left behind keep taunting Skylar—whispering that the only way to get her sister back is to stop Gardnerville’s murderous cycle once and for all.

Another paranormal thriller on the list this week and once again I'm really excited for its release. I started Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn and I loved it but sadly had to return it to the library before I could finish. However, from what I did read, I love her writing style and I can't wait to pick up Quinn's latest book.

Check it out on Goodreads.
Check out author Kate Karyus Quinn's website.

Starbird Murphy and the World Outside by Karen Finneyfrock

Summary

In her sixteen years of life, Starbird has never touched a dollar bill. She’s never been in a car. She’s never used a cell phone.   That’s because Starbird has always lived on the Free Family Farm, a commune in the woods of Washington State.   But all that is about to change. When Starbird gets her "Calling" to be a waitress at the Free Family’s restaurant in Seattle, she decides to leave behind the only home she’s ever known.    

Nothing could have prepared Starbird for the World Outside, or for what it would teach her about the Family—and herself.   

From the author of The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door comes this hilarious and poignant story about finding your true calling in life.

I just recently heard about this book but I'm glad it came under my radar. From the summary, it sounds very different from the typical YA contemporary that's out there. I'm very excited to pick this book up now that its released.

Check it out on Goodreads.
Check out author Karen Finneyfrock's website.

Friday Reads [1]

I've seen this go around a lot on the booktube community and I thought I would adopt it for my blog. Basically, in a "Friday Reads" post I will tell you about the book I'm currently reading along with the books I am planning to read over the coming weekend. I'm hoping to do a Friday Reads post every week but we'll see how it goes. 

Currently Reading

Frozen by Erin Bowman

Frozen is the second book in the Taken trilogy by Erin Bowman. I'm about a quarter of the way through it and I really like how there was a small part in the beginning that kind of recapped what happened in the first book and reoriented the reader into the action that starts off the second book. So far it's pretty good. I was able to guess one of the first plot twists but I'm still enjoying it and I'm excited to see where it goes.

[Goodreads]

Reading This Weekend

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

I was fortunate to receive an eARC of Lindsay Cummings debut novel releasing this Tuesday but sadly I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet. I'm definitely planning to read it this weekend though, and I'll have a review up most likely on Monday before it comes out. Don't worry, it will be spoiler-free! I wouldn't want to ruin this promising book for anyone who's excited to read it.

[Goodreads]

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

If somehow I manage to finish both of the above books between all the graduations and receptions I'm going to this weekend, I'll be picking up Corey Ann Haydu's latest book. I read OCD Love Story and really enjoyed it so I'm excited to see what her next book has in store. I think I might be a little over ambitious including this book, so I won't be too disappointed if I don't get to it.

[Goodreads]

"Waiting on" Wednesday [16]

The Murder Complex (Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

Publication Date: June 10, 2014

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Synopsis 

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

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.

I just started reading an eARC of this book and let me tell you, I cannot put it down! Right off the bat it starts off in the middle of the action. I'm loving the dual points of view and I think it really works for this book. The Murder Complex is one of my most anticipated books of this month and I can't wait until everyone gets a chance to read it!

Check it out on Goodreads!