The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

**Thank you Harper Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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?

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My Thoughts:

Psychological thrillers are my bread and butter! I've been excited to read this book for months now and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint me! To top it off this is a dystopian that definitely has its own uniqueness so I never found myself bored 

The whole concept of The Murder Complex and the reason for it was completely engrossing and I eagerly turned the pages to find out what was going on and to know all the secrets. The world building was awesome. I could vividly see the Shallows and the way everyone was living within the Perimeter. Cummings definitely knows how to show detail in her writing and it made me feel like I was really there the entire time. The story was really fast paced and filled with action; I constantly wanted to skip forward to see how things would turn out because I was being crazy impatient!

The story switched point of views between Meadow and Zephyr. Meadow is one of the toughest heroines I have read about. She was tough as nails and did what she had to do without even flinching. Her dad brought her up like a warrior and the girl could kick some major butt. Zephyr had an interesting story and finding out why he was the way he was definitely one of my favorite parts. I only wish that Zephyr hadn't of been so soft. He had this whole other side to him and it was literally like night and day, I really hope in the next book he hardens some emotionally. I know that sounds weird but once you read it maybe you will understand.

I really liked seeing a little bit of a softer side of Meadow that was reserved for her family, which consisted of her brother (Koi), sister (Peri), and her dad. Even though her dad scared the bejesus out if me most the time!! Seriously, I get why he did the things he did but man! Meadow really looks out for her sister and there is a little cliffhanger at the end with Peri that really has me eager for the next book.

I had a few cons with the book that are just some of my personal pet peeves, the happenings between Meadow and Zephyr I really wish would have been slower. I wanted Meadow to really stay hard towards him for the entire book. It felt like the things that happened moved too fast and I just would have preferred a slower build for them. Just some of the scenes of them two together didn't fit with Meadow's personality in my opinion. Another issue I had was the scenes towards the end between Meadow and the creator of The Murder Complex patients. They felt kind of rushed and confusing somewhat. I couldn't tell if Meadow was truly mad or not. I feel like I understand how it was supposed to be portrayed but it didn't follow through like it should have. It's really hard to explain because I can't say too much because it's a major spoiler. 

The ending definitely has a cliffhanger which makes me very eager for the next book. I can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy of this book! If you love fast paced thrillers I would definitely recommend that you read this book! 

My Rating:

♥♥♥♥