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harleyrae's review
4.0
I love this book. The Murder Complex is super fasted paced and very easy to read. The whole time I could not put it down I just wanted to continue on reading. I did find it hard though to tell the difference between who was narrating the chapter, unless I looked at the beginning of the chapter it would take me awhile to figure it out. I also found the love connect between Meadow and Zephyr to be instantaneous and unrealistic. It was very love at first sight kind of thing, I felt it could have been approached differently. All in all I loved this book and can't wait for the next one.
dembury's review
1.0
Nope. Sorry. This was an interesting idea, and I've had this on my TBR for quite some time now, but it was a big letdown.
Honestly, it hit so many clichés and tropes that I found myself becoming so detached from the story and just reading it for amusement. (There's a Twitter account called DystopianYA that parodies cliché YA lines and such, and this reminded me exactly of that account.)
While I can appreciate the general IDEA of "The Murder Complex", and while a little part of me enjoyed having a skilled, combat-trained female as a lead character, the rest of this was just incredibly predictable and bland.
In addition, I felt the world building lacked substance, and was often confused about how the systems of the society worked, and how some of these practices came to be in the first place. I STILL don't understand why the Dark Hour was even a thing!!
Lastly, EVERY ONE in this book was SO SO SO familiar and casual about death and dead bodies. People step over them, shovel them into carts, hide in piles of them, and kill without thought. I mean, I understand that death and murder are (obviously) huge themes in this, but the deaths became so frequent and casual that it was disturbing. I felt like 90% of the time, no one felt any remorse about killing.
Honestly, it hit so many clichés and tropes that I found myself becoming so detached from the story and just reading it for amusement. (There's a Twitter account called DystopianYA that parodies cliché YA lines and such, and this reminded me exactly of that account.)
While I can appreciate the general IDEA of "The Murder Complex", and while a little part of me enjoyed having a skilled, combat-trained female as a lead character, the rest of this was just incredibly predictable and bland.
In addition, I felt the world building lacked substance, and was often confused about how the systems of the society worked, and how some of these practices came to be in the first place. I STILL don't understand why the Dark Hour was even a thing!!
Lastly, EVERY ONE in this book was SO SO SO familiar and casual about death and dead bodies. People step over them, shovel them into carts, hide in piles of them, and kill without thought. I mean, I understand that death and murder are (obviously) huge themes in this, but the deaths became so frequent and casual that it was disturbing. I felt like 90% of the time, no one felt any remorse about killing.
teeggzz's review
3.0
*3.25
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time so I decided to pick it up. Not gonna lie it wasn't as good as expected.
For starters the plot was very confusing. We're kinda just thrown into this world and nothing is explained all that well. I think this may also have something to do with the world building because it just wasn't quite there. For a long time I was questioning so um why are people just randomly dying for no reason? As you get further into the book more things get unveiled but for the first 200 hundred pages I felt the author was just throwing in random action scenes and insta love to keep it interesting.
Speaking of the action scenes that's basically all this book was. Trust me I love a good slice of action but this was to the point where it was overwhelming. We never really got a chance to cool down and assess what was happening and I think that's why I didn't understand the plot at times because the author didn't let us process it. Also there was just a lot of unneeded killing, that's all the characters ever did and quite frankly the only thing they were good at which is not a compliment.
The romance...eh. In my opinion it was another case of insta love that just wasn't executed correctly. For example Zephyr sees Meadow once and then all of a sudden hes's having dreams about her and calling her his Moon lit girl? I'm sorry but could you SLOW THE FUCK DOWN. Quite frankly the couple had no chemistry and 90% of the time they were together they had to be killing someone or trying to kill EACH OTHER.
I also wasn't a huge fan of Meadow. I hated how childish and indecisive she was. At times she was absolutely fawning over Zephyr and the next she was spitting on him and saying she hates him. Wtf? Girl you need to make up your mind because you seriously are pissing me off.
The relationship between Meadow and her father i found was quite abusive. He would put her in dire situations and hurt her to the point where she was broken and somehow that's called "teaching her how to survive." I don't think that was doing her any favours I just believe it was plain cruelty. Also what happened to that whole test Meadow had to do to earn a job? She legitimately showed up once and them it was never talked about again, she didn't even receive her rations.
Another thing I want to point out is how similar this book is to Divergent. The whole jumping on a train to arrive at a test to "find your place" was a similarity. And also the fact that I believe that Lark said there were plenty of similar places out there that were being "tested" and wiping the population just as this city was. The ending was also tropey especially with the whole "I tied you to the eye so if it dies then you die." Ugh. Also watching people being killed on TV definitely hasn't been done before.
Over all an average novel with some interesting parts. Don't know if the series is worth continuing.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time so I decided to pick it up. Not gonna lie it wasn't as good as expected.
For starters the plot was very confusing. We're kinda just thrown into this world and nothing is explained all that well. I think this may also have something to do with the world building because it just wasn't quite there. For a long time I was questioning so um why are people just randomly dying for no reason? As you get further into the book more things get unveiled but for the first 200 hundred pages I felt the author was just throwing in random action scenes and insta love to keep it interesting.
Speaking of the action scenes that's basically all this book was. Trust me I love a good slice of action but this was to the point where it was overwhelming. We never really got a chance to cool down and assess what was happening and I think that's why I didn't understand the plot at times because the author didn't let us process it. Also there was just a lot of unneeded killing, that's all the characters ever did and quite frankly the only thing they were good at which is not a compliment.
The romance...eh. In my opinion it was another case of insta love that just wasn't executed correctly. For example Zephyr sees Meadow once and then all of a sudden hes's having dreams about her and calling her his Moon lit girl? I'm sorry but could you SLOW THE FUCK DOWN. Quite frankly the couple had no chemistry and 90% of the time they were together they had to be killing someone or trying to kill EACH OTHER.
I also wasn't a huge fan of Meadow. I hated how childish and indecisive she was. At times she was absolutely fawning over Zephyr and the next she was spitting on him and saying she hates him. Wtf? Girl you need to make up your mind because you seriously are pissing me off.
The relationship between Meadow and her father i found was quite abusive. He would put her in dire situations and hurt her to the point where she was broken and somehow that's called "teaching her how to survive." I don't think that was doing her any favours I just believe it was plain cruelty. Also what happened to that whole test Meadow had to do to earn a job? She legitimately showed up once and them it was never talked about again, she didn't even receive her rations.
Another thing I want to point out is how similar this book is to Divergent. The whole jumping on a train to arrive at a test to "find your place" was a similarity. And also the fact that I believe that Lark said there were plenty of similar places out there that were being "tested" and wiping the population just as this city was. The ending was also tropey especially with the whole "I tied you to the eye so if it dies then you die." Ugh. Also watching people being killed on TV definitely hasn't been done before.
Over all an average novel with some interesting parts. Don't know if the series is worth continuing.
ambeesbookishpages's review
4.0
This review and more can be found at The Book Bratz!
I was up in the air about this book. I don't read reviews on books I am going to read for the sole purpose that it is going to change what I think about the book when I read it. I was really excited for this book though and I went through some blogs and Goodreads to see how it was. I will admit, the reviews made me hesitant. But now that I read it, I do not regret it for a minute. This book was a blood-soaked, action-packed, thriller that will leave you wanting more!
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Both were complex, tough and unique. I Zephyr grew up as a ward, basically an orphan from a young age. He works all day picking up the dead bodies from the Dark Hour, and watches out for his best friend Talan. Meadow grew up with her family, her mother having died when she was a young girl. When she turns sixteen she can take a test to determine if she can work. Meadow passes, and can now help provide for her family. I liked both Meadow and Zephyr they were both different from each other, having different goals for their survival.
I liked the Murder Complex idea. It was interesting and kept me turning the pages. Especially that Zephyr is unknowingly a programmed assassin, created by the government for the purpose to kill people by night and practically be a slave by day.The message (above) is something he hears every time he sets his sights on his target, it managed to give me that chills. But then there is a glitch and he sets his sights on the wrong target, that is when the book fully sinks its claws into you.
This book was full of action. The world that Lindsay created is both bone chilling and terrifying. There was never a dull moment. I love books where the government controls the people, and this book is just that. This book was full of fighting, betrayal and shocking revelations that changed the course of Meadow and Zephyr's lives forever.
What an ending! Talk about being on the edge of your seats! I stared at my book in shock, convinced for a moment or two that my book had to be missing pages. Sadly it wasn't but, I am really excited about the sequel to The Murder Complex. I already have the prequel on my kindle so I am going to dive into that soon!
I was up in the air about this book. I don't read reviews on books I am going to read for the sole purpose that it is going to change what I think about the book when I read it. I was really excited for this book though and I went through some blogs and Goodreads to see how it was. I will admit, the reviews made me hesitant. But now that I read it, I do not regret it for a minute. This book was a blood-soaked, action-packed, thriller that will leave you wanting more!
I enjoyed the characters in this book. Both were complex, tough and unique. I Zephyr grew up as a ward, basically an orphan from a young age. He works all day picking up the dead bodies from the Dark Hour, and watches out for his best friend Talan. Meadow grew up with her family, her mother having died when she was a young girl. When she turns sixteen she can take a test to determine if she can work. Meadow passes, and can now help provide for her family. I liked both Meadow and Zephyr they were both different from each other, having different goals for their survival.
"Kill.
Destroy.
No escaping.
No turning back.
This is what we must do to survive.
Purge the Earth.
This is the Murder Complex."
I liked the Murder Complex idea. It was interesting and kept me turning the pages. Especially that Zephyr is unknowingly a programmed assassin, created by the government for the purpose to kill people by night and practically be a slave by day.The message (above) is something he hears every time he sets his sights on his target, it managed to give me that chills. But then there is a glitch and he sets his sights on the wrong target, that is when the book fully sinks its claws into you.
This book was full of action. The world that Lindsay created is both bone chilling and terrifying. There was never a dull moment. I love books where the government controls the people, and this book is just that. This book was full of fighting, betrayal and shocking revelations that changed the course of Meadow and Zephyr's lives forever.
What an ending! Talk about being on the edge of your seats! I stared at my book in shock, convinced for a moment or two that my book had to be missing pages. Sadly it wasn't but, I am really excited about the sequel to The Murder Complex. I already have the prequel on my kindle so I am going to dive into that soon!
renuked's review
3.0
I enjoyed it at first, but it turned into a jumble. Nothing was clear, I needed explanations. And that ending was just too abrupt. I love a good cliffhanger, but it just stopped mid-sentence. Honestly, all the violence with no real reason got a little boring after a while. Review to come.
arkascha's review
5.0
This book truly surprised me. Expecting a blood bath of epic proportions and not much else, I quickly found myself caring for the protagonists much more than I thought possible. A gruesome read throughout, the plot nonetheless leaves plenty of room to explore human frailty, and invites the reader to think past the obvious into the realm of "what if..."
melissaverasreads's review against another edition
3.0
Lo bueno:
-La historia es interesante.
-Tiene un ritmo bastante acelerado y eso hace que la lectura sea rápida.
-Los momentos aburridos son casi inexistentes.
Lo malo:
-No te sientes identificado con ningún personaje. Cuando ellos sienten algo, la autora tiene que decirlo específicamente para que te des cuenta.
-La narración es un poco pobre. Todo es muy mecánico.
-Insta-love. Vamos, que el amor a primera vista siempre es malo. A mí me gusta cuando tu te vas enamorando junto con los personajes; pero en este caso no fue así. De repente empiezan a besarse y es como que ¿cuándo pasó eso? ¿Me volé un capítulo? ¿Qué pasó aquí? En fin, al menos el romance no quita casi nada de la historia, por eso no me molestó tanto. Fue bien meh, la verdad, y creo que hubiera resultado mejor si la autora hubiese dejado ese asunto para el siguiente libro.
Creo que Lindsay Cummings tiene muchísimo potencial, y que va a mejorar mucho con el tiempo. Pero mientras tanto, este libro estuvo bastante promedio.
Recomiendo leer The Murder Complex para cuando quieras leer algo rápido en un día, con mucha acción y sangre. Pero no esperes increíbles personajes ni nada mind-blowing.
-La historia es interesante.
-Tiene un ritmo bastante acelerado y eso hace que la lectura sea rápida.
-Los momentos aburridos son casi inexistentes.
Lo malo:
-No te sientes identificado con ningún personaje. Cuando ellos sienten algo, la autora tiene que decirlo específicamente para que te des cuenta.
-La narración es un poco pobre. Todo es muy mecánico.
-Insta-love. Vamos, que el amor a primera vista siempre es malo. A mí me gusta cuando tu te vas enamorando junto con los personajes; pero en este caso no fue así. De repente empiezan a besarse y es como que ¿cuándo pasó eso? ¿Me volé un capítulo? ¿Qué pasó aquí? En fin, al menos el romance no quita casi nada de la historia, por eso no me molestó tanto. Fue bien meh, la verdad, y creo que hubiera resultado mejor si la autora hubiese dejado ese asunto para el siguiente libro.
Creo que Lindsay Cummings tiene muchísimo potencial, y que va a mejorar mucho con el tiempo. Pero mientras tanto, este libro estuvo bastante promedio.
Recomiendo leer The Murder Complex para cuando quieras leer algo rápido en un día, con mucha acción y sangre. Pero no esperes increíbles personajes ni nada mind-blowing.
crazybooklady_mjg's review
adventurous
medium-paced
2.75
Really interesting premise. Very much a mid 2000s dystopian YA book. I would have eaten this up as a teenager
kamitc's review
4.0
The Murder Complex had a really interesting story concept. There was so much action and I really enjoyed the mystery in the plot that really had you guessing.
Meadow and Zephyr are really something else though. This duo has a more dynamic relationship than any other YA novel I've read. Brilliant. Had me begging for the next book!
The writing style was brilliant too. I simple could not put it down. I will definitely be reading the second one.
Meadow and Zephyr are really something else though. This duo has a more dynamic relationship than any other YA novel I've read. Brilliant. Had me begging for the next book!
The writing style was brilliant too. I simple could not put it down. I will definitely be reading the second one.