Author: Lindsay Cummings
Published: June 10, 2014
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 0062220004
Source: Publisher 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?
Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.
I LOVE this book. Really, it is probably the best book I have read this year and I definitely was not expecting it. I hadn't heard of this book at all until it showed up on my doorstep, but it seemed interesting. I read the back and decided to give it a shot - and I'm so glad I did!
I know in our world murders happen, but in this society dozens are found dead daily, jobs are dedicated to the clean up of the bodies every single day. It's extremely interesting and I was hooked pretty much from page one.
It's told from alternating perspectives which is something I really enjoy. I love being able to see the full picture that different point of views can give you and it was especially beneficial in The Murder Complex. This government system is so difficult to explain, they exist primarily only to hand out their barely there rations while offering pretty much zero protection to their people and giving jobs to those who prove themselves worthy in horrible ways.
It was a bit different than the synopsis leads you to believe. Most of the book is leading up to the big reveal that Zephyr is who he is, so I do find it odd that it is posted on the back as it seems like a bit of a spoiler.
I've seen a few complaints of "insta-love" in some reviews but I didn't feel that as I was reading it. I felt that the romance is barely there and that the focus is definitely on the ass kicking and overall destruction of a very controlling government. It is FANTASTIC to watch this world where the death rate is higher than the birth rate, and murders happen every single night and that being normal.
There are so many questions that still need to be answered, and I see so many places that Lindsay Cummings can take this series!
Overall: I loved it! If you're a fan of action and adventure, or just enjoy reading a really different take on the norm this book is for you. Think "The Hunger Games" on crack. With more blood. Yes, that is right - more blood.
4 comments:
I've had an ARC of this book for a while now and I still haven't gotten around to really reading it. Thanks for sharing your POV. :)
Jazmen@ThisGirlReadsAlotBlog
I've heard reviews of varied opinions on this one, and personally I'm hesitant to pick it up too. Emotions for this book tend to sway to 2 extremes, and I usually end up in the "mehh" range because books like these are really out of my comfort zone! But I recently LOVED a book that many of my friends thought was weird (Cruel Beauty), so who knows! Maybe I'll give this a try and end up enjoying it as you did =)
Alicia @ Summer Next Top Story
I had heard a few mentions of this book, and after reading your review, I'm intrigued. I love alternating perspectives as well (as long as I can actually tell the voices apart) and it sounds like the alternating POV technique is especially beneficial to this story. And I don't think I read enough action-y books, so this sounds like a good title to remedy that. I'll have to give this book a try!
The Hunger Games on crack?! Now I really need to read this one!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
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