They can't leave the perimeter of the community so their only choice is to fight to survive. She goes into to test for a position, a way to make money to help feed her family in a world where only the strongest survive. Meadow Woodson lives on boat with her father, big brother, and little sister. well just a bit of everything was thrown into this book and I loved it. The characters were well developed, the story felt original, the setting was definitely right, the tone was set to creepy, and it was very fast paced and thrilling. It actually went over my expectations and I can't wait to read more from this world.

I was not disappointed in this book at all. From the summary, the title, and even the cover I was looking for a pretty sick and intense read. It sounded completely fantastical and creepy. I was totally looking forward to this book.

Especially when encountering it in the text as both dialogue and monologue. But, sometimes it just detracts from the storytelling. I get the reasoning behind it, I really do. I guess my only gripe, albeit a small one, is the usage of fake swear words. There were only a few awkward jumps, but the character’s internal voices were subtly different enough for me to tell who was narrating without thinking too hard about or going back and referring to the chapter header. Everyone has the same internal monologue and sometimes you lose track of who is actually the focus for the chapter. Usually this happens because the author doesn’t change the writing style for both characters. Usually, when encountering a book with forced dual POV every chapter, I start to hate it. I loved the world building, the characters (both primary and secondary), and the quick paced plot. The Murder Complex suffers from none of these ailments. Sometimes the world building doesn’t make sense. Sometimes the plots are plodding and uninteresting.

Sure, the dystopian future thing has been done to death in every incarnation by now. Nothing about it was groundbreaking or unique, but the entire reading experience was a good time. Obvious plot threads weave throughout the storytelling, yet it is still a lot of fun to watch. The foreshadowing looms shortly, only to break into obvious reveals. Have you ever watched The Island? It’s an exciting summer blockbuster that doesn’t make you think to hard.

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings