Book Review: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex is an action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. – Goodreads

The Murder Complex is a bloody, dual POV, futuristic, coming of age, thrilling, YA dystopian novel (That was a mouthful) about fifteen year old Meadow Woodson, a girl who is tough and a force to be reckoned with. Meadow lives on a houseboat with her father, brother and sister. In the walled city that Meadow lives in when an individual turns sixteen they have to go into the city and fight for a job. Literally till the death. Meadow wins the right to have a much needed job in the city and while there she meets Zephyr James, a guy with a dark secret that even he doesn’t know about!

The story is about the two of them and this program called The Murder Complex where programmed assassins kill in order to keep the population under control. There is a huge family shocker, lots of feels and you can’t help but ship Zeadow! This book is not for the squeamish because when Goodreads said “blood-soaked” they weren’t kidding. Both Meadow and Zephyr kill throughout the book and it is just a part of surviving in their world. Although it is gritty and riddled with murder this book is a must read for fans of Divergent and The Maze Runner and has become one of my personal favorites this year!

Recommended age:

14+

On to the ratings!

Stars..

0 = None 10 = Tons

THE FEELS:

This book is on the edgy side and doesn’t have as many emotional elements as some other books.

3/10

Violence:

The title alone should tell you. This book is full of violence but it’s the kind that you keep reading and look past it because the story has pulled you in!

9/10

Sexual content:

There are some minor elements like kisses but that is all.

3/10

Crude language:

Minor curse words are used such as “damn” and “hell” also there are made up slang words but no major curse words that you wouldn’t normally hear.

5/10

Other elements:

The only thing I can say here is that there is a lot of violence. So if your kid is prone to go crazy and try to be like the fictional characters then this probably isn't the best book to let them read... Keep in mind that it IS just fiction and no one is actually getting murdered here.

Overall:

Over all for mature teens and adults this is a good read. It is really well written and the chapters flow easily between POV shifts!

8/10

Xoxo

- Sarah

Book Review: Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Magic. Mythology. Fantasy. Mermaids. Sisterhood. Princesses. and mysteries. If you like any of these glittery things then you'll love Deep Blue! Deep Blue is about Serafina, a mermaid princess who is destined for more than she ever imagined. Sera has been having strange dreams that haunt her thoughts, she tries her best to push them out of her mind to no avail. Sera is to be betrothed to a prince that she no longer knows and she has this huge ceremony that she has to preform at and it all has to be perfect but things go terribly wrong. Serafina decides to pursue the meaning of her strange dreams leading her on a dangerous journey. Sera discovers that she isn't the only one having these strange dreams, she and her friend Neela, have to flee the city in search of safety and the meaning behind their dreams. Together with five other mermaids Sera and her friends must defeat an old and horrific monster they thought was only a story in order to save the whole ocean from destruction!

I read about this book in a magazine that I cant remember the name of. The fact that it is set under water and is about mermaids completely drew me in because who doesn't love The Little Mermaid?! And the cover of this book is total book porn! It is so beautiful! At first I had an incredibly hard time getting into the story because of so many words that aren't english and lingo of the merpeople. (Thank God for the glossary in the back of the book lol!) Once I got the hang of the lingo I really began to get into the story and root for Serafina and Neela on their journey. Of course along the way Sera meets a dashing merman named Blu, a total babe of a merman who has a mysterious side! This book is the first in a series called the WaterFire Saga the next book, Rogue Wave will be released on January 6th 2015!

Recommended age:

10+

(This book would be fine for younger preteens I think.)

On to the ratings!

Stars..

0 = None 10 = Tons

THE FEELS:

This book has some emotional moments but not any real tear jerking moments. I'm giving

4/10 

Violence: 

There is some violence but it isn't in too much detail that I remember. I've read a lot worse.

4/10

Sexual content:

There isn't much sexual content in this book at all. None worth mentioning.

2/10

Crude language: 

Very mild. There are some made up slang words but nothing serious at all.
2/10

Other elements:

There is a lot of magic in the book but the magical elements are crucial to the story. I know some people don't like that sort of thing but remember this is fiction for teens and children and the spells in the book don't work in real life so it's nothing to worry about. 

Over all:

Over all I enjoyed this book and if you or your child likes fantasy (especially girls) then this is a must read! Deep Blue would be fun to read with your mother or daughter or sister or bff!
7/10

Xoxo

- Sarah

Book Review: Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

 

Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. 

To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I've been accused of a crime I didn't commit, and the Hole is my new home. 

Constant darkness. 

Brutal and savage violence. 

Excruciating pain. 

Every day is a fight for survival. 

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole. 

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

- Good Reads

I found out about this book through author Lindsay Cummings on Instagram and I had heard others rave about it as well. I decided to start following the authors on IG and the more I heard about Branded the more I just HAD to read it and boy am I glad I did! This book is really great and I think it should be as big as The Hunger Games!

The story is about young adult Lexi Hamilton, a girl with a dark past (and let me tell you the girl has got some serious luggage.)  Lexi is a strong girl but she doesn't seem to see that in herself until the latter part of the book. Branded is set in a futuristic world where there are seven deadly sins...

Lust - blue
Gluttony - orange
Greed - yellow
Sloth - black
Wrath - red
Envy - green
Pride - purple

When Lexi is accused of the sin of Lust she is sent to the Hole, the grimy, dangerous and down right sketchy place where all accused live together in harsh conditions and under the surveillance of the Commander, a mysterious leader. The place is crawling with creeps and guards. Which brings me to Cole.I HAVE to talk about Cole for a moment! What a hunk! Dark eyes, dark hair and a killer body! Cole is Lexi's gaurd and he goes above and beyond for her to keep her safe. Not to spoil much more ill stop there..

I will say that this book stands out to me among other dystopian books because of the character development, the characters themselves and the setting. Not to mention you can't at all tell that there are two authors it's very seamlessly written!

Recommend age:

14+

On to the ratings!

Stars...

0 = none 10 = tons

THE FEELS:

One word....Alyssa. (if you read the book well then you know.)

10/10

Violence:

There is a good bit of violence in the book. it could be worse though which is why I'm giving a

7/10

Sexual content:

There is a lot of sexual tension between characters and a lot of kissing.But nothing like fifty shades of gray so I'm giving a

6/10

Crude language:

There are minor curse words throughout the book but nothing severe. 

6/10

Other elements:

I found three grammatical errors in the book. One was two words without a space between, another was quotation marks in the wrong spot and a cpuple more were misspelled words. Now, I don't blame the authors for these errors seeing as how I'm sure someone had to have edited the book other than the authors themselves.  

Over all:

Over all I have really enjoyed the book. I look forward to the release of the sequel Hunted in 2015! I give Branded a

9/10  

Xoxo,

- Sarah 

Hello!

Hey there!

My name is Sarah Jones. I am a follower of Christ, 20 something-year-old who loves to read young adult novels. I'm a sucker for Dystopian books that make me feel like a heroine after reading them.
I'm an artist and aspiring author and am currently working on a few books of my own! Super stoked!
Enough about me though...


Books are SO FREAKING AWESOME and that's why I decided to start this book blog. In my reviews I will list the violence, sexual content level, crude language and more. I feel like there aren't enough book review sights that list and rate these types of things. Coming from a family where my mother looked up and reviewed EVERYTHING I watched and read as a kid and teen I want to help parents and people in general get an idea of what they'll be getting into before they dive in and hit too much negativity or awkwardness that will make them uncomfortable and have their kids asking them what groping or pot is. Lol!


All of my life I have been brutally honest in everything that I say and do and I plan on being no different with my reviews!


Thanksfor stopping by!
Xoxo
Sarah