The Death Code

The Murder Complex, Book 2

By: Lindsay Cummings

Narrated by: Caitlin Davies, Josh Hurley

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Action packed, blood soaked, and chilling, this is the dark and compelling sequel to the best-selling The Murder Complex, which Booklist praised as "carefully crafted...chilling" and Justine magazine called "a must for fans of action-packed dystopians like The Hunger Games and Divergent".

With short, fast-paced, alternating point of view chapters, The Death Code starts several weeks after The Murder Complex ends. Zephyr keeps the secret about Meadow close - that if she dies, The Murder Complex will be destroyed, too. Meadow, desperate to find her brother, father, and little sister, is determined to fight fearlessly to the end, even if it means sacrificing herself and her friends, new and old. The Death Code introduces a memorable cast of secondary characters and delivers a vivid and scary thrill-ride listen. For fans of La Femme Nikita, Legend, and Hanna.

©2015 Lindsay Cummings (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

A Blood soaked sequel you don't want to miss...

Any additional comments?

4 STARS

THE DEATH CODE was a fantastic sequel that kept me invested and on my toes the entire book. I LOVED this sequel as it takes us beyond the barrier and into the unknown. There was a lot going on in this novel, lots of secrets, trust issues, loyalty uncertainties, shocking reveals and revelations that were utterly heart wrenching and epically thrilling! I just couldn't get enough of it all, and then when it was over, I was SCREAMING for book three!!

Cummings really steps up her game in this sequel. Everything is more intense, more thrilling, more heart wrenching, and more shocking then the first time around. And I loved that about this book! Not many second installments that I've read surpassed its predecessor, but THE DEATH CODE did and some!!

I listened to book one and two on audio, and the narrator Caitlin Davies, one of my all time favorites narrators really gives this sequel it's well deserved voice. And Josh Hurley, the other narrator in THE DEATH CODE is almost as good as Davies, but not quite on her level just yet. But nevertheless, they make a great team together and bring this dark world to life, with just the right voice and superb acting to have the reader falling in love with book two all over again.

One downside to this book is my strong dislike for the main character Zephyr! And when you hate the main character, it makes it hard to get immersed into the story and really enjoy it. But luckily their was two main characters with dual POV's. And I LOVED Meadow to death, so it was easy to fall into the story regardless of my hate for Zephyr!

Like in book one, Zephyr drove me insane for numerous reasons, but I was happy that Cummings did mange to make him a tad less annoying, though not by much! I never liked him from the first time I read his POV in book one, and book two was not any better. I don't really know why I dislike him so much, but he just drives me crazy and makes me cringe whenever it's time to read his POV. Since trying to kill himself in book one, he seemed weak and unstable. And his puppy dog love for a girl he just met made me dislike him even more.

THE PLOT

~ MEADOW ~

Captured, tortured, alone, and betrayed, Meadow Woodson has lost it all in the name of survival. But she's not giving up, and she's determined not to let the Initiative win. No matter the obstacles, no matter the hardships, no matter the pain, she will endure it all to free her family, and she will make the Initiative pay once and for all, even if she has to die for it...

Weeks after being captured by the Initiative, Meadow endures daily torture sessions trying to breaker her into submission, and give up the whereabouts of her mother the trader, and Zephyr, AKA Patient Zero and the boy she's come to love. And also info about the rebellion, and who's behind it and where it's being housed. But Meadow is not giving in, no matter how much pain they inflict on her, and that only makes her torture sessions that much more painful. Until she finally gains the upper hand and escapes Initiative custody, determined to find and free her family from the worst place a human can possibly be, The Ridge, a place even more insane and deadly then within her own perimeter area. But that won't stop Meadow, and she's prepared to keep going until she either finds them ALL, or it kills her first...

~ ZEPHYR ~

Separated, controlled, vengeful, and determined, Zephyr has one goal in mind, find Lark Woodson, the mother of the girl he loves, and the woman who has controlled him since his creation.

His plan is simple:

Find Lark Woodson and either trade her for Meadow, or, if all else fails, kill her and finally get his revenge, and set the patients on a war path of blood and destruction on the same people who have turned them all into unknowing monsters. Lark Woodson ruined his life, she is the creator of all the evil and joy in his world. She has molded him into a complacent animal, controlled him to unknowingly kill for The Murder Complex. But she also created the only girl he's ever loved, Meadow. Lark has hurt enough people, and now it's time to even the score.

But as much as he wants Lark dead, he wants Meadow even more, and he's prepared to do the unthinkable to get her out the Initiative, alive. But fate is finally on their side when Meadow is able to escape her captivity from the Initiative. But their reunion is cut short when Meadow reveals her plan that could prove to be even more deadlier then staying with the Initiative. If Zephyr wants to stay with the girl he loves, then he will have to follow her into the unknown, and straight into the worst hell imaginable, The Ridge, where humans are being housed like lab rats and die faster then they blink.

It comes down to this:

If he wants to be with Meadow, the girl he loves, then he must give up everything he's been fighting for, his FREEDOM...

THE DEATH CODE was an epic blast full of action and adventure, pain and death, love and hate, but also betrayal and forgiveness. I loved that Cummings has grown in her writing, and that her plots only get more thicker and more intense with each book, and that the characters go throw this flip flop in development. And I like that they are definitely flawed, but also fiercely developed with an awesome set of character traits that makes them more fleshed out and realistic. I am so excited for the conclusion, and can't wait to see what Cummings comes up with next!!!

Overall, THE DEATH CODE was more thrilling and addicting then I ever anticipated it would be. I enjoyed this sequel even more then book one, and if Cummings keeps stepping up her game like this, then book three is going to blow me out of the water!! And though I did have my qualms about Zephyr, the plot was driven and fast paced enough that I didn't have much time to dwell on my hate for Zephyr. If you enjoy dark dystopian worlds, with thrilling plot twist, and shocking revelations, and a fairly good cast characters (Excluding Zephyr), then THE DEATH CODE is one EPIC sequel you DON'T want to miss!!

Great second book!

Can't wait to hear about The Green!!! The author depicts the story wonderfully. Meadow rocks!

Great themes and storyline

Character development is so good. Putting others ahead of yourself is such a great lesson