The Death Code

The Murder Complex #2

by Lindsay Cummings

With short, fast-paced, alternating point-of-view chapters, The Death Code starts several weeks after The Murder Complex ended. 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 fearlessly fight 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 read.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Audiobook

496 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2015

About the author

Lindsay Cummings is the #1 NYT Bestselling co-author of ZENITH, along with her duology, THE MURDER COMPLEX from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, and the MG trilogy THE BALANCE KEEPERS, from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, the ZENITH duology with Harlequin, and the forthcoming RAVENMINDER from HQ/Harpercollins UK.

She is represented by Pete Knapp at Park & Fine Literary in NYC.

You can follow Lindsay on instagram @authorlindsaycummings

Reviews

[Kassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

A solid ending! I really enjoyed getting back to these characters and relationships. The plot was fast-moving, but not super surprising.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOO good! Gaahhh Lindsay Cummings is such a fantastic author!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book was so perfectly paced, and it was just so well written; you could tell that there was a lot of time and thought put into it to make it flow/sound as great as possible, and it was well worth it! I can't rave enough about how much I enjoyed the writing style.

The development of the characters from book 1 to book 2 is crazy! Zephyr has really discovered himself and stepped up to be a really great, strong leader. While Meadow, who was already strong, had her strength pushed to the limits in this book, and though she did sort of crack a couple of times, her loyalty to those she loves and cares about is unquestionable.

I think that this was a great ending to this duology; it was satisfying, but it also left room for your imagination to wander. I was sufficiently heartbroken many times, but in the end I was happy. :P

I will really miss these characters, but I'm so excited to see what Lindsay Cummings has in store for the future! Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be incredible. :)

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as sequels go, I really enjoyed it....of course, because of that weird mood I have been in that I finally was able to get out of today......I didn't really start loving it until earlier today. I do know though, that if I read this again, and I actually read it right after The Murder Complex, that it'd be a full 5 stars.

This duology [MAN I'd love a third!!!], is seriously amazing. I love the violence, and I love that the romance didn't overpower the violence and the plot of the story. There was a few things that I found to be a bit confusing....but I think it was probably just stuff I overlooked while I was reading.

This book...NOT so much the first or second part....but the third and final part of this book gives off strong Hunger Games and The Maze Runner vibes. I really do recommend this book. Unless you don't care for violence...because Meadow and Zephyr? yeah, they are pretty much killing machines.

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[Stacee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was definitely fast paced and had a lot of things happening, but it was like an overload.

The first third of the book was the best. There was tension and action and I never wanted it to stop. The second third was a bit weird, but we got answers to a lot of the things that were happening, so I kept going. The ending section was like a watered down Hunger Games arena and it just seemed so repetitive.

What I was irritated the most about was this secret that one character whispers to Meadow. We learn about it around 75 pages in and it is continuously mentioned. Like every other Meadow chapter. And when the chapters are maybe 1-2 pages long, we're hearing about it ALL THE TIME. The secret wasn't revealed until maybe 30 pages from the end.

The series concept was interesting and the ending was satisfying, but it took a lot of work to get there.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started SO GOOD! It read so easily and quick. Packed with action, plot twists, murders and so many Meadow/Zephyr feels!

And then ending is just.... UGHHHHH



I'm sorry but that's NOT how you end a series! I'm left with a billion questions and just... NO!
Please tell me Lindsay has a secret plan to write another book!!!

[Writingwriterwhoreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG THE COVER IT'S HERE!!!

10/16/14

It's Zephyr! Yay OMG I CANNOT CONTAIN MY FEELLLLSSSSS!



OMG OMG YAY I NEED TO READ THIS PLEASE LINDSAY DON'T KILL MEADOW!

Lindsay can I please have this book NOW!

UGH!

MORE WAITING!

I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE!

Update 1
OMG Lindsay liked my review :D

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again I didn't know this was a duology.. :'D I don't know what's wrong with me, but yeah, what can you do. :D
I found this to be a pretty solid conclusion though!

[Alicia Batista (Addicted Readers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!!

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so fast-paced but such a let down. So let's recap:

Part 1: The first third of this books was SO great, everything that made the first book amazing. Action! Torture! Character deaths! But then...

Part 2: The imitation began. The entire book from this point forward felt like a ripoff of many popular dystopian YA books. The characters escape the perimeter and discover the horrible outside world...just like Veronica Roth's Divergent conclusion or Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy. It was not good. But don't worry! This ripoff did not last the whole time.

Part 3: The final part of the story chose other series to steal from, mainly The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. The characters attack their corrupt government and end up being put in this giant dome where a whole bunch of horrible things, such as the sky raining needles, happens to them. But don't worry, the entire point of this dome is to find a disease to counteract "The Eternity Cure" that immunizes all of the citizens from ebola and such. It's literally reverse-Maze Runner.

Anyways to sum this up, this book felt unoriginal to me.

[Darren Hagan-Loveridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really REALLY good book and great conclusion. It was very tense, extremely fast paced, and really heart pumping. There were also some really well written emotional scenes, especially in the last quarter or so.

I tend to go into a sequel thinking "I bet this happens at the end", or something like that. What I thought would happen at the end of this book, happened in the first third, and that left me wondering what the hell was gonna happen next all the way through to the last page.

All in all, this was a really great dystopian duology, filled with a hell of a lot of action, 2 great protagonists, a whole heap of funny side characters, and a really scary world to live in.

[Alison Morquecho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great! What a great ending to this series. I totally loved sketch. She was by far my fave character in this book. I still like zephyr and Meadow a ton, but sketch was perfect. And the way the narrator did her voice was perfection.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great display of finding what love is, and discovering how it never fails, no matter what. The Death Code was so action packed, full of anticipation lurking around every corner; it just simply leaves its readers in awe at its traces. Such a soulful book that connects deeply to the mind and heart.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
I loved this book in comparison to The Murder Complex, its first book of the series. There was so much revealed, and there was so much anxiousness.
I felt for Meadow, when Lark and her father were killed.
I felt for Zephyr, when he felt he was losing Meadow.
And the worst thing was the terrible feeling I felt when I read that Meadow was killing herself, and that the only way for the rest of them to be safe was for her to sacrifice her life.
All those secrets, from the secret that she couldn't leave the Shallows or else she'll die, to the secret of how the only way for the New Militia to know that they were ready was if she died and ended the Murder Complex for good, with that pulse detector, everything about this book was GENIUS. So GOOD!!!
And before I forget, might I say, the Ridge seems SO believable. So bloody, so murderous, and so awesome!
SPOILERS ENDED

In other words, read the series if you haven't already. Its totally worth it!
This series has the promises of a great ending.

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading: January 20th 2016

“There's hope in there somewhere. There's always hope. Sometimes it just takes a little patience before it shows itself.”

I read and loved The Murder Complex last year. Since I'm trying to finish some of my pending series and I wanted to know how the story continued as well, I decided to finally pick up the sequel. The Death Code turned out to be just as good as the first book, although slightly different. The world in this series is dark, violent and might not be for everyone, but I personally loved it. Lindsay Cummings writes in a way that makes you want to keep on reading. The chapters are short and the POV switches between the two main characters Meadow and Zephyr, which helps you understand both characters and their relationship. The prose is easy to read, the pace is fast and I liked the fact that the plot wasn't a copy of the first book. The Death Code is a proper dystopian story set in a world I wouldn't want to live in myself... Which makes it all the more simple to connect to the characters. If you like the genre, I would definitely recommend this series!



WARNING: do not read this summary if you haven’t read the first book in the series yet! It will most likely contain spoilers, even though I’ve made sure to keep it short.

The sequel starts a few weeks after The Murder Complex ended. Meadow is kept prisoner and is tortured without result, and Zephyr is both trying to keep her secret and find a way to save her... Meadow in the meantime is determined to resist and find a way out to find her brother, father and little sister. She promised herself to never give up until they are safe, but that is easier said than done... And it seems that they were finally able to guess her weakness. Will Meadow and Zephyr overcome their difficulties and find a way to achieve their goals?



The Murder Complex series went straight to my favorite YA dystopian list. I really enjoyed both books even though the world the story is set in is actually quite dark and violent... The characters and plot are interesting and the two books really complement each other. In The Death Code Meadow and Zephyr dive into the unknown, and that turns the sequel into a whole new story... The pace is fast, the prose itself is well written and I would recommend this series to anyone who wants to read a good and dark dystopian read without many sappy romance scenes.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

[Nalani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why!? I wanted to have this book be so phenomenal. I hurt myself because my expectations where too high. Why?!
The things I loved: Zephdow. I also enjoyed the world outside of the Shallows.
The things I had problems with: Towards the end the book felt like The Hunger Games, no joke. I loved all of the characters in the first book, but know they lacked that special charm that made me fall in love with them. Finally the ending. It was too open ended for a dystopian and Cummings literally left us hanging for another installment, even though this is the last novel in the series.
Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to enjoy this book. I LOVED The Murder Complex, but this book . . . I guess my hopes where just too high.
I feel like a parent that raised a great child, then the child made this huge mistake and I'm just so disappointed even though I love him/her to death. Do you understand my dilemma? I really, really, wanted it to be a great conclusion . . . I just don't know what happened.

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. it took me a long time to read this. not because it was a bad book, but because i just haven't been in the mood to read.

i adore Lindsay's writing style, it was so much better than the first book. this book was also a lot darker than the first. i didn't exactly like Meadow, but i didn't hate her either. she's a strong character, but that's really all she is. she really has no personality besides being fearless and protective of her family. Sketch was definitely my favourite, she had the most spunk! overall a good ending to this duology, and i'm excited to see what Lindsay does next!

[Sama Aziz · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOOK AT THAT SEXY COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GIVE THIS BOOK TO ME RIGHT NOW

I

CANNOT

BREATHE!


CONGRATULATIONS LINDSAY FOR EVERYTHING SO FAR! I CAN'T WAIT TOR READ THIS BOOK!

[Seleena]

CAN I HAVE THIS RIGHT NOW! ZEPHYR IS THERE OMG IM DYING

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no clue this was the final book in the series! I really enjoyed the book! I noticed such a difference in the perspective meaning I could tell who's perspective we were all times. To be honest some things remind me of The Scorch Trials but it didn't affect my opinion . I love the relationship that Meadow and her family have really sweet . There are times however that I just do not like Meadow there were times she just a brat ! I did enjoy this book and I think the author is an amazing person ! I'm definitely recommend this series!

SPOILERS!!

when Meadow is in prison she literally acted like a crazy person. After the event she became so down and not wanting to live it's upsetting.

In a way I felt bad that her mom died but I also expected her to die in this book.

I get why he killed her mom but I don't see why he is to keep it from her I mean she's gonna be mad either way whether he told right away or tells her later it's inevitable .

Outside the wall is just like inside the wall and there are cannibals!!

Zephyr made me mad all the time for making comments about maybe you know I shouldn't be with her anymore maybe I should leave you know she's never liked it tired he doesn't!!!

" People aren't mice to be thrown in Mazes"

Goodness there is no much blood in this book

" Don't say I didn't warn you"" you didn't want me"

It's such a happy moment when Meadow is reunited with her brother sister and father!!

So Meadow died and that was the signal for the militia to set everybody free!

Never mind she's not actually dead......

Yes a happy ending!!

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Murder Complex was one of my most favorite reads in YA last year and also being a debut for Ms. Cummings, I was anxiously awaiting book two. I mean, if she can do that well with a debut, imagine what the second book will hold right?

And while I did like this read, it didn't quite have the hold over me that book one accomplished but I still had a great time while reading it.

Told in both Meadow and Zephyr's point of view, this had the same intense, mysterious, and downright unique elements that made the first book such a hit.

It captivated me from the get go and while broken down into parts, this didn't lack for much. Still filled with action, adventure, romance, friendship, and heartache, I enjoyed this read immensely. Maybe not as intense as the first but a good predecessor nonetheless.

I can see Cummings quickly becoming a go to author for something a bit different, a bit darker, and a bit macabre in the YA genre.

[Marta Oliveira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear that I was angry for more than half of this book, Meadow was just so crazy and she seriously got on my nerves.
Another thing I didn't like is the younger sister in danger thing, I am so sick of every dystopia/fantasy book there is always the sweet and innocent younger sister and the badass sister that puts EVERYONE at risk just to save her. I loved the hunger games and all but I just can’t take it anymore.
That was the only things that bothered me, I loved the world and the whole freedom issue thing. The
Again, I really liked Zephyr and I completely understand the doubts he has during the book, why would he risk everything for a girl he isn't even sure she would do the same for him.
The ending was nice, it was a good conclusion but I would have dealt just fine with the “supposed ending”, I think I wouldn't even cry, does that make me a bad person? It’s not that I hate her but it would be a logic ending.

[Brooke Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the fast pace, and I love the resilience of the characters. They never broke from character (as some authors do to make things fit) and I loved that. Lindsay Cummings has a way with action and romance and it makes you feel like you're right there. I was pretty on edge the entire time. And when you-know-what happened, and then didn't, I almost cried out of happiness. Which would have been weird because I'm in the car on a road trip with my family. Yeah.
I loved the relationship between Zephyr and Sketch, it was that best friend thing that I loved. I like that the minor characters were important. I enjoyed it a lot.
This book didn't have any flaws that I noticed, and I almost ALMOST gave it 5 but I couldn't. So 4.5 it is.
You all should go read The Murder Complex. It's something exciting and different and I recommend it. :)

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I'm a tad bit disappointed on the ending. Ms. L. Cummings introduced us to one more experiment site - The Drop - which is not mentioned once in the book. While The Ridge, wherein Peri, Koi and Meadow's father are imprisoned are finding the Death Code or the way where in they could die again/battle the Eternity Cure and The Ridge-Death Code part is just the third of the book.

Nonetheless, the book is still a great read and is open for another book. (a novella/short story would suffice).

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a trilogy but its a duology.

The Death Code, the conclusion of The Murder Complex series, is amazing. I read this duology in two days. It kept me asking, what's going to happen now? Who's going to die? Are they going to survive?What's going to happen?! It's a very thrilling series and I loved it deeply. You have to read it if you haven't.

The ending tied it all really good together but I would love to see what happens after. With Rhone, the Initiative, ect. ect.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful surprise. A great ending to this series with a fabulous conclusion. Things didn't go as planned and the series didn't necessarily go where I thought it would. But Lindsay Cummings had better ideas than me anyways, I'm glad I trusted her and finished this last one.

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i had VERY mixed reviews on this, and i think that the author should have made the characters less annoying… and many more the author also could have written this waaayy better the author also stole some ideas from Divergent THG and Reboot

[C. Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feeling about this book. It's well written and it is a good and interesting story but I couldn't get into it. It bored me and it was like torture - nothing interested me. I really didn't care what will happen with the characters or the story.

[Maria Drago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5
While I didn't like most of what was going on in this book, I found that I was pretty into the story throughout most of the book. I don't think it's better than the first, but it does have a good ending. But I did not like the writing. I mainly didn't like this book.

[Martina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐

Desilusão tremenda...

[Iara Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais uma vez fiquei rendida por esta estória, senti alguma dificuldade no início deste livro, mas só se deveu a já não me lembrar de quase nada do primeiro, só me lembrava que tinha adorado e um pouquinho das persoangens. É o que dá passar anos sem pegar nas continuações dos livros.
Adoro o facto deste livro apesar de ter um romance entre a meadow e o zephyr não ser o foco principal do mesmo, apesar de que muitas das vezes as reações de meadow perante esse romance me irritassem um pouco.
Houve momentos que me senti dentro de dois livros que adorei, maze runner e hunger games, e isso fez com que me entusiasmasse ainda mais a umas 200 páginas do final do livro, o que permitiu que começasse a devorar o livro de uma acentada.
Apesar da minha primeira reação quando vi a capa portuguesa do "Complexo de Assassinos" foi de que seria uma possível má representação de hunger games, posso confessar que ainda bem que lhe dei uma chance porque apesar de existirem algumas parecenças estes livros conseguem também diferenciar-se muito bem e criar uma narrativa própria que deixa o leitor agarrado a ele.
É um livro uma tanto ou quanto violento por isso para pessoas mais sensíveis aviso que podem ficar um pouco arrepiadas, mas vale demasiado a pena.
Amantes de distopias este livro é ótimo para vocês, sei que vão adorar tanto como eu.

[kay reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I want to address the romance in the book first because i understood how Zephyr related to Meadow etc, how he felt like she helped him regain control over "The murder complex" but i still did not feel like there was a decent build up between them because in book one they had a couple of moments and then they were separated later; i did not feel any chemistry between them to be honest.

Plotwise, i was intrigued with the whole idea of the murder complex but it's more of a government management complex than a murder complex imo, because yes, Zephyr was sort of a killing machine but the idea and the logic behind the fact is to solve some population problems when you get to understand what it is truly about.

This second book is lengthier and better written than the first book, it was paced paced all along there was something happening and there was a plot dynamic but there was a series of bad decisions also made that felt like it sort of ruined the outcome that could have been much better. (Explanation with spoilers down below)

Spoilers:
For example the decision to eliminate Lark, knowing to be honest that she was a slightly better villain of the story. The initiative was just meeeeh, there wasn't much intrigue around it but Lark's motivations were interesting.

There was so many dramatic moments that made me cringe a bit, but it might be because YA doesn't really interest me much anymore as before might be because it was plain cringe, i don't know and as the Weekend said " I don't wanna know". I was still confused 40 or 50% of the time, like when Meadow turned into her Mother like what? or when there was this general who spoke about the fact that there were branches of the initiative around the world and that they lost contact with them, without any context whatsoever.

The whole thing about the shallows and its correlation with the death code was complete and utter confusion for me, the fact that the murder complex was built around Meadow and that she had to die for it to end, like pls elaborate more, how tangled up it is. But she didn't die of course so how does that add up?




Now as for the characters, i didn't vibe with them, Laark's character had potential, i also liked the father but anyway.