Reviews of Fadeout

Did I enjoy this book: No, not really. It reminds me of precogs and thought police and Big Brother watching and all of that, but in an unremarkable way. It was sort of like watching a foreign movie without subtitles; I understood what was going on in a general kind of way, but I didn’t get enough character details, so I never truly invested in the story. It was… like looking at an airbrushed photograph. I know it’s a person, but it’s the lines and wrinkles that make things interesting. Without the detail, it’s just some guy holding a bag of chips.

As a rough draft (and I mean that in the “using the wrong sound-alike words” kind of way) it’s not bad, but Adams has some work to do.

Would I recommend it: Not yet.

Will I read it again: I’d love to give it another go should Adams re-release a revised version.

As reviewed by Melissa at Every Free Chance Book Reviews.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Disclaimer: I was given this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: Silas is a 13 year old Carillian held in a Cartiam waiting for his emotions to be harvested to provide energy for the planet. As part of a rigid caste society, Carillians are non-entities deemed worthless except for the energy harvested from their minds. Silas wants to escape to protect his sister, who is also held at the Cartiam. Together, they plot their escape.
Jamar is a member of the Tirean caste, the upper crust of society and son of the owner of the Cartiam that holds Silas and his sister Malina. Jamar picks Silas to be his plaything and companion to stave off the boredom of staying at the Cartiam with his father. The relationship between Jamar and Silas becomes a central theme to the book. No spoilers, though!

What I liked: This was an interesting plot concept. Harvesting the emotions of a lower caste to support the rest of society was a chilling and disturbing idea, but the author handled it quite well. I liked the Jamar character, and his journey through the relationship with Silas was very well done. Real life things like bullies, emotional manipulation, and dreams of all types of people were hallmarks of the book.

What I didn’t like: There could have been a little more explanation of how the caste system came into being. There were references to it, but it was never quite explained enough for me. Malina’s character seemed a little flat. The story flowed a little unevenly and there were a few grammatical errors (very few). Lastly, the ending seemed geared more toward a sequel than the conclusion of this story.

Overall impression: Despite the things I listed above, I liked this book a lot. Silas’ story was one of heartbreak and triumph and I look forward to the next installment!

I received this novel in exchange for an honest review so here goes:

I did not start off loving this story. In fact, I was probably about a third of the way through before I got HOOKED. The harvesting of emotions really gave me chills. I haven't been able to stop imagining what life would be like if I lost my own memories.

I liked Silas' devotion to his sister but she came across as one dimensional. Up until the end I really didn't care what happened to her. I liked Jamar. He was probably my favorite character because his flaws were authentic and the author wasn't afraid to depict his pride and desperate need for approval.

My only complaints and reasons for giving it 3 stars?
A) the ending was a let down. It felt as though there was less time spent on it than the other scenes. The exchange between Silas and Jamar was just not believable.
B) there were a few grammatical errors and sentence compositions that needed to be addressed

That being said, I am definitely getting this for my mom and my sister. It's certainly worth the read. Plus, I'll be on the lookout for book 2 because let's face it, I've got to know how it ends.

Oh and that poem in the beginning. Wow!

(no rating)
This was a very very good book! Silus is held at a human farm, in a world where the people are divided into separate classes, his class only having one use: to be harvested when their emotions are at their peak, leaving them an empty shell. The owner of the farm comes and brings his son, who is lonely... The friendship that develops and the way the owners son feels about the lower classes is really interesting.

This was definitely a page turner and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

I am so happy I was selected to receive this book for free, it was a joy to read and review!

(no rating)
I obtained this book on a promise of a review, so I've only just started reading it,
1st Chapter, Chapter One: Silas: there's a reference to fitness training in the fourth paragraph which is wrong.
Original line reads:
"Fast enough to raise everyone's heart rate up to 130 when it was sustained for an hour".
This should read "where", not "when".

Anyone involved in fitness training knows that an established working fitness-zone heart-rate is necessarily kept there for as length of time.
So here in the line it needs to read:..."up to 130 where it was sustained for an hour...",
not "when".

Typo error.

For a book that's about to be published, needs to be rectified.

Sorry to be so picky, but if you're going to read something, it may as well be correct, else it just shows ignorance.

Regards,
Carl.

A copy of Fadeout was kindly sent by Christina Adams in exchange for an honest review.

At 13, Silas has spent the last five years of his life in the Cartiam, an enclosed compound, waiting to be sent to a breeding farm, or to be harvested. Despised for their emotional instability, Carillians are the lowest class of people, useful only for the energy that can be sucked from their minds by the Machine that looms over the Cartiam. Unlike the other Carillian children though, Silas shows no outward emotional responses. Except towards his elder sister Malina. And as other, younger, girls are sent to the farm, Malina could be taken to the Machine any time.

Bored on his visit to the Cartiam, Jamar, a high class Tirean, convinces his father, the compound’s owner, to allow him to pick a Carillian to boss around and play with. In Silas he finds both a friend and an enemy, and what he least expects, someone to respect.

Fadeout is a compelling book on a disturbing premise: the use of fear and despair as a source of energy. Silas’ intelligence and Jamar’s emotions drive most of the story in alternating chapters, exposing the division of classes for what it is.

Personally I found the end geared too much towards a sequel, which is somewhat unsatisfying, and some characters and ideas a bit sketchy, but overall it’s a good read.

I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side!

Firstly I would like to thank Christina J. Adams for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this awesome book.

I really loved this book, it's just great! The story is unique and really fresh! The writing style is fabulous and the language is enriched which spiced up the story.

The blurb goes as follows -

Thirteen-year-old Silas fears the day when guards come and remove his memories leaving him an empty shell. He is trapped in the Cartiam, a human farm, and knows escape is not possible, but he can’t stop thinking about it. Especially when his older sister Malina is terrified her time will be coming soon. Ever since he was separated from his parents, Malina has taken care of him and now it’s Silas’ turn to protect her. He has to escape and take her with him.

But when the owner comes to visit, things go from bad to worse. Jamar, the owner’s son singles Silas out and the extra attention brings Silas under the owner’s microscope. The other kids in the Cartiam are unhappy with the way they are treated and rising emotions threaten to ruin all of Silas’ plans. Yet worst of all, Malina herself isn’t sure she wants to hang on. It is up to Silas to figure out the escape and fast. If he fails he could lose everything he loves.

I really enjoyed the story and hope that ya all will enjoy it as well, so go grab your copy and enjoy the reading!

(no rating)
I recieved this book from the author in return for a honest review.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was well written, never felt like a dull moment. Salis and Jamar's friendship was the only relationship that I felt I really understood. I understood Salis going along with whatever Jamar said because he is just trying to survive. I don't see Jamar as a "bad person", he is really just a product of what he's been taught. When these two characters become "friends" I think it helps both of them cope with their daily life.

I wished there would have been more background regarding the taking of memories and how the memory taking started. If this is covered in a later book(s) then disregard my mumbling.

I truly hope that following books tell Salis and Malina's story more in depth.

Questions I have after finishing Fadeout.....
How did it come about that someone realized that memories were profitable?
What happens to a person after there memories are taken? I know the book touch on this at the end of the book but I like more detail.
What was life like for children before they are taken from their homes?


So after reading I say kudos to you Christina, you kept me entertained and looking forward to the next book.
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*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So, I just finished Fadeout and it was really good. First, I must say I liked the poem/song at the beginning of the book. It gives it a mysterious and ancient feel, even though the setting is several hundred years in the future. After reading the book, I went back and reread the poem and realized it was talking about the different classes of humans /sub-humans and their roles in society. The Tireans are the ruling class. The Faans are the "enforcers". The Ajaks are like servant class. Last and certainly considered least, are the Carillians. The Carillians are treated more like "stock" then humans. They even have their memories harvested as a form of power! But get this: the "humans" feel they are doing the Carillians a favor by having them locked away and using "the Machine" to basically wipe their minds because they are “inferior” and “defective” (because of something that happened to them during the “Radiation Age”). They are said to have strong uncontrollable emotions, unlike the "humans", and the Machine "frees" them of those emotional memories.

Silas and his older sister Malina are Carillians at a Cartiam (like a slaughterhouse) living their lives as normal as possible, which is in no way normal. They have tracking implants at the back of their necks, live in tiny cells and everyday are forced to go out to the Yard to "play" with the other minors (ages 8 to 18). The latter is a nightmare in its self because they are always being watched to see if anyone shows emotion. If they do show any emotion, that ups their chances of being picked to be taken to the Machine. The more emotional a person is, the more the Owner of the Cartiam can make off of their e-mems (emotional memories). Silas and Melina get to the point where they can't stand being locked up anymore and hatch a plan to escape.

The Owner is of course a Tirean (a cold, calculating, manipulative man), who happens to have a 13 (almost 14) year old son named Jamar. Jamar accompanies his father on his various business trips to the Farms, Cartiams and other places. All though Jamar is a Tirean, other Tirean look down on him for being the son of a "Farmer" (even though his father is owner of an “essential” multi-million dollar company). So, when Jamar and his father arrive at Silas' Cartiam, he convinces his father to let him have Silas as a companion. Jamar is thrilled to have someone around his age that has to respect him. Jamar believes what he has been taught since birth, that all Carillian are like "sheep", until he starts spending time with Silas. Silas has a mind of his own, is in control of his emotions and is even courageous.

The point of view alternates between Silas and Jamar. I believe this allows you to get both sides of the story, which gives you to better understanding of this world Adams' has created. This book really showed the thinking process behind having a whole group of people discounted, considered less than human. The background and history that were given made the story solid. The lies that were fed to the masses about the Carillians and what Jamar saw, at one point made myself question "Maybe something is wrong with the Carillians?" But to project the behavior of a few as the behavior of a whole group is called stereotyping. To treat them according to these stereotypes is prejudice. Plus, if you treated me like cattle and had me locked up, I’m sure I’d break down at some point as well. I say all of this to say: even though it was a sci-fi story, it didn’t have that “Just Because It Can/Is” feel. Which I feel is great because I am always asking “Why?”! Any questions that I still had at the end of Book 1, I am sure will be answered as the series progresses.

Even though Jamar is a spoiled brat, I must say that I felt sorry for him. I feel that Jamar was the more well rounded character but only because Silas had to always had to keep his emotions under wraps (so it works). With this being said, it really was touching how much Silas cared about his sister. And I love the ending! The scene where Silas finally realizes his true purpose and Jamar picks which side he will support. It is definitely a cliffhanger. Adams’ has written a well-thought out story that is nowhere near being over. Can't wait to read Book 2!

From the moment you start reading you are sucked in to the world of Silas, a 13 year old boy struggling to live in a world where his people the Carillians (cars) are the lowest of the low. From birth they are told they aren't even people, their only value in life is how much money can be made from their memories when they are literally sucked from their brains leaving them empty walking shells. They live at the Cartiam, the human farm, in fear of one rule: stay in line or go to the machine.

Jamar, the spoilt only child of the Cartiam owner is sick of being pushed around by other children his age and ignored by his father. As a Tirean he knows he is above all the other races and longs for the respect his breeding deserves and the love his father never shows him. When he arrives at the Cartiam with his father Jamar hand picks Silas to be his personal entertainment, someone he can boss around who has no choice but to do everything he says, someone he thinks is too stupid to ever be anything but a plaything. But as he spends more time with Silas, Jamar comes to realise that there is more to the Carillian than he was made to believe and this makes him question not only himself but everything about his way of life.

Where do I begin, I can honestly say I loved almost everything about this book. I thought the storyline was unique and really well thought out. It was nothing I've ever seen before and from the very beginning I found myself turning page after page wanting to know more about the world, what was happening and where everyone fit in. This was one of those books where once you start reading you can't put it down until it is finished.

I thought that both Silas and Jamar were written really well but Jamar would have to be my favorite character from this book. I love the way he begins as the typical spoilt child thinking he deserves the world. At first you find yourself feeling sorry for him because he's been brought up to believe the lies his people have taught him and the most important thing in his mind is people respecting him. Then as the book progresses you see him struggling between wanting his fathers love and doing what he is coming to believe is right. From start to finish Jamar has you sucked in and hoping he'll end up being the good guy.

The only negative I have for this book is that I would have loved some of the story and back stories to have gone into more detail. I would have loved to see more of Silas and Malina's history together, how exactly she protected him as the synopsis mentions. Similarly I would have loved to have learned more about Jamar and his family. Why wasn't he with his mother instead of traveling with his father or why his mother thought everyone was beneath her. I also would have liked to hear more about the world like how e-mems are actually used for energy or what the process was for the upper classes to receive their medallions and what the point of them was besides just as a badge of honor for those who did well.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I thought the ending was a little rushed but it was fantastic. Malina on the machine literally had me gasping and hoping Jamar would step up and intervene. When Jamar finally realises his mistake and breaks Silas and Malina out I love the way that he and Silas go from tentative friends to enemies because Jamar is so desperate for someone to want him that he mistakes Silas' self loathing for rejection and it pushes him over the edge. I would have liked to have seen more of an argument escalate between them though before he went from helpful to I'm going to kill you, but that is just me being picky.

All in all I think Fadeout was a really enthralling read. It had me riveted from start to finish and left me wanting more when it was over. Book two will definitely be on my "to read" list.