The Fallout by S. A. Bodeen

The Compound #2

by S.A. Bodeen

In this long-awaited sequel to The Compound, Eli and his family can run but they can't hide.After barely escaping from the compound where Eli’s dad kept his family for six years, they’re learning to acclimate to “normal” life—whatever that is for them. It seems like the entire world wants to know what happened to this high profile family.Slowly they begin to make their way back into the world, but Eli can’t escape the creeping feeling that they’re being watched everywhere they go. But by who?Eli’s anxiety is heightened as unnerving information continually surfaces about Eli’s dad’s company. Not to mention the sketchy new friend his twin brother Eddy has. Nothing seems to be “normal” anymore. New people are entering their lives—but who can Eli and his family trust?

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction, Teen, Mystery, Realistic Fiction

Paperback

First published September 24, 2013

About the author

Also writes as Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen.

Stephanie is the award-winning author of the Elizabeti's Doll series of picture books, as well as several others. Her young adult novels include the award-winning The Compound and The Raft, and her next YA The Detour releases October 2015. The first two volumes of her middle grade series, Shipwreck Island and Lost, are available now.

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* dnf: 33% Read the first book as a standalone. This book is pointless. The last book ends well.

I gave the first book 5 stars because it was unique and entertaining. This book is completely pointless however. It's pretty much just the characters living a normal life so far and maybe with a mystery of people following them or something.

This book makes no sense. The last book set up another mystery at the end of the book. It's a mystery that would have been fine left unsolved the last book wrapped things up well enough. However this whole book could have been another adventure centered around solving this mystery. I'm pretty sure from what I read that this book is focused on something else and not the thing from the last book. The mystery could have popped up in this book at some point, but I looked forward up to 50% and still nothing interesting was happening so I'm not finishing.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. This was a weird book. Pretty similar to the first one in the series. Just average characters and writing, but really good pacing and suspense. It was the end that was crazy. Just so farfetched and hard to believe. Drops it from a 3 to a 2 star. This series was entertaining but not much else.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast read and book was ok. I just hate how the author keeps trying to put so much towards the end and raps it all up so fast.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pretty awesome in my opinion, I liked the end were Eli is running while the island his dad brought them too is EXPLODING!!! Eli is running for his life trying to make it on the jet were his brother and sister are. The jet is getting faster and Eddy opens the door for Eli. Will Eli make it ???

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I didn't read , but it sounds like a nice quick pick for readers that don't ask a lot of pesky questions. I checked out a copy to have with me while reading this one, but after skimming a few summaries and reviews--and really, I think I might have read the first 50 pages or so of the first book 2-3 years ago, but didn't care to finish--I was fine to plunge ahead and see what the author was trying to do here. Ultimately, I'm not sure what she was going for. It's been longer than many authors take on sequels, and the end product read as rather forced, meandering, and often downright boring.

Perhaps big fans of book one will enjoy reading about Eli's meals and clothing, where his family is living, birthday decorations for one of his younger siblings, and when they pass a stomach bug around, but I kept waiting for either some suspense to build the narrative into a thriller with some momentum or for a character-driven book to make me give a damn about the people in the story. Neither happened. After some posturing and fury in the first pages from Mom that the fifteen-year-old boys couldn't take over their control-crazy billionaire dad's company until they were 25, they have to deal with Rex's right-hand man Phil, who knew about their experimental six years in the compound, being at the helm of the business. The reunited twins take a trip to the offices one day to find a little something to dabble in, and the first grant-recipient folder about the Progeria Institute that Eli touches results in a strong-armed concession for him to visit and learn about the extremely rare disease that ages children. Eli is able to meet a cute girl, but even that plot point fizzles.

Unsurprisingly, Eli puts some simplistic and far-fetched pieces together: a fire years before destroyed aging research, conveniently not backed up by the Institute's head and he links this to some suspicions about the company's nefarious practices. Patient readers will eventually get to what the novel intends to be surprises--not so much--some poorly told action sequences, and an abduction to an island southwest of Hawaii for Eli and some of his siblings.

I suppose Eli is the hero, and readers that came to care about him in what sounds like the better written first tale may want to follow his adjustment to the real world, but he never comes to life for me, and finishing was a chore. Why would I care what people were wearing to dinner in the secret island lair? Why would I believe that he was compelled to discover Phil's middle name, and that this information would be the piece of the puzzle that puts a conspiracy together for him just slightly before the villain pretty much cops to it all anyway?No strong characterization, taut plotting, convincing or surprising reveals save a tepid sequel that would seem to satisfy only the least demanding fans of THE COMPOUND and will almost definitely not garner new acclaim.

[Lindsey Lynn (thepagemistress) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars

Summary:
This book is the second installment in the Compound series/duology, sorry not sure how many books are supposed to be in this series. But it continues after Eli and his family get out of the compound. They are trying to readjust to life and just be normal. Are they really safe though?

Dislikes:
The line I hate most was used, I'll paraphrase. 'Released a breath I didn't realize I was holding' I don't know why but that line just gets to me and is WAY over used. I have read two books this month alone with that line in it. Other than that, this book started a little slow for my taste.

Likes:
I really enjoyed the plot twists in this installment. There were some clever tricks. I really enjoyed seeing more of the characters personality traits after the compound as well. I feel like that really helped us connect with the characters more.

Overall:
I was pleasantly surprised by this book and how unique the story is. I highly suggest anyone who is into, dystopian or physiological thrillers. This book will definitely surprise you.

[Alejandro del Villar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok

I like the story but it gets really confusing and it jumps from topic to topic every chapter so it's ok

[Jeremy N. 8B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a grate book it rely got to me because it is something that got me inserted.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! Eli and his family are adjusting to the outside world after being trapped in the Compound for 6 years. Eli is so happy to be back with Eddy and Gram again, but it doesn't seem the same. Eddy is distant, and Eli wonders why. Mom is being overprotective and won't let them go anywhere. Eli feels like he is back in the Compound again because they don't go anywhere. Was that a part of his father's plan all along???

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded to 3 stars. Definitely not as good as The Compound, the first in this series. I found myself annoyed frequently with the main characters (teenagers), but there were some plot twists that were unexpected. Overall the annoyance won out and affected my overall rating.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was only a smidgen less amazing then the first. But but but it was still awesome. The last 70 pgs were entirely crazy and soooo creepy, but I loved that so much! Our beloved main character was such a great character and an even better brother in this book ❤️ if only 1 other character could have been less irritating, then this would have been a bit more enjoyable. But overall, I have no major complaints, and I still adored this duology!!!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eli and his family have escaped their underground prision. Now they have to adjust to life back above ground. Only they people think they are freaks. Also there is the issue of who runs the company that Eli's father was in charge of prior to his death. Currently it is run by Phil who was Eli's father's right hand man. He is evil like Eli's father. Eli and his twin brother are suppose to run the company but Phil will not give up control. In addition, as Eli adjusts to his new life, he discovers that his father's experiments are still happening.

I have never read the Compound, the first book to this one. I knew that the Fallout is the sequel to the Compound, however it sounded intriguing to me that I wanted to read this book even having not read the first one. Luckily, I got an good idea of what Eli and his family had to endure with his father living underground. Only a mad man would so something like this to his family. Which is exactly what Eli's father was.

I felt an instant connection with Eli and his family, dispite having not read the first book. I read this book in one sitting. It was a fast paced book that even although there were no real surprises except for one, the ending was good. I now will go back and read the first book.

[Noah Berg · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first saw the book I was so exited. It seemed like it was going to be a great read, but as page pass, I slowly lost interest. It was much more then it had a lack of entertainment, but the plot is almost impossibl;e to follow. I would avoide reading this book, and here's why.

From the beginning the book try's to make a mystery around the idea of Eli and his family in a underground bunker. While this is a great idea it was horribly executed. The reason for this was because there was not enough build up to the conclution. When the conclusion finally came I had already forgotten about it.

Another big problem with the book is there is nothing that really connects me and the main character Eli, on a personal level. If Eli were to be injured or die I would probably not even feel remorse or sadness.

One last final complaint I have with the book is that the plot is very hard to follow. Every minute you are hearing new facts that don't fit into the story line. There's no logical sequence of events throughout the whole book.

So in conclusion, if you want to waste a few hours of his life, then read this horrible book.

[Sanshray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought of this book as a very mysterious but action filled book, about a family who tried to fit into the normal lifestyle, after they were in an underground base for 6 years. It made me think of how could they possibly try to fit in, when they had just gone through a stage of their life, where they were about to die, and only had their family with each other. It is a wonderfully written book, with continuous flow, and it gives you a special bond with your family, to know that they are always there for you, and they are not some psychopath parents that don't help you through life (unless that you do have these types of parents). It also tells you that you have to do whatever is for the good, even if it is something that you should never do, it could be for the better. It makes you think, how would it be like to live in an enclosed area with only your family to talk to- to going into the real world again, and living a regular life of a regular person.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can someone please tell me why sequels never live up to expectations? I thoroughly enjoyed The Compound, but The Fallout lacked everything that made the first one such a great read. The first half was painfully slow as the reader followed Eli and his family struggling to readjust to normal life but, my goodness, why the author would think anyone would be interested in a trip to Costco or a stomach bug that went through the entire family, I'll never know.

The second half was a bit better and had more action, especially the last 100 or so pages, but the introduction to sci-fi elements so late in the book was unnecessary and, by then, I had lost interest and only skimmed through to the end.

The Fallout had promise but never delivered, and even though I would highly recommend The Compound, I could not do the same with the sequel. Extremely disappointed!

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Fallout" had a lot of constant conflicts throughout the book. The family was locked in a underground compound and lied to for 6 years. During all the conflicts the family are being stalked by other people in their state but soon find out it was a set up by their "dead" dad. Soon to find out that the dad is actually alive,n he faked his death and stays in his own private island while he staged all the stalkers to keep an eye on the Yanakakis family. Eli is the nosy/ explorer he figures most of the problems out when something doesn't feel right to him. Eddy is the long lost brother who falls for the tricks. The mom is quiet and stressed throughout all the drama she has to deal with since her and her family been locked in a compound. Overall the book is very suspenseful and interesting because of all the drama caused.

[Jameah Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

S.A. Bodeen has done it again! This sequel to "The Compound" is astonishing and it definitely should be on every student's "Want to read" list. In this book, Eli and his family are just recovering from their under ground home for the past 6 years, The Compound. Although his father was killed in the fire, his family still moved on and are trying to remain hidden and unknown. Now, with their dad's assistant Phil taking over YK industries, they have another problem to face. Eli and his family later encounter many surprises so read to find out. This book deserves 10 stars and I would recommend this book to everyone. It's definitely something that I think every student should get a chance to read. Thumbs Up to S.A. Bodeen!

[Jason F · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fallout is about Eli Yannakakis and his family adapting to the real world. The last couple of years has been tough for them considering that they lived in an underground compound for six years with a crazy dad. The world has changed a lot since those six years have gone by and Eli starts to wonder if he is being followed. He starts seeing weird people trying to blend in with his everyday life. He gets curious and starts to uncover some clues and finds out some stuff that had to do with the compound. Will Eli and the rest of his family make it out or will he wind up dead? Read the book to find out. I recommend this book to people that enjoy action, adventure, suspense, and mystery.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent sequel and had some twists I wasn't expecting, but it was a little slow for the first half. It made sense for the overall plot arc, and it threw the momentum into where it mattered. But I needed a little more to keep me engaged until the real stuff was starting. Pretty similarly written to the first, not bad, fun to read, but nothing spectacular.

[Kayley Parten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really amazing and the idea the author thought of for this universe is jacked up. But that's ok because the crazier the better. In the end Eli finally got Verity and has a happy ending :)

[Nathan H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fallout by S.A. Bodeen is a complex, dramatic, story further building the world established in the first book and exploring what it’s like to return to society after more than half a decade of being alone. This longly awaited sequel builds on the ideas in the first book and develops the message of how being different isn’t a bad thing. There are many examples and tense moments in the story that demonstrate that uniqueness shouldn’t be frowned upon.

At the start of this dystopian, psychological drama we are reunited with our protagonist Eli Yanakakis, son of rich billionaire Rex Yanakakis. Following the events of the last book where Rex trapped Eli and his family in a bunker for 6 years and then presumably died, Eli is trying to gain ownership of his father’s company from his dad’s accountant Phil who helped orchestrate the family’s containment in the nuclear compound. Eli, his twin brother Eddy, and his mother Clea are working with a legal team to try to find evidence against Phil. Unfortunately it isn’t going anywhere and they are informed that even though they are set to inherit the company, their father made it so the twins only become owners when they turn twenty-five. This encourages Eli and Eddy to try to take action on their own and they start working at their father’s company even though they aren’t the bosses. Eli ends up reviewing certain causes he can look over at his father's business and help support. One catches Eli’s eye, and it is a disease called progeria and it makes you age extremely fast. Eli ends up going to a lab to learn more about progeria. Here he meets a scientist who explains to Eli the science behind progeria before telling him how close they were to finding a cure before a fire swept through the lab and wiped out their research. Eli takes interest in this and always holds this knowledge in the back of his mind. Eli and his family are still shaken up from the experience in the compound and are trying to get used to the outside world. Clea won’t let her children leave the house as she wants to make sure they are always safe to prevent any dangerous situations again. Eli understands his mother’s worries but Eddy, who was never in the compound as he got left behind when the family took shelter, doesn’t understand the worries of his mother as he got to live a completely normal life when his family was gone and feels that since they have come back he has been actually more restricted than ever. This causes a constant conflict between the family as it makes the kids begin to feel that their mother is no better than their dad, keeping them locked in a building like prisoners. This also leads to a deep hatred between Eddy and his sister Lexie. Eddy and Eli used to be best of siblings but since Eli was trapped with Lexie in the compound they have grown closer which creates an odd situation between Lexie and Eddy. Eddy also hates Lexie because of how she misses her father even though he trapped them in a bunker for 6 years. Lexie eventually spills information to Eli which is that she has been trying to find her biological parents since she was originally adopted by the Yanakakis family. She ends up finding out who they are and finds out that her biological mother was a serial killer. Eli informs Eddy about this against Lexie’s wishes but it helps as it creates a deeper understanding between the three siblings and helps them make up. Later the family ends up creating a system where every weekend they pull a place out of a hat at random and they take a family trip to go there. They end up going to Costco and then the aquarium where one of Eli’s brothers, Lucas, gets lost. A kid named Tony ends up finding Lucas and bringing him back to the family which causes Eddy and Tony to become great friends. One night Eli comes across Eddy sneaking out of the house to go hang out with Tony. Later though Eddy gets sick and when Eli can’t sleep he goes to the balcony when he hears a voice from the ground. He realizes it’s Tony, and he was supposed to meet up with Eddy but Eddy couldn't make it since he was under the weather. Eli takes this opportunity and tries to find out more about what Tony and Eddy do so he decides to go with Tony out into the night. Tony doesn’t realize that he isn’t with Eddy and they continue their night and try to have fun. Eli then figures out why Eddy feels so imprisoned in their home as he sees for himself how much fun it can be to live a normal life where you can drive around like a normal person. After trespassing on the property of Eli’s old house, Tony and Eli get chased by the police and they both think it is time to head home. Eli says bye to Tony as he gets on the bus and then Tony says “bye Eli”. Eli is confused as he didn’t know when Tony figured out that he wasn’t Eddy. Despite this confusion Eli makes it back home in peace. He gets back just as the family plans to take a vacation somewhere. Eli’s mother needs to watch the little ones so Eli, Eddy, and Lexie decide to go alone to get some bonding time with each other. The kids though have other plans and even though it was only supposed to be a family trip, all three of the siblings decide to invite Tony. They have to sneak him onto the plane though so they all take their time orchestrating a plan to get Tony in. First Lexie and Tony enter and Eli enters second and then finally Eddy enters last. Unexpectedly though when Eli enters the private plane he sees Lexie unconscious and Tony injects him with a formula that puts him to sleep. When he wakes up the three siblings are together on the plane and they have landed. They can’t find anyone on the aircraft so they get off to explore when they see that they have landed on an island. They look around and go to the edge of a dock when they hear a familiar voice. They turn around to see their father, unharmed and still breathing. Eli, Eddy, and Lexie all sit with their father, catching up with him, which definitely creates some tension. Eddy is happy to have his dad back, Lexie is scared of him but emotions of relief that her father is still alive overwhelm her, while Eli tries to convince his siblings that their father is evil. He tells them while they are sitting down that he has built this island as a paradise for their family. As a place for them to stay away from the rest of the world and live happily. Rex also tells Eli he has something to show him after Eli mentions that he was researching progeria. Rex brings Eli into a giant lab in the middle of the island and explains that he is the one who burned all the research in the scientist’s lab. He stole all the information about the cure for progeria as he believed he found a cure for not just progeria but for all aging. He informs Eli and the rest of the siblings that Tony works for him and that his real name isn’t actually Tony but instead he is the accountant Phil deaged. Rex shows Eli the potential but the cruel experiments Rex is running disturb Eli to which he knows that they aren't safe on the island. Eli ends up convincing his siblings to escape the island and they devise a plan. Rex plans to go capture Clea and bring her back to the island. Eli makes a deal with Tony after a long and deep conversation that since Rex will request for Tony to get a plane ready for him, he should get it ready earlier in the morning as Eli and the siblings can wake up early, sneak out of the main buildings on the island and fly away in the plane. Rex begins to become suspicious and the siblings need to scramble to escape. They all barely make it on the plane in time when it takes off.

One huge thing that this book does perfectly is how the plot is enhanced by the characters. This book delves deep into the true feelings and thoughts of the Yanakakis family and while the story is told from Eli’s perspective, the amazing writing by the author helps break tiny cracks in the secrets of others which helps Eli slowly uncover how they really feel after their time in the compound. One amazing example of this is Eddy. Eddy is probably the best written character in this story and it’s great that he gets a lot of time in the spotlight since he was barely in the first book. The author uses Eddy’s character in a very unique way. Eddy’s main role in the story is to point out how different his family still is. The whole book the family talks about going back to normal lives as if the compound never existed, but Eddy helps the reader see that between the fact that they are the richest family in the world, and the fact that their mom won’t let them leave home without being super paranoid, this shows that they can never return to a normal life. No matter what happens, that experience underground for 6 years has broken this family, and while it might have not severed the bonds between the family members, it will constantly loom over every action the family makes, reminding them of how cruel people in the world can be. Eddy helps expose deeper plot points like this, and his outgoing and adventurous personality contrasts perfectly with the more solitary and grim mood of his brother Eli. Overall Eddy serves as a perfect character to help move the story forward and develop the theme of how just because their family is different, doesn’t mean they are a bad family. Another great thing the author does is how she uses setting throughout the story. Many times throughout the book the author uses setting as both a metaphorical way, and literal way to foreshadow or showcase problems that the Yanakakis family is facing. One incredible example of this that I didn’t realize till a week or so after I finished the book is that the author always describes where the family eats dinner together as a long wooden table. A long table where there is a long distance from one side to the other. I think this is a cool detail that the author included as towards the beginning and middle of the story when the family is always arguing, they sit away from each other at this table, and dinner always ends in someone storming off or people screaming at each other. The table represents how the family is separated, and how a long time away from each other, which is represented by the long table, can take a toll on a relationship no matter how strong it was at one point. Another small example of how the author utilizes setting is when Eli sneaks out and pretends to be Eddy to hang out with Tony. The author makes sure to constantly remind us of the eerie and dark tone emitted by the mysterious night. I think this description of the outside world during nighttime alludes to the truth about Tony’s character. Tony throughout the book acts as a very mysterious and suspicious character. Even from the beginning Eli is cautious of him as right after he found and brought back Lucas to the family, Eddy invited him over and they became great friends even though Clea stressed to be careful of outsiders. Also unlike other characters, Eli can never really figure out Tony’s intentions. While some other characters Eli can read like a book, and some others throw a tantrum and reveal their truthful harsh feelings, we never get anything like that from Tony. Instead he is very soft spoken or at least from what we see of him in the book. Even when the siblings are told that it is Phil that still doesn’t reveal too much about his character. I think the nighttime setting the author describes goes perfectly with Tony’s character. The mysterious, dark night. During the whole time Eli is out with Tony the author makes you feel excited that Eli is having fun and enjoying himself for once, but she never makes you feel completely safe. She always makes you feel a bit uneasy, like there is something more going on. And there is. Tony isn’t who he says he is. I think this cool mood evoked by the night is a cool little way the author chose to add more support to Tony’s character. While it may be hard to pick up on for first time readers, looking back at the book, it is cool to see how Tony’s surroundings go parallel with his true character during that whole night time sequence. The last thing that the author excels at is building upon what was already established in the first book. The author does a great job adding to parts of this made up world that were already created in the original story. She also uses some of the events from the first book for more than just world building but to enhance the characters. One major example of this that happens all throughout the story is how sometimes some of Eli’s family members do things they used to do when they lived in the compound. In one situation Terese, Eli’s little sister, starts speaking in a British accent. For people who didn’t read the first book this might not make sense but for people who did you would immediately recognize this. During the family’s time in the compound Terese began speaking in a British accent which Eli found unusual but it stopped after they escaped the compound. This bit of deja vu Eli gets from his sister helps reveal more about the trauma he got from his time underground. It frightens Eli and makes him burst into Terese’s room. This moment is not only beautifully written, but is a magnificent example on how pieces of information from other books can be used to help the reader gain a deeper understanding of the protagonist's mental state.

I would recommend this book for people who enjoy suspenseful mystery books and for people who enjoy thoroughly developed plots that have satisfying conclusions with everything connecting in the end. This book was perfect for me as it followed a family trying to pull themselves back together after struggling through tough times. It embodies messages of forgiveness, love, and grief. If you enjoy books with complex plots, nicely paced plot threads, and twists and turns, then this is the book for you.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fallout feels a little similar to its previous work, The Compound. A little too similar. The storyline is roughly the same in both works: being unsuspecting, gaining insights on Rex's activities and goals right before they got trapped, accidentally setting off the bomb for their confinement quarters then escaping in the chaos. This makes the story somewhat less exciting, because even the plot twists lack the flavour of novelty.

Moreover, I feel like the plot twist is surprising because it's really far-fetched — the logical fallacies even worse than The Compound. While I appreciate how The Fallout continues the stories from the Compound and attempts to explain its mysteries, the timeline doesn't quite add up. First, those old scientists in retirement homes only got drafted away after Eli escaped the compound, but Rex has been working on this fountain of youth since the beginning of their compound time. Are we to assume that Rex worked on this research independently for six years, got some results, then decided he absolutely needs other scientists to develop it for him? He was also talking about phasing people into the change, which naturally occurs because technologies don't just go BOOM and we become God-like beings. However, Rex somehow manages to quickly develop the technology that not only cures age-related diseases, stops aging altogether, and also reverses age. That sounds too idealistic without many explanations, and idealism does indeed loom over the whole book (richest man, genius brain, love at first sight). It makes the story sounds factitious. Also, it's hard to wrap around the fact that in the last book, they're just trying to stay alive in a madman's game, and now suddenly they are achieving immortality.

Nonetheless, The Fallout is still a good thriller with less predictable than The Compound, although it definitely gives a feeling of deja vu. It could have been fine to leave the book off after The Compound with a hanging mystery, but it's nice to have some follow ups to their father's insanity as well.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Potential spoilers for book 1: Eli and his family have made it out of the underground compound without his father. They are reunited with Gram and Eli’s twin, Eddy. But it’s not easy fitting back in to a “normal” life after six years underground, especially as the well-known rich family they are as they try to hide from prying eyes. They don’t even know who they can trust.

I liked this. It did show how hard it would be to fit back in to a regular life, for Eli and the family, in addition to Eddy having to get used to this new world, as well. As I noticed at least one other review mention, the science fiction aspect of the book didn’t come into play until near the end, but that didn’t bother me, as I still thought the rest of the book was good, too. There were a couple of surprises near the end – one I’d guessed (just shortly before it was revealed), but I didn’t guess the other at all.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unless you read very quickly, SKIP!


Every once in a while you read a book and some time in the first 3rd of the book you think, “what the hell am I reading?” Then sometimes, it’s so bizarre and ridiculous you may think to yourself “I will suspend my disbelief to try and enjoy this nonsense,” and lo and behold you do end of enjoying it. Well. Then there was THIS book. I had to remind myself damn near every page, and the closer I got to the end was worse, “I’m too far in to quit now and I know this is whack, just lean into it”…. Even then it was. Poorly fabricated, flat characters, bad dialogue, and a plot that was a crazy as the movie “Howard the Duck”. Please, dear god, don’t let a 3rd one get published as I will oddly feel the need to read it also.

[˗ˏˋ mckenna ˎˊ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated! I was a little worried that The Fallout would suffer the same issues I had with The Compound of very a fast paced and not entirely fleshed out story, but the fact that there was a gap in which the books were written (2008 to 2013) the reader could very much see how the author's writing vastly improved. There were multiple intersecting plots that fit well together vs. one linear conflict; foreshadowing; and a much better pacing. It was also interesting to see Eli reacclimating to the real world after the trauma that he suffered. Sidenote: Eddy is a dick.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Background Information: Fallout picks up where The Compound left off. The Yanakakis family minus dad has just gotten out of an underground shelter named The Compound, and are slowly re-integrating themselves back into society. They have been trapped in The Compound by Rex Yanakakis, their dad for the past six years, and Eddy and Gram were the only ones left outside.
Review
Yachts, mansions, VIP treatment, welcome to the life of Eli Yanakakis. Son of self-made Billionaire Rex Yanakakis, founder of YK, which is the largest technology company on the face of the planet. Fallout by S.A. Boden is an enthralling science fiction novel that is filled with action and suspense, and it is the second book in the series, The Compound.
Eli Yanakakis is the protagonist in Fallout. He is also my favorite character in this book because I can really connect to him. He portrays the typical teenager, except for the fact that he might be the richest teenager in the world. He still has girl problems, is a bit insecure, but still has a bit of a wild side. Also, he has a twin, just like me! Eli is a dynamic character. He changes from being scared of going out to having weekly outings with the family.
Eddy Yanakakis, twin of Eli Yanakakis is also a major character in this book. Through him, I got a better understanding of Eli, and he portrays the popular teenager. As Eli puts it, “Eddy just seemed to know what to wear, how to act, who to be.” (Page 44) He is the normal one in the family. He does normal things like sneaking out of the house at night, to hang out with buddy, Tony. With that being said, Eddy and Eli still hang out a lot. They’re really close, and do a lot of things together, just like my brother and me.
S.A. Boden did a fantastic job developing the characters. I know almost every aspect to know about Eli and Eddy. Furthermore, with the minor characters, he clearly develops each of their relationships to Eli and Eddy. For example, Lexie and Eli are really close, and Lexie only tells Eli that she wants to find her biological parents, but is unwilling to tell Eddy, whom she considers an outsider. I really love how S.A. Boden makes all these side relationships with Eli and Eddy, because it makes the book even more interesting, and it adds authenticity to the book. It makes the book even more relatable to the common teenager.
The themes in this book are man vs. society, man vs. self, and man vs. man. The man in man vs. society is the Yanakakis family, which consists of Lexie, Eli, Eddy, Reese, Lucas, Quinn, Gram, and Mom. A lot of people in society think that they are freaks because they spent the last six years underground, and they are afraid to even set foot outside. It gets so bad that they are forced to move mansions, and hardly ever go into public, and when they do, they go out in disguise. This all leads into the man vs. self theme because they are scared of being judged. They are afraid of the opinions of the public. That is why they hardly ever go out in public. It is more their own choice to never go out, not because society thinks that they are freaks. The man vs. man theme is the Yanakakis family vs. Rex Yanakakis, also the husband of Mrs. Yanakakis, and father to all the children. This theme does not appear until later in the book, but at the beginning of the book, S.A. Boden foreshadows this theme by having Eli think, “what if dad is still out there?”
The plot line in this book is fascinating. It’s medium paced, and full of plot twists and foreshadowing. My favorite plot twist is when Tony, who is Eddy’s new buddy, tells them that he is actually de-aged Phil, who is a hated enemy to all of the Yanakakis family, but is Rex’s right hand man. Lexie’s reaction when they found out is my favorite. “Lexie grabbed on to the table. “What?” She pointed at Tony. “That’s Phil?” She made a face of disgust, then covered her mouth. She walked over to the sectional, where she perched on the edge of an arm, eyes wide.”(Page 252) Her reaction is my favorite because before finding out, Lexie would flirt with Tony, because she thought he was cute. Lexie thought she was flirting with a cute teenager when she was actually flirting with a fifty year old man. This is also one of the prime examples of S.A. Boden using irony to add humor to the story.
Over the course of the book, S.A. Boden covers almost every teenage problem and experience. From sneaking out to girl problems, S.A. Boden really uses Eli to portray the typical teenager, and Eddy the popular teenager. Although the plot line is slower than the books I usually read, the themes were about the same, and I really enjoyed reading this book. S.A. Boden does a marvelous job with character development, the use of foreshadowing, and plot twists. This book won’t keep you on the edge of your seat, but it will be impossible to put down. It’s not like some books in the science fiction genre, dripping with action and suspense, but rather it’s more of a mix. There is action and suspense, but more than other Sci-Fi books, teens can actually relate to this book, because it covers most teenage problems. I really liked this book, and the fact that it was different. I would recommend this book to any teenage boy, and anyone who would like to read something different.

[Bryant Smith]

I gave this book a 2 out of 5 stars because I don't really like the whole point of the story. this book is about Eli and his family living in an underground shelter and they called it the compound. they lived there for six years and they decided they needed to readjust back to the outside world. so overall I liked the way that this book progresses because it is not too fast-paced but it is not too slow-paced. my least favorite part of this book is when their dad's former adviser has control over the company that Eli and his brother inherited. this is my least favorite part because I just don't get why this is such a big part of the book because they make it this big part of the story and I just don't get why because whenever they talk about it I want to stop reading the book and go to sleep because it's boring.

[Cayla's TBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st book of this series is The Compound. You need to read it before you read this!

So first thoughts were “not much is happening” unlike the first book. Page 234 … I was absolutely speechless and after that I didn’t set the book down once!

This book has so many twist and turns and jaw dropping moment!! 😮

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely wasn't as good as the first. It follows Eli and his family after they get out of the compound and trying to adjust. Their "dead" dads right hand man, Phil went missing. Eddy has been feeling awkward ever since Eli and the rest came back. He said it was easier when it was just him and his grandma. Then when a teenager named Tony came along and started befriending Eddy. One night Eli heard Eddy telling Tony that he really didn't care for everyone coming back. Then Eddy and Lexie started getting along and eventually kidnapped by Tony. The three of them were taken to an island where they saw their dad again. He explained the Tony was Phil and that he had found a way to reverse aging which was why he was a teenager. Eli then used the anti aging machine of his dad which backfired and turned him into a baby with no muscles or bones and said moo all the time. No joke that is in the book. Then Eli escaped with Eddy and Lexie and the newley befriended Phil on a jet. The went back home and Eli started dating someone who he told his actual identity to.

[Chris B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty interesting, in a good way. It has a unique setting and plot.