Thanks to The Write Reads for my invitation and the gifted book to take part in the book tour today.
You are being played.
Your every move is being watched by businesses hoping to manipulate your behaviour. Every picture, every post, every like, every follow, every purchase, every search.
When 17-year-old Riya Sudame inherits her father’s secret AI algorithm, she and a handful of carefully selected Keyholders hold the power to predict people’s futures using their online data. But with great power comes great responsibility, and they must safeguard it from falling into the wrong hands.
Enter Jim Booker, a powerful social media tycoon, who will stop at nothing to steal the technology for himself. Soon Riya faces a critical choice. Fighting ruthless tech giants seems like an impossible task—wouldn’t it be easier to relinquish her father’s creation in exchange for a normal teenage life?
But if she does, she will have to live with the knowledge that she is the reason that, like everyone, you are being played.
Neil Taylor marks his debut in this dark, twisty AI thriller.
My Review
A young adult thriller that has a cover and blurb that catches your attention immediately. I was so intrigued by this book that I sat down to read as soon as it arrived. I didn’t know what to expect as I started to read, but that changed pretty fast.
From the start, this is action-packed. I couldn’t believe it was a debut book. I found the storyline so immersive and addictive that it felt I was by the side of the characters as the plot unfolded.
Everything was written in a way that the reader doesn’t get jolted out of the world that Neil Taylor had built. Even the issues he highlights are ones that are easy to imagine as actually happening. AI and social media are a large part of what is brought out now. This made Anticipation quite a scary read in some ways.
I thought his characterisation was done very well. Each and every character had flaws and each unique with their own voice within the storyline.
A very interesting and cleverly written thriller. It is a young adult read, but I’m old enough to say adults would really enjoy Anticipation too. I am eager to see what Neil Taylor writes next.
Author Bio
Neil Taylor is a software industry professional whose career has spanned Europe, Japan, and the USA. Now based in Durham, England, Neil works remotely for a leading cloud-based software and services company. With more than two decades of software experience, Neil possesses a deep understanding of how company motivations influence customers and users. Fascinated by the convergence of big data and behavioural science in the tech industry, Neil’s debut YA book, “Anticipation,” delves into the perilous implications of unchecked social media and AI development.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 