Book Info
- Genre: YA (12 to 18), AI thriller
- Length: 304 pages
- Published: August 2024
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204929214-anticipation
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anticipation-twisty-young-adult-thriller/dp/1915584507/
Blurb
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 future 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 YA thriller.
About the Author
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.
Thank you @neemtreepress for the free book!
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Anticipation by Neil Taylor
- One-word review: Thought-provoking
- Emojis: 😔🤔😢
My Top-Five-style Review:
5. The author’s skill in making this AI story accessible, without being hindered by technical jargon, is commendable. It ensures a comfortable read for all, making the audience appreciate the author’s writing style.
4. I believe the novel could benefit from more ‘show, not tell’, especially in the early parts. This constructive feedback is aimed at maintaining the fluidity of the reading experience and keeping the reader fully immersed in the story.
3. The heroine – Riya – is not one of my favorite FMCs. She came across as immature and lacking the excellent sense her father’s trust in her implied she had. Multiple times, she made choices that had me yelling at her in disbelief.
2. As a counselor, I was disheartened by the portrayal of bulimia. If a topic as complex as eating disorders is going to play a role, I would expect it to be handled with empathy and a great deal of knowledge of the many intricacies associated with mental health disorders, but I didn’t see that in this story. The story almost made it sound like a social media-inspired fad or something similar.
1. The premise of this novel is not just relevant, but also conceivably possible. This potentiality is what intrigued me and kept me engaged throughout the book. I loved how thought provoking it is.
8 responses to “Anticipation by Neil Taylor #BlogTour #BookReview #YAThriller”
Sounds intriguing, and AI is a reality.
Definitely 💯
Insightful review, Tessa💜
🩷🩷🩷
This sounds interesting but looks like it lacked in some aspects. Great review!
A few but it had so much potential
The way bulimia is handled would also both me, Tessa, but the AI aspect sounds engaging.
Exactly! It really had a lot of potential. I think in the hands of the right editor (it apparently had two but maybe they weren’t the right ones 🤨) – it could be an excellent timely story.