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Hello, reader!

It’s time for another tour run by the wonderful The Write Reads! Today, I’ll be reviewing an ambitious sci-fi that has a fascinating premise: Unanimity by Alexandra Almeida. This was such an interesting read that speaks to a lot of social issues as you flip through the pages, while also pulling you into a digital world that will blow your mind.

But, before I get to my review, I have people to thank. First, thank you to Dave @ The Write Reads and all of the crew for giving me a spot on this tour! Second, thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of the book so that I could participate in this tour. It is, as always, appreciated!

Now, let’s get the post!

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The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Shadow is a reluctant god with a broken mind and a death wish. He used to be Thomas Astley-Byron, an affluent young screenwriter whose creativity and idealism saved a world from the brink of collapse. Together with Henry Nowak, an AI expert, Tom created heaven on earth by inventing a Jungian simulated reality that helps humans confront their dark sides. The benevolent manipulation platform turned the two unelected leaders into beloved gods, but now everything is failing. The worlds suffer as a sentimental Tom descends into his own personal hell, becoming the embodiment of everything he despises and a shadow of his former self.

His journey from an optimistic, joyful Tom to a gloomy Shadow is paved with heartache and sinister interference from emerging technology. Humans and bots fight for his heart, but their aims differ: some want to own it, some to dissect it, and others to end its foolish beat. Still, the biggest threat comes from within—none of the sticky stories that steer Tom’s life end well.

Who’s pulling on Shadow’s heartstrings? Are their intentions malign or benign? It’s all a matter of perspective, and Shadow has none left.

Now, a young goddess—Estelle Ngoie—has been appointed to replace him, and unlike Shadow, Stella takes no prisoners, and her heart bleeds for no one.

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Author Links

Website::Twitter::Goodreads

Alexandra Almeida has over 25 years of experience in technology, strategy, and innovation. In her role as Chief Transformation Officer, she acts as a senior advisor to enterprise executives. Alexandra is an experienced speaker at events such as SXSW, and the Women in Tech Series.

For the time being, and to protect her creative freedoms, Alexandra prefers to write using a number of pen names.

​Her debut fantasy novel, released under another pen name, has received the following awards and recognition:

• Reader’s Favorite Awards – Gold Medal Winner – Young Adult – Fantasy – Epic
• Reader Views Awards – 1st Place – Fantasy
• CIPA EVVY Book Awards – 2nd Place – Fiction – Mythology
• B.R.A.G. Medallion Recipient
• Eric Hoffer’s Da Vinci Eye Awards Finalist for Best Cover Artwork
• The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist – Books for Adults
• Awesome Indies Approved

Following the self-publishing path by choice to retain full control of her IP, Alexandra invests in the best editors available in the business to match publishing quality standards.

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Thank you to The Write Reads and the author for providing me with a free book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions contained within are my own.

I know I’ve mentioned how I wanted to try reading more science fiction in 2023. We all know I’m a fantasy fan, but when I first started reading for fun again, I loved and read sci-fi just as much as I loved fantasy. Lately, though, I feel like fantasy has completely taken over and sci-fi has been left on the backburner. So I’m trying to reignite my love for my old second favorite genre. That’s why I was eager to dive into this novel!

Unanimity is a book that explores a lot of different topics. The story follows a man named Tom, or Shadow when in the digital world of the Spiral Worlds. Tom is the co-creator of Spiral Worlds, a place designed to teach humans to be their best selves. Earth is now a peaceful place where humans work together instead of destroying each other and it’s all thanks to Tom and his business partner, Henryk. But the Tom that we meet at the beginning of this novel is a broken man, a Shadow, and this book explores how he reached this point.

I think the most intriguing aspect of this novel is how it explores emotions and why people make the decisions that they do. What leads them down the paths that they choose. This is a fascinating character study for all of our main characters, though there are so many of them that I felt like we didn’t get to spend as much time delving into each of them. I still thought the characters were incredibly built, nuanced and interesting, with backstories that pull you in and make you want to know more. But I never really felt connected with any of the characters because there were so many vying for my attention. That being said, this is just the first book in a series, so I imagine we’ll be spending more time with at least a few of the characters. I just wish we got a little more in this one.

The plot, however, had me completely in its clutches! The worldbuilding of this story is incredible and pulls you into the world effortlessly. I will admit to being confused during the beginning of the book, mostly because of all the time jumps, but once I settled into the story and was used to all the jumping around, I was hooked. I had to know where all this was going! I’m also loving the different levels of the Spiral Worlds and how they represent different values. I thought that was a unique touch to the story. And the fact that everything that happens (at least in the present timeline) in just one day was an interesting route to take. It kept it feeling urgent when the past timeline could slow down the pace a little bit.

I would also say definitely check trigger warnings before diving into this one because it deals with some heavy topics and it does not shy away from them.

Overall, this was a fascinating sci-fi that was a good time to read. The characters were flawed and intense and made me want to know more about them. I wish we had more time with each of them, but I still enjoyed following their stories. The worldbuilding and plot had me glued to the page, though I will admit to being confused during the first half and the past timeline could slow the pace. I still ended up enjoying this book and would be interested in reading the next in the series!

Star rating: